me?” I try to free myself from Leo’s firm grip but he is too strong. I hate feeling weak.
Leo doesn’t reply as he approaches a soldier. He hits the soldier hard in the face with one hand, takes his rifle, still dragging me behind him. He throws the rifle into the open Jeep, lifts me up with both hands, shoves me into the passenger seat and starts driving the car down the slope as the soldiers start shooting at us.
Okay. First the roses. Then the tomatoes. Then the bullets. I think I have had enough. Thank you very much. Can we switch the channel?
Leo shoves me to the floor. My eyes are wide and my neck is twisted. I wonder why he is driving down the slope with the teenagers screaming around us. I guess there is no use in trying to escape the games with thousands of military soldiers surrounding us. The car is going to be useful in the field. We have immunity from soldiers in the Playa battlefields. They are not allowed inside.
As the car slides down, pulled by gravity since Leo doesn’t have the keys, I try not to bump my head on the inside of the Jeep. Isn’t Leo supposed to be able to use the wires to turn the engine on? I’ve seen it in some old movie.
Instead of driving faster, Leo is using the brakes to slow down. Other students are trying to hop inside for a ride as I crawl back up in my seat. I see the battlefield from this high point. It is huge. A city of its own. I can’t see its end. There is an amusement park in the distance. I can see a rollercoaster. There is a forest, a lake, a huge glass dome, a monorail, an area full of industrial buildings, and a main street where the buses are lined up ready for the race.
Leo looks angrily at me. He doesn’t want anyone else riding along, which I find mean. If we’re all going to die, we might as well die together. I don’t see the difference, Jeep or no Jeep. We are all going down to the yellow buses.
The Jeep is full once we reach the end of the slope. Everyone runs to the buses, arguing about who is a better driver. Ironically, this game should be illegal since no one is old enough for a driver’s license yet — except Leo. Their parents must have taught them how to drive. Well, who am I kidding? I wouldn’t be surprised if many of them stole cars for a living.
Leo pushes the teens away from the Jeep. He takes no prisoners. I should be running toward a bus, but I feel that I am with him. In my head, I sound like we are going to the Prom. I am with him. I am with Leo, the mysterious, unethical, Nine-looking, outranked boy. King and queen of the Monsters.
He picks up a bag from the backseat, and fills it with items. Seeing Leo pack a flashlight makes me feel better. It means he has plans to survive until tomorrow morning. That’s a start.
“You need help?” I tap my foot against the ground. I am a goddamn volunteer, not one of those damsel-in-distress type girls. Should I explain to him that I am here to find Woo?
He throws the heavy backpack toward me. I let it slip through my fingers and it falls o my feet. He gives me that look. I feel guilty. What is wrong with me? I’ve never been a brat. Looking at him is just distracting. I pick up the backpack up off the ground.
“The best way to play the game is to play the game,” I hear a boy explaining to the other teens around him. It’s Roger This, educating the teens. “Think of it as a video game and just play along. Never think about dying. Just play. We’re Bad Kidz after all. We love to play,” he preaches.
Leo tucks the rifle under his jacket and picks up a strange instrument from the car. It is like a crowbar that closes full circle, and it has a bent edge that looks like it could pull something hooked to it. It looks pretty heavy, like a train chain that can be used to connect two trains together.
He grabs my arm with the other hand so tight it hurts. His fingers feel like wood. He stares at my body from top to bottom, looking at my legs. Is this boy a psycho or what? He might be
Leo doesn’t reply as he approaches a soldier. He hits the soldier hard in the face with one hand, takes his rifle, still dragging me behind him. He throws the rifle into the open Jeep, lifts me up with both hands, shoves me into the passenger seat and starts driving the car down the slope as the soldiers start shooting at us.
Okay. First the roses. Then the tomatoes. Then the bullets. I think I have had enough. Thank you very much. Can we switch the channel?
Leo shoves me to the floor. My eyes are wide and my neck is twisted. I wonder why he is driving down the slope with the teenagers screaming around us. I guess there is no use in trying to escape the games with thousands of military soldiers surrounding us. The car is going to be useful in the field. We have immunity from soldiers in the Playa battlefields. They are not allowed inside.
As the car slides down, pulled by gravity since Leo doesn’t have the keys, I try not to bump my head on the inside of the Jeep. Isn’t Leo supposed to be able to use the wires to turn the engine on? I’ve seen it in some old movie.
Instead of driving faster, Leo is using the brakes to slow down. Other students are trying to hop inside for a ride as I crawl back up in my seat. I see the battlefield from this high point. It is huge. A city of its own. I can’t see its end. There is an amusement park in the distance. I can see a rollercoaster. There is a forest, a lake, a huge glass dome, a monorail, an area full of industrial buildings, and a main street where the buses are lined up ready for the race.
Leo looks angrily at me. He doesn’t want anyone else riding along, which I find mean. If we’re all going to die, we might as well die together. I don’t see the difference, Jeep or no Jeep. We are all going down to the yellow buses.
The Jeep is full once we reach the end of the slope. Everyone runs to the buses, arguing about who is a better driver. Ironically, this game should be illegal since no one is old enough for a driver’s license yet — except Leo. Their parents must have taught them how to drive. Well, who am I kidding? I wouldn’t be surprised if many of them stole cars for a living.
Leo pushes the teens away from the Jeep. He takes no prisoners. I should be running toward a bus, but I feel that I am with him. In my head, I sound like we are going to the Prom. I am with him. I am with Leo, the mysterious, unethical, Nine-looking, outranked boy. King and queen of the Monsters.
He picks up a bag from the backseat, and fills it with items. Seeing Leo pack a flashlight makes me feel better. It means he has plans to survive until tomorrow morning. That’s a start.
“You need help?” I tap my foot against the ground. I am a goddamn volunteer, not one of those damsel-in-distress type girls. Should I explain to him that I am here to find Woo?
He throws the heavy backpack toward me. I let it slip through my fingers and it falls o my feet. He gives me that look. I feel guilty. What is wrong with me? I’ve never been a brat. Looking at him is just distracting. I pick up the backpack up off the ground.
“The best way to play the game is to play the game,” I hear a boy explaining to the other teens around him. It’s Roger This, educating the teens. “Think of it as a video game and just play along. Never think about dying. Just play. We’re Bad Kidz after all. We love to play,” he preaches.
Leo tucks the rifle under his jacket and picks up a strange instrument from the car. It is like a crowbar that closes full circle, and it has a bent edge that looks like it could pull something hooked to it. It looks pretty heavy, like a train chain that can be used to connect two trains together.
He grabs my arm with the other hand so tight it hurts. His fingers feel like wood. He stares at my body from top to bottom, looking at my legs. Is this boy a psycho or what? He might be
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