Chapter 26: Stanley’s Team Appears
Elmo was as ready as he would ever be. Whatever came around the turn in the hallway he would face, even though the echoes of the running made it sound like a whole army was running towards them, even though it could just be a handful of creatures. Not to mention that it could be someone else altogether. Especially since they didn't know what to really expect in this place.
Even the magic items Jonas found weren't expected. While they didn't really make them all that much stronger, every little bit helped. Although, as he glanced at Elin, he noticed her dress was a mint green. What that meant in regards to what she was feeling, he wasn't sure, but wondered if it was about fear or anything related to what they didn't know was running towards them.
Elmo quickly put that subject out of his mind. He didn't need anything else going through his mind at the moment. Just like with any tricky code he'd had to write out in the past, he knew that if he let his mind go where it wanted, he'd screw up the coding. So, until this was over, he needed to not let himself get distracted. Especially since Jonas said that he needed to repay Elmo for what he'd done the night before.
The mere thought of that made him shiver in anticipation. While he couldn't be sure if Jonas felt the same way towards him that he did for Jonas, Elmo couldn't help but imagine what that 'repayment' would look like in terms of if they were already in a relationship. Elmo couldn't help but love the ideas that came into his mind, especially with what he'd like to happen.
What pulled him out of his daydream this time, was the sight of something coming around the corner. If it had been right in front of them, they probably would have attacked without thinking, but since there was at least forty feet to that turn, they were able to identify that the ones running were other contestants. Three of them to be exact.
Which meant they weren't a threat. At least not right now and especially since they didn't seem to be paying much attention at what was in front of them. They looked like they were more concerned with whatever it was they were running from. The would have also collided with Elmo's group if the said group hadn't stepped to the side to let the other groups run by.
As they passed by, Elmo realized he recognized one of them. It was Stanley, the guy that Jonas had asked him to check his stats before they left. Not that Elmo was going to say anything to him about that.
"Boss, I those are other contestants," one of Stanley's companions said, slowling down.
"Don't slow down!" Stanley shrieked. "Who knows how far behind us they are!"
"I'm not sure how much farther I can run," the other companion gasped, clearly out of breath.
"Fine then," Stanley replied, sounding like he was granting a huge favor rather than a simple request. "We can rest here. For a minute."