Hide and Seek: The Mad Girl Sees All novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3 The Hunters Enter

The instant the voice cut out, every contestant slowed their breathing. Outside the game, viewers all over the world held theirs.

The wall Lyra had been studying so closely shattered. Ten Wraiths stood revealed. They lifted their heads in perfect unison, exposing their pupil-less eyes, and surged forward.

Lyra stood on the third-floor balcony, watching through the gaps in the rose vines. She counted under her breath. “One. Two. Three.”

The lead Wraith raised an arm, the long scythe pointing east.

To the east lay a rose garden and a flower hall, and two of the Wraiths peeled off in that direction.

The lead Wraith pointed west next — a mirror layout with another garden and hall — and two more split off that way.

Two more headed for the back fountain and wine cellar, two for the cluster of statues at the center of the courtyard. The last pair walked straight toward the main building Lyra was in.

“No carpet sweep. First round targets the main structures, ground floor first.”

She glanced again at the two Wraiths in the courtyard. “They’re going for any space that could hide a person. The second the weapon cooldown ends, they swing — blind or not.”

“Aaah!” A contestant tucked inside the hollow belly of one of the statues let out a single scream and died on the spot.

“A blind hit still kills. So the weapon is the real key.”

Lyra frowned at the scene. Apart from the creepy look and the scythes, these Wraiths weren’t actually all that… wraithlike. So why call them Wraiths? Can’t tell yet. Keep watching.

“See anything?” At the Draconia Strategic Game Command Center, Lana straightened and turned to the think tank.

“She’s too calm. Too sharp. And almost…” one of them ventured uncertainly, “almost disappointed?”

Silence rolled through the room. From the moment she’d entered, to choosing her spot, to studying the Wraiths — the girl hadn’t shown a flicker of fear.

Lana ordered, “Pull up screen three. Keep eyes on Lyra and on the two Wraiths inside the main building. The instant they head upstairs, contact her.”

The main feed switched instantly.

Lana stared at Lyra’s dedicated panel. The girl on screen still stood behind the planter.

On the livestream, the chat scrolled at peak speed.

EmigrationComplete: [See that? John already slowed his breathing to four per minute! THAT’S professional!]

BornToCuss: [Professional my ass. Quit shilling for them, traitor — go back to your own feed.]

LuckyKoi: [Lyra picked a great spot. Given the map and Wraith distribution, barring a random twitch from one of them, she’s safe there for at least 30 minutes.]

NeverAteVeggies: [I don’t see an ounce of tension in this girl. She’s actually analyzing them like it’s nothing. Maybe she really will surprise us.]

AnotherDayAlive: [Look at feed 18 — that Southeast Asian player just got spotted.]

On screen, a thin man tumbled out of the bushes in the east garden.

He let out a scream — alive, somehow — spun around, and bolted in the opposite direction.

The two Wraiths behind him lit up with excitement. One swung its long scythe.

The blade tore through the air with a short shriek. The hook caught his legs and slammed him face-first into the mud.

He clawed at the dirt, dragging himself forward, leaving ten deep furrows behind him.

The red-uniformed Wraith stepped up. The scythe rose. Fell.

The man’s scream cut out.

The chat went briefly blank, then erupted in a tidal wave.

WhenWillTheyDie: [Dead… that’s it? Just dead?]

DontHitMe: [Standard. So far, almost no one survives once they’ve been spotted.]

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