Renascent

THE SECOND ANSWER

CLEAN, healthy, young, and strong. Again.

I wish it's just a dream. What happened before the Dying. The loud noise. The trembling of the ground. The Run. The blood. The throwing up. The thought I have made up with my mind.

The thought I have made up with my mind.

I close my eyes wishing I can forget everything. Thinking to myself that maybe I was wrong, that I should not fear what I do not know. That what should I fear most is what I know now.

My tub opens but still I don't get up. Although the tiredness is gone from what I felt yesterday I still feel tired, or so I think.

"Wake up." Bren says. Though I know he knows that I am not asleep. But I wish I am. But sleep doesn't exist.

"Get up. It's your second day of trai-"

"I don't wanna run." I interrupt. What a fickle minded boy am I.

"You'll get used to it. Everything you saw is just what Igs men really do." He says. He smiles.

"Ready for the second task?" He asks.

"I hope running's not it." I say.

"You do not run in training. You learn." He explains.

I get out of my tub and start fixing my suit. Straightening folded edges and pulling away dust particles.

I can still hear silent screeches bellowing in my head.

"You'll get used to it." He repeats. "But for now we start training."

I flinch. My heart beating faster than the usual. My lungs falling into my stomach. My stomach floating to my throat.

"What's the task?" I ask.

And then I think maybe I didn't actually make up my mind. I am just confused and afraid and anxious. All at the same hell of a time.

"Know everyone in Camp 17." He says.

"What?" Although I hear and understand what he says as clear as water.

"You heard me." He replies.

"I know. But how is that a proper training? How is knowing everyone here get me outta here? How can that prevent me from blood and broken bones?" I say without a pause.

"Too many questions." He answers. But that's not what I want to hear.

"But-"

"There are only 87 Igs men left here in number 17. We used to be a hundred but you know, 13 of them never came back. They're in Eilf now." He says.

"So you mean to say I am meeting 87 of them?" I ask bearing a frown in my face.

"87 including you. Exclude you and me from that and that makes it 85." He says. "And Dante too. You already know him. So it's 84 left."

"Eighty-four." I say.

"Yup. And I'll give you the whole day for your task." He says.

"What's behind the tunnel?" I ask out of nowhere.

Then there's silence. Bren doesn't reply.