Endless

Chapter 11

Grayson and I make it through twenty-three levels without a word to each other. We both know it's best to leave each other alone to focus on cautiousness. We arrive at level three-hundred and forty-four only to encounter the four people I prayed I wouldn't run into - Brooklyn, Roy, Lucia and Mark.

Both Grayson and I don't know how to react. We're standing on the base with blank expressions and stiff bodies. Grayson is the first to speak. He mutters, "Hey." He then walks over to Roy and Mark and salutes them with a forced smile. The three boys gradually begin to move over to the side making awkward conversation.

Brooklyn eyes me up and down. She has her arms folded over her chest and she is wearing a dark expression. Her lips are pursed with disgust and her eyes are cloudy with misjudgement toward me.

I return her cold glare with one of my own.

With one last look at me Brooklyn turns around and retreats to her area on the base where I see she has put her sweater, a keychain and a few of her fuel bars.

Fuel bars are food that we received at the start of the obstacle course. Once the jerseys were handed out at level one the voice over the intercom sent a large box of the wrapped bars down through the glass tube. We were instructed to take at least thirty each in order to avoid starvation. Once the first box was emptied another box full of fuel bars was sent down. I took over forty just incase. I put the fuel bars in the draw string bag I had on my back along with a canteen of water that was given to us after the food was delivered.

I stalk over to Grayson and take his wrist. I pull him out of the conversation and mutter, "Are we staying with them?"

Grayson shrugs and says, "Why don't we? Brooklyn's probably cooled off by now."

Before I can get in another word, Mark taps Grayson on the shoulder. Grayson turns around and joins back in the conversation he was sharing with Mark and Roy. I decide that I won't be able to argue so I make my way to the middle of the base and step on the pad.

I then sit down and yank open my draw string bag. I pull out my water canteen and take a few sips. I cap it and put it back in my bag. I don't know what to do with myself so I pull my legs up to my chest and simply sit and watch the clouds gradually move across the infinite sky.

***

I still feel a dull ache in my back after forty levels. I have barely looked at Brooklyn even once - let alone spoken to her. The guilt and emotional pain is sucking me into a pit of desperation to have Brooklyn back. I wish I could talk to her and try to fix things - but I can't just start talking to her as if we haven't been ignoring each other.

I'm drowning in exhaustion now that we've reached level three-hundred and eighty-four. I slump down near that pad once I've tapped it and take a quick pause. Roy asks the group, "Should we take a break here?"

Lucia answers for all of us, "Just for a few minutes."

Once we've eaten a few fuel bars we're on the move again. Brooklyn orders, "One by one, guys. We wouldn't want any accidents." Brooklyn watches as Mark steps up to begin the next level. Brooklyn nods, "That's it. Careful." What happened to her? She was never a bossy, irritating collectivist.

I watch for a few more minutes as Brooklyn beckons each one of us to begin the level cautiously. I frown inconsistently. Brooklyn speaks slowly and evenly as if she is speaking to a bunch of kindergarteners, "That's right. Watch your step. Balance yourself. Perfect. You're doing great."

My rage suddenly speaks for itself as I launch myself forward and shove Lucia and Brooklyn to the side. I march forward and start to complete the level ahead. Brooklyn scrambles up from being pushed over and snaps, "What is wrong with you?"

I persistently ignore Brooklyn and stumble over level three-hundred and eighty-four. Brooklyn is yelling after me, "How could you be so agitating all the time, Taya? Must take lot of effort to be able to tick me off all the time, huh?"

My heavy breathing shrinks to a shallow, unsteady breath as I try to shut Brooklyn out. I step off the level having completed it and slink over to the pad. I stomp it aggressively and turn my back to Brooklyn who is still spewing at me, "I'm glad to know you're so devoted to irritating me, Taya! I just wish you had the same devotion to helping your team! But you clearly don't - because you're selfish! Can't have everything, right? You don't actually care about any of us, do you?"

I rip open my drawstring bag and snatch a fuel bar. I am gripping it so hard that I squeeze it into crumbs.

Annoyed, I thrust the fuel bar back in my bag and jerk my bag closed so fast and rough that the draw string burns the palms of my hands. I whip the bag to the side ferociously and try to relax my anger-stricken, shaking body.

I spend the rest of the evening in a huff as Brooklyn and I go back to not speaking. We complete sixteen levels before arriving at level four-hundred. It looks extremely simple which makes me nauseous and limp.

There are two white, thin balance beams, side by side, that stretch to the next base. Both beams look incredibly similar. In fact, they're identical. Our group stands in a horizontal line in front of the level. We're all mute until I mutter, "Something's wrong with one of them." Grayson finishes my thought, "They're too much alike."

We all take one step forward in unison - all with hesitation. All of a sudden Brooklyn triumphantly jumps in front of us and states, "Although its unspoken, I am the leader our group and I say that because of this I should be the one to try out which beam to use."

I roll my eyes with extreme displeasure. However I let Brooklyn be the first to test it out. We all noticeably hold our breath as Brooklyn outstretches her leg to get on the left beam. I hear her suck in a large breath before quickly placing her foot on the beam. The moment her shoe makes contact with the beam, the beam disappears. Brooklyn drops off the edge before any of us can react.

It takes a few seconds for our group to realize Brooklyn's fall. What snaps us all to life is her screams. Brooklyn's distant, agonizing screams. A splitting scream escapes my mouth as we all clamour over to the edge and lean over. Brooklyn's tiny body is hurdling through the air farther and farther down. Her chilling screams make the moment freeze in time.

I look over and see a tear streak down Mark's face. His face is expressionless. Blank.

Hours go by in that one moment. My heart beats rhythmically in a heavy, drooping manner. What tears me apart is that I can't do anything. I can simply watch as my best friend is being tortured as the sky sucks her into infinity. I merely watch. We all do. Leaning over the edge with panic-stricken faces that start to fade away as we slowly learn to accept Brooklyn's fate.

A part of me will always be stuck in that moment. That moment that never started and never ended. Just an endless loop of the same feeling that I can't pinpoint.
It reminds me of the sky.
Infinite.