Ace's grip tightened on the steering wheel, his pulse pounding.
The footsteps below continued, slow and methodical.
One Seeker. No, more than one.
They weren't running. They weren't scrambling through the streets like before.
They knew.
They knew someone was hiding up here.
Mia barely breathed. "What do we do?"
Ace's mind raced. Fighting wasn't an option. There were too many, and they weren't normal people anymore.
Hiding? Pointless.
They had to run.
But where?
Then—
A loud metallic clang echoed through the unfinished building.
Ace's blood ran cold.
They were coming up.
"Go. Now." Ace whispered harshly.
Mia didn't argue.
They bolted from the car, weaving through scattered construction debris, keeping low and silent.
The building wasn't fully built—parts of the walls were missing, exposing the upper floors to the outside. A deadly drop below.
Ace's brain worked fast.
There was a makeshift bridge of wooden planks leading to another section of the building.
A risky path—but their only choice.
"Over there!" he pointed.
They ran.
Behind them—
A deep, guttural breath.
The sound of something inhuman.
Then…
Heavy footsteps.
Fast. Too fast.
Ace didn't dare look back.
The Seekers were chasing them now.
Mia reached the planks first.
She stopped, hesitating. It didn't look stable.
"Go!" Ace urged.
She stepped onto the bridge—it creaked dangerously.
Ace followed right behind.
Below them, a four-story drop plunges into pure concrete.
One wrong step and they were dead.
Mia reached the other side first and turned, her eyes wide.
Ace was almost there—when he heard it.
A growl.
He risked a glance back.
The Seeker was at the start of the bridge.
It wasn't running.
It was staring.
Watching.
Like it was calculating something.
Ace's stomach twisted. It wasn't just a mindless hunter.
It was learning.
Then, with an eerie twitch, the Seeker stepped onto the bridge.
The whole thing creaked.
Splintered.
Ace's heart pounded.
"JUMP!" Mia shouted.
Ace lunged forward—just as the bridge collapsed.
For a second, he was weightless.
Then…
Mia's hand snatched his wrist.
He dangled off the edge, heart hammering.
Below, the Seeker crashed into the rubble, motionless.
Mia gritted her teeth, pulling him up.
Ace flopped onto the floor, breathing hard.
He looked up at Mia.
"Okay," he panted. "That was too close."
Mia huffed, shaking her head. "You think?"
They were safe. For now.
But Ace wasn't relieved.
His eyes flickered back to the rubble below.
The Seeker's body was still.
Then, slowly—
It started twitching.
Mia saw it too. "Oh, come on."
Ace's chest tightened. They didn't die from falls.
That meant—
The game wouldn't be over anytime soon.
Ace checked the countdown in the sky.
[Fifteen minutes left.]
They had to survive. They kept saying this.
–––––––––––
Ace and Mia backed away from the edge, eyes locked on the twitching Seeker below. Its limbs jerked unnaturally, snapping into place like a broken puppet. Then, its head twisted upward. It was staring right at them.
Mia exhaled shakily. "That's so wrong."
Ace gritted his teeth. It didn't matter how wrong it was. They just had to make sure it never caught them. He grabbed Mia's hand. "We have to keep moving."
They sprinted deeper into the unfinished building, weaving through stacks of construction material. Somewhere behind them, the Seeker let out a low, unnatural hiss. And then—it started climbing.
Ace checked the sky.
[Thirteen minutes left.]
Mia panted. "Where do we go?!"
Ace scanned the area. Then, he saw it—an old elevator shaft, still open. The elevator itself was stuck a few floors below, but there were cables running all the way down.
Ace pointed. "We climb down."
Mia blinked. "I am not climbing that."
"Would you rather stay here?"
A familiar growl rumbled behind them. Mia turned and the Seeker had reached their floor.
"Okay, fine!" she hissed.
She ran toward the shaft, grabbing a thick cable. Ace did the same. Then, they slid down.
They landed in a lower part of the building, surrounded by unfinished hallways and exposed pipes. No time to catch their breath.
The Seeker jumped.
Ace's heart stopped.
It didn't even try to climb—it just leaped straight down. It crashed through the floor above, debris flying everywhere.
Mia grabbed Ace's arm. "GO!"
They bolted through the hall, ducking under pipes and jumping over broken concrete. The Seeker followed, moving unnaturally fast.
Ace's lungs burned.
[Six minutes left.]
There had to be something, and then he spotted it.
An exit sign. A door leading to an outdoor scaffolding.
"This way!"
They pushed through the door—and nearly stumbled off the edge. A rickety scaffolding walkway wrapped around the building. Far below—a dumpster full of soft debris.
Ace glanced back—the Seeker was almost at the door. Mia followed his gaze and groaned. "You want us to jump again?!"
Ace gritted his teeth. "Would you rather—"
The Seeker burst through the door.
They jumped.
They hit the dumpster hard. Ace groaned, rolling off into the alleyway. Everything hurt. Mia landed beside him, coughing. "That sucked."
Ace looked up—the Seeker stood on the scaffolding, staring down. But it didn't jump. It couldn't.
Ace's breath caught. "It needs to see us to hunt us."
Mia blinked. "What?"
"If we break its line of sight—"
She understood instantly. "We disappear."
[Two minutes left.]
They scrambled into a nearby parking garage, vanishing into the shadows. The Seeker didn't follow. It just… stood there. Waiting.
The game clock hit zero. All the Seekers froze. Then, one by one, they collapsed.
Ace and Mia didn't move. Didn't breathe. Then, an announcement echoed through the city.
[HIDE AND SEEK: OVER. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE REMAINING PLAYERS.]
Ace's legs gave out, and he slumped against a wall. Mia flopped beside him. Neither spoke for a while. Then, Mia let out a breathless laugh.
Ace chuckled. Then they laughed harder. They were alive.