Seyi's immunity changed everything.
It hung over the group like a thick fog—suffocating, silent, impossible to ignore. He barely spoke now. He didn't have to. While the others rationed food and watched the tree line for threats, Seyi sat with a calm confidence, separate and untouchable.
Adaeze barely looked at him. When she did, her face burned with anger.
"I didn't know he'd do that," she said to Zara quietly as they gathered water at the stream.
"I believe you," Zara replied. But her trust, once firm, was cracking.
Back at camp, Malik was distant. Ever since the fight with Jayden, he'd kept to himself. His knuckles were still raw, and he sharpened sticks obsessively, like preparing for something unspoken.
That night, Zara sat beside him.
"You okay?"
He didn't look up. "Should've taken that box. Should've ended the doubt."
"It would've changed you."
He finally met her eyes. "Maybe I need to change."
The next morning, the forest felt different—heavier. Efe, usually nervous but calm, had a far-off look in her eyes. She sat away from the group, whispering to herself.
Jayden tossed a rock. "She's cracked."
"She's just tired," Lina said firmly. "We all are."
But Efe's condition only worsened. When Zara approached her later, she didn't respond—just stared at her wristband like it held secrets.
Adaeze called a group meeting. "We need to vote," she said. "About Seyi."
Jayden laughed. "What's there to vote on? He's immune."
"Not from exclusion," Adaeze snapped. "We can't trust him."
Malik leaned forward. "And you think you should lead the vote?"
"I'm the only one not playing both sides."
Seyi stepped into the circle. "Say it to my face then."
Adaeze's voice cracked. "You betrayed me. You used all of us."
He shrugged. "I did what I had to."
The group fell silent.
Zara stood. "Enough. No more chaos. We need to survive the next challenge."
"But at what cost?" Lina asked.
That question lingered like smoke.
That night, the forest howled.
Wind rattled the treetops like dry bones, and somewhere in the distance, something screamed—a sharp, animalistic cry that froze everyone mid-breath.
Jayden grabbed a torch. "That wasn't human."
Efe whimpered, clutching her blanket. "It's getting worse…"
Zara stood. "We stick together. No one leaves the camp perimeter."
But the next morning, Efe was gone.
Her blanket lay abandoned, her wristband blinking red at its last GPS point. A single word scrawled in the dirt near her sleeping spot:
*"SORRY."*
"No," Lina whispered, tears welling. "We should've watched her."
Malik clenched his jaw. "She wandered. She broke."
"She was scared," Zara said, voice tight.
Adaeze dropped to her knees near the message. "They're pushing us toward madness. First hunger. Then tests. Now fear."
A chime sounded. The next challenge.
*"Phase Three begins. Objective: Eliminate one participant. Majority vote. Immunity remains in place."*
Silence.
Jayden stood. "They want us to turn on each other."
"They already have," Malik muttered.
Zara's chest tightened. "We don't have to play their game."
"We're *already* playing it," Lina snapped. "They're just changing the rules."
Seyi crossed his arms. "So what? We vote for who we like the least?"
"No," Adaeze said. "We vote for who puts us at risk."
The fire crackled.
No one spoke the name—but Zara could feel it in the air.
People were glancing at Malik.
When the votes were finally cast, Zara couldn't breathe.
Three for Malik. One for Adaeze. One for Jayden.
And one unreadable symbol left on a torn piece of cloth—Efe's, still counted despite her disappearance.
Zara's hand shook as she read the result aloud.
"Malik... you've been voted."
He didn't flinch. Just stood tall, eyes calm. "I get it."
"No," Zara whispered. "Wait. Let's... let's talk—"
But Malik turned away.
"Play your game," he said, his voice low. "But don't forget who taught you how to survive."
He disappeared into the trees.
And now there were six.
—