Countdown

I decided not to argue, and handed it to him just as my already injured foot hit a piece of gravel. I stumbled, and Rogan caught me before I hit the ground. We didn't stop moving, but we slowed considerably as we turned the next corner. Another dark street with no cars. All concrete and cold stone and brick.

There was the shadow of something in the middle of the road ahead, though. Something much larger than a piece of gravel.

I picked it up, feeling the cold black metal in my hand.

A gun.

The show provided what we needed to finish a level. Just like the crowbar earlier. I stifled a feeling of gratitude toward whomever had left it there for us to find.

So, as I clutched the gun with both hands, Rogan at my back holding the crowbar, the men were on us. I saw their shadowy faces, the hiss of breath hitting the cold night air. They were also wearing the new black Countdown uniform. It looked much better on Rogan's tall, muscular frame than on their thick, oxlike bodies. They were grinning.

'That didn't take long at all,' one of them said. He had a shaved head and thick eyebrows that met between his eyes. 'Damn, Rogan, she's even prettier up close. Almost prettier than you are.'

I noticed that one held the crowbar while the other had a short-bladed knife. They walked in a slow circle around us, six feet away. Rogan and I were back-to-back as we turned, keeping an eye on the two murderers.

'Mac, I don't think he has anything to say to us,' the other guy, Kurtis, said. His dark, stringy hair was long, practically to his ass, and only emphasized his receding hairline. He smiled, showing off a mouth that was missing a few teeth. 'Is that right, Rogan? You got nothing to say?'

'Nothing immediately comes to mind,' Rogan growled.

'Did you miss us?'

'No.'

'We missed you the last eight months you were in solitary. We had big plans for when you got out.'

'Yeah, I bet you did.'

'Okay,' I said out loud, trying to keep my teeth from chattering. My arms already ached from trying to hold the heavy gun steady. 'Look, guys. We're all in this together. We don't have to fight one another. Maybe we can get out of this if we work together.'

Mac laughed hard at that. So hard that he had to stop walking and put his hands on his knees to support himself. 'That's priceless. Where did they find this bitch? I thought Sesame Street went off the air decades ago.'

My jaw clenched. Okay, so much for trying to make friends with the enemy.

Kurtis eyed me slowly, from the toes of my combat boots, up my thigh-high black stockings, to the bare skin the ridiculous skirt showed off. It barely covered the thong underneath. He licked his lips.

'Long time since I had me a woman,' he murmured. 'I miss how they screamed for mercy while I fucked them.'

Mac laughed. 'How about I let you have her first? We got time.'

'Lay one finger on her and you'll be spending the rest of the level searching the city for your severed cock.' Rogan's voice held no humor.

'Don't be jealous, Rogan. We'll get to you, too.'

To say this was a bad situation would be an understatement. The food I'd eaten in the reward room churned unpleasantly in the pit of my stomach.

'I don't mean to interrupt,' I said. 'But I do have a gun. See?' I waved it. 'Why don't I shoot the both of you and we end this level right now?'

Kurtis was staring at me and absently rubbing the crotch of his pants. 'Kira, right? Yeah, during a rest period the show let us tune in to you and Rogan getting to know each other a bit better earlier. You give great head, honey. Made me hard as a rock just watching.'

I felt bile rise in the back of my throat at the thought of him watching us.

Mac's grin widened. 'And your skin's so perfect. I can just imagine this knife sliding over your neck while I take you from behind.'

'Shut up.' Rogan's voice quaked. 'Leave her alone.'

The men's taunts were making my hands shake even more than they already were, but I tried to focus. I raised the gun a little and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the wall just over Mac's right shoulder. His eyes widened and he took a step backward.

'Didn't think I'd do it?' I snapped at him. 'I'll do it. I'll shoot the both of you. I'm thinking it's no big loss for humanity.'

'There are fifteen minutes remaining for this level of The Countdown.'

'She's got some spirit to her,' Kurtis commented. 'That why you like her, Rogan? Does she remind you of the women you killed?'

'That was a lie,' I said. 'He's innocent.'

'Is that why you spread your legs for him? Did he convince you he was wrongfully convicted?' Kurtis snorted. 'Yeah, we're all innocent here, aren't we? That's why we're playing this game.'

'Go to hell,' Rogan growled.

'We're glad to be here,' he said. 'And we love to watch you, Kira. We were watching when Jonathan told you that Rogan killed your family.'

I went cold inside. Of course there were cameras in the room with us then. There was no privacy in this game. Everything was fair game as entertainment for the subscribers. After all, if they tuned out, Gareth wouldn't be able to get his juice, would he?

Dammit. I needed to tell Rogan about that. He had to know his brother was trapped somewhere inside that thing and wasn't responsible for betraying him four years ago.

Kurtis lightly rubbed his blade along his chest, as if the act gave him pleasure. 'See, the funny thing is that your convo with Jonathan made me remember something.'

I looked at him. 'Oh, yeah? And what's that?'

He had a grin on his ugly face. 'Just before I went to prison seven years ago I'd been hired to kill a little girl with psi abilities.'

My stomach turned at his words, but I kept my face blank. 'Fascinating.'

He laughed. 'My employers hated psi freaks. So do I. They're a dark stain on humanity-a product of the plague. They singled out those they thought were of special interest and hired guys like me to take care of the problem.' His expression darkened. 'Your daddy put up a good fight trying to protect you. He knew it was only a matter of time before somebody came to get you-he knew what you were. He had tickets for your whole happy little family to go to Offworld later that week. Did you know that? He managed to take a hunk out of my leg with a big butcher knife. I wasn't going to kill him or your mother and sister, but I shot them all. Unfortunately your mama was still slightly alive after I'd finished with her, and she managed to call the police before she finally croaked. I had to bolt before I got to you, but I've remembered you all this time.' He took a step closer and peered at me. 'So, I'm curious. Can you read my mind, you psi bitch? Can you see into my soul like they said you could?'

I squeezed the trigger, and he jerked backward. Blood flowed from his shoulder wound, although it was barely noticeable against the black fabric that covered it in the darkness of night. But he was standing just under a street lamp and I could see I'd gotten him. Not good aim, though. I'd been shooting for his heart.

He yelled and clamped a hand to his shoulder, his face contorted in anger and pain.

Pure red rage filled my vision and pushed all other thoughts out of my head. 'You're the one? You killed my family?'

'Kira …' Rogan said, still pressed up behind me. He was breathing hard. I felt the muscles in his back tense tighter than they were before.

'I'm going to kill you!' I yelled, and I aimed and squeezed off another shot at the murderer.

The chamber clicked empty. I pulled the trigger again and again, but there was nothing.

Only two men.

Only two bullets.

The show had given us just enough to kill them and nothing more.

'Dammit!' I threw the gun at Kurtis, who had slumped down to his knees, staring at the blood that gushed