Orphan

Chapter 17 - Hero

This was stupid. This school, this academy was dumb. How could they send their students on challenges that put their lives on the line?This was supposed to just be a run to the other side, but they were shooting us, and it was not only from one side, it was both.Children were dying. The floor was covered in dead bodies, their bodies ripped apart, arrows sticking out of arms, legs, chest and through the head.The floor painted in an eerie dark red.I hated it, but I had to run.I had to get up and push Adriels dead body off me. I was responsible for his death. Lisa had told me to always stay in the middle. To always have someone ahead of me. I now knew why and I hated it. If it weren't for Adriel, I would have been the one that would have eaten the arrow.My eyes soaked in tears, blurring my vision. This was my fault. I used Adriel. And now I hade to make sure his sacrifice wasn't for nothing. I will make it to the other side, and I promise I am going to stop this from happening ever again.Pushing Adriel off, I crouched and focused back on the buses at the other end.Dylan was safe. I could see him sitting next to the bus. If he can do it, so can I. I bolted forward, running in a half crouching, half-walking motion, I swerved left and right, darting pass both the living and the dead.My steps became leaps as I ran faster, my legs were killing me, but I didn't care.I just kept running. I just wanted to run away from reality, run away from this horrible scene. I screamed as a jolt of pain ripped through my legs, slicing through my skin, throwing me and my whole world spinning.Was this the end? Was I going to die? I crashed into the floor with a loud thud!But it wasn't just me, kid after kid dropped to the floor, their screams replaced with silence and a floor bathed in blood.What was going on? Were the arrows predicting where we would be? It looked as if the kids were running right into them. If I had not been thrown to the floor, would that have been me?How were we supposed to outrun it, if it could predict where we were going?Maybe I could run slower. Would that work? I had to give it a shot.Slowly, pushing against the floor, I really hoped this was going to work.I stepped forward.T'chi!No!An arrow zoomed toward me. I am going to be hit.Thud!Brain and guts slapped against my face.A girl had just got next to me before the arrow had hit and had taken it for me.As much as I hated it, I had to stay between people. I needed to survive.My heart squinted with every scream. Children were taking arrows for me. It was all my fault.Thump, Thump, Thump.Bodies dropped like flies.I turned to my right and froze.Shambles!There was no one there...3 metres...1 metres...I was going to be hit...This was the end...Thump!Warmblood splashed onto my face. I opened my eyes, Turning towards the sound, it was Zac. He had just saved my life. I could see a long thin arrow sticking out of his arm. "Don't just stand there! Keep running! We are not out of danger yet."He pushed against my back. Three meters...Two meters...A bolt zoomed passed my line of sight.One meter...We passed the fourth flag."Why are those kids standing there?"I had been so focused on the flags that I had not noticed. Children were standing still as if stuck on the floor, screaming, just as arrow after arrow swarmed their bodies. Feasting and ripping them apartI watched as kids just stopped mid-run, and their bodies lunged forward."Just keep running!"Zac moved forward, I followed from behind, taking deep breaths, I was exhausted, my legs were tired, and I was slowing down.Arrows passed me one after another, as I slowed down, they missed.More and more kids froze on their step. I turned to look down as I passed one of them. Something was holding them down. When I looked down, my eyes froze. They had laid traps. There were pieces of shiny metal on the floor that clamped and snapped when someone stepped into it.There was no way I could focus on both dodging the arrows and look at the floor.But I had too.It was the final stretch and, in the front, there were already dozens of children sitting there with bottles in their hands watching us as we ran.I was going to make it. Grinding my teeth, I pushed harder. I was getting closer to them, Zac was still by my side, I urged him to stay behind me instead of next to me, arrows shot out like they were aiming to kill us, but they didn't hit.I only needed like a hundred steps, and I was going to make it.50 steps.My legs were killing and screaming for me to stop.40 steps.I was so close now I could feel like I was safe.30 steps.It was within reach now.20 steps.A loud cranking noise shot from the floor, tendrils grabbed onto my leg, and I fell forward.I couldn't believe it. I was so close, but I couldn't move.Schhwaff!Schhwaff!I was done for, two arrows were flying fast towards me, I tried to lunge forward, but it was too late, even if I fell forward, I was going to be hit.Thump, thump!I let out a loud shriek of pain, I felt warm blood splash on me, but I was still alive.Zac had managed to catch one of the arrows and blocked the other.Dropping to the floor, he lifted the trap above the floor, and looking at me. We ran together as fast as we couldTen stepsFive stepsWe passed the last flag and tumbled to the floor.