The Mountain

Chapter 20

I snap awake and sit up only to be greeted with a pounding headache. I rub my head and open my eyes. What the hell?

I'm sitting in an actual bed. A real, comfortable bed. The bed sits inside a large room with yellow walls, beige carpet, a mahogany desk, white bathroom, a dark closet, but no windows. It would be a warm, welcoming room if it had windows.

I scramble into a standing position to find my backpack leaning against the foot of the bed on the floor. Digging through it, I find my extra clothes, all the puzzles and clues I collected, but weapons are all gone. Looking down at my body, I realize someone else has changed my clothing since I've been asleep. I have on black leggings and a loose, blue, tank top. My brown hair cascades down my back in waves.

I look around the room for anything that I could use as a weapon before heading out. I have no idea where I am and I would like to be able to defend myself if it comes down to it. I dig inside my bag and find the small pocket knife. At first glance, it seems small and useless. If I do the right thing with it, it'll give me a chance at fighting back, I tell myself. I grab it and twist the small knob on the door leading outside. My bare feet hit the cold cement floor underneath me and make me think twice about leaving. If my room was so inviting despite windows, and this hallway so cold and eerie?

I push my dark thoughts away and move forward instead, trying my best to forget about the cold floor. The hallway is lit only with small lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling. They cast shadows across the walls and keep my head moving from side to side. I pass three doors as I walk, all very spread apart, and battle with myself over is I should knock or not. I decide not to, if I woke up behind one of them, the other contestants might be there, too, including James.

The thought of him turns my mind dark and spins my stomach. How someone who was so close and kind to me could become what he has become is beyond me. Part of me wants to hope that he didn't make it, but I know that he did. He left ahead of me on the same path and I never saw any signs of him.

The hallway curves slowly as I walk and I spot another small hallway the leads out of this one ahead. I follow that one and find myself in the middle of a series of rooms. Off to my left is a sparring ring and gym that is empty at the moment. Two my right is a dining room and cafeteria that is vacant. Right ahead of me is a small area with couches and a coffee table with tvs lining one wall.

"Me. Hill?" A voice asks from behind me, causing me to jump. I turn to see a middle aged man with a stiff, gray uniform and perfectly combed hair standing behind me.

"Y-yes?" I ask, surprised at how scratchy my voice is. Probably because of the gas.

"I'm here to take you to meet everyone. First let me grab you a glass of water and then we will be on our way," he explains with a kind smile.

I nod, following as he leads me to the cafeteria. He fills a small cup with water from a sink and hands it to me. I hesitate, looking at the water.

"Don't worry, Ms. Hill, the gas is the only sedative you will come across while you are here. We only used that to transport you safely here," he tells me.

I nod, drinking the water, I'm still hesitant but it beats dehydration. "Thank you," I smile once I finish drinking. "I'm a little confused, though."

"I'll answer any questions you have as we walk, follow me," he instructs. I follow him back into the hallway I originally was in.

"Ok, um, what's your name?" I ask.

"Jonah," he answers.

"Where are we?"

"This is the compound. A place for commanders in training," he explains, although it makes me more confused. He must see the look on my face because he laughs. "This'll all be explained in further detail when you meet everyone."

"Oh, yeah, who's everyone?" I ask, remembering what he said earlier.

"The game-makers, your family, maybe the other contestants. Pretty much all the people who are important to you," he shrugs. "Anything else?"

I think for a moment. "When will my memory come back? I still don't remember anything before the mountain."

A sad smile crosses his face, making my stomach drop. "It'll be a slow and hard process for your memory to come back. It'll begin in a week or so, it comes back as flashbacks and dreams. Slowly holes will start filling in and if you ever need anything your family will be able to answer questions, too. It'll take up to a year for everything to return."

I look away, trying to stop the tears that are building up in my eyes. "Okay," I mumble, not asking any more questions.

After a few more minutes of silent walking Jonah stops at a large, grey door. "Here we are," he says, opening it and stepping aside so I can go through first.

The room is filled with desks and computers, they all are facing a large screen at the front of the room with a video of what is happening on the mountain playing. There are people everywhere, working on computers, talking on phones, and ordering others around. It seems chaotic but I can see the organization they have.

"This is where the game makers control what is happening on the mountain and watch contestants as they are climbing," Jonah tells me. "They have cameras everywhere and ways to see everything that happens."

I nod, following him through the room. No one even glances at us as we pass through and go  through a door on the opposite side of the room. It leads us into another room that is about the same size as the last but completely different. There is a ring of couches surrounding a coffee table with a small tv on one wall. The walls are white and there are three desks with computers and phones on them.

Jonah leads me to the ring of couches and motions for me to sit down. He walks to one of the desks and picks up the phone, punching a few buttons before putting it to his ear. He waits for a moment until I hear a voice come through.

"Yeah, she's here... we are ready... good condition, calm and curious... no problem, come on in," he finishes and sets the phone back down. He turns to me smiling, "They're on their way."

I nod silently, suddenly nervous. Whats going to happen?