Runaway

Test Day

Chapter 3

Right after our very brief introductions, an announcement on the radio was made. It was time for our "test".

Everyone went to the place where we would do our test. That place was packed and everyone around me was pushing their way to the front.

I let myself stay behind in fear of what we would have to do.

The girls and the boys were separated and they were both showing no emotion or fear like all the fun and joy was drained out if their faces.

When the instructor or Zeke came, everything was dead silent. So quiet that we could hear the slitest noise if anyone would even dare make one.

"Okay, now that everyone's here, the test for you is to jump from 300 floors - which you are at now - and to jump into small beds and couches at the bottom. Should you guys get hurt, that is not our responsibility. If you die while doing so, then, you die. That's that. Anyone dare defy orders, you die. Any questions? Of course none. Now, you may start!"

We all heard a voice saying, " Yeah, like jumping off a small distance would make me scared."

Zeke immediately went to that guy and said, "You scared?"

"Nope."

"Pretty high hopes for a worthless guy like you."

"Excuse me!?!"

Zeke points his gun at the guy's knee and shoots it. The guy screams of pain.

"Everyone, one lesson is to keep your mouth shut before you get hurt! Now go on!"

Everyone was jumping. Screams filling the building one by one.

The others were left unsure of two things : Are they dead? and Will I live?

Little by little, more and more people were jumping down.

Finally, it was my turn to jump. I closed my eyes, tried to calm myself down and I jumped for what I think was the last time I ever would.

I screamed as I felt the wind bringing my hair up.

I fell hard on the bed and I survived. My ankle didn't though. It hit the head board and I cried quietly to myself letting the tears flow.

I couldn't let them think I was a coward and I couldn't let them hear me scream just so I could be shot dead.

Others though didn't survive. There I saw, stretched on the floor were what seemed like hundreds of bodies.

From thousands, we became hundreds and fast.

I felt like being stuck and tied up in that garage was much better than this horrible nightmare.

I couldn't lift my foot and I felt like I would be stuck there the whole day.

I couldn't stay there as much as I wanted to because some people would still have to jump and imagine the weight of their body when they fall on you!

I had to literally scramble and crawl on the floor until Austin helped me.

"Need some help?" he said reaching out his hand.

"Austin! You survived!" I said while grabbing his hand.

"Yeah. You too!"

I looped my arm around his neck and he helped me back to the room. The instructors said so that after the test, we would have our lunch.

We met up with the others in the room. Apparently, we were one of the few people who were the last in line.

We saw Gabe and Amy hugging each other because both of them survived.

"Hey guys!" Austin and I said.

"Hey! You survived! What's wrong with you, Charlotte?"

"No biggie. I hit my foot hard on the headboard of one of the beds and it hurt my ankle." I said as I sat down a few feet away from the fireplace.

Austin got some ice and clothe and tended to my ankle.

"Hey, you're pretty good at this stuff."

"My mom was a nurse."

Soon enough, it was time for lunch. Just thinking about it made my mouth water and the pain from my ankle lessen. I haven't had a good meal since two days ago. I'm surprised they even give us food to eat.

Austin helped once again into the cafeteria and I grabbed a tray of some food. I went to our roommate's table after.

Everything once again was dead quiet because Zeke was in there. Everyone knew that Zeke had connections to people we didn't know yet and we were afraid of him.

By now, he was one of the most hated people in the world. When he left, all of us breathed a sigh of relief.

All of us were talking to each other very quietly though. Some dared to go even farther than others.

"Hey everyone! I don't know what you're thinking but I think that Zeke is so cruel don't you think?"

I was tired of living in this madness. I don't know where I am, who I'm with, what I'm supposed to be doing, and why I'm here. I had no clue of what was happening around me. I was tired of living in rules that either you beat it or die. I'm tired of everything. I didn't care anymore!!! I ran to my room crying out my frustrations and letting the tears fall.

I ran. That's all I could ever do. Run away. I was a coward. I should have persevered more in my uncle's house. I shouldn't have run away and if I didn't, I wouldn't have gotten into this mess.

I'm the room, no one was there yet. I went to the couch near the window and lied down. And with that, I listened intently on the smooth rhythmical crackling of the fire remembering what it felt like in the cave.

With that, I cried my self to sleep not prepared for what was going to get me.