Betrayal at Salty Springs Read online

  “Grey, we gotta jump,” Kiri said. “Bus is almost done flying.”

  “Right.” Grey stood from his seat and moved to the back to jump out. No one else was still on the bus. They were over Retail Row, so they could still easily fly to Salty Springs from here. “Maybe they’re just as confused as we are?”

  “I reckon,” Kiri said. “Nothing we can do about it now.”

  He jumped out and Kiri followed right behind. There were several people in the air below them, and he paid attention to where they landed so he’d have a good idea of where enemy players might come from. Several dropped in Retail Row, but there were many that went for Salty Springs and Dusty Divot.

  He and Kiri broke open a roof as the sound of a treasure chest filled his ears. They opened the chest and moved quickly through the house. They ended up with a shotgun and two ARs . . . which wasn’t a good haul with the new patch. Grey had gathered extra materials and they both had a shield, but it felt weird to only be with Kiri. He had kept an eye out on the map, hoping to see Ben’s and Tristan’s names pop up in his vision even if they weren’t shown on his squad list. That would at least mean they were still paired up.

  There were no names.

  It was further proof that Ben and Tristan might not be in their squad at all, but Grey still held out the smallest hope that this was all a bug. A mistake. Something that meant Ben and Tristan hadn’t just left him with no explanation.

  “Incoming from the south, sounds like,” Kiri said as they looted another house.

  The gunfire grew louder, and Grey peeked out a window. Kiri was right.

  “Four.” Usually Grey wasn’t afraid of a full squad, but that was when he had his own to rely on. He wasn’t sure how to fight with just two of them. Especially when they still weren’t particularly well-geared.

  “What do we do?” Kiri asked, a clear strain of fear in her voice.

  “Shoot.” Grey held up the AR to shoot some rounds from the window. They hit, but the lack of damage was clear. Normally, he would have had that player down—not this time. He took return damage, instinctively threw up a wall, and ran deeper into the house.

  Kiri followed, but Grey already knew it’d be over when he heard the distinct click of the C4. It detonated, and the building crumbled as Grey’s vision went black and white. As he stared at the notification on his screen, he wished he didn’t know how to read.

  Ben eliminated you.

  Ben eliminated Kiri.

  “What the . . . ?” Kiri yelled. “They left us? Why would they leave us and not say anything? How could they even do that without us knowing?”

  Grey wanted to ask them all the same questions, but then he thought about how Ben had been acting before the battles. “It wasn’t nerves over the patch . . . They planned this. They must have dropped just before the battle started.”

  “Who would they even go with? No top squad has two spots open!” Kiri said.

  That was true, but a thought came to mind. “Doesn’t mean people didn’t plan to change things up last night. Ben was talking to Zach, right?”

  “Right . . .” Kiri sounded like she was on the verge of crying, so Grey knew she was probably as much in the dark about this as he was. “But why would they not tell us? How could they leave like this? It’s so mean.”

  “To tank our rank this battle at least,” Grey replied. It was ruthless, but as he looked at his rank in the eighties for this game he was certain that was part of the plan. Throw him and Kiri off, make sure they dropped out of the top twenty-five. He was tempted to spectate Ben and see if he could figure out who else was in the squad, but part of him just couldn’t do it.

  The betrayal already hurt too much.

  Watching would make him feel even more sick.

  So Grey stayed on the spectating screen, not picking any one to watch. He’d wait until the battle was over, and then . . . He didn’t know what he’d do when he’d have to face his “friends.”

  Kiri gasped. “They’re with Zach and Hui Yin! But where did Rafael go?”

  Grey didn’t reply. He’d take the information Kiri supplied, but he didn’t have the energy to ask questions or investigate himself. All he could think was that Ben and Tristan didn’t have faith in him even after how hard they’d all worked. Zach’s squad was in the top fifteen. That was much closer to the top five they needed to get home, which was more important to Ben and Tristan than sticking it out with Grey.

  “Ugh, Rafael is with Hans’s squad now,” Kiri said. “They must have all moved around to form even squads. When did they plan this?”

  Grey began to wonder if it had been in the plans all along, or if it had been more recent. Ben and Tristan had waited until Grey helped them get better, and once they were, they moved on. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Tae Min had said last night about people taking advantage of Grey. Tae Min had known. Grey wasn’t sure how he’d known, because Tae Min didn’t play those sorts of games with people. But he somehow saw it. Maybe he’d seen Ben and Tristan do it in past seasons, even.

  “Grey?” Kiri’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Are you okay?”

  “No” was all he could say back. He wanted to shrug it off. He wanted to easily move on like Ben and Tristan obviously could.

  But Grey was not okay. He didn’t know how to be even the littlest bit okay.

  CHAPTER 4

  Ben and Tristan finished in the top ten, their squad right behind Tae Min. Grey was glad Tae Min had taken them out so they didn’t win. Grey’s bitterness had only festered as the game went on, and by the time everyone was back in the battle warehouse, all he could do was run out before anyone spoke.

  Because he didn’t want to hear the gossip. He didn’t want to hear whatever Ben’s and Tristan’s excuses would be.

  What did any of that matter?

  They had made their choice. Had left the squad. Had done it in the meanest way possible without even the decency to warn Grey and Kiri.

  Grey ran deep into the forest by the cabins. It didn’t sound like anyone had followed him, and he was grateful Kiri understood he needed to be alone.

  Grey went so far that he ran into an invisible barrier that stopped him in his tracks. He fell to the ground but got back up and pushed at the barrier. Soon he was hitting it, screaming at it to let him out. He didn’t want to be there from the beginning, and right now he would rather be anywhere else. Maybe there was another game the Admin had. He would take a different cage if that’s what it took to get away from these people.

  All the liars. Betrayers. Trolls.

  No wonder Tae Min played alone.

  “Get me out of here!” he yelled at the barrier. “Aren’t there any other places you can trap me?”

  No one answered. The Admin didn’t show up with an offer that would save him from the next battle.

  He kicked the barrier one last time before he sat down. He wasn’t physically tired—he hadn’t felt that in a month—but his mind was exhausted. If only there were a pause button in this game. The brief hour before the next battle didn’t feel like nearly enough to gather his composure and pretend he wasn’t hurt.

  Grey heard footsteps, and he groaned. “Go away, Kiri.”

  But it wasn’t Kiri. Instead, Tae Min appeared from behind some trees. Without saying anything, he sat next to Grey and leaned against the barrier. Grey didn’t know what to make of it, but as he looked at Tae Min’s solemn profile, it felt like there was sympathy in his expression.

  “How did you know?” Grey finally asked. “Did you hear them talking about it?”

  Tae Min shook his head. “My real life was filled with people who were only nice to me because they wanted something from me. It’s the same here. Everyone wants to use me.”

  “But I’m not good like you,” Grey replied. “Ben and Tristan helped me at first.”

  “They needed more people in their squad. It benefitted them, and it benefitted them more the faster you improved,” Tae Min said. “They will take what you taught
them to their new squad and use it to make sure you can’t beat them.”

  It was a heartless way to look at it, but at the moment it felt like everything Tae Min said was true. But Grey still didn’t understand. “Why not just fight with me, though? We were ranking up. We had a chance.”

  “You’re new.” Tae Min leaned forward with a sigh. “No one thinks the newest players deserve to go home. They will admit you are good, but they were here first, and that means they deserve those spots more.”

  Grey let out a long sigh. He could see that. It wasn’t even that he disagreed, but it still made him mad. “It’s not fair.”

  “Of course not. But that’s the game.”

  “Unless you’re you,” Grey said.

  It was the first time Grey saw a wisp of a smile on Tae Min’s face. He reached out and ruffled Grey’s hair. “You remind me of my little brother.”

  Grey felt his eyebrows rise. He was more than surprised to hear Tae Min say anything about his real life, since no one knew much about him. Some said he had no family. Some said he stayed here because his real life was crap. But from the small pieces Grey had seen, he knew it had to be more complicated than that.

  “You either keep fighting, or you give up,” Tae Min said as he stood up. “You don’t have any other options.”

  Tae Min walked away before Grey could give an answer.

  Grey knew he was right, but he was just so tired of fighting. It had already been hard enough. Now . . .

  “There you are!” Kiri said as she appeared through the trees. “If it weren’t for Tae Min, I don’t think I’d have found you!”

  He still didn’t want to face Kiri. If Ben and Tristan could leave, then she could, too. She’d had more offers than all of them combined. Anger welled up as he said, “You can go find a new squad, too. You don’t have to stay because you feel bad for me or whatever.”

  Kiri stopped walking and glared at him. “I’m not leaving. I like playing with you, okay? And you’re really good, Grey. You’re stuck with me.”

  “That means you’ll be here for another full season at this rate,” Grey answered. He had hoped to make top five just yesterday, but today it felt impossible. “Another squad could get you home.”

  Kiri’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t think so, mate. We might be good . . . but I’m not stupid. Haven’t you noticed who are in those newly made squads?”

  Grey shook his head. “I’m pretending they don’t exist, remember?”

  “Right.” Kiri came closer and sat down. “Well, they’ve all been around since the first and second seasons. Season three at the latest. Hazel got kicked from her squad, too. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they’re cutting out the newest players. Bet Lorenzo’s squad drops him at some point if they have a chance to get a higher rank. Robert still doesn’t have one.”

  “Tae Min said that, too,” Grey said.

  Kiri looked at him curiously. “He talked to you?”

  “He does sometimes,” Grey admitted. “I try not to bother him, though.”

  She nudged him. “You should’ve asked if he’d be in our squad.”

  Grey shook his head, thinking of how Tae Min said everyone only wants stuff from him. “He already knows everyone would take him if he wanted—no point in asking. He’d offer if he wanted a squad.”

  “I guess that’s true,” Kiri said. “Well, a lot of other people were asking if we’d take them for our squad. You know, if you want.”

  Grey was honestly surprised to hear it. He couldn’t picture anyone wanting to be in his squad when he’d started out so badly. It made him feel a little better, but he also didn’t trust any of those people. They wanted to use him like Ben and Tristan, and he was tired of being used. “Is it okay if we think about it for a day at least?”

  “Of course,” Kiri said. “I’m not in the mood to take on new people who see us as a stepping ladder, either.”

  Grey surprised himself by smiling. So Kiri understood at least. Maybe he could trust her in the end, even though he felt like he wasn’t good at reading people at all. “Is it okay if we stay here for the day? I can’t deal with everyone and also face the battles. Honestly, I don’t want to do either.”

  “Sure, mate,” Kiri said. “It’s unfair they don’t give us days off.”

  “If only.” Grey leaned his head back on the barrier, feeling more trapped than he ever had before. But the next battle would soon be announced, and he would have to fight when all he wanted to do was dive to the ground and face-plant so he didn’t have to play.

  But he couldn’t do that to Kiri. Not when she was sticking with him. There was also a tiny part of him that wanted to prove he didn’t need Ben and Tristan to do well. But another part worried they were the only reason Grey had gotten so high in the ranks.

  The only way to find out was to keep trying and not give up.

  CHAPTER 5

  The second and third battles went only slightly better than their battle of betrayal at Salty Springs. While Kiri still got several good kills, they lacked the building power and knowledge that Ben and Tristan had brought to the squad. That combined with the nerfed llamas and ARs, and Grey hadn’t managed ranking higher than fifty.

  It was now their fourth battle. Grey and Kiri had survived into the forties, but as they ran for the safe zone in Risky Reels, he already saw several large structures and heard the frenzied fighting.

  “That’s at least two and a half squads,” Kiri said.

  “We need to lie low for a bit,” Grey said as they made it inside the safe zone. They had taken some damage from the storm, so he built a box to protect them and dropped a spare campfire to heal them.

  “Stealthy style, ay?” Kiri said as she replenished her shield, which she’d lost when they faced the last duo they eliminated.

  “I guess,” he replied. “We gotta be smart about the fights we take for now.”

  “It’s a good thing you forced me to learn to build at all . . . Imagine if you hadn’t.” Kiri’s voice had turned somber as she spoke. “Sorry I’m still a bit rubbish.”

  “You keep getting better,” Grey said. And at least you won’t learn and leave like some people. Grey couldn’t help remembering how Tristan and Ben fought about Ben’s tendency to “take in strays” who left them for better squads. Now they had done just what they’d complained about.

  Grey tried to shake it off. He had to find a way to a safer position. They needed to figure out how to duo well. So far, he couldn’t deny they were just plain weaker without their full group.

  “We gotta get to higher ground,” Kiri said.

  “I agree.” Grey scanned the area. Risky Reels wasn’t much for high ground unless you built it. But there were some hills and mountains on the Wailing Woods side. Maybe if they could build up there. “Let’s try to get to that cliff by Wailing.”

  “Got it.”

  Grey edited his box and began the run—and just in time, too, since someone had spotted the box and opened fire on it. Another moment later, the fire was directed at them, and they used walls to protect them as they ran.

  Eventually, the shooters gave up, but Grey now knew that didn’t mean people weren’t keeping an eye on their location. It only meant there was a more imminent threat they had to take care of first.

  The fire echoed throughout the area, but then there was silence after a list of elimination notifications.

  That was when Kiri yelled, “Launch pad! They’re on to us!”

  Grey looked over his shoulder, and, sure enough, four players flew in the air. They were incoming fast, so he pulled out the SMG he’d gotten and took aim. If this was where the battle would end, maybe he could get a couple more down.

  One took enough damage to fall from their glider and be eliminated, but the others landed and used walls to shield themselves. Grey put down some ramps and ran up to gain the higher ground. He had a few grenades, and he threw them into the squad. Kiri followed behind, and together they were able to take out the whole squa
d. It felt good, knowing they could still take out a squad even if they were only two people. He would have never been able to do that a month ago.

  But the triumph didn’t last long. Another squad moved into the fight and launched rockets at them, and while Grey and Kiri tried to heal, they were found by yet another duo.

  Elimination was inevitable.

  Grey finished at rank thirty-nine and Kiri at thirty-eight. It was the best of the day, but not nearly as good as Grey was now used to.

  Their fifth and final game of the day went just about the same. When Grey appeared in the battle warehouse for the end-of-day business, he dreaded what those games would do to his and Kiri’s rankings.

  Sure enough, Grey didn’t stand by his former squad mates anymore. He and Kiri were several people down. Ben and Tristan had moved up, since their new squad had finished top ten in at least three of the games.

  A painful concoction of anger and jealousy whirled around in Grey. Seeing those ranks only rubbed in the betrayal that much more. Grey had cared about trying to help Ben and Tristan get home—but they obviously didn’t care about him getting home in return. Grey didn’t want to stay in line. He didn’t want to practice. He didn’t want to go back to his cabin where he’d still have to face Ben and Tristan.

  He wanted to run away again, but when he tried, he discovered his legs were stuck there.

  The Admin appeared. “I hope you all enjoyed playing on the new patch. Some of you observed there was a rocket now stationed at the mountain lab, so we are informing the rest of you in case you would like to observe it. This rocket will be launched during the season, marking incoming changes to the game for the next season.”

  Several people talked excitedly about it, and Grey observed it was mostly those people who had already elected to stay in the game. The ones who enjoyed being in virtual reality.

  The people fighting to get home didn’t seem to care much. Grey was interested, but only because it meant more changes to adapt to. He was just getting used to the game and the map, and here it kept changing. He didn’t want to recall all the patches—he wanted to get home before whatever that rocket launch would bring.