I sighed.There has to be a way. Therehasto be.
Carl: Osvaldo, you’re in the same heat as us. Don’t do anything too rash. We have plans in motion to get as many people out as possible. Don’t kill any of the other racers. If you kill the pig in the APV, you’ll summon Taranis. If you kill the lady mantaurs, we’re all fucked. The bugbears in the van are our friends. The unicorn in that bush thing has really powerful weapons, and they’re the biggest threat. So be careful. We’re gonna try to take them out this race.
Osvaldo: Fuck off, Carl. I’m not talking to you. I won’t attack you during the race unless it’s you or us, but I don’t give a shit about any of the other teams.
Donut: YOU ARE ONLY ALIVE BECAUSE OF ME AND CARL, YOU STRAIGHT-TO-VIDEO, LOW-BUDGET LEPRECHAUN. YOU BETTER LISTEN OR ELSE.
“Goddamnit, Donut. Don’t antagonize him,” I said. “He’s not an enemy.”
“He’s not going to help us, Carl. He knows it’s us or him.”
Donut made a small, inconsequential shrug.
“It’ll be easier if we stay not liking each other,” she added, turning to look out the window so I couldn’t see her face. “It’s best not to dwell on it. We have a race to win. Let’s figure this map out before we start.”
Oh, Donut,I thought, doing my best to stave off the sudden wave of dismay.No.
[ 41 ]
Dr. Metcalf beeped.
We have over forty possible paths to the pit stop, which is approximately thirty-five kilometers away as the bird flies. Actual length varies greatly depending on the path we choose. Not surprisingly, the safer the path, the longer it is. The safest path appears to be almost a hundred kilometers and is mostly winding dirt road. The shortest path is a direct line through the jungle that may require the clearing of foliage and has very uneven ground, and there appears to be a Temple of the Exploding Snake Goddess in the way.
A winding path lit up on the map.
Here is my suggestion. We start on the direct path, but we veer off before the temple. We will be forced to cross the I-Sure-Hope-These-Piranhas-Haven’t-Learned-to-Fly River here. There’s no bridge, but the map indicates the water as shallow and it shouldn’t be an issue with the tire and gyro upgrades. Then we will loop around the southern cannibal village, and we catch the end of the dirt road right intoUpano. This path will circumvent any boss monsters or quests. Based on what we find at this pit stop and any necessary repairs, I can plot our path for the second half of the race, assuming we’re not dead.
“If we’re all split up, how can we tell what place we’re in?” Donut asked.
Gee, I don’t know. Maybe if I was properly updated, I could help withthat.
“What about traps?” I asked.
They don’t put traps on the map. That would defeat the purpose of them being traps.
“I’ll have to keep my eyes forward the whole time,” I said. “That means Donut, Quemada, and Finley, you keep your eyes out for threats behind and to the sides.”
You know the third GPS upgrade comes with a threat radar.
“I get it,” I said through gritted teeth. “There’s only so much we can choose each race.”
This all comes from your inability to commit. Your fear that decisions are the same as shackles.
“What? What are you talking about?”
Outside, it started to rain. Ahead, the grass sizzled, and soon a smoky haze filled the area, and we could no longer see the dirt road. The containment bubble would protect us from the air, but it wouldn’t help us with the rain.
“Activating the shield,” Olga said.
Thwum.The new shield turned on, and it was the exact same size as the containment, though this was much more visible. Outside, Lucienne was still screaming, and Dwight had also joined in. They were screaming down at the Dominators.
While the plan was to try to kill team Sparkles, we didn’t have a specific strategy in place this time. I was starting to realize that was a mistake. I hadn’t talked to the womantaurs, but I knewthey very likely held a grudge against team Sparkles for blowing us all up at the end of the last race. If they tried something, it was likely that Corky was going to get killed. I couldn’t let that happen.
He was the key to everything. Everything.
And now those idiots also had team Flamengo on the other side of them. A team that was just as likely to attack them as the unicorn.
I thought again of what Donut had said. I reached up to touch her, and I realized she, too, was shaking.