Forgotten

Chapter Nine: Test Two: Injections

{A/N}Words with the asterisk symbol (*) are defined at the end of the chapter.
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One man's laughter filled the otherwise silent hall and Robert Dace appeared from behind the crowd, clapping his hands.

"Well done!" he said, "oh, yes very well done, Terrance! I haven't seen a performance such as that since... well since Felipe joined us a little over a year ago, wasn't it? Ah, well, no matter. You've passed with flying colors."

"But...Felipe won," I said.

"No matter, this was the first of three tests, physical, mental, and will power; this was the physical test, which you passed wonderfully. You managed to outlast everyone and lasted longer than most would have. Besides, no one has ever been able to defeat Felipe, well, besides me, that is, and he and Callie are tied at the moment, neither can best the other."

I stared at him, blank-faced "What's next, Commander, sir?"

Commander Dace looked around the room, "You've inflicted quite a bit of damage to my soldiers," Robert brought two fingers to his lips and blew, a shrill whistling rung through the air and two aliens not wielding weapons came forth, their forearms folded across their chests and they bowed slightly in respect.

"Take anyone who is injured and have them healed within the hour."

"Yes, Commander." they answered simultaneously.

"Anyone who wasn't injured, you may return to your regular nightly activities."

A bunch of "yes, sir's" and "as you wish, commander's" filled the air and slowly everyone dispersed, except for those lying on the ground.

"With your permission, Commander," Felipe spoke, "I'd like to stay for the rest of Terrance's testings. I'm curious to see how he will do."

"Yes, yes, I had anticipated you would do that," Dace said, "of course, stay if you wish."

"Thank you, sir," Felipe looked at me, "Just so you know, these next tests won't be so easy."

"I can handle it," I said confidently. I felt like I could take on the world.

"If you're ready for the next test, we can start immediately, but if you'd prefer to take a break, that's fine. You don't have to do all the tests tonight."

"No, I want to get these over with."

"Well... alright. But this next test is, to say the least, cruel."

"I can do it."

Commander Dace stared at me with his alien eyes. "Alright, let's get going than."

I followed Felipe and Dace out of the combat room, which reeked of blood. On the way out I picked up my bloody rapier, still lying on the ground.

We entered an elevator and Dace pushed the button taking us down to the basement. I had never watched very many horror movies before the world ended, but I knew that the basement was always where people got raped and murdered. I tried not to let my mind wander to such dreadful thoughts, but it was pointless. My mind was a black demon that had tore me apart from the inside until there was nothing left of me; just a shell of a human trying to survive in a cold, hardened world.

As we descended into the darkness I wandered if I would ever see the light again. The elevator moved very slowly, it was probably the most awkward elevator ride ever listening to Felipe's blood drip to the floor. He quickly wiped his chin.

"I got you good, didn't I?" I said.

"Yeah, what's with that, I thought we were friends," Felipe took something out of his pocket. It looked like a simple band aid, but when he placed it on the cut, even though it didn't cover the entire incision, it stopped bleeding.