Invincible

Chapter 12- The Awakening

I didn't sleep that night. Zack's betrayal ran deep, and my love for him was quickly tuning to resentment. He could have warned me, given me a choice. Tears stung my eyes as I lay on the enormous soft bed. Training begins tomorrow, and Zack said only the strong survive. What kind of training brings death? Would I ever see my family again? How are Kat and Jesse?

My thoughts keep turning all night. I don't think I got a wink of sleep before a loud bell starts ringing, and then Lucy's voice is sounding over the intercom.

"Your transition begins in 5 mins."

Transition? Is that what they're calling it? There has to be something I can do. I can't just make this easy for them. I will fight them every step of the way!

Shifting my eyes around the room, I look for some ideas of how to fight back. Seeing a chair beside a desk, I quickly run over and slide it over to the door. Lifting it up and over my head, I patiently wait.

As the handle on the door beeps, I prepare my stance. As soon as it opens and I see a shoe emerge, I quickly swing the chair down, and over a man's head. As the man hits the ground, I burst through the door as fast as I can. To the right and left of me is a hallway of blue doors as far as the eyes can see. Unsure of which way to go, I decide to guess and make a left.

As I run I notice that all the doors have numbers on them. Am I in a hotel? As I get further I hear footsteps coming, and panic begins to rise inside me.

Quickly, I turn and run the other way. I've never ran so hard in all my life. Soon I pass the room I'd been staying in, but continue my pursuit.

Interestingly enough no one seems to be running after me. As strange as that seems, I don't allow the thought to slow me down. It isn't long before I come to a dead end. What??? I look around. There are no windows. I try the handles of the doors, but they are all locked and require a code to enter.

Reality sets in, and I realize I have no place to hide or run. My only choice is to run back towards the way I came and fight.

Decidedly, I turn around and begin to walk forward. I need to preserve my energy. Glancing up at the ceiling, I see cameras every 50 feet. They know I'm coming. They've known for a while. The memory of the cameras in my room resurface. They knew I was waiting by the door. Why are they allowing me to run?

Soon, a small group of exactly three men block my path 100 feet or so in front of me. All are wearing masks, and all are dressed in black. Fear rises inside me, but I quickly turn it into a feeling of motivation. This is my chance to escape.

Picking up my pace, I run straight towards them. At the last possible second I try to dodge and run around them, but they are quick. One man's arm reaches out and grabs my ponytail swinging me to the ground. I land flat on my back with my breath knocked out of me. Hard blows start striking my body. Their kicks are strong,  and cause the deepest pain I have ever known. Just when I think I'm about to pass out, or possibly even die they insert a needle into my neck. It isn't long after before everything goes black.

Waking up flat on my back, and constrained to my bed cause me to panic. I try to move but the movement is too painful. A burning sensation is coursing through my veins and I feel as if I'm on fire.

"Moving only makes it burn more."

I look up and see Zack sitting in a chair beside me. The same chair I had used earlier. Quickly, I turn my head away. I can't even look at him.

"They want you to fight back."

His statement surprises me so much that out of instinct I turn my head to look at him. "What do you mean by that?"