Page 124 of Kill Feed

He looks somewhat detached from reality… that is, until he sees me.

Chapter 33

Adrian

“What the fuck are you doing here, Summers?”

Leo’s voice reaches me before I fully catch up to him. I broke away from Lucas and Amani without a word as they disappeared beyond the threshold of the doors. Both of them are volatile right now, and I’m still strongly on a mission to find out how the fuck we ended up here.

“I could ask you the same thing,” I reply in a low voice, face devoid of any expression. A muscle jumps in his jaw as he turns on his heel and walks away, and I follow.

“I obviously applied and got picked,” Leo states, voice barely above a whisper and gaze fixed on the front of him.

His tone says the answer should be self-explanatory. Mine isn’t. “I fucking didn’t.”

He keeps walking, each stride slower until he stops altogether. The contestants behind us immediately start moving around him with irritated mutters.

“What do you mean?” Leo states with genuine confusion on his face.

“I. Didn’t. Apply.”

“You’re here, aren’t you so—”

“I didn’t fucking apply to Kill Feed,” I articulate. Jesus, how much clearer do I need to be?

The confusion on his face somehow deepens. “That’s not possible.”

“Yet here I am,” I gesture vaguely around us. “Alongside Lucas and Amani.”

“They’re here too?” Leo asks, head shaking sideways as if not believing me. His eyes dart across the clearing, sweeping the three entrances before he turns toward one. His pace quickens, as if trying to outrun our conversation. I match his stride.

“That’s impossible,” he mutters. “Kill Feed doesn’t work like that.” His voice drops lower into a more serious tone. “I told you, Adrian. Everything is consensual.”

“Consensual seems like a strong word,” I add, cocking a brow.

Leo sighs, “Once you’re selected, sure, you’re trapped. There’s no backing out. But getting selected in the first place? That’s the one part that’s completely on you.”

I stare ahead at the darkness waiting inside the building. “Well, apparently they made an exception.”

“No, Adrian. If what you’re saying is true—” Leo cuts himself off as we cross the threshold. The temperature drops at once, plunging us into darkness as the metal doors grind shut. The warehouse swallows the crowd until only footsteps echo through its cavernous interior.

A second of silence passes before the room explodes with white light so suddenly that people immediately throw up their hands to shield their eyes. Pink and purple strip lights snap on overhead as the harsh light starts to dim.

When my vision clears, I instantly start taking stock of the room. Despite the colorful lights, everything inside is aggressively sterile. White walls on grey floors and grey ceilings, with not a single decoration in sight. It’s less like an industrial building and more like a laboratory.

Or a slaughterhouse. Pick your poison.

My gaze moves to the center where columns stand arranged in a circle. At first glance, it looks like there might be thirty of them, but that’s hardly what holds my attention. They all hold a smartwatch.

Then the woman’s voice returns, pleasant enough to be unsettling.

“Twenty-five players remain.”

Remain? I wonder how many caught in this madness were slaughtered by the hunters. Surely no more than five.

“Please select one wrist device from the center platforms. They will remain on your person for the duration of Kill Feed. The watches serve multiple purposes, giving ranking updates, sponsor communications, and game notifications.”

The announcement fades, replaced by a low mechanical whir that crawls through the warehouse. My gaze snaps upward. Cameras cling to every corner, their lenses stirring to life.