The Raven Game by Jessica Sorensen
Raven
Iwas about to lose it when Zay touched my scars, but then we reached the outskirts of town, and all my attention became centered on the blazing fires and barbed wire covering the streets.
“This is so unreal,” I mumble, shock sweeping through my body.
“I forgot how intense this was,” Zay mumbles with his gaze zeroed in on the streets.
I assess him out of the corner of my eye. “How much do you remember about this?”
He shrugs, tearing his attention off the street and focusing on me. “Not all of it, but more and more keeps coming back to me.”
“Has anyone figured out why we’re suddenly remembering?” I ask, glancing at the three of them.
“We think it might have to do with the song.” Jax is the one to answer as he rolls up the sleeves of his shirt. “My bet is, during the first time we played the game, our fathers did some sort of memory-erasing through hypnosis, and that song is a trigger.”
I twist around in the seat to face him. “That makes sense, since I started remembering a lot when the song went off on my phone. I’m guessing your father sent it to me.”
“We assume as much. Although, we do need to leave the door open to other possibilities,” Jax says. “It’s how we’re going to have to think from now on, if we want to survive this.”
I nod, nervousness webbing through me. What am I going to have to do to survive this game? Fight? Run?
Kill?
I may have killed before in the first game. Perhaps that’s what happened to my parents. Maybe I did kill them.
I swallow hard at the reality of what could quite possibly be the truth.
Before I can analyze it too deeply, though, the limo slows to a stop.
“We’re here,” Hunter states the obvious with a slight hint of panic in his tone.
He threads his fingers through mine as the back door opens. On the other side is what appears to be an ordinary man with dark hair and hollow eyes, except for one small trait—a piece of metal has been sewn across his mouth.
My pulse quickens at the sight of it and the bolts that have been drilled into his flesh.
“Take a deep breath,” Hunter whispers under his breath. “We won’t let anyone hurt you.”
It’s not getting hurt that I’m worried about. No, I’m more concerned that whoever is controlling the game must clearly be doing some sort of torturous experiments on humans. Maybe that’s where the shadow feeders come from.
The man, creature—whatever it is—steps back and gestures for us to get out.
Jaxon exchanges a look with everyone before climbing out.
I have this instinctive urge to reach out and pull him back to me. I’m unsure where it stems from, but it has to be connected to emotions from our past with how deep and powerful it is. I resist the compulsion, though, and let him get out.
Zay goes next then waits for me. I move to get out with my head lowered, and he takes my hand when I get close to him, holding on even after I get out. Hunter climbs out next and stands just behind me.
I peer around at the desolate field we’re in and the shadowy trees in the distance. “Where is everyone?” I ask.
“I have no fucking idea.” Jax has his gaze trained on the field and trees. He slowly starts to bend over toward his ankle holster when an arrow slams into the ground right in front of him.
He quickly snatches his knife. So do Zay and Hunter. But my attention is centered on the envelope that’s attached to the arrow.
I step forward to grab it, but since Zay still has a hold of my hand, I don’t get far.
I huff out a frustrated breath. “I’m just trying to get the envelope,” I tell him.
“Let Hunter get it, okay?” His gaze pleads with me to understand.
I shake my head. “Fine. But can I just say that this whole overly protective thing is going to drive me mad?”
He barely regards what I say, drawing me closer to him, while Hunter picks up the envelope. Sucking in a breath, he starts to tear it open, struggling a bit with getting past a wax seal on the back.
“My father’s crest is stamped in that seal,” Jaxon notes as he studies it.
Zay steps forward to get a better look, and I do, too, when I feel my phone vibrate from inside my boot where I tucked it.
I bend down to take it out, and when I swipe open the message, my stomach sinks.
Unknown: I’m not part of one of the families, Ravenlee. I’m trying to help you. Don’t trust the Raven Three. And don’t tell them about this message. They’re still lying to you. Everything you think you know isn’t right. Your life, your death, it’s all a lie. I’ll keep in touch.
My heart is pounding in my chest as I glance at the guys, who are still distracted. Part of me wants to tell them about the message, but the other part feels way too confused. What does this person mean by my death?
Vomit burns in my throat as I return the phone to my boot. By the time I stand up, the guys have gotten the envelope open and have taken out a card from it. Black with red ink, it matches our outfits.
Jaxon reads the words printed on:
“Welcome to the start of the deadly games. We’re going to do things a bit differently this time. Your first task is simple: survive the shadow feeders. So, on your mark, get set, run my little birds. If you don’t die by the end, you’ll arrive at the opening ceremony. Follow the map on the back of the card.”
He flips over the card, but it’s blank. “There’s no fucking map!” He snaps his gaze up and to the trees right as shadowy figures emerge from branches. “Shit.” He spins on his heels where the limo is … or, well, was parked.
It’s gone, and I have no idea how it vanished so swiftly.
“We need to go somewhere,” Hunter states as he backs up, moving right toward me and urging me to back up with him. I do, and so does Zay. We continue to do so until the creeping shadow feeders suddenly sprint at us.
That’s when we run.
Run for our lives and straight into the trees.
All I can do is hope that I survive like I did the first time.
Because that’s what happened before … right?
