Wattys Shortlist 2022 -
When she isn't looking, they call her the Princess of the Ghouls, but they haven't seen the assassination order on her secret identity: viper.
Stuck in Lake Darling, ruled by her father's gang, Vi has one objective... run awa...
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GPS Zone - REDZONE [LOCATION: border of Zero tribes KillTag & Ratiborx]
DAYS OUTSIDE: ZERO
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The sun shines overhead by the time we enter the REDZONE, but I blink at the derelict buildings as we fly down the weathered roads. Sunburn already stickles my skin, and the ache from my wounds seems to play tag with the throb in my head and the clench in my chest... everything swivels into one dull thought.
The army would never send troops into the REDZONE. We're out.
But the thought doesn't prompt any sort of joy. It feels like we're flying out of a sharks throat and into the jaws of a crocodile. Soldiers to manics, and a city full of gangsters. We left so many people behind. Lake Darling kids.
Behind the shattered glass, Scorpius sits in the driver seat, crooking his head to the side every now and then to check on us in his side mirrors. He's here... he pulls onto a back road, signalling our descent along the escarpment. Trent, Sax and Blu sit huddled behind the canopy, having claimed the best spot, but Elias leans on his knees with his head in his hands.
I dig my thumb into my shoulder, trying to stretch it out. When they pulled me into the boot the force dislocated my shoulder, and I had to set it right. It's gon' ache like a bītch for days.
Blu looked offended that I knew how to take care of a dislocated joint on my own... stupid cow.
Trent uses his boot to callously nudge mine, rousing me, "Warrendale. Why did Wilkes have blood all over him uniform? An' those feral marks on him throat?"
I glance up, "What marks?"
"Him neck was covered in this, this pink scar, but it looked like there were packets of blood in it. Him skin looked like a balloon." Blu explains accusingly like I should've noticed it. I vaguely remember the plasma.
"She probably didn't see, he was about to smash her skull in," Saxon mutters, coming to my defence.
"You sure didn't do fuck about that," Thai spits at Blu, fixing her with a hostile glare that makes Blu's indignant features flare into defence. But I catch Trent watching me, like he's noticed that I was artfully trying to avoid answering his original question.
Frustrated, I grit my jaw, "Stabbed him." I raise my blood-caked hands, flaring my fingers in surrender. I fail to admit that I shot him in the back of the neck too, purely for self-directed hate. Why didn't I pop him in the fucking skull? Nauseating guilt clenches it's fist in my stomach. Gisselle would be sitting next to me if I just thought for two seconds.
"You got a thing for cutting people across the throat." Trent snarls, cold vehemence crackling in his pale blue eyes.
Elias enters the conversation, "Should've put a bullet in his head too."
