Dropped Dead

Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

"Fallon, it's your turn." Bates says annoyed as I step up to the door.

"This test will create real-life battle situations. This is a level six test; it will be the most difficult for you out of all of the previous tests. Now get you ass in there and don't screw up!" Bates yells at me. She was probably required to say the first part, but the last part was completely and utterly Bates.

I think about what Cory said about this test targeting your weakness. Your weaknesses are probably manually place by your instructor. Great, Bates gets to decide who or what I fight. With my luck it will be a 200 lb man who could break me in half with my bare hands, and I will be weaponless.

Every year to pass to the next level you must pass the test. Each year is a different category. Last year was fighting a deadly fast woman with a knife. I barely passed that test. This year, when I take the test it will help the elders determine where I will work. This is the first year they have ever allowed a practice. I guess they want us to be less nervous about the real thing. But that is all I can do; guess.

I bounce on the balls of my feet as the dark metal doors slide open. I step into the cold stale air of the test room. I am the last one to take the test. Everyone was in the simulation for about ten minutes, and with eleven of us and only two simulation chambers, time had gone by very slowly.

The anticipation of what was going to happen made adrenaline course through my veins. The door slammed shut and I was engulfed in darkness.

Lights flashed from the corners of the wall, a forest, similar to ours formed around me until I felt like I was actually there. I took in deep breaths, trying to focus on the task at hand. I clenched and unclenched my fists. I was ready to fight, but who? And with what?

Suddenly I felt someone tugging on my shirt. I turned around. Behind me was a little boy. He looked about five.

"Kill me." The little boy said nervously. I stared at him in confusion. What does this mean? I gazed into his green eyes. How could I ever kill anyone so young? Then the boy morphed into Cory, as he is now.

"Come on Fallon, kill me!" He yelled angrily. This was my weakness, I could not harm those that I know dearly, you could call it love, but in more of a sibling way than romance. This is the probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I try to tell myself that it's not really Cory, but he seems so real, so there. I look around for a weapon but find none. A little voice in my head tells me that I have to choke him to death, the hardest way to kill someone, and most traumatizing.

I whisper, "I'm sorry." To the fake Cory as I wrap my fingers around his neck and press my thumbs against his throat hard. He gasps for air, clawing at me. My eyes well up as he falls to the ground. He starts to spaz out, trying to get me off of him, but I hold him down. I would break his neck if I could but I am not strong enough.

Finally, after what seems like hours, Cory's body goes slack. I killed him. As the image starts to fade I stand up. I wipe my eyes with my hands. I will not let Bates see me cry. The door slides open. Standing on the other side is a open-mouthed Bates.

"You did it." She says surprised. I nod my head yes, I don't feel like speaking.

"Go to the village elders, I have orders to report any that passed to them immediately." She says quietly ushering me to the outside door. I nod again, confused. I walk to the elders building to see what I am needed for.

===========================

"I still can't believe you passed Fallon!" Mark said for the millionth time.

"What was your simulation?" Cory asks me. I can't look him in the eye. I just nod my head no. I'd rather not answer him right now on that.

"So, what are we doing?" Mark says trying to change the subject.

"I have orders to kill a man by the name of Gabriel Marks. He is the leader of some outline village, and apparently he has some information that could destroy us." I say reciting what the elders told me. I was not allowed to look at the elders when they spoke to me, it is forbidden, why I do not know.

"So why are we here?" Cory asks. I can answer this question.

"Because they told me I needed backup, in case something happened." I say.

"And anyway I suck at reading tracking devices, while you Mark excel in that field." I point out.

"It's not that hard Fallon, but anyway, why to we have to walk back to our home after this. It took us two hours to fly here, who know how long it will take to get back." Mark says to me.

"Well, first, we don't want to draw any unwanted attention to us. Our ships fly around here once every week, if it were to fly twice, people might get suspicious." Cory points out.

We walk quietly through the woods until I hear a man's voice, loud and clear. We walk closer until I can see the outline of two men, one is holding something, and the other is speaking. I glance at Mark. He makes a speaking motion with his hands. I nod.

I motion for Cory and Mark to hang back as I get closer. My target is now about 150 ft away from me. I load my crossbow and position it to hit him in the back. I whisper, "Sorry." As I let the arrow fly. My aim is always accurate. He falls over and is dead within the minute. I turn around from the scene and run back towards Mark and Cory.

"Let's go." I say quietly. We start running when I hear a twig snap. I turn around and see a flash of long blond hair. I glance back at Mark and Cory to see if they saw anything, the next thing I know a knife is whizzing past my head, barely missing my head. It did not come from the direction of the blonde hair. There are two people out here. I sense that Cory and Mark are behind me. They must have seen the knife. I load my crossbow and walk towards the tree where I saw the hair, when a girl darts out from behind the tree. She quickly runs to another one.

She is fast, but I am faster. I shoot her in the calf. She screams, but not loudly.

"Claire!" Someone yells. It's a guy.

"Run Lucas, get to my brother." She screams desperately. He runs, but I don't shoot him. I should but the girl seemed so concerned about her brother I let him go. I do have a soul you know. Letting that guy go may end up getting us killed, but for some reason I felt the urge to not let the arrow fly. Mark and Cory hold their knives confused about what just happened.

"Why did..." I cut Mark off.

"It doesn't matter."

"What's your name?" I say turning to the girl in front of me. She sits up with a lot of small grunts until she is supported on her elbows.

"Claire." She says through gritted teeth. The arrow was still lodged in her calf; it looked painful. I could tell by the way that she wasn't screaming at the pain, that she was a fighter; that something bad had happened in her life. You can tell a lot by the way people handle pain.

"Well Claire, you are coming with us." She stares up at me in disgust, then collapses on the ground, finally too tired to continue sitting up.