The desert seemed to go on forever. Gillian was dancing about frantically, Rashel kept giving her dirty looks.
"Gill. Stop it, stop it now"
"But…the desert. We've been going for ages. The dungeon entrance was just here…I swear!"
"Gill. We'll find the fuckin' door. Whining isn't going to help." Rashel snapped through clenched teeth. She had a bad feeling in her gut. Of course being stuck with Gillians constant whining and Ash's constant worrying hadn't helped. She had to keep on though. For Ebony's sake. She had to.
****
Quinn was back in the dungeon with the remainders of him group. Mary-Lynnette looked as if she was about to be sick again and Ebony was curled in a corner just like a little kid, her cheeks streaked with tears. Quinn knew they had to keep going.
"C'mon guys, Blaise wouldn't have wanted this." They both ignored him. He decided to try being optimistic. "Remember that Jenny chick? Well her friend Summer died in that game…and she came back." He looked deep into their eyes, using his hypnotic powers. "All we have to do is carry on…win the game!" Even he knew it sounded too simple.
"I don't believe you." Ebony had said it quietly, but with force which shattered Quinn's concentration. "You should hand me over." Silent defeat shone in her teary eyes.
"Never."
"Why not? Just hand me over…then get out of here. I can kill myself or summin' once you're all safe." Quinn lost his temper.
"Hey, Blaise died for you…giving up would just make her death pointless." He grabbed both girls. "Now get up and get moving. I'm not giving up, not now." The force of his emotions struck a chord and Mary-Lynnette came to life, ushering Ebony into the ninth door.
****
The deserts heat was starting to get to group two. Rashel had decided that they had been out there for about four hours, wandering back and forth across the wasteland. She hoped the other group had at least got an item. They finally reached what seemed like a cliff, about 1500 feet high, and sat at the top to rest for a moment. It was then that they began to unwillingly progress on their quest.
A low rumble was detected by Ash. His senses were better than the human and the witches put together. At first he decided not to tell them. It was probably just a mild sandstorm. Eventually he whispered his concerns to Rashel, deciding Gillian would just stress over it and whine even more. For the next hour the noise became slowly louder until even Gillian could hear it.
It was only when the sound became suddenly louder than a train they began to worry. The ground started to shake violently. Rashel yelled.
"Ash, Gillian…GET AWAY FROM THE EDGE!!!!!!!!!!" A storm whipped up overhead and sand was whirling about furiously, obscuring Rashels vision. "ASH, GILLIAN?" The edge of the cliff began to crumble. Gillian ran behind Rashel speedily. "Where's Ash?"
"Goddess, he's still back there!"
"Shit. Wait here." Rashel ran into the sandy curtains. She could hear a low rumbling beneath her. An Ash blond boy stood by the edge of the cliff. She ran towards the figure. "ASH!" she cried. Ash turned, making it apparent his leg was stuck.
His ankle was somehow wedged in the sandy cliff surface. Rashel swore again. There was no time to pull him free. She edged stealthily past him, now balancing herself on the crumbling cliff edge. She pulled out her bokken and thrust it into the sand where Ash's foot was. The rock crumbled as his ankle became free and he jumped back as Rashels side of the cliff fell away. She jumped and missed Ash's outstretched hand by a millimetre. She screamed her way down the 1500-foot drop, bouncing on the occasional jagged rock.
"Quinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Her last words echoed throughout the desert. Rashel had died to save Ash. Ash turned away, he couldn't bear to watch the cat go splat. Gillian watched Rashel fall. She landed on her feet but it didn't really help. Eventually he and Gillian trekked down what was left of the cliff, hoping for a miracle.
When they got to the bottom they found the former body of Rashel. Her ribs had pierced through her lungs, leaving her stealthy cat suit stained a dark brown against the black material. It was Ash's turn to vomit. Gillian surprised him by picking up one of Rashels splintered limbs. She grimanced and turned to him as a door appeared form thin air.
"A shard of human bone." That whisper would haunt him for eternity, just as Rashels tortured screams would.
