Can we trick her?

I don’t know. Val’s voice was dubious. It’d be like tricking yourself- difficult but not impossible.

Well we have to try something! I snapped back.

Look, I don’t have all the answers- she frightens me. She’s not rational. How do you deal with someone that isn’t rational?

A specific night in Camp 32 came to mind. You give it what it wants.

What?

Calm down. You just gave me an idea.

I hurriedly sketched out a plan. We had to be careful, if she turned on us, we could be shredded as easily as one of Martin’s shields. I wasn’t sure what that would do to us as a whole, but I didn’t want to find out.

Together, Val and I began feeding her information, while at the same time trying to truly believe it. It was hard to do, banished here in the darkness. Our thoughts were like tiny insects trying to manipulate a vast storm. Hopefully she wouldn’t notice us at all.

Martin was dead. Kseniya was dead. Everybody was dead.

We repeated it until I was no longer sure if I was lying.