CHAPTER FOUR

We moved at a breakneck pace, our feet pounding against the unforgiving pavement. I found myself silently thanking my mother for all the years of track and gymnastics she'd all but forced me to endure. Come to think of it, that was probably the only thing I had to be grateful to her for. Those skills were proving invaluable now as we weaved and dodged past fallen bodies. I wouldn't be forgetting what some of them had been reduced to anytime soon. If I looked too closely, I would throw up.

Kyrous' hand was wrapped firmly around mine, his grip unyielding as he made himself keep pace with me. Ahead of us, Lana and Ciaran led the way.

I checked on Melantha and saw she was maintaining a steady pace, flanked by Brody and Dion, who were watching her closely, ready to support her at a moment's notice. She had to be in immense pain, but she still hadn't said a word about it.

I tried to recall the map I'd seen earlier, but everything looked so different in reality. If it weren't for the guys, I'd be completely lost. I wasn't even entirely sure where we were going. This part of the Playground was as meticulously crafted as the rest of the city, an elaborate stage set for nothing but carnage and riddles. The streets, eerily empty now, held an air of foreboding.

Melantha voiced the question that hung in my mind, "Where did everyone go?"

Ciaran's response was cryptic but certain, "You'll have your answer in about ten minutes."

As if on cue, white pickups and black vans began to sporadically appear.

People clad in what looked like hazmat suits disembarked, a grim clean-up crew in the aftermath of the chaos. Some were tasked with removing bodies, while others sanitized the area with tanks strapped to their backs, sprayers in hand. Each uniform bore the emblem of the Devil's Playground--a triangle with an eye in its center.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Lana muttered under her breath, her tone a mix of disbelief and disdain . "Purgation Inc. Grim's Cleanup," she read off the names of the companies that were branded on the vehicles.

"Wait until you see the construction crew, " Maverick joked. A reminder that all of this--the destruction, the death--was a prelude to more orchestrated horror.

I should've been accustomed to it by now. In curated anarchy, nothing was too extreme or macabre.

I couldn't help but wonder what other twisted surprises lay in wait for us. We weaved through a small park, another eerie imitation of normalcy in the hellish city. I faltered when I spotted a small group of masked kids—freaking children —loitering near a swing set. There was an even smaller child with them, a beautiful little boy with piercing blue eyes and brown skin. No part of me could fathom why he, or any of them for that matter, were here.

When they spotted us, they all abruptly froze, as if they were marionettes and someone had just cut their strings. Their gazes latched onto our group, and for a moment time seemed to warp, stretching thin between two realities. I glanced up at Ky's masked face. "Why are there kids here?"

"Not all monsters are grown, Sunshine."

"That's fucked up. Seriously fucked up," Melantha breathed out, holding a cramp. "Shouldn't we— you --be helping them?"

"We aren't babysitters," Brody replied, his voice as dry as the pavement, stripped bare of any empathy.

"Ky said it best," Ciaran added without missing a beat. "Don't let their ages fool you. Look at what they're playing with."

My eyes roamed over the group and for a moment, my brain refused to accept it—a severed head. The eyes were vacant of life, resting beneath the sole of a young boy's shoe as if it were nothing more than a discarded toy. I blanched, anchored only by Ky's firm grip on my hand.

"I was pretending I didn't notice that" Lana said.

The child shifted his weight, and the head rolled grotesquely to one side, a mockery of acquiescence to the game they were playing. Dion balked and put more space between himself and the kids. "What kinda twisted Children of The Corn bullshit is that?"

"Some don't have a choice, but soon... he could be free," Kyrous stated, his voice low and cryptic.

"Whatever you just said, that doesn't make it better," Melantha countered in disgust.

I had so many questions. I wanted to dissect his words, to understand the dark promise beneath them, but the moment slipped away as we exited the small park, leaving the kids behind. I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. I had the urge to turn back and go to them, but then one of our heads could very well be their next kickball if Ciaran's words were anything to judge by.

We entered a narrow alley and then turned a corner, descending a set of concrete stairs that led to a row of turnstiles. Our pace didn't slow until we came upon Inferno Transit Hub .

It bore little resemblance to the stations I'd seen on television or in movies. Three trams sat motionless on tracks that disappeared into a dense tree line ahead. Each was a sleek capsule of steel and glass with barred windows.

Blood was everywhere .

It stained the platform in purposeful patterns as if someone had decided to make some impromptu artwork. More concerning than that were the clowns loading bodies into garish, funhouse-style cars, their bright costumes contrasting with the grim task at hand. Four people still remained motionless on the ground, one woman's head nearly severed entirely. They must have run this way trying to save themselves and instead met with a brutal end.

It took the clowns a moment to notice us. The second they did, they all paused, just like the kids had.

Their masked faces were pure nightmare fuel. Some were streaked with blood, bearing exaggerated features with sinister grins and hollow eyes that seemed to see into your very being.

"Why aren't they moving?" Dion asked, keeping his voice low.

That was a good question. I shifted backward and a strong arm wrapped around my waist protectively from behind. "They won't touch you," Ky promised.

Another group burst in from the opposite direction, stumbling down the stairs, one of them clutching a bleeding arm. The clowns turned their attention to them and this time they didn't hesitate, dropping the bodies they had been about to load. One feigned left and darted toward Melantha. Dion intercepted, narrowly dodging the curved blade the clown wielded. He punched it in the face hard enough to make it stumble backward.

"Thanks for that," Mel quipped.

"No problem," he replied, quickly pulling her behind him and shaking out his hand.

"Don't tell me that was your first punch, D," Maverick playfully taunted.

"It wasn't. I'm a lover, not a fighter is all."

"We can add that to your epitaph," Brody joked. He smoothly veered around Dion, disarmed the clown with disturbing ease, and flipped the blade. In one swift motion, he slashed it across the clown's throat. Blood sprayed as the clown grasped at its neck, gurgling, before collapsing to the ground.

"What the fuck is she doing here?" Charon suddenly remarked, slipping away from our group.

"Get safe," Ky commanded, shoving me toward the trams. "Brody, watch her."

I stumbled forward, my heart pounding as chaos erupted around us.

I glanced back to ask where he was going, but he had already put distance between us, following behind his brother.

"Let's go for Tram 1," Lana suggested, moving up beside me with Mel, leaving Brody and Dion at our backs.

"Will the doors just open?" I asked as we ran.

"Only one way to find out."

From the corner of my eye, I saw an older man trip over himself in his rush to get to the trams. He went down hard, his head bouncing off the pavement. I nearly did the same when I realized that I knew him. I wasn't sure how exactly but just catching a glimpse of his face had recognition sparking in my head.

"We need to help him." I broke away from Lana, and without question she followed right behind me, both of us ignoring Brody's shouted objection. This was admittedly a stupid thing to do.

I hadn't considered the fact he was an easy target for the clowns. "Get up!" I reached for his arm and Lana took hold of the other. With combined effort and a small grunt, we helped him stand.

"Shit!" Lana lurched forward and we half ran, half stumbled away from the clown that had decided to mark the man, and now us, as its next target.

"Do you two have a death wish?" Brody questioned as he came to our aid, blocking the clown's path.

"Come on!" Mel yelled. She was in the doorway of the tram we'd been aiming for, Dion barely holding her back as she tried to get to us.

Someone screamed what I assumed was the man's name and he hesitated.

"If you don't get your old ass moving, I will leave you out here to die," Lana snapped at him.

The expression he gave in response was a mix of defeat and offense. Thankfully he listened because I knew she was being serious. I noticed then that all three doors were open, and the clowns weren't going on board. Tram 2 was closer to us, but I refused to be separated from the others. There was no way to know where these things would take us.

A small gasp escaped my lips as I stumbled, only to be saved by Lana's quick reflexes and her taking more of the man's weight. "If this is how we end, I will be so pissed at you, Grace."

I laughed, despite nothing about this being remotely funny, my mirth sobering as soon as another clown rushed at us.

"At least you've made your peace with death," he commented, his voice dripping with malice. He was enormous, at least three times our size, and unnervingly broad.

"You two really know how to pick 'em," Brody joked, only a few paces behind us. I wasn't confident he could handle this one alone after having just dealt with at least two on our way to the tram. He had to be tired.

I didn't have to worry for long.

Ky and Ciaran were suddenly there, moving into the clown's path with no regard for the long, sinister blade he brandished. Ky didn't waste a second. He lunged forward with brutal efficiency, grabbing the clown's wrist and twisting it with a sickening crunch. The blade clattered to the ground as the clown let out a guttural roar of pain. Ciaran followed up by knocking his feet from beneath him, causing him to collapse to the ground.

"Stay down," Ky coldly demanded, as he slammed his boot on the clown's chest. There was an audible crack followed by a wheezing sound from beneath the clown's mask.

Ciaran crouched, his hand clamping around the clown's throat with a vice-like grip. "You should've known better, Leo."

"Get them to the Tram," Ky directed at Brody without looking our way.

"I'm working on it." He grabbed my arm and Lana's, pulling us away from the scene, practically launching us on board before jumping in behind us.

"Don't ever do that again!" Mel yelled from where she was now sitting, her face pale and strained.

"Relax, Mel. We had it under control," Lana replied, her tone light. "I'm sorry for making you worry, though."

"You think I was worried? That's an understatement. How gray is my hair now ? And you risked your life for that-- him ?"

As Brody helped Lana and I get the him in question into a seat, I forced a laugh at her way of accepting the apology, offering one of my own.

I knew she'd done herself more harm by trying to come to us and that wasn't anything I could ever forgive myself for. "I'm sorry, Mel. I didn't think it through until it was too late."

"Clearly," Brody grumbled.

"Hands off," Ky's gritty voice carried from behind us before I could further explain. Brody immediately dropped his supportive hand from my arm and moved away as if I'd suddenly caught fire, taking a seat beside Mel.

"Good luck," Lana quipped, moving back toward the front of the tram.

I turned toward Ky as he came forward. There was blood splattered on his front from far more than just that clown he and Ciaran had taken down. He'd ditched his gloves as well. I swallowed hard, looking up at his masked face as he firmly, yet gently crowded me into a seat using his body, not touching me with his hands.

Once I was seated, he planted himself beside me and leaned close.

"What the fuck was that, Sunshine?"

"W-what was what?" I questioned, transfixed on his masked face. It was mesmerizing, a haunting white and black now sporting red streaks and splatter, giving him an otherworldly, fearsome appearance. Oddly, I found him just as attractive with it on.

"Don't dumb yourself down."

"I couldn't leave him."

"You couldn't?" His laugh was low and unsettling. My reaction to it was entirely inappropriate. "If something happened to you, no one would have made it onto this tram. Not a single soul."

He couldn't mean what that implied. Except I knew he did.

"Do you understand?" he asked, his voice dropping to a dangerous cadence when I didn't respond.

I swallowed hard, the intensity of his stare piercing through the mask. "Yes, I understand."

"Good," he murmured, his voice softening but still carrying an edge.

There was a strange comfort in his protectiveness, a dark allure that I wanted to bask in. Our connection was broken by his shifting so that he was facing forward on the seat. I sat back, acutely aware we had an audience. I finally glanced around, noticing a few stares aimed at our group as a whole from others who had made it on that I didn't know.

I noted where everyone was sitting and the tram's interior. The compartment that housed the driver was barred off, prohibiting anyone from reaching it or the control panels. Where we were was unsurprisingly luxurious yet simple. Soft, plush seats in muted tones of grey and burgundy.

The ambient lighting, subtle and warm, created a sense of calm that was almost eerie given our recent ordeal. Sleek metal poles and polished surfaces reflected the low light, adding a touch of modern elegance. Mel was sitting with Dion and Brody, Maverick on the other side of them. Ciaran was now beside Lana, one arm draped over her shoulders, and Charon was beside a beautiful brunette who had come on board with the other few stragglers. She had long, ash-brown hair and light silver-blue eyes.

So that's who he'd gone after. She looked more familiar than the old man had. Her name danced on the edge of my memory, but I couldn't quite place it yet. The fact all of us, and some of these people that we kept crossing paths with had a link to one another had to be the Boards doing. There was a noticeable discord between her and Charon. He'd effectively blocked her into the seat like his brother had done to me.

Whatever she was saying, a thick accent was present, and happy was the exact opposite of the vibe I was getting. I quickly diverted my gaze, not wanting to stare.

In addition to her, there were a few others I didn't recognize. A woman with short, silver hair and a hardened expression, reminiscent of someone who had survived countless battles. The man Lana and I helped, was now sporting a nasty knot and bruise on his head. His eyes were closed, and I worried he might've gotten a concussion. Two other women looked to be about my age—one with rich, dark skin and the other with delicate features and straight black hair, hinting at an Asian descent, perhaps Korean.

Lastly, an athletic-looking man with long brown hair stood near the back, his eyes scanning the tram warily. No, not the tram, his eyes were shifting around our group with clear distrust.

I couldn't fault him for it. We were sitting with the same kinds of masked madmen that were all over the Devil's Playground, the difference being these ones didn't care about him or his existence enough to snuff it out.

There was an audible click, and then the tram was moving forward. My hand found Ky's arm and tightened reflexively. We swiftly moved away from the danger here, and without a doubt were heading right into more. The show was back on now and there was no telling what else we'd have to endure. The overhead lights dimmed, and the radio clicked on, an upbeat tune beginning to play.

"Cambodia", Dion commented almost wistfully. "My pops' loves this song."

I started to smile at him, when an almost inaudible grunt and Ky shifting, stopped me. I gave him a reprimanding look, then smiled at my friend.

"Maybe it's his way of telling you he's here with you."

"That is grossly sentimental," Ciaran remarked amusedly.

"Don't be a dick," Lana chastised, then in a softer tone to Dion. "They've already confirmed he's watching and doing what he can."

"I know he is," Dion said, looking out the window.

I watched him, my mind drifting. I remembered Dion a little easier than anything else. He was carefree and lighthearted. That spark was gone now, replaced by a somber heaviness he tried not to show. I hated seeing that. Not just for him, but for all of us. How would we go back to the world beyond this nightmarish playground after all was said and done? It wasn't just about surviving the immediate danger; it was about finding a way to reclaim the fragments of us that this place had taken.

And at what cost?

How did the guys manage it? Their level of compartmentalization was on the next level and terrifying to me, but I realized I'd been doing it too, hadn't I? Taking all this bullshit and rolling with the punches day after day.

As the tram glided smoothly along its track, I turned my head and looked out the window. Ky was silent and still beside me, his masked gaze fixed straight ahead. We entered the woods and that became my only view until we proceeded through a brick tunnel. Unlike the last time, this one had lights, and we weren't riding an out-of-control bus.

"So what side are you lot on?" the athletic man suddenly asked.

"Ours," Charon replied before anyone else could.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

The woman with short, silver hair and a hardened expression spoke up, her voice firm and unwavering. "Survival," she stated. "They're on the side of survival. In other words, winning."

Ciaran leaned forward so he could see around Lana. "Look how quick she understood without needing to ask questions." He tilted his head, and I could tell he was looking at the woman who'd spoken. "Carol Blackwood, right?"

Her expression changed subtly, not surprised but solemn. "That's right."

Blackwood? How did I know that name?

"Blackwood?" Lana used her arm to push Ciaran back. "Are you related to Thomas Blackwood?"

"As in Blackwood Architecture?" Mel chimed in.

There it was.

They were both right.

Blackwood Architecture had been contracted by our parents and countless others for various construction designs, everything from office buildings to houses. At least, that's how we'd always understood it. Now, I wasn't so sure.

Carol's mouth drew tight. "Thomas is my brother."

"And your brother pissed off the big guys on top," Maverick stated matter-of-factly.

Carol nodded her head once. "That's right. He didn't fall in line with their demands for Project Paradise after he found out what they planned to do with the Spencer Estate."

I shared a look with Lana and Mel. Project Paradise? Spencer Estate? "Is that why you were forced into the show?"

She met my questioning gaze with a faint smile. "I agreed to participate in exchange for his freedom."

Brody scoffed, coughing when Mel elbowed him.

"Do you honestly believe he'll be let go?" Lana asked.

"She knows he won't," Ciaran answered calmly.

"No, he won't," Carol agreed. "I have my reasons for agreeing, despite that. Just like you all do." Her eyes were fixed on Ciaran when she said that last part.

She knew something—something I got the feeling I didn't. If I picked up on it, then Liliana and Mel would've too. Sure enough, Lana looked between the woman and Ciaran.

"What am I missing?"

I wanted to give her the best answer I could, share the mess of memories inside my head, but Dion caught my eye and gave the slightest shake of his head while Mel was quick to shut me up with a fleeting look. Both reactions caught me so off guard that I almost let my disposition falter.

Never mind the things I didn't know. What did they ? Was Lana the only one that had no freaking clue what happened back then? That didn't seem plausible to me but short of outright asking her, which risked a whole plethora of issues and guaranteed divide in our group, I had no way of knowing for sure.

"Wait a damn minute," the man standing in the back of the tram suddenly cut in. "Is everyone here connected to the sick fucks running this show but me?"

"Only the special ones," Ky answered, the sound of his voice as unexpected as Dion's sign to keep my mouth shut.

"This is your idea of special?" Mel asked.

"The others are cannon fodder. Extras to keep things interesting."

"Oh. I see," she mused.

"And those creepy fucking masks you boys are wearing?" he pressed.

"Boys? Dion echoed. "Look, sir. No disrespect--."

"Fuck that, and with the utmost disrespect, fuck you. This isn't an interrogation. We don't owe you shit," Maverick interjected.

"Nice," the man snorted and then turned his attention to the rest of the newcomers. "Well, since Carol neglected to tell us that she isn't innocent in any of this, do the rest of you have anything to add?"

"I didn't neglect to tell you a damn thing. We're not friends or otherwise. We're just stuck in this damned city and using one another to stay alive," she refuted.

The older man sighed and finally opened his eyes. "Roger, just sit down and shut up for two minutes."

The man—Roger--started to reply, trailing off as the tram emerged from the tunnel and entered the woods, night pressing in around us.

A faint sound of whooshing air could be heard. I twisted to look out the window again and deduced that there was some kind of machine wrapping the area in fog. The tram's lights shut off one by one, leaving only small lantern lights strung throughout the trees, just bright enough to make out shapes. The tram rolled to a sudden stop, and the music cut off.

"What now?" one of the girls asked, her tone wavering.

"Do you know where we are?" Lana asked.

"I think it's where the toll is due," Brody answered.

"T-toll?" the girl stammered.

"What do you mean you think ?" Mel overtalked her.

"I'm usually in Twisty, remember?"

"Just wait," Ciaran stated calmly.

At his suggestion, we all sat in collective silence for a moment before a different telltale click was heard.

A familiar voice began one of her riddles, her voice coming through the speakers with its usual unsettling cheerfulness.

"Surprise! Kinks is back for more.

This time, she's gonna make it easy, not a chore.

To pass through these woods and the depths beyond, just pay the toll and go on your way.

Time's a-tickin', so don't be frugal,

Refuse, and each of you will be the Devil's currency, a fate most brutal.

I'm so excited for the show to go on.

So, pay up quick, and we'll move along."

A faint ticking sound replaced Kennedy's voice, and an overhead display came on with a timer counting down from eight.

"Oh, good god. Every time that crazy chick speaks people start dying," Roger muttered.

Feeling the need to defend the girl I remembered as the twins' sister, I spoke up, "If you think about it, her riddles usually give some indication as to what's coming."

"I haven't found that to be very helpful."

"You haven't learned anything since the Coffee House then," Charon countered.

"Does that mean we have to choose someone again?" one of the girls began to panic, her voice trembling.

Ciaran kicked his legs out and crossed them at the ankle. "What's wrong? Out of people to sacrifice now that half your group's dead?"

Lana nudged him with her shoe. "Now who needs to put their claws away?"

He laughed. "I don't have claws, puppet. I use blades, have you forgotten already?"

"It's not our fault we aren't like you!" the other girl suddenly yelled. "I saw what you did to that girl."

"Did you like it?" Kyrous asked, his tone dark and provocative.

I swallowed, having a feeling she was referring to Morrigan. I glanced at Dion, but he seemed oddly disinterested in who she might be talking about. A sudden tap on my window made me jump and turn around.

I hastily wiped the fogged glass and found myself staring at another masked person. The figure outside stared back, their mask an eerie visage with eyes stretched into points and a wide, sinister grin. My heart pounded in my chest as they lifted their hand and waved what looked like a hook. The ticking continued as a constant reminder of our dwindling time.

Kyrous leaned closer and gripped my shoulder, turning me back around. "Ignore them."

They tapped on the window again, as if urging us to hurry.

"The way out of this couldn't be clearer," Carol stated.

She was right. It meant someone on this tram had to die. It was horrifying and unfair, but no one could say otherwise. My instinct to protect kicked in, amplified by the Helios , dulled, but still coursing through my system. I couldn't let it be one of us, one of my friends. The idea of sacrificing someone from our group was unthinkable. They must have felt the same way because a clear divide formed, each side staring at the other.

Lana snorted. "I don't know why you're looking at us. No one over here is dying for any of you. Sorry, not sorry."

Roger's face twisted in anger. "So, we're all just supposed to self-sacrifice for the lot of you?"

"No," Dion responded, "Only one of you has to."

I was a little taken aback by his directness, expecting it from almost everyone else but him. I looked at the faces of the people opposite us, lingering on the older man whose name I hadn't had a chance to figure out yet, and then Carol's. My gut told me she would be important later on.

"Carol should come with us," I declared softly.

"What?" One of the girls sputtered.

"I agree," Mel seconded, backing me up right away.

A mix of shock and anger rippled through the other group, but I held firm. Carol's eyes met mine with a steady gaze and she nodded, her expression unreadable.

Roger shook his head in disbelief. "You can't just decide that!"

"We just did," Kyrous replied coldly. "This isn't a democracy."

The ticking grew louder, each second pressing on us like a vice.

Outside, another tap came from the other side of the tram. If we were surrounded and time ran out, it would be a bloodbath in here. As if sensing the direction of my thoughts, Ky suddenly stood. "If you can't choose, I will."

Roger stumbled to the furthest corner of the tram. "Now, just wait a minute."

Ky kept advancing, the man understandably terrified, but that wasn't who he was going for. He grabbed hold of the older man by his shirt and lifted him from his seat.

"Ky!" I yelled as the others in the man's group demanded that he release him. Even Carol politely asked for him to be spared.

"No way did we almost die saving that guy for you to toss him overboard," Lana declared.

"That's precisely the problem," Brody pointed out.

Ky dragged the man closer until his mask was nearly touching his face, staring down at him. "You're weak." He tightened his grip. "And your weakness almost took Sunshine away."

I only then realized he was still pissed that I had helped him. The older man stammered an apology, but Ky continued to drag him up the aisle to the door. As if sensing his approach, it slid open. I jumped up, calling out, "Please! Let him go. I'm fine. I'm here right now. I want him alive."

Ky kept walking, not replying. Mel and Lana tried their luck as well, getting the same result.

"You could help," Lana griped at Ciaran.

He shrugged nonchalantly. "He needs to do this. Just be glad he didn't start slicing and dicing everyone on board."

"Yo, Vetis!" The masked figure, a guy, with the hook appeared in the doorway and greeted Ky like they were old friends.

"How does it feel being on the other side?"

"I've got the toll for you."

"I see that." The man said, stepping closer.

With no warning, Ky shoved the older man back down the aisle and grabbed the guy who'd come to collect, dragging him on board.

"What the fuck are you doing, Vetis?" he bellowed.

They struggled, but the element of surprise had given Ky the upper hand. He took the hook away from him and flipped it around, hooking the curved tip through the bottom of the guy's jaw. He screamed in pain, grabbing at the hook as if to dislodge it.

"Oh, oh, what the fuck," Roger rasped, sounding as if he were about to vomit.

Ky grunted and lifted the guy up, forcing the hook deeper.

It tore through flesh and bone until the tip emerged where the man's nose was, splitting it apart. I grimaced and looked away as blood poured from the wound and he began to make the same sound someone did when they used mouthwash.

Roger lost the battle with his stomach and began to retch in the back corner, the stench of his vomit immediately making me want to gag.

"Oof, that's gross," Mel muttered.

"There's your toll," Ky stated with a calmness that belied what he'd just done, shoving the man back into the woods. The door closed again, the ticking stopped, and the tram began to move. Ky turned and came back to where I was sitting, reclaiming his spot beside me.

The older man was the one to break the silence first, his eyes still wide and his nostrils flaring from how heavy he was breathing. "How did you know that would work?"

"Simple. I turned the stakes around."

"Sometimes you can use the ultimatums to your advantage," Brody elaborated. "In this case, a life is a life. That's all we had to pay."

"She really made this one easy," Carol commented.

"It's not her controlling the games, but she does have a soft spot for her family, those of her blood and not," Maverick replied.

Ky turned to me, his voice low. "I kept him alive."

"I know," I replied just as quietly, giving him my full attention.

"I did it for you. Tell me I did good, Sunshine."

I couldn't see his face behind the mask, but I felt his need for approval. He wanted to be praised. I could do that for him, he deserved it. "You did good, Ky. Thank you."

He leaned closer, speaking right beside my ear. "You can thank me later."

My cheeks heated. I could only imagine what that would entail.

"For real, Ky? You're going to foreplay in front of all of us?" Maverick exclaimed.

"Where are we--?"

My question was cut off by abrupt screams echoing in the air behind us.

"What is that?" the pretty brunette asked.

"They didn't pay their way," Ciaran answered, nonchalant as ever.

As the tram continued to move forward into the unknown, the knowledge everyone on the trams behind ours was being slaughtered only solidified Ky's actions. That could have been us.