Abnormal {Book 1: Completed, Book 2: Ongoing}

Chapter 29

Raven's alarm rings loudly, and I bolt up in my bed, instantly awake. Raven groans and rolls over in her bed, burying her face against her pillow. 

I rush into the bathroom to take a quick shower and brush my teeth, knowing that I only have less than half an hour to prepare before the second task starts. Just as Raven and I both finish dressing, the speakers above us crackle, and we hear the Commander's cold voice. "Citizens of TCD. Please check your watches to see which group you've been assigned to for the second task. Morning group, please assemble at the Central Theater in 15 minutes."

We both check our watches hastily. I sigh as I realize that we're both in the morning group again. My back is still sore from the fall yesterday, and I can't get the image of the demon girl out of my head. 

We soon arrive at the Central Theater downstairs. It is a large, oval chamber with hundreds of plush, velvet seats and a stage at the very front. I can see Adrius and Heather sitting in the first row, and Adam and Everett right behind them. Raven and I take a seat in the back row. 

The Commander clears his throat loudly as he climbs up to the stage. "Welcome, welcome," he says in a silky voice. "Today is the second task. However, this year, it will be a little different." There's a collective muttering from the crowd as people whisper to each other. I see Raven frowning, her brow creased in thought. In the front row, Heather leans over to say something in Adrius's ear. My right hand clenches into a fist before I realize that he's not mine anymore. 

He never was. 

I force myself to relax in my seat as I return my attention to the Commander. "For this task," he continues, "All of you will be put in the same simulation. Your only job is to survive til the end. Each of you will have three lives in the game. Once all three lives are spent, it means that you have failed this task. You will be immediately pulled out of the simulation and returned to your room. The last five standing win the task. Is everything clear?" We all nod silently.

A portal opens behind him, and we all file through it like we did in the first task, only this time, we don't receive any backpacks. As I'm led through the portal, a tall, muscular guy motions for me to stand in one of the glowing omnidirectional treadmills. Another woman comes over and helps attach all the various wires to my body and strap on my headset and goggles. My vision is immediately plunged into darkness, and I can feel a weird tingling sensation creeping up my spine. 

Then suddenly, a forest appears around me, with a gentle breeze blowing against the leaves. I can hear the faint echo of a wolf's howl in the distance as my fellow Abnormals pop into existence. Some people look around with confusion, bringing their hands in front of them and touching the trees hesitantly, as if they're not used to being in a simulation. 

I arrange my expression so I appear calm and controlled, even when my pulse quickens in anticipation. Abruptly, the wind stops blowing, and everything falls silent.

Then a bear the size of a building bursts out of the woods, lunging towards our group. We scatter in all directions, but two other smaller bears emerges from the opposite direction. We are surrounded. Half of the girls start screaming in fright as they try to run, but the bears swipe at them with their gigantic paws. They disintegrate immediately, vanishing into thin air. One life gone, two chances left.

I'm frozen in place with fear, until I feel a pair of strong, muscular arms wrap around me, pulling me to the ground. My face is pressed against the forest floor, with my back against Adrius's chest. 

"Play dead," he whispers in my ear. I lay still instead of rolling away from him, and squeeze my eyes shut. I try to convince myself that I'm doing this because it's the smart thing to do, not because the security of his arms gives me comfort, but I fail miserably.

I hate myself for thinking that way. 

I hear the bears roar in anger, and shrieks pierce the air as more Abnormals die off. I flinch in fear and start to hyperventilate, my breaths coming in shallow gasps. Adrius tightens his arms around me and tucks my head under his chin. "Breathe with me," he murmurs. I can feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes in and out, and I try to match my pace to his. Eventually, I start to calm down and relax, focusing on staying as still as possible. 

I notice that the rest of the surviving Abnormals lay down as well, and the bears slowly lumber away. I breathe out a sigh of relief as they disappear into the distance, and Adrius lets go of me abruptly. I am acutely aware of his absence as the cold air stings my skin.

I rise to my feet slowly, brushing off the leaves that stick to the fabric of my pants. Adrius reaches out a plucks a stray leaf from my hair, tossing it to the ground. His face is unreadable.

Then suddenly, the group of Abnormals that lost their first life reappears in the small clearing. The scene shifts around us, and I stumble, feeling dizzy. We are no longer standing in the forest.

We are standing at the edge of the cliff.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

FYI, this is an omnidirectional treadmill, and it's often used for gaming or other virtual reality experiments.

And...this is a scene from the movie Ready Player One, I'm sure many of you have seen it before! I included this image because this is what I imagine would look like when hundreds of people engage in a VR simulation on omnidirectional treadmills :)

As always, thank you so much for reading my book! Don't forget to vote and comment down below <3