Surviving Paradise

Chapter 6

ANU’S POV

I freeze. My breath catches in my throat.

No—it can’t be.

“Femi?” The name slips from my lips before I can stop myself.

He stands before me like a ghost made flesh. The dark glow of the ruins casts sharp shadows across his face. That mocking grin I know too well stretches across his lips, the same grin that always makes my skin crawl. My chest tightens because it isn’t possible. I saw him die. I watched the sand consume him whole.

Yet here he is. Alive. Breathing. Smiling.

But he isn’t alone. Five men stand behind him. I can see the hunger in their eyes. My pulse quickens, and a chill spreads down my spine. My instincts scream danger.

Chris shifts beside me. I can feel his energy radiating—protective, defensive, ready to fight if he has to. But what chance do we stand here, in the ruins with walls half-broken and no easy escape?

Femi takes his time, savoring how shocked and uneasy we look. His eyes—those piercing, cruel eyes—find mine. They pin me in place, as though the world itself shrinks down to just the two of us.

“You thought the desert swallowed me?” he asks in a mocking tone. He spreads his arms like a magician revealing a trick. “I don’t die that easily.”

My stomach twists. I want to speak, to demand how, why, but no words come out. All I can do is stare. I am torn between disbelief and dread. The memory of him sinking into the desert replays in my mind. I see the image of him gasping, clawing—and gone.

Before I can force myself to answer, the ground beneath us trembles. Dust rains from the ruins. My legs wobble, and Chris reaches for my arm to steady me.

The ruins groan. A deep rumble rolls through the air, then walls begin collapsing around us with violent force, sending stone and debris crashing down.

“Move!” Chris barks.

I stumble into the open with the others. I can feel my lungs burning with fear. Around us, the contestants scramble. Their eyes are wide with shock. I can hear their voices overlapping in panicked whispers.

“What’s happening?”

“Another trial?”

“No, no, no—this looks even worse than before—”

Then the announcement comes. A voice, cold and mechanical, echoes through the air.

“Welcome to the Storm Wraith’s Domain. Survive until extraction.”

The world darkens. From the storm clouds rolling in above, mist curls and spreads like living smoke. Out of it come shapes. These shapes are distorted, twitching, wrong. Their limbs bend at impossible angles. They are dark and elongated like nightmares stretched too far. Their mouths open wide in silent screams that make my skin crawl. They move with impossible speed, shifting between the shadows. One moment they are here and the next, they are gone.

Everyone screams.

I look at the creatures in awe. What the hell are they?

My heart slams against my ribs. I can’t breathe. My legs feel rooted to the ground.

Chris presses a hand against my back. “Stay with me.” His voice is steady, grounding me, but even he can’t hide the tightness in his jaw.

The first wraith strikes. A man barely a few feet away is yanked into the mist before he can even scream. His body disappears into the storm and his cries are cut off instantly. My throat closes.

Chaos explodes.

Femi’s men scatter immediately. I guess their alliance is never strong since it can be shattered by pure terror. Everyone runs in different directions, desperate for survival.

The wraiths hunt without pause.

“Run!” Chris yells, pulling me along.

My legs finally obey, and we sprint into the shifting ruins. Nia and Toby fall in beside us. Their faces are pale with fear. Together, we push through the collapsing walls and choking mist. Every breath I take is sharp and burning.

The rules are simple: survive twenty minutes. But simple doesn’t mean easy.

The wraiths are everywhere. They move between the storm clouds, appearing from nothing. We duck through a crumbling archway, only for one of them to lunge from the side. I stumble as my knees scrape against the stone. My scream catches in my throat—until Chris’s hand yanks me up.

“Don’t stop!” he snaps, dragging me forward.

We run again, and I can hear Nia’s panicked sobs behind us.

“I can’t—I can’t keep up!” she cries.

She trips. My heart twists in my chest. A wraith shoots out of the mist with its long claws reaching for her.

“Nia!” I scream.

Chris moves without hesitation. He slams into her, shoving her out of reach just as the wraith’s claws scrape against his arm. He hisses but doesn’t stop. Quickly, he pulls her to her feet.

“Go!” he shouts.

Nia stumbles beside me. She has tears spilling down her face. My chest tightens. We can’t afford to lose anyone—not like this.

We sprint through twisting ruins. Each turn brings new horrors. The mist warps the paths, making the maze shift. My lungs burn. My legs ache. And then I fall.

The stone beneath me crumbles, sending me crashing onto my hands. My palms tear against the rough surface. Panic grips me as a shadow moves toward me. My heart stops—

But Toby’s hand catches mine.

“Up, princess!” he says with a forced grin. “Not the time for a nap.”

He yanks me up with strength I don’t think he has. My chest heaves, but I force my legs to move again.

And then I see it.

Through the shifting mist, past the ruins, a flickering light glows. It is a beacon. The extraction point. My heart leaps, but the joy dies just as quickly.

Because the path is blocked. Wraiths swarm in front of it. Their twitching limbs overlap. Their bodies keep shifting in and out of the storm.

I skid to a halt, breathless. “The beacon—it’s right there,” I say. “But we can’t all make it through. Someone has to… someone has to buy us time.”

Silence hangs heavy.

My chest squeezes painfully. I don’t want to say it, but I know it’s true.

Toby steps forward with that crooked grin plastered across his face. He cracks his knuckles. “Well,” he says with forced casualness, “I always wanted to go out with a bang.”

“No.” My voice is sharp, desperate. “No, Toby. Don’t you dare—”

He winks at me. “Relax, Anu. It’s not like I was planning to live forever.”

Chris grabs his arm. “Toby—”

But Toby pulls free, shaking his head. “You lot have a shot. Me? I’m just dead weight slowing you down.” He grins wider, though I can see the fear in his eyes. “Let me at least go out looking badass.”

My throat closes. Tears burn behind my eyes. “Toby, please—”

He gives me one last smirk. “Tell them I went out like a hero, yeah? And don’t make me sound boring in your story.”

Before any of us can stop him, he charges. He runs straight into the swarm of wraiths.

They descend on him instantly. I see claws and shadows tearing. I can hear his laughter echoing into the mist.

And we run.

We have no choice but to run.