The Life Competition

Deadly Climb

Once on the other side, I glance around seeing four other people.

"The results for the examination have been recorded. You will each find you are with a group of five. There are four groups; blue, green, black, and white. You will work with your group to participate in the second part of the competition. Please, step through the door ahead of you and into the next round." The voice cuts out and the five of us gaze at each other.

"I'm Shea," I wave awkwardly, trying to break the silence.

"Brian," A redhead replies, followed by Amy, Reginald, and Tyler.

"Alright, let's go," Brian gestures to the door and we all agree, not wanting to waste any more time. A warm breeze buffets us as we go through the doorway and our clothes change from white to green. Amy shrieks in delight as she emerges.

"We're in Hawaii!" She dances and burrows her feet into the sand. "I could die!"

"We already did," Tyler deadpans and we all glare at him.

"Why would they send us to Hawaii?" Reginald inquires and runs a hand through his thick brown hair.

"Well I'm glad, it's better than that stuffy white walled school," Amy shakes out her blonde hair, letting it fall down her back.

"Competitors, round two is about to begin. Your teams will be racing to the top of that volcano, everyone is equidistant. For this round, your goal is to end with the most points. If you cross the finish line to the volcano by yourself you will be awarded, five points. If your entire team makes it to the finish line you will receive twenty-five points. A member can be knocked out of the race, if this happens, a person is awarded five points for every member that crosses the finish line. At the end of this round, all your points from the examination and this round will be tallied up. The three with the highest scores will be allowed the chance to change their fate. You may begin," My teammates casts glances around at each other before starting to walk toward the mountain. I know I must win, if not for my team, but for my sister. If I die, she would struggle alone with our mother. Mom comes home every night, drinks a bottle of whatever is in the fridge, and falls into an undignified heap on the couch. I hope Derek wins too.

"How far away would you say it is?" Amy asks, drawing my attention back to the task at hand.

"A mile maybe? Maybe more," Brian shrugs and holds up his hand for us to stop. "We should come up with a plan for if we meet up with another team."

"We should just beat them up," Tyler comments and I purse my lips. "What? We're all dead anyways. Not like we can die again."

"We may be dead, but we haven't passed on. Winning this competition means we get to live again," Brian scowls at Tyler. Tyler holds up his hands in defeat and shrugs.

"Only three people get to live again, only three members of this team could live again. I for one am getting one of those spots, even if it means knocking people out of the running." Tyler's eyes land on Amy and me, obviously believing us to be weak links in the team.

"Don't you think it's wrong that only three people get to live? What kind of sick people make up this thing and have us compete against each other for the chance to return back to our lives?" I mutter and see Amy nod slowly beside me. "And how have we not heard of this before if other people have won and gotten their lives back?"

"Maybe they're sworn to secrecy," Amy tugs on her blonde hair and casts a nervous glance toward the volcano.

"We should keep moving," Reginald butts in with a deep voice.