Page 22 of Down to One
Blaze
Dear God, that was terrifying. And look how cool I’m acting, as if rummaging through a pile of decapitated bodies is a walk in the park. I’m staying busy. I don’t want him to see how badly my hands are shaking.
Although I really didn’t think I’d find any food, looky here, somebody was a hoarder. The woman had two nutrition bars hidden in her pockets.
“Hungry?” I toss one to Titan as I unwrap the other. As I’m eating, I remove the shirt from the female and put it on since I’ve been using mine to protect my head and face from the sun and blowing sand. Titan has fashioned a similar rigging with the ripped-up pants from the male I was fighting.
He retrieves the spiked bat, then exchanges our steel rods for the weapons our attackers were using. He wipes the nails and blades through the sand, scouring the blood and flesh from them. At least all this sand is good for something.
All five drones are still hanging around, their red eyes unblinking, their cameras never veering too far from the action.
Catching the writing on a few of the screens, I investigate the stats while I play it cool.
They’re now rating Titan number 1 out of 28 on the tote board. I’m still in last place.
Holy shit. It looks like I’m at the top of the list for pledged credits. I have over ten thousand next to my name. Titan has over three thousand. Isn’t it noon by now? That’s when the AI said we’d be able to buy something.
My arm is throbbing, my throat is chafed, and the suns are pounding down on us. The local insect world got word there’s a free buffet out here because buzzy things are swarming what’s left of our new friends and occasionally dive-bombing the dried blood now splattered all over us.
“Let’s blow this popstand,” I say. Just as I turn, out of the corner of my eye, I see “laser rifle 6,000 credits” on the menu of things we can buy.
I may be shit at hand-to-hand—I’d be dead if Titan hadn’t just saved my ass—but put a rifle in my hands and I can dish out a world of hurt. Once they see what I can do with a long-distance weapon, I won’t be in last place.
For the first time since this started, I believe we really could be the last two standing. He’s a force to be reckoned with due to sheer size and talent, and I’ll be able to put all my sniper abilities to work.
What will happen if it comes down to two—us two—and then it must come Down. To. One?
