The Mysterious Door

Chapter 10

My ribs were taking a beating from my racing heart and my legs felt numb, but somehow I made it to the training room to find the Instructor and Gustav. I was expecting to find her waiting at the top of her platform again, but this time they were waiting next to the mats where we first learnt how to teleport.

"Right, Jake," the Instructor says, "Like you may already know, today's test will be one of the biggest opportunities to get some points. I know the point system may seem useless, but we make a lot of decisions based on your ranking."

"You mean you use our scores to decide who you're going to kill next."

"Among other things, yes," she says, surprising me with her honesty, "So it's crucial that you go in there and do your best. Today's test is one of the hardest in the course. This is the only test that requires you to use all of your abilities to make it, meaning you will have to put everything you learnt during your training into practice in there. One slip up could mean the difference between life and death."

"Oh gee," I say, rolling my eyes, "I really haven't noticed with all the death scenes playing on the screen in my room. I thought I'd only be teleporting across a lovely sunlit meadow."

"Sarcasm doesn't help your case, mister Belford. I would strongly advise you watch your tongue in the future, I might not be compelled to let you live next time."

"What do you mean compelled," I ask, "Are you telling me you have a boss?"

"That's not important. Gustav, please escort Jake into the marathon room."

Gustav grabs my arm and grunts as he starts pulling me in the direction of the death-door. If I thought my heart was racing before, I suppose it was beating at the speed of light right now. I shouldn't have said anything. Why didn't I think before I spoke! Stupid, stupid, stupid. Gustav is going to kill me too, I can feel it. The Instructor gave him a sign or something. I can't lose my head. Red is not my colour.

I try to pull away, but Gustav's grip is like iron. I could try to teleport away, but where would I go? There are no windows anywhere in sight and the only doors lead to the capsules and the death-door. No, that won't work. I need a plan... But I didn't get to think of one before we stopped in front of a flight of stairs where the platform used to be. I didn't even notice it was gone before.

"Get in," Gustav says at the bottom, opening the heavy wooden door, "Test will start in a few seconds. Be ready."

I swallow hard as I step across the threshold and into darkness thick enough to smother the last bit of hope I have left. It's the kind of darkness that seems almost alive as you look at it. It's weird how something can be so still, yet completely active at the same time. The door shuts behind me, sending a nasty shiver running up my back, like a cold finger tracing my spine. I never minded the dark before, but I've never felt darkness like this before.

The light from under the door begins to fade and immediately a horrible stench fills my nostrils. It must have been here the whole time, but I didn't notice it until now. The smell is a mixture between mold and dust, almost like the smell my swim towel gets if I forget to hang it up after a swim in the pond. I really hope the whole course doesn't smell like this.

An unfamiliar voice starts to count down from ten and anticipation wakes my limbs. I stretch my fingers, feeling the energy around me race between them. It's now or never. If I die here it's all over and all that hard work and suffering would have been for nothing. I still wish our saviors would swoop in and rescue me before the test starts, but I doubt they're even close. Their latest message was too fresh to be a week old... I'm going to have to get through this one on my own.

The room I find myself in when the lights flash on is nothing spectacular. It's a small room with no windows, doors (yes, somehow the door disappeared after I stepped through) or any decorations safe three pictures hanged against the far wall. I step closer to them, taking them off their hooks for further inspection.