Bedlam

"Simulations will end in exactly fifty four seconds."

I dove onto the tall grass, feeling its sharp blades graze on my open wound. I groaned in pain as I landed. I glanced at my wound for a moment. The cut was huge, and thick streams  

of blood made their way toward my lower arm. I ripped off a part of my uniform, and wrapped it on my arm gently. I could only do this much, given that we only had fifty four seconds left. I grabbed my gun from my pocket, and carefully slithered through the grass. The sound of anguish and terror filled the air, but I was taught not to mind that. I was trained to always hear that.

I heard a faint rustle behind me. I reflexively turned and fired my gun as the intruder showed himself. The intruder was a fellow Axim, but he was playing the role of an Illiri soldier. My bullet hit him on the shoulder. He fell to the ground as the pain shot through him. I kicked him on the stomach, and unarmed him. After taking away all of his weapons, I ran away from him. I climbed up a tree and looked up the sky. It was tinted a pretty shade of orange. It would've been breathtaking if it wasn't decorated with black smoke and bomb-carrying jet planes. I sighed heavily. Being an Axim accustomed me to this kind of life. A life spent in havoc.

I heard a familiar voice coming from the sky. "Simulations will end in exactly ten seconds. Groups must gather in their respective headquarters."

I cringed at how monotonous her voice was. My mother's voice was gentler than that. However, as the Training Commander, she had to hide her "motherly" side when she was at work. I find it amazing, though. My mother could switch between two people whenever she willed.

I scanned my surroundings before I started to go down. I was near the Illiri wanna-bes' headquarters. That wasn't good.

Just before my feet touched with the ground, I saw a crying Utopian boy running toward me. Behind him was an Illiri soldier.

I lost any kind of logical reasoning in my head.

Everything happened in slow motion. I pushed the child behind me, and pulled the trigger. I closed my eyes as I dropped to the ground, feeling the splatter of the Illiri's blood on my body. I laid still for a moment. The child was already gone. I couldn't hear his sobs nor his footsteps anymore. That's good, I thought to myself.

I hear the ticking of the clock around me. Five seconds left. I smiled bitterly, still not opening my eyes.

I have failed the Simulation again.

Five...

Four..

Three..

Two..

One.

I felt myself being sucked into something I'm not certain of.