Chosen At Random

Chapter 4

I get waken up quite rudely by a woman in a white lab coat, ushering me out of the room and handing me clothes. There’s a pair of thick black pants, a grey zip up, long sleeved shirt, a pair of heavy duty hiking boots and some plain underwear, socks, and a thin coat. I put it on quickly, grateful to get out of the thin clothes I had worn constantly for the past several weeks.

Too soon I am shoved out of the room into a blindingly white hallway and forced to walk with the rest of the kids. I estimate quickly, coming to the conclusion that there’s probably thirty of us left out of the original 47.

We come to the end of the hallway and as a guard moves to open the doors my mind goes blank with fear and my stomach growls. What is behind the doors? Is it going to hurt me? Is it a friendly thing where we’re given mani’s and pedi’s for our time in hell? Doubt it.

The doors open and sun streams in, lighting our faces but there’s something fake and unnatural about it. There’s no warmth. The sun seems like its beating down on us but there’s no warmth from it. They herd us outside, arranging us in a circle and ordering us to stay there. I can tell everyone else is hesitant about the sun too, some of us look puzzled, some frightened, some angry and some blank.

“Listen up!” An official looking woman dressed in a structured black dress suit yells.

“The next exam is attributed to the study of how long a human can survive in the elements. In the next two weeks you will be rained on, snowed on, sleeted on, and dried out. You will experience the effects of spring, summer, fall, and winter weather. But you will also be forced to survive each other and predators that are about to be released into the dome. There is a pile of weapons, supplies and extra clothing in the center of the circle you are in. if you manage to successfully capture and incapacitate opponents, you will be rewarded. May the swiftest, strongest and smartest, win.” She smiled diabolically and walked back through the heavy doors that were heard locking as she and the men walked out behind her.

Silence.

And then chaos ensues.

Boys and girls trip over themselves, racing to the center of the pile to grab whatever they can. Screams sound from all around me as friends and schoolmates and kids gut each other for their own survival. I race to the outskirts of the pile, grabbing a large knapsack and a nearby dagger. Turning around I come face to face with a monster of a boy. Looking closer I realize that it’s the boy that insulted me and told me to be careful in the cages.

“Hello there pretty one.” He grins, shifting his grip on the short sword he holds in his left hand.

I dodge, dancing around him easily as I’m small and he’s larger and slower. Just as I think I’ve gotten away, the tip of his sword pierces my skin and sinks into my thigh. I scream in agony, fear and pain coursing through my body as I collapse and struggle to remove the blade as he towers over me. “Mercy, please! Please don’t hurt me, please, oh my God…” I choke, finally yanking it out of me and scrambling backwards. He glares down at me darkly, his eyes a dangerous looking color of green.

“You have 12 hours to run, hide, kill yourself, or escape. Get out of here.” He growls. I nod in understanding, hobbling to my feet and struggling to the edge of the clearing, disappearing into the forest.

Hours pass as I alternate between resting and sobbing silently in pain and ‘running’ as fast as I can. On my fifth collapse I just stop moving, my body tired and hurting and my brain exhausted. Sitting up, I open the knapsack I managed to hold onto and find a pack of dried fruit and meat, a small length of rope, a water bottle and two hand warming packets.

“Finally…” I groan, opening the package of food and eating three pieces of meat and four pieces of dried apple.

Rustling from the nearby bushes catch my attention and I look up instantly, analyzing the situation and rushing to shove everything back in the knapsack and get the hell out of there and keep moving. A tall figure steps out of the bushes, commanding my attention and striking fear in my heart.

“N-Nathyn.” I say breathlessly. Are you serious? Out of all the kids in this whole eco system and I manage to run into one who might be a friend!

“Come on. There’s a cave in the valley over there.” He gestures vaguely and I crane my neck to look. “Really? I don’t see anyt-“

The handle of a knife comes crashing down onto my head and I hit the ground hard.

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Sorry for the short chappie :( Trying to edit with my school, dance, and all that is hardddd!