Music: We Move Lightly - Dustin O’Halloran

Day 6

They’re at a standstill.

Yixing supposes you could call it that.

It’s been two nights in a row without one body being carried out of the arena.

Eight competitors remain.

Yixing wonders bitterly if that’s some kind of record, wonders if the newscasters are exclaiming and questioning and riling the public up into a twisted sort of excitement.

Wonders if the Makers are congratulating themselves on keeping everything at the perfect amount of entertainment without ending it all too soon. 

He wonders what his family is thinking.

He wonders where Baekhyun is.

He hopes he finds Sehun soon.

It’s the smell of food that really does Yixing in, really makes all other thoughts fly from his head as he stumbles forward through the trees, vision blurring.

He has just enough time to glimpse the small fire flickering amongst the dead leaves and branches on the ground before a person moves from where they’re sitting in front of it.

“Yixing,” Suho says, eyes glinting in the flames, shadows stretching behind him like an open mouth.

And immediately, Yixing knows that he's made a terrible, terrible mistake.

Suho is empty-handed, but lying right beside him, Yixing can just see the slender shape of a spear, long and sharp and flashing silver.

"You know," Suho continues when Yixing remains quiet, standing five feet away and trying to be as still as possible, knowing that the smallest twitch, the tiniest breath will launch Suho into action, "I'd been wondering when I would run into someone again. Besides Tao of course."

Yixing keeps his gaze focused on Suho, barely blinking while his mind races.

He has completely forgotten about Tao, and the mention of the other sends his heart into overdrive, adrenaline clearing the weariness in his bones, if only for a little while.

Of course those two would be working together.

At least, for the moment, until everyone else was gone and they only had each other's throats to slit.

Yixing knows that Suho and Tao don't get the same high from killing people like Baekhyun and Jongdae do, knows that they're only trying to survive.

But maybe there’s not really a difference.

"How is Tao?" Yixing says calmly, keeping the conversation going.

Suho smirks at him.

"Scared, Yixing?" he asks. "For all you know, he could be right behind you."

Yixing doesn't take the bait even though the back of his neck tingles, a shudder working its way up his spine slowly.

"You look hungry," Suho says next, fingers twitching at his sides momentarily.

Yixing can almost feel his knives burning against his skin, but if he reaches for them now, Suho's spear will be buried through his stomach in the blink of an eye.

"You look like you're alone," Yixing counters.

If Tao were nearby, he would've killed him by now.

Suho's mouth tightens almost imperceptibly.

"And what if I am?" he asks, smirk turn