I woke up in a dark room. I could feel the floor was soft or at lease gave way a little bit, I heard shuffling above and around me so I slowly tried to stand up. I stumbled and fell back against a wall as I tried to get my barrings of where I was I hear a click and in a instant bright lights assaulted my vision sending me sprawling to the floor to try and hide my eyes from the scorching lights. I lay there with my eyes screwed shut for what seemed like hours before I was able to slowly open them inch by inch until I was squinting just enough to make out a few scattered pieces of furniture and a toilet in the corner I crawled my way to a small chair against the wall of the room and hoist myself into it. After about twenty minutes my eyes adjust to the blinding lights and I can fully open them I look up to see a large rectangular shape of what I believe to be glass but I can't see through it. I hear a small buzz then a voice comes from nowhere it seems and it tells me
"I understand this may all seem strange to you but in do time we assure you that you'll understand what is going on, in the mean time why don't you eat. Your training begins in two hours."
A plate made of metal appears on a small table in the corner of the room a sandwich with a bag of chips.
"Not very glamorous"
I mutter to myself as I sit down and eat. I take my time because it feels like I haven't had anything in my stomach for months. After I finish my food I sit down and wait for whatever is going to happen about and hour passes and the voice comes back
"please step into the middle of the room young man."
"Well at least your polite"
I say as I step into the middle of the room as instructed and a small circle of the room starts to descend downward. It had to have been at lease five minutes I stood there in a cool metal tube as I felt it start to slow down I could hear voices and people laughing then the metal wall slid open to a room that looked like it went on forever in front of me were three other kids that looked just as confused as I was and one sharply dressed man in a black suit and a blue flower in his pocket. I didn't trust him something about his tiny beady eyes and the way the toothy grin formed on his face when I stepped forward presenting myself as if I was superior, I felt I had to I had to hold my ground. I walked up and faced the man and began to speak
"I assume your the one who called me here wherever here is, I would like to know why the hell im here. Now"
he gave a booming chuckle as if it was the funniest thing he had ever heard and it infuriated me. He looked down at me and spoke as if I was five
"boy you need not know where or what this place is on top of that are you even sure who you are?"
Those words struck me because this whole time I haven't thought of any of that I had no recollection of who I was. I shook it off and spoke to the man again
"that's not important you can't keep me here who are you? Tell me what's going on!"
My anger very present in my words his smile deformed into a frown as he finally stood straight up. He was a towering man he had to be at least seven feet tall. He looked down at me with cold almost soulless eyes
"you'd be smart to keep that sharp tongue of yours under raps boy it will get you in serious trouble. And as for who I am you may call me mr.weston I am your handler until you learn to live here peacefully, and as for who you are your name is Thomas"
"thomas..."
I mumble to myself as I look up at him with my eyes burning with hatred for this man I had only just met. He composed himself to a degree and told me to go mingle with the other children until the training instructor arrived then he disappeared. I didn't fallow this order I sat myself down cross legged on the floor and tried to think about all of this up until I woke up Not even two hours ago I can't remember a damn thing not my birthday not my parents or if Thomas is actually my real name. It infuriated me more and more the More I thought about it what the hell had happened or is happening. I began to loose control and couldn't think straight I wanted to have a screaming match with myself but then I felt a hand on my shoulder and a soft voice in my ear
"please don't mind him he's always like that"
my first instinct was to turn around and throw my fist square in their face but the voice seemed genuine kind and had sympathy behind it. I slowly turned my head to see a girl smiling at me with long bright red hair that went to about the middle of her torso with a clear almost porcelain like face with one dimple in her left cheek when she smiled. I was at a loss for words her ocean blue eyes had locked me in a gaze that showed just as much sympathy as her words
"my name is Samantha"
she said helping me to my feet
"I guess I'm Thomas"
I say still at a loss for words she smiled slightly with a small giggle and said
"yeah none of us know if they are our actual names but it's all we know."
I spent the the next fifteen minutes talking about her and how long she had been here apparently Samantha had been in this place for three years and every day is a rinse and repeat of the last; wake up,eat,train ,eat, train, sleep
"so wait you mean to tell me you have been doing that for three years in a row non stop?"
I asked her in surprise
"yup everyday like clockwork and there have been a few days I ended up in the infirmary because I got hurt durning training but I was never in there more then a day."
"What exactly are they training us for?"
I ask thinking that there must be some reason to do this for so long
"war"
she said it so calmly but it set off an explosion in my head
"war?! What do you mean war what are we soldier children?"
She twiddled her thumbs before looking up at me
"we are, you're not. You're different then we are"
I was confused by that statement how could I be anything different
"how am I different? What's so special about me?"
She stood up
"we don't know they just told us your different then us, that your not like us."
I became more angry in the past four hours my life had become hell Incarnate. I heard a loud slam like a heavy door closing and shortly after a man yelled out
"EVERYONE SIX LAPS NOW WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO!"
Then Samantha and the other two boys took off at top speed towards the voice. I ran after them shortly after trailing behind a boy who's name I still didn't know he had a very large build like someone who was very active with short brown hair he struck me as someone who was very serious about everything going on here by the way he ran and never stopped moving. Samantha ran at the head of the pack with her bright red hair trailing behind her I started the run faster to try and catch up to her but as I made my way up to be side by side with the large boy he told me
"you better slow down or your going to eat dirt, trust me you'll have time to talk to sam during break."
I looked at him and raised my eyebrow
"how do you know I was going to see her?"
He continued to look forward as he ran speaking to me quickly
"she was the first one you actually talked to man. It's easy to tell that she's the one your comfortable with."
I looked forward myself and continued to speak
"that's true I guess"
he glanced over and then looked back "it's the same with me and Robert too she was the first to talk to both of us like we were actual people and not just weapons."
I smiled for the first time all day
"she definitely has that charm about her doesn't she?"
He chuckled
"she was the first one in here man, that girl up there spent a year and a half alone in the place with just that ass Weston and the trainer Rick to talk to can you blame her for being so kind to the first people she can actually relate to?"
I chuckled this time
"no you really can't can you. By the way I'm Thomas."
He nodded at me
"Jason, it's nice to meet you Thomas."
I nodded back. We ran for another twenty minutes until we meet up with Samantha and the other boy Robert, I bent over my knees panting heavily when I heard Jason's voice
"it gets worse man you better get used to it"
I looked up at him surprised
"how can it get worse?!"
I ask between breaths he laughed and patted me on the back
"just wait till we get to sparing."
I couldn't help but ask
"let me guess Sam is the best?"
He nodded
"you have no idea what she's capable of just by looking at her."
I look over at Sam who is stretching and getting ready for the next activity. I hear the voice once more
"EVERYONE EXCEPT FOR SAM AND THOMAS TO THE WEIGHTS! SAM AND THOMAS SUIT UP FOR SPARING!"
I felt my heart sink and I blurt out
"I think I'm going to die" sam pats my shoulder
"don't worry Thomas I won't go to hard on you."
I chuckle nervously
"I don't think that will mean much"
I walk to the middle of the large room and put on a blue chest guard and ask
"what is this even supposed to block?"
Then I feel a sudden shocking force hit me from behind I fall face first into the floor and scramble to get back up to see Sam wearing a red chest guard and standing in a stance that makes her look like she kicked me but it seems impossible there was no way she could have kicked me that hard.
"It's to protect your heart so you don't get heart palpitations when you get hit in the chest"
she says with that soft voice but somehow there is a sternness behind it. I wipe the dust off my chest and stand ready for another attack
"well then I guess I should look out for that"
I say just after Sam throws herself forward a balled fist extended in front of her, just before her hand collides with my face I roll out of the way and kick upward as hard as I can. I catch Sam of guard and my foot collides right the the center of her stomach I hear her stop and being to gasp for air
"SAM!"
I scream as I rush to try and help her I get to her and begin to give her mouth to mouth to help her breath then I pick her up and look around for a place to take her but all I see is two sets of eyes staring at me in disbelief I yell at them "get off your asses and help me!"
They both rush over to a large silver Box in the wall next to the weights and open it up to reveal a panel of buttons, Jason slams his fist in to a bright yellow button and I hear something open behind me as I look a metal bed rises from the floor I lay her on it and the bed descends into the floor and as the metal door close I fall to my knees scared I may have just hurt the only person to show they care for me. It's only a few minutes before Jason and Robert are behind me asking a million questions but before I answer any of them I stand up and spin around as I slam my fist into Jason's stomach and kick Robert in the leg. I hear a snap as I stand there just as the darkness covering my eyes fades I see Jason and Robert both on the floor and I begin to panic yelling for help
"someone help please! Someone please fix this!"
The metal door opens once more but this time two larger beds come up I hoist Jason onto the first bed and drag Robert as easily as possible onto the second one knowing quite well it was me who just broke his leg. The beds disappear and I'm left alone in the room, it's not long before the tears well up in my eyes as it dawns on me just what I've done and then I truly begin to sob this goes on easily for an hour and a half before I can't cry anymore I just lay there heart broken and scared of nothing but myself.
"How did I even do that? What the hell even happened?"
I ask myself out loud. I hear a buzz and jolt up
"very impressive Thomas I-"
I interrupt the voice with rage
"IMPRESSIVE?! YOU THINK I WANTED TO DO THAT! I HURT SAM BY ACCIDENT AND THEN I GOT SO MAD I HURT JASON AND ROBERT I DONT EVEN KNOW ROBERT! HOW IN THE RIGHT MINE COULD YOU HAVE LET ME DO THAT?!"
The voice goes silent for a few minutes causing my anger to further grow
"FUCKING ANSWER ME!!"
The person talking to me clears their throat and talks to me in a still calm voice that just further infuriates me "you were not stopped because we needed to observe what you could do. You are untrained and young they were trained fighters and stronger then you yet each of them fell in little more then one blow, I think that proves we did good by choosing you."
My rage takes over and the world starts to fade to black once more
"HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT? YOU CANT EVEN BEGIN TO KNOW HOW I FEEL THEY ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE IVE EVER KNOW AND I JUST HURT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM BUT YOU DONT CARE BECAUSE YOU DIDINT DO IT DO YOU? I BET IF YOU WERE IN MY SHOES YOU WOULD FEEL THE THE SAME WAY YOU IGNORANT PRICK!"
I feel my fist clench into balls at my side and then I hear the screams. I know its me screaming I can feel it in my throat then I feel myself stand up. I know I'm screaming because I'm angry but I can't stop myself. Then I hear it a faint voice in the back of my head
"this is part of who you are child....let your emotions free and you can escape your prison."
I feel myself tense up and I fall to the floor there is a pain in my chest and I'm struggling to breathe. My vision comes back to me just in time for me to see three sets of faded blue plated feet approach me then I fade into darkness.
