Build To Survive - The Orphans

The Death

As we started to climb the rope structure James started conversation with the girl.

"How long have you been here?" he asked as he placed his hand on a hand hold.

"Uhhh, 6 months I think" she replied with a blunt tone.

"Oh, whats with those bags up there?"

I looked up towards the top of the structure, at each part where the ropes combined there was a small sphere holding them in place. Each one had a bag resting on it, one pink, one blue, one green, one black and a white one but the white one was bigger than all the rest, big enough to hold a body. I quickly dismissed the thought of a body in the bag.

"Nothing..." she trailed off

"Alright," he was cut off by a loud alarm, once the alarm had finished sounding the feminine voice returned.

"Disaster in 10 ... 9 ... 8 ... 7"

I looked around in worry and what I saw didn't help ... people were running around everywhere, worried looks on their faces ... the girl just stared into the distance, the voice finishes it's countdown and announces the disaster.

"Arrows"

"Shit" said the girl ... at the exact moment an arrow shot past my face. It struck a metal beam and fell ungracefully to the ground, I felt I warm fluid flowing from my ear, I held my hand to my ear. When i pulled it away, there was blood all over my hand.

I almost threw up.

***

A scream ruptured the silence, as did others every so often. I was used to it so it wasn't that bad, the arrows and been flying for at least 10 minutes now.

I turned my body around on the ropes and saw a young boy standing at the base of our - i mean her - structure but I'm not staring at him ... just at the floor under his legs, there is an arrow coming up from the ground and I know that as soon as it clears the ground it will go straight into his leg at incredible speed but he doesn't know that, he just stands there crying.

***

The boy's scream was more disturbing than all the others and made me flinch, I didn't want to watch any more but my eyes were fixed on him, I could only tear my eyes away once a second arrow had flown through the air and pierced his chest. The image of his body dropping to the ground remains burnt into my mind.

I turned around, tears streaming from my eyes, James was sitting on a rope with his head in his hands, probably crying too. I know he always wanted to leave the orphanage but the orphanage was better than this.

The familiar sound of an arrow whizzing past, made me look up, it flew through the air and struck the rope the girl was standing on. The rope snapped and flicked backwards, releasing all its tension, the girl screamed as she started to fall, James looked up just in time to see her and catch her by the wrist, a faint smile danced across his face but it was short-lived as an arrow struck him in the wrist making him scream in pain and drop the girl, she plummeted to the ground and landed with a thud, as if to make a show, an arrow fell from the sky and went straight through her back.

I had a feeling that she was lying about the bags ...