The Obelus

Prologue

Prologue

Diary Entry 13 August 2045

Today there was nothing to do. No test, no nothing. I decided to observe my surroundings as I was so bored. There was a room that was down the corridor that always had muffled screams coming from there and always light seeping through the cracks every so often.

I sat down at my cell again and watched as the hours ticked by. When both the hands rested on the twelve, it was Feeding Time again. A small tray was pushed into the flap on my cell. I gazed upon the few contents that were given to me. A small bowl of dried salad, a stale bread roll, a piece of beef and a Just Juice box, one day away from expiration. So classic of the Obelus.

Diary Entry 14 August 2045

I knew that I would be brought to the room-down-the-corridor some time, but I didn't think it would be today. Two Obelus guards grabbed me by my shoulders and I was shut into the room. I don't want to describe the process here, but I did get a bruised apple and extra piece of chicken today, as a reward. Kinda stale, but still better than usual.

Note to self: Remember to complain about extending feeding times to 2 times a day instead of just one.

Diary Entry 15 August 2045

Today was a bit more interesting than usual. The Obelus came and took me to another room where I was injected with needles. It was better than yesterday's test though. My whole body felt light, as if they had taken a huge part of my body away. I did notice that my veins had started to bulge and nearly looked as if they were going to explode any moment now.

I did hear a few glimpses of the future tests. A manly voice spoke deeply around the corners. The conversation was like this:

"Ay dude you heard?"

"What?"

"The uppers are gon' do a huge test or s'mthin. Said there are too many test subjects 'ere. Needed to get rid of some."

"Eh? Well I s'pose that's reasonable. You know anything 'bout it?

"Ahh, I'm not sure mate. Heard it was called 13 Trials or s'mthin. Ain't allowed to know mate."

"Mhm. Who'd ya bet is gonna stay?"

"Hmm, I think probs... uh... Subjects 43, 6, 52, 91, 38. Uppers said 'bout half of em's gonna be sold."

"Eh? You want to bet? May the strongest and smartest win! Ha!"

The laughing disappeared around the corner. The information started to process. I knew that there were gonna be people sold off now. I sat in the corner of my cell, mentally preparing for whatever test was happening. I was ready to lose it all to survive this test.

Diary Entry 16 August 2045

The Obelus did another 2 tests on me. After doing the first injection, my body began to feel itchy all over. I scratched and scratched until the blood poured out. But as soon as the blood started to react with oxygen, it turned green. I immediately called for help and then they did the second test on me. There wasn't any new information on the 13 Trials.

Diary Entry 17 August 2045

The Obelus changed the feeding food to soup instead. It was a murky, dull golden liquid and bits of meat, so small that I couldn't scoop it up. The insipid soup slid into my mouth. There were occasional lettuce leaves whose edges had browned. I did once or twice taste some meat, and it tasted so disgusting I spit it out. They probably replaced it with the rats who were running around in the facility to decrease the money needed. So greedy these people.

I thought it was normal at first, but then I realised in the two years in this facility, never once had they changed the food. Could it be... that they need the bread rolls for one of the trials? I laughed at the thought of bread rolls actually being important.

As I finished the soup, I pushed the bowl back through the flap. I lay on the bed and listened to the other braver subjects yell and throw the bowls against the walls and rebel against the Obelus for freedom. I always looked up to them. How they had nothing to lose, that fierce face shining boldly. But... I knew I could never be them. I sat, wondering how I would ever beat them in the 13 Trials. Then I fell asleep.

Note to self: If I ever meet the other subjects in 13 Trials, make sure to have a good first impression.

Diary Entry 43 August 2045

Today was a normal day.

Let me elaborate:

One Test

Feeding time

Screaming.

Then I slept.

Diary Entry 19 August 2045

Today was also a normal day, apart from more news on the 13 Trials. I was in the testing room now, and they were injecting and performing on me as usual. Then I heard the same manly voice from around the corner.

"Oi! Mate com'ere."

"Eh? Do ya need s'mthin?"

"Aye, you know how I told you 'bout the 13 Trials,"

"Ah, yes!"

"Well, I got more information, but you shan't tell no-one, 'specially the subjects."

"..."

"The uppers decided that each person chose 3 trials out of the first 10. That's stage 1. Then it's stage 2, which the subjects pick between 2 trials. That leaves 1 trial left, and that's stage 3."

The two men moved and the sound of their gossipy talk was muffled and inaudible. The Obelus finished the test. I dizzily walked back to my cell and lay on my bed, then fell asleep wondering who and what I would come across in the 13 Trials.

Diary Entry 20 August 2045

Blackout.

Also, a creepy Obelus guard started smirking at me. Wonder why.

They're kind of creepy, so I'm hoping that I won't have to work with them in the future. I heard their name the other day. I'm assuming it was Jiayi or something similar to that.

Apparently, the Obelus guard is a perverted asshole. A few of the other test subjects warned me about them.

Diary Entry 21 August 2045

Woohoo, it's the 13 Trials!

Like I heard, I got to pick between 10 choices. I just chose second, fourth, and fifth. Fifth was the most chosen while second and fourth were the least. Who knows? Maybe we might need teamwork or maybe it's a fighting one.

Right now, I'm waiting for it to happen in this big, big storeroom, with glass walls separating each subject. The glass is transparent enough to see colours, but not any exact shapes. Hold on, the person in the other glass room, to my right is trying to use morse-code knocking. I can't understand much.

Back. I talked to the person, and it turns out she chose fourth, second and tenth. She's called Jazzy, and really nice. There's a vent, and a food packet comes out.

I'm just going to sleep now.

Diary Entry 22 August 2045

The trials are done in order, so today is the first trial.

I didn't speak to Jazzy, I think they got taken away for the first trial. I really do hope they survive, I can't bear it to see my first friend die/get sold off!

About 10 hours later, Jazzy was taken back and she told me about the first trial and what it was about.

They had a few matches of wrestling, and only half of them had made it to the second trial. Many of them were affected by the tests before the wrestling match. It was unfair and all, but I'm kind of glad that Jazzy made it out of there.

She told me to get ready and that she had also chosen the second trial. I was happy that at least I was finally going to see Jazzy for the first time.

Jazzy also told me to call her Mini.