“Listen to me, Katie! I have found a way to defeat Mr. Isaac once and for all! It can save us all!”

Vivian’s voice came out of Katie’s phone. This brought a smile to Katie’s face as she turned around and faced Caitlin. See? I told you this was gonna happen!

Caitlin tossed Katie an ‘are you serious’ look. Really? There are so many parts wrong with this call. First of all, Vivian never met the Agent, so everything she said was being recorded by Mr. Isaac’s Spiers. Secondly, just as the two girls were getting desperate, Vivian suddenly found a way out? That’s just absurd! More likely than not, this is a trap!

She raised her voice as she turned back to the phone. “Give me one reason why we should trust you, Vivian.”

“One? I’ll give you two.” The girl’s reply came quickly. “First of all, you don’t have a choice. We can both see that the games are coming to an end soon, and we are definitely not gonna be set free when it’s all over. Second, I bring an alliance.”

“Have you ever heard of the UnderHivers?”

“Uh…” Katie exchanged a glance with Caitlin. “Are they people who live under a beehive? An ant hive? So bees or ants?”

“Yeah...no.” Vivian was obviously slightly tossed off the trail. “UnderHivers are a race of abhumans that live underground. It’s really difficult to describe what they are, but they also have access to sorceries and magic. I stumbled upon them when I was looking for a way to escape, and...and I can set up a meeting between you and them! We can work together for a way out!”

Caitlin smirked. She wasn’t convinced. Not at all.

“Tell me, Vivian. How do you know Mr. Isaac isn’t listening to our entire conversation even now?”

“I assume you are referring to Mr. Isaac’s Spiers.” Vivian’s answer made the girls raise their eyebrows. “Yes, I know their names. The UnderHiver sorcerers helped me take out the Spiers tailing me. Apparently, Mr. Isaac is a member of an organization called the Dark Pantheon, and Spiers are a common type of minion in that organization. Point is...Mr. Isaac is trying to make some sort of sacrifice with the souls of our dead classmates! And eventually...he will move on to us!”

“Wait…” This made Katie frown. “The UnderHivers told you that?”

“Yes!” Vivian exclaimed with excitement in her voice. “They know more about Mr. Isaac’s operations than we ever did! This is why I said the UnderHivers will do more than those soldiers ever could! They can save us! Together, with your powers and their resources, we can stop Mr. Isaac’s ritual!”

Caitlin was about to say something else when Katie cut in. “Perfect. Send us an address and we’ll be there.”

Katie quickly hung up the phone and ended the call before standing up from the bed and putting on her black sports bra and jacket. Even as she moved, Caitlin was groaning.

“Look, Katie...this is probably a trap! It’s just too good to be true! Just as we are running out of options, a mysterious faction suddenly stepped in? A faction that knows almost everything we know?”

“Well, that Agent did say there are factions out there capable of rivaling the Dark Pantheon.” Katie checked the bullets in her handguns once again. “Maybe the UnderHivers are one of them?”

“Still, it seems awfully convenient to me.”

“You know what?” Suddenly, Katie snapped back to Caitlin. “Here’s the thing, Caitlin. You’re right. This is probably a trap. In fact, as far as we know, the moment I walk into the meeting place, I’ll be ambushed and dismembered by a hundred Dark Pantheon operatives. But guess what? As long as there is the tiniest possibility that this will allow me to save you, to keep you with me, then I’m taking it!”

Her eyes were fierce as she stared at Caitlin.

“And I don’t care what you think, Caitlin. I just don’t. Call me selfish. Call me arrogant. But I am willing to take the chances...whether you are or not. As long as I am alive, I am not laying a finger on you, and I really don’t give a crap about anything else.”

There was a light in Katie's eyes. A light called madness.

Katie Lockwood was never known to be the most logical or sane person in the room. She was the very definition of irrational, and at one point, she just didn't care anymore.

“You are not leaving me, Caitlin.”

Saturday Afternoon.

Caitlin’s red Sudan came to a stop in front of an abandoned factory in the rural of New York. The two girls exchanged a complicated glance before getting off.

Just as they were about to walk into the factory, Caitlin grabbed onto Katie and pulled her into her arms. The two stood there for a while, hugging. Finally, just as they were just about to depart, Caitlin leaned over and whispered into Katie’s ear.

“Remember, Katie...whatever happens, I love you.”

Katie nodded slowly. “Me too.”

She pulled away, reached into her pocket, and pulled out her Knife. The Knife has been with her since the first games. It has killed zombies. It has killed ghosts. It has killed Chaos Descendants beyond count.

“Now, let’s meet those so-called UnderHivers, and let’s hope Vivian is more than just another one of Mr. Isaac’s pawns.”

Ten minutes later…

“Well...can’t say I’m too surprised at how this turned out.”

The moment the two girls walked into the factory, they were ambushed. Countless black ropes appeared from every corner of the factory, grabbed onto Katie’s limbs, and pulled them out. With a wave of flesh-tearing sound, all of Katie’s arms and legs parted way from her body. She could barely put up anything resembling resistance.

Her Knife was jammed right into her chest, where it would stay for a long, long time.

Vivian was in that factory, just as she promised, but there were no ‘UnderHivers”. Instead, there was Mr. Isaac...along with a dozen other men and women.

Caitlin raised her handgun and emptied its rounds at Mr. Isaac and the men and women behind him. The bullets achieved a grand total of absolutely nothing.

Hearing Katie’s comment, Mr. Isaac smirked victoriously. Slowly, he walked up to the maimed Katie laying on the ground. Already, her arms and legs were growing back.

“Katie Lockwood…” Mr. Isaac said quietly, casually stepping on Katie’s wounds. “At one point, I was terrified about you, not really what you are physically capable of, but of how you came to be. After all...an entity like you doesn’t just come out of nowhere. I thought you were part of a mighty faction. Maybe you had a pair of overpowered parents. I was willing to let you and Caitlin go for that...plus, I was a lot weaker back then.”

He smirked at the idea. “But your parents are mere mortals. After all, how else was a single wraith able to kill them both?”

“Oh…” Katie raised her eyebrows at this new piece of information. “I was unaware of that, but ah well...can’t say I’m too sad about that.”

“Hmmm…” Mr. Isaac continued, slightly disappointed by the complete lack of care on Katie’s face. “Either way, thankfully, I was enlightened by my superiors. Lord Horen, the supreme leader of the Dark Pantheon itself, personally answered my doubts and told me you are nothing but an anomaly, that you have neither allies nor faction backing. Turns out all my caution...they were for nothing!”

Beneath his feet, Katie's limbs have grown back again. Mr. Isaac saw that and took a step back. He then turned and nodded at the men and women behind him, who proceeded to move forward and force Katie to stand up. Branches darted out of Katie’s body in an effort to resist, but they merely bounced off of the skin and flesh of these men.

“Don’t bother.” Mr. Isaac noticed the attempts. “These are my fellow Predator ranks of the Dark Pantheon. They’re weaker than me, which is why they are here in my service, but they’re still more powerful than you are and will ever be.”

“Well, speaking of don’t bother...” Katie replied quietly. If her weapons didn't work, at least she still had her mouth! “What do you even want to do to me? Kill me? Torture me?”

“You are cocky, Katie, and I suppose you have the reason to be. Masochism and immortality...truly a perfect combination.” Mr. Isaac’s tone suddenly changed. “But have you ever heard of the law of conservation of energy?”

Beside Mr. Isaac, Caitlin, who was being restrained by two other Predators, coughed. Ok...she knew about the law of conservation of energy, but that was such a weird thing to come out of an entity as supernatural as Mr. Isaac. That was like the Pope talking about Darwinism. It just felt wrong.

“There is a similar law in the supernatural world.” The teacher continued. “It is believed that energy is always conserved. In other words, as long as you don’t have any power intake, you can’t heal forever. It may be a day, and it may be a century, but sooner or later, the power already in your body will be exhausted, and you will have nothing to heal with. At that point...even an immortal will fall.”

“Power intake?” Katie chuckled at that notion. “Good luck figuring out what that is. I don’t even know what my power source is. Maybe food? You wanna starve me to death? You think that’ll kill me?”

Her mocking words earned her a stab in the heart. One of the Dark Pantheon Predators behind her drew some sort of sword and pushed it through her heart. How...refreshing! Katie shuddered in place, completely ignoring the Predator.

“I suppose only time will tell.” Mr. Isaac shrugged before waving his hand, and two more Predators emerged from the shadows, carrying a one-man tall metal device. “But either way, let’s just say you should get ready to die a lot of times.”

“Oh god…” Caitlin’s mouth hung open as the two Predators set the device on the ground. One of them opened the door, revealing enough space to fit a human being...except on the walls of the device were long, sharp spikes. Other than the opening, the rest of the device was completely sealed.

Is that a…

“Iron Maiden.” Mr. Isaac tilted his head as he scanned across Katie’s expression. “It’s a largely fictional torture device, but I find it quite useful for certain purposes, such as repeatedly killing a self-healer in one of the most agonizing and slow ways possible. It’s manufactured with runed metal, making it impossible to break out from inside. So...” He gestured at the device. “enjoy your stay, Katie.”

In front of the device, Katie was shaking, not in fear or fury, but in pure excitement. Oh god...what has she done to deserve such a blessing! Thank the gods! Thank the Devil! What more could an immortal masochist like her possibly ask for? Is today Christmas? Thanksgiving? Do I care? Absolutely not! Yessssssss! Hahahahaha! And screw killing Mr. Isaac and ending the games! This is gonna be so much fun! But...Caitlin...ahhhh!

“There are a few extra parts added to the original designs.” Mr. Isaac watched as a thrilled look appeared on Katie’s face. That’s...that is truly haunting. No matter how many times he has seen Katie like this, he still couldn’t get used to it. “I guess...have fun?”

Behind Katie, a few Dark Pantheon Predators holding her still exchanged confused glances at Katie’s odd reaction. Despite their confusion, as Mr. Isaac gave the order, these Predators still proceeded to bring Katie to the Iron Maiden...though Katie was mostly running over and the Predators were trying very hard to follow her. Finally, as she stood in front of the device, Katie suddenly turned around and gave Caitlin one last gaze.

“Sorry, Caitlin…” She whispered, doing her best to use the logical part of her brain. “but if I have to make this choice again, I would've done the exact same thing!”

And then the Predators shoved Katie into the Iron Maiden and shut the door on her.

Caitlin stood there in silence and watched as the Predators made it clear what Mr. Isaac meant when he said he added a few changes to the device. A hatch was opened on top of the sealed device, and a Predator was pouring water inside. Considering the entire chamber was sealed...let’s add drowning to the causes of death that Katie would experience soon.

Suddenly, Mr. Isaac remembered something. He reached into his pocket and retrieved a glass of familiar substance. Formula 6. Caitlin couldn’t help but gulp as she recognized what the glass held. Formula 6 was a type of compound offered by Mr. Isaac in Game 2, where Katie and Caitlin competed against a fellow classmate in terms of pain tolerance. Well...competing in pain tolerance against Katie was never a good idea and the boy died terribly...either way, Formula 6 was a simulation compound designed to amplify the neuroreceptors in its user’s body and increase the feeling of pain.

The funny thing was...Katie actually kept some of it from Game 2 and used it...on herself. A lot. Either way, as one of the Predators poured an entire glass of Formula 6 into the Iron Maiden, Caitlin could only bite her lips.

Then again, she wondered if Mr. Isaac was really trying to kill Katie, or if he was just trying to seduce and bribe her...what he was doing would make anyone’s life hell, but to Katie...he was practically putting her in manmade heaven!

“I’m sorry.”

Caitlin turned around and found herself facing Vivian, the girl who lured Katie and Caitlin here into this trap. Then again, Caitlin really didn't hate Vivian. For one thing, even if the girls never came here, Mr. Isaac could’ve easily just gone to Caitlin’s house and captured Katie. Vivian was never the issue here. Mr. Isaac and his advantage in power was.

Plus…there was really no need to hate on someone whose life was on a timer.

“What did Mr. Isaac offer you?” That was all she asked.

“What any of us wants. Escape.”

Caitlin snickered, and Vivian glanced at her and immediately knew what she was thinking. “Oh, I know what you’re thinking, Caitlin. Yes, I know. This makes no logical sense. 99%, Mr. Isaac will just proceed to brutalize me anyway. Then again, there is a 1% chance for me to escape, and that 1%...it is enough for me to fight for. To...to betray anyone for.”

Caitlin glanced at Vivian, and all she could do was put her hand on Vivian's shoulder.

Footsteps approached, and the two girls turned around to find Mr. Isaac walking up to them. Vivian tilted her head. “So, Mr. Isaac...was I lucky enough to be part of the 1%?”

Mr. Isaac smirked. “Well…”

One minute later, as Vivian’s twisted but still alive body disappeared from the factory, Mr. Isaac turned to Caitlin, who was trying her best to act tough. But the fact was, she was now alone, and the woman who has always protected her was meters away, having the best day of her life.

“Tell me...Caitlin.” Mr. Isaac ran his finger down Caitlin’s right cheek. “Are you ready for the final game?”