Sacrifice Sanctuary

Chapter 4 Castle Climb

Rushing footsteps were heard, people running as fast as possible to make it to the wooden platforms and beat each other to it too. I sprinted along with the other people making it to the end of the stone pathway, and starting to try to jump on the wood. It looked thin and unsturdy, and I wasn't sure if I'd fall off. I took my first jump and it wobbled as I tried to keep my balance. I wasn't in the lead and that was all that really mattered, winning. I took my second jump, it was like the first unstable, and hard to balance. Then I took my third jump then forth. I was trying to hurry up and get to the end as fast as possible, but I slipped. "NO!" I shouted trying to grab the wood before I fell, but it was no use. My hand underestimated where the platform was and it hit the side before I fell into the water that was below the obstacle course.

I splashed into the cold liquid treading the water and cocking my head around to find a way back up. To my left, there was a ladder coming from the water back to the start. "Are you kidding me, I really have to start all over!?" I thought angrily, but now wasn't the time for complaining. I swam as quickly as I possibly could to the wooden ladder kicking at the water swiftly. I made it to the ladder area, gripped it, and started to climb. With my wet hands, it was difficult, I kept slipping up once in a while, but I made it back up to the start. There were others in the water, about 5 which was more than I thought there would be, but there were also 3 people I could see that were past the wooden part of the challenge. That was a big problem, so I began jumping again, this time being more careful than before.

Hurriedly I leaped across the board, keeping my balance with the long step I took. I had made the first part of the course and started running to get to the next part, still a bit cold from the icy waters below the wooden platforms. Like over-filled sponges, each time I took a step my shoes and socks would squeeze out water until they'd pushed it all out and by then I was staring at the large walls with stone slabs poking out. Then I faced my head down and to my disappointment, there was even more cold water below just waiting for me to fall into it. "Oh well no time to waste," as I started to jump to the first slab. "Woah!, " I blurted out to myself, stumbling backward, "Oh jeez man please don't let yourself fall into the water again. " I scoffed

I looked up at the second slab, it was further up than I anticipated and I would definitely have to jump and pull up to get up to each one. So that's what I started to do, I went to the back of the slab, got ready, started running, and lifted my feet off the ground. I felt my hands hit something hard seconds later, the cold stone against my palms hurt badly but I had to pull myself up. With the strength I had stored lifted my body up and on top of the second stone, dreading the fact I'd have to do this countless times but I accepted my fate quickly. Again I went as far back as I could, started running, leaped into the air with my arms up and ready, reached the slab, then pulled myself up. I repeated this process about 7 times until I heard a loud noise that made me jump.

The noise was the intercom "Player 4; Lucas, has won everyone please jump as carefully as possible and swim back to the start for the game is now over." "Really? Are you kidding? I do all of that work for nothing? Nothing!?" I angrily remarked as I jumped into the icy water once more, my body growing frigid as soon as it hit. I started to swim back shortly after treading the water and trying to get used to the temperature. "Surely there would be better things awaiting me once I got back to my room, like a warm blanket, maybe some hot chocolate too." I thought about making my way back to the ladder I once climbed. " *sigh* finally I made it back," I whispered to myself, it felt like an eternity swimming and now it was going to feel like an eternity walking back up to my room. Nonetheless, I started up the stairs anyway taking each step with a squish sound each time.

I hadn't even begun to notice how soaked my clothes were, but I wasn't going to change out of them just yet. I knew there was a second game we had to play, and if I was going to be in it I didn't want my new change of clothes dirty. That would defeat the point of changing, not that it would matter if I looked good sense I wasn't even sure I'd make it out of that basement alive. That thought shook me to my core, I might not survive here I could literally be dead at any given moment. I brushed off the dreadful feeling after a while, trying to reassure myself that I wouldn't get picked because the chances were 1 in 10 other people. The 'royal' of the first round would pick 2 other people and there was only a small chance it would be me.

*Knock knock knock* "Hm?, " I cocked my head to the door, "Who is it?" "Hey dude, it's Rowan. I noticed that most of the people are downstairs and chatting but I couldn't find you down there, "He muttered. "So why did you want to see me? " I asked. "It's this kid Charlie," he paused for a moment, "He's crying hysterically... " "Oh.. Uh," I responded. We sat in awkward silence for what felt like forever. Then Rowan spoke again, "Also there's this really cute chick and she was asking where you were, " He smirked. "Really, what's her name? " I shoot a smile back. "Mia, know her? " Rowan spoke. "Mia... Mia... Where do I know that name from? " I thought. "Oh yeah I know Mia, " I said, nodding my head. "I met her on the way back from the bathroom last night and we talked for a split second but not really about important topics, " "Well Dylan it looks like you just found yourself a new girlfriend, " he chuckled. "Oh shut up, let's just go downstairs and see what she wants me for, " I scoffed as I walked out of my room.

I walked down the flight of stairs to the bottom floor wondering what Mia wanted of me. I was reflecting on the conversation I and Rowan had but stopped in the tracks of my mind. "He called her cute? I barely even saw her last night... Was she cute? " I wondered. I jumped down to the last step and saw the kid crying just like Rowan had said, he looked young too young to be here. As the rest of us looked about 16-17 this kid looked 14 years too young and probably had tons of disadvantages. "Man if I were him I'd be crying too" I figured he was just scared like the rest of us. However, since he was young he probably couldn't hide it as well. I began to walk over to him when I felt a tap on my someone tap me on the back. "Hey, Dylan is it? ," they spoke in a girl's voice.