Mass Hysteria

7

We all scream, except for Gloria and Christian. The guy who was shot falls to the ground. He wears a faded denim vest and black skinny jeans with red rubber bands on his wrists, I notice.

The guy who was shot screams out, but then he realizes he wasn't fatally shot. He gets up and angrily looks at Christian.

"You shot me!" He yells, pointing at Christian.

"I meant to, Warner." Christian says.

The dude called Warner takes the pellet from his chest and throws it to the ground.

Its a small BB gun, I realize. Christian then puts the BB gun in his waist band.

"Get used to it!" Christian yells, throwing real bullets from his pocket at us. "Saint Jimmy will come in the crowd of pain, wearing his smug little grin. He'll ask your name and that's it! It'll be over!"

We all stand in little clusters. Gina and I are together. But the guy called Warner walks over to me.

"You okay?" Gina asks Warner, concerned.

Warner shrugs it off. "It didn't hurt."

"That's a lie and we both know it." I look at him. Warner makes a disgusted noise under his breath and walks away. I direct my attention to Gloria.

Gloria walks Christian over to a fallen log and sets him down there. "Your first test is coming up ahead! There is an abandoned town that's usually used for drills up ahead, but we infiltrated it a while back. It used to be one of The Breakdowns old squatting spots. You are to break into one of the buildings and fight your way out. Am I understood?"

Fight our way out? What does she mean, "fight our way out"? We haven't trained in any sort of combat skills, how are we supposed to fight?!

I guess its a learn and go thing.

I have a tad bit more experience than the rest of these kids, my dad-well, step dad- was in the military. He taught me some basic fighting when he had the chance.

Gloria takes the fake gun from Christians belt and shoots it toward the town. "Go!"

Everybody takes off, but I linger. I look at the ground. The bullets that Christian threw now lie useless on the ground. Why waste bullets? Especially in a camp like this.

I shift my head to the couple on the log together. Its amazing that a couple that looks so broken together can be our leaders and teachers in this fight.

Gloria looks at me. "Better get a move on, newbie." I scoop up the bullets that lie on the ground and pocket them. I take off running toward the others who have run into distant town. Even from a distance I see that the little town is mainly apartment complexes.

Once I arrived in the apartment complexes square, I choose the building on my right. I dont hear screams coming from fightened teens in that direction.

I open the creaky gate slowly. If anybody is waiting for me in this "test", I don't need them to be warned. I climb the stairs leading to the second floor. I look at the open hallway. Doors have been duct taped shut and yet bullets and blood have found their way through.

I round a corner and find a door thats wide open. I shake my head, it cant be this easy.

I take hesitant steps toward the door and I now stand close enough to the edge of the door frame. I hear no noises from inside but it can't possibly be empty.

I have to go in sometime. It might as well be now.

I walk head first and hear movement from my left. I turn my head in that direction and my eyes lay upon a figure wearing an all black body suit. Its arms and hands stretched out in front of itself, looking to choke me? I dodge its arms and slide to the floor. I flip myself so I'm laying on my back and I kick the figure in its crotch. It falls to the ground, clearly in pain.