Adaptation and Evolution (Book Two of the EDSOR Military Academy Trilogy)

Chapter 5- Survival of the Fittest

I tried to cover my ears to stop the ear-splitting blood splattering sound as I dashed. I ran as fast as my legs could take me. I swear they were going to dislocate any moment because of my unusual speed. My loosely ponytailed hair unravelled. Split ends were slapping my face as the wind blew them against it. I was panting and almost out of breath. But I didn’t stop.

I was scared. Scared for my own life, and what would happen. This is for real, not just any videogame wherein you can replay the game all over again and revive the character. I only have one life to spare, and I don’t intend to lose it in one showdown.

Screams and shrill cries were heard as daggers slit through bodies. Deafening gunshots made me tone deaf as I struggled for cover. I saw bullets spraying around me. There was a silver one that brushed against my shoulder, touching a small part of raw skin. I yelped in pain as it darted to the other side and lodged itself on the trunk of an old tree. Droplets of blood turned into a small stream steadily flowing from my shoulder to my arm. Desperate for survival, I jumped into a nearby bush to rest.

I’ve never been shot or hit by a bullet before. This was my first time and I have to admit, I was quite calm in dealing with these pressing matters. I found a roll of tissue paper wrapped in a Ziploc bag inside the leafy bush. Thank the Lord it wasn’t full of thorns otherwise I might’ve gotten pricked. Someone must’ve dropped it. I generously rolled the tissue paper over my left shoulder forming a cast in minutes.

I could hear conversations circulate throughout the blood stained air. “You really don’t know when to give up, do you?”, a low feminine voice growled as I heard footsteps inch closer to the prey. The heavy thud of her boots made me shudder.

I heard the defender sputter out blood as he coughed and coughed. “You’ll never get in EMA. Just look at your build. You’re supposed to be a man with those muscles of yours. Too bad your genes aren't as compatible as mine in combat!”, the boy teased.

Ouch. If I were that bulky girl I would finish him off. He seems to be an atheist since he mocked our religion. Without further ado, I heard a gun shot and the boy laugh. “You’ve brought this upon yourself Cecilia. I tried to persuade you to stop going here since we’d both be killing each other in the end”

I heard blood drops fall on the ground. I bit my lip hard to stop myself from crying.  “Tristan, I don’t hate you for doing this. You must get in the academy. Make your parents proud….I….”, her voice was fading away.

“I will Cecilia. For your own sake. I am...not sorry. This is...the survival of the fittest”, he whispered as the girl’s body fell on the ground. The whole Earth shook. I shuddered when I heard the thump resonate in the hallows of my ears.

The tears started to come. I found myself crying, wimpering, in a desperate attempt to hide all my emotions. It was just too much.

I’ve never heard a person die….the sight of a mangled body is too much for me.

Visions start to impair my sight. I could only see dark black spots dancing in the corners of my eyes. My system was going down. My entire body was numb with so much anxiety and fear. I was breaking down.

God! This isn’t good! I am not supposed to faint! I am not supposed to be this vulnerable now! Drowsiness and nausea were combating inside as I struggled not to close my eyes. As I scanned the area for any intruders, I caught sight of a plant brushing against my ankle. It was purple and really attractive-looking. Look, I am not trying to be like my idol Eduardo Quisimbing but I really am fascinated with interesting plants. Drat! That was a Purple Dagger!

My heart started beating really fast I swear someone a mile from this bush could hear it. I immediately jerked my foot away from it but as I did, I rolled out of the bush making me a target for the other people. Who cares now? That is like poison ivy only…I never knew it even existed. I never knew such kind of species can be generated in this third world country.

My left foot was itching uncontrollably. I felt blisters and welts form but I tried not to scratch it that much. Infection will be the result of that. I saw the dead carcass in front of me. That girl was slaughtered. In her left hand, she held a crossbow with a loaded arrow. Beside her lay a pack of Titanium arrows. They were silvery and shiny amidst the gleam of the sun against them. They looked exquisite and very lightweight to my fingers. I knelt down to take both weapons.  But not before murmuring a prayer for the girl’s soul then took the provisions.

Without thinking, I stood up and ran as fast as I could away from the clearing, where all the massacres were going on. The crossbow seemed to be growing heavier in my arms, like 50 pound dumbbells weighing my body down. The brown bag that held the arrows was pounding against my aching back. I tried not to step on dry twigs or trip on little pebbles. I learned in Honora that running should not be done haphazardly but rather with care, precision and speed.

I do remember the time when Ms Gia, our P.E coach, taught us “the educational way” of warfare. Ugh. Too much facts are no fun at all. I’ve learned the parts of a sword but I’ve never even used one. How can one learn by simply reading it straight from a source? I think the war curriculum in the famed Honora sucks. Science and Mathematics are no doubt highly regarded there but religion is even abandoned there. How can we be great people when we know not of the natural laws and the Great Creator who gave us our talents? 

As I moved farther from the clearing, I found out that there were footsteps running toward me. “Hey! Is that a examinee?”, a masculine voice called out.

As I whipped my head to glance at the predator, I saw the most horrific face that has ever stared at me in my life. A giant, about six feet tall with red cheeks and a pudgy nose, was running after me. He had an enormous scythe in his hands. The tip of it shone in the light. I don’t want my head to be chopped off with that. He must’ve been commissioned to eliminate unfortunate lives to keep the chase short and sweet.

After twenty minutes of running non stop, I decided to climb a tree. I am not that much of a tree climber but I used to climb on ladders to my friends’ secret treehouses before. I leapt onto the huge trunk of an Oak tree and grasped the circular rings around it. Those rings determined the age of the tree. This tree was old since its leaves and branches shot up to the sky to a point where I couldn’t see anything anymore, just fluffy white clouds hanging over me.