All Chapters of The Art Of Dying : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

MIA'S POVDawn in Dracula's Castle wasn't like dawn anywhere else. The sky didn't lighten. The darkness just became... less oppressive. Like someone had turned up the dimmer switch from pitch black to merely gloomy.I woke to find Axel already gone. A note on the pillow said: Training with Jugo. Don't die. - ARomantic.I got dressed in the clothes that had been laid out; black pants, a fitted shirt, and boots that actually fit. Someone had been paying attention.There was a knock at the door."Come in," I called.Erina entered, also dressed for training. "Ready for day one?""No. But let's do it anyway."She laughed. "That's the spirit. Come on. Dracula's waiting in the courtyard."We walked through the castle in silence. The place looked different in the semi-daylight. Less menacing, more... ancient. Like a museum that happened to be full of vampires.The courtyard was massive, easily the size of a football field. Stone walls surrounded it, and in the center stood Dracula. He wasn'

MIA'S POVThe red lights weren't lights at all. They were eyes.Thousands upon thousands of glowing red eyes, staring at us from the darkness beyond the bus. Each one belonging to something that wanted us dead."Holy shit," Brady whispered.The screen descended, showing rules in that familiar blood-red text:THE CRIMSON HUNT RULES:1. You are the prey. Survive until dawn.2. The Hunters cannot be killed, only delayed.3. Safe zones exist but are temporary. Use them wisely.4. If a Hunter marks you, run. Marked prey cannot hide.5. Dawn is in twelve hours. Good luck."Twelve hours," Walter said flatly. "We have to survive twelve hours of being hunted.""By things that can't be killed," Willow added.The intercom crackled. "Welcome to The Crimson Hunt! Our most challenging world yet! Specially designed for our favorite troublemakers!" The cheerful voice took on a darker edge. "The Hunters have been tracking deadies for millennia. They've never failed. You'll be their first failure... o

MIA'S POVThe medical supplies on the bus were better than anything I'd seen before. The bandages seemed to seal wounds almost instantly. The healing salves made bruises fade in minutes. Even Marcus's deep back wounds were closing up, though he'd be scarred."Whoever designed these supplies actually wants us to survive," Brady observed, wrapping his ribs."Or they want us healthy for the next round of torture," Walter countered. He was helping Willow with her shoulder wound. The gash was deep, but the salve was already working.I was treating my own cuts when I noticed Bree sitting alone at the back of the bus. She hadn't touched any of the medical supplies, even though I'd seen her take hits during the fight."Bree?" I called. "You okay?""Fine," she said without looking at me.I walked over, carrying bandages and salve. "You're bleeding.""It's nothing.""It's not nothing. Let me help."She finally looked up. Her eyes were red, like she'd been crying or trying not to. "Why are you

MIA'S POVThe private conference room felt too small, like the walls were closing in. Bree stood by the window with her back to me, her shoulders tense and her hands clenched into fists."Bree," I said quietly. "Please. Just tell me what the administrator was talking about."She didn't turn around. "He was lying. That's what they do. They twist things and make them sound worse than they are.""Then help me understand. What is he twisting?"She was quiet for so long I thought she might not answer. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper."I died in an ambulance crash. I was running from someone who wanted me dead, a corrupt cop named Eli who I'd been stupid enough to date. When I found out what he really was and what he'd done, he pulled a gun on me. So I ran. I took an ambulance and I fled, and I was driving so fast and so scared that I wasn't paying attention to the road." She took a shaky breath. "And I hit someone. A pedestrian who ran into the street. I don't

MIA'S POVThe lounge was too quiet.We stood in the main hall, all eight of us armed and ready, waiting for the bus that was supposed to arrive at dawn. But dawn had come and gone, and there was no bus. No cheerful voice announcing our next destination. Just silence that pressed down on us like a physical weight."Maybe they're not coming," Brady said hopefully. "Maybe they decided to leave us alone.""They're coming," Axel said. His eyes were fixed on the entrance, his dagger already burning with flame. "They're just making us wait. Making us nervous."He was right about the nervous part. My hands were shaking even though I tried to keep them still. I could feel my power humming beneath my skin, restless and wild, responding to my anxiety. Every time I got scared, it got harder to control."Breathe," Erina said softly beside me. She placed a hand on my shoulder and I felt some of the tension ease. "Fear is natural. Use it. Don't let it use you."I nodded and focused on my breathing l