The rain didn't let up. It never did.
By the time morning came, the water had seeped through the cracks in the rooftops, dripped onto the rotting floorboards of the old tenements, and left the air thick with the scent of rust and mold. The sector stirred to life under the weight of it, people pulling their soaked coats tighter, stepping around the filth pooling in the gutters as they moved through the narrow streets.
The screens flickered to life at dawn, just like they always did.
I stood at the edge of the street, my back pressed against the damp wall of an old storefront, watching as the largest screen in the district buzzed with static before snapping into sharp clarity. The Game's emblem—a jagged, gold insignia shaped like an eye—glowed in the center. A low hum filled the air, and the murmurs of the crowd quieted.
The draft was about to begin.
Sera appeared beside me, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jacket. Her dark eyes flicked toward the screen, then back to me. "What's the plan?"
I kept my gaze on the screen. "What plan?"
She exhaled sharply, shaking her head. "Don't do this thing where you pretend you don't care. I know you, Kai."
I didn't answer. Instead, I watched as the emblem faded, replaced by a man with a face so smooth and perfect it looked artificial. It probably was. The Administrators didn't like imperfections. He smiled, all gleaming teeth and empty eyes, and spoke with the same rehearsed enthusiasm they always used when announcing the names of the damned.
"Welcome, citizens of the lower sectors! Today, the Celestials have once again chosen ten million brave contestants to enter The Game and prove their worth! Let us all celebrate this great honor."
Honor.
That word twisted something deep inside me. I'd heard it my whole life, thrown around like a badge of pride. There was no honor in The Game. No glory. Only survival—if you were lucky. And most weren't.
The names began to appear, scrolling endlessly down the screen, blocky white letters flickering against the neon glow. The crowd leaned in, searching, holding their breath. Some prayed. Others turned away before they could see the truth spelled out before them.
And then I saw it.
Kai Voss.
I stopped breathing.
Sera cursed under her breath beside me, gripping my sleeve, but I couldn't move. I couldn't think. My name was on the list. My life had just been signed away with two simple words.
The list kept rolling. Other names. Other lives erased in real-time. But my vision had tunneled, my pulse thudding loud in my ears.
I had always known this was a possibility. But knowing and living it were two different things.
Sera yanked me back, her grip tighter now. "We have to go."
I barely heard her. My mind was already spinning through the possibilities, the realities. No good options. No way out. The moment my name had appeared on that list, my fate was sealed.
Guards would be coming soon. They always did. The drafted weren't given choices. We didn't get to run.
But I wasn't going to make it easy for them.
Sera must've seen the shift in my expression because she pulled harder. "Don't do something stupid."
I swallowed, forcing my voice to stay even. "Stupid would be waiting around to die."
She cursed again but didn't argue. That was how things worked in the lower sectors—survival wasn't about being smart. It was about not being stupid at the wrong time.
And right now, I had no time left.
The sirens started wailing. The streets erupted into chaos.
The hunt had begun.
The sirens wailed louder, their shrill cries cutting through the rain like a blade. The streets erupted around me—people pushing, shoving, scrambling to get away. No one wanted to be caught too close to a draftee when the enforcers came. Even in a world as broken as ours, some people still believed in guilt by association.
I didn't wait.
I turned and ran, my boots splashing through puddles as I shoved my way through the panicked crowd. Sera was right behind me, cursing under her breath as we ducked into a side alley. The walls were slick with grime, the air thick with the stench of rot. It didn't matter. I kept moving.
The enforcers would be coming fast. The Celestials didn't like waiting.
"We can hide in the tunnels," Sera said, panting as she kept pace beside me. "Get underground before they—"
A deafening thud cut her off.
The alley ahead of us trembled, the metal walls groaning as something heavy landed at the entrance. The rain scattered off its broad shoulders, its featureless black visor glowing a faint blue in the dim light.
An enforcer.
My stomach twisted. It was worse than I'd hoped.
The enforcers weren't just guards. They weren't even human. They were machines—tall, plated figures of cold steel and synthetic muscle. Fast. Strong. Unstoppable.
I skidded to a stop, Sera nearly crashing into me. We turned, sprinting back the way we came—
Another thud.
Another enforcer. Cutting off our only escape.
Trapped.
I clenched my teeth, scanning the alley for anything—anywhere to run, something to fight with. But there was nothing. Just walls slick with rain and filth, and the slow, methodical footsteps of the enforcers closing in.
"Kai," Sera whispered. Her hand closed around my wrist, tight, like she was trying to anchor me.
I inhaled sharply, pushing down the rising panic. I couldn't outrun them. I couldn't fight them. There was only one thing left to do.
I turned to Sera. "Run when I tell you."
Her eyes widened. "What? No—"
I didn't let her finish. I shoved her back, hard, sending her stumbling toward a narrow gap between the buildings. She had a chance. A small one, but better than mine.
"Kai—!"
I spun on my heels, launching myself at the nearest enforcer.
It was like hitting a wall. The thing barely flinched as I drove my shoulder into it, but I didn't need to hurt it—I just needed to buy time. I reached for the short, rusted knife at my belt and slashed upward.
The blade sparked off its armor. No damage.
A cold, mechanical voice crackled from within the enforcer's helmet. "Draft confirmed. Subject Kai Voss. Do not resist."
I resisted anyway.
I twisted, aiming a kick at its knee joint. If I could knock it off balance—
A steel hand caught my arm. Tight. Crushing.
Pain lanced through me as the enforcer twisted, yanking me off my feet like I weighed nothing. My back slammed against the wet pavement.
Dark spots filled my vision. The taste of blood filled my mouth.
I heard Sera shouting, but her voice was distant, fading beneath the pounding of my pulse. The enforcer loomed over me, its visor scanning, its grip tightening around my arm.
"Do not resist."
Then the world went white.