Vincent's POV
The moment I stepped through the exit door, blinking against the brightness, the heat of the lava pit was still clinging to my skin, making the cold outside feel like ice.
One by one, the others stumbled out behind me..burned, shaking, breathless. Only a handful made it.
The heat behind me vanished like it had
And then…there they were.
The masked men.
Lined up like statues, identical in their matte-black uniforms. Their faces hidden behind those blank, circular masks.
Behind me, the heavy door creaked again as the others stumbled in…what was left of them.
Coughs. Wheezes. I turned my head and saw one of the contestants, a tall boy with dirt smeared across his face, trying to muffle his cries into his palm.
Next to him, a girl trembled as she leaned against a wall, hands bleeding from the burns on her palms.
Zaara stumbled through next, gasping, her eyes darting wildly across the hallway like she was looking for someone.
Two other contestants.
She ran.
