Dead faces surrounded me in the darkness, their hollow eyes burning with accusation. The blonde girl stepped forward, her finger pointing straight at my chest.
"You let me die," she whispered, blood trickling from her lips.
It felt suffocating, like air being sucked from my lungs. I gasped as their hands wrapped around my neck, squeezing it.
I wanted to tell them it wasn't my fault, especially to the girl, but I couldn't find my voice. When I thought this was going to be my end, the blazing alarm shrieked through the dormitory, forcing my eyes to snap open.
My chest hammered against my ribs. The nightmare clung like smoke, but I was grateful to escape those accusing stares.
Soldiers marched in and stood at the entrance.
"To the field in ten, nine..." one barked as we jumped from our beds. I got up, disoriented, then saw Tobi still snoring on the top bunk.
"Really?" I muttered, shaking him until his eyes opened.
"What's happening?" he groaned.
"Get up." I pointed at the countdown soldier. He cursed and jumped from his bunk.
We threw on uniforms and rushed out as the soldier hit one. More soldiers filled the corridors, yelling at stragglers.
"Move! Move!" they chanted, forcing us to quicken our pace until we got outside where the harsh sunlight hit us like a slap. A soldier pointed to the track circling the compound.
"Start jogging!"
The command stunned everyone into silence. I cursed under my breath. "I can barely walk, and now I have to run?"
"Why?" one brave boy called out. "You didn't tell us—"
"Double laps for questions!" the soldier snapped. "Keep talking and we'll make it triple."
The other soldiers snickered. One muttered, "Last year's set wasn't this chatty."
A thin boy broke from the group and started running, destroying any hope of group resistance.
"Traitor," Tobi hissed, and several boys echoed the sentiment.
We gasped for air, throats dry, sweat burning our eyes. I couldn't wipe my face because touching my forehead wound would hurt more than the stinging salt.
Across the field, we saw the girls march in formation. Even in drab uniforms, Nira looked radiant.
Most boys collapsed on the scorching ground, chests heaving. A soldier approached our sprawled forms.
"Who's got contraband? Energy bars? Stimulants?"
Grumbles rose from the group. They could've asked that before torturing us.
Another soldier stepped forward. "Confess now, or meet the trainer's wrath. Trust me, you don't want to be on Sergeant Kole's bad side."
When they reached me, I shook my head. "Nothing."
"Liars, all of you!" The first soldier spat. "Double the remaining laps!"
Protests erupted until another soldier approached him
"Sir, the general is in the building..." He paused, eyeing us, then pulled him aside. After whispering, the soldier sighed, dejected.
"Go get ready for the day!"
We raced toward the showers without a second thought.
The decontamination was brutal, but at least some of the chemical residue washed off. Afterward, we headed to the cafeteria.
It was massive that it can stack my cramped apartment ten times and there will still be space for more.
We waited at the completely empty space until a cook emerged from the kitchen, wiping his hands.
"There's nothing here, boys. You need to keep to time here. No exceptions." and walked away, leaving us stunned.
"Great," Tobi muttered as we trudged toward the training center. "Adding starvation to my list of 'what will they torture us with?'."
"That's a sad list," another boy said.
"You tell me," someone else added darkly. "Tobi must love torture to keep a tag on it."
"Shut up, Kingsley." and turned to the other boy "You too, Danny." which made them laugh.
The training center doors loomed ahead. Inside, a mountain of a man stood waiting.
Sergeant Kole looked like he could crush vehicles with his bare hands. Thick arms crossed over a chest that strained against his uniform.
His shaved head gleamed under the fluorescent lights, and a scar ran from his left temple to his jaw.
His eyes narrowed as we filed in.
"Late." His voice could grind stone to dust. "You'll stay after training for extra punishment."
The next hour was agony. Push-ups until our arms gave out, then more. Sit-ups until our stomachs cramped. Pull-ups that left our hands bleeding.
My wounds screamed with every movement, but showing weakness meant more punishment.
When the session finally ended, I could barely stand. The girls filed out first, heading to lunch.
I watched them go, stomach gnawing at itself. If only I could ask someone to save me food, but fraternization was probably forbidden.
Sergeant Kole stood over us, fists clenched, when Kambi appeared at his side. She whispered something urgent in his ear.
He listened, his expression darkening further, then nodded curtly.
Kambi turned to us. "Go take your lunch."
We cheered and ran for the cafeteria, some boys even overtaking the girls in their desperation.
The food served to us looked unappetizing but tasted tolerable.
Tobi leaned close. "Some boys are talking about sneaking out after the next training."
"What for?"
"The Savior's Parade. Former champions marching back from missions outside the dome." His eyes lit up. "Want to come?"
I hesitated. More rule-breaking seemed dangerous.
"Come on," Tobi pressed. "Aren't you curious to see the ones who survived previous trials?"
That got my attention. "Sure. I guess."
Tobi grinned. "It'll be great to see those who passed. Heard it's brutal, but we got this."
I pictured champions—gods, unblemished saviors—but none from my Ark had returned in years; maybe that's why we're poor and powerless. Then, Xavier's words echoed, confirming that.
The cafeteria doors creaked open and a drunk old ragged man shuffled in when our eyes met.
He looked shocked, saying, "You shouldn't be here. You're next." until soldiers surged forward and dragged him away.
Left in the sudden silence, I realized someone was after me and I had no idea who.
After lunch, Kambi pulled me aside to check my wound. Her face tightened.
"It's getting worse. What happened?"
I narrated the pesticide bath, sweat and exertion. She sighed. "Be more careful," handing me some drugs.
As she was leaving, I fought the urge to ask her what the old man said but couldn't. What if she's part of them?
Tobi wrapped his arms around my neck. "Ease up K, I'm sure he's just drunk and spewing rubbish. Don't let it get to you." But it was too late, it has gotten to me.
The afternoon brought endurance training with a different instructor. Running, jumping, crawling through mud, each exercise tore at my injuries until I bit my tongue to keep from crying out.
That evening, Tobi led me to where several boys and girls had gathered near the main gate to board a chartered bus, carrying us through gleaming streets to a massive gathering packed with thousands. We followed a girl through the crowd to a building.
"Better view up there," she said.
We climbed to a balcony overlooking the plaza. Closed gates stood at the far end while steam hissed from vents—some decontamination process.
Then the gates opened.
The crowd exploded in cheers as figures emerged from the mist.
"That's Sorayah!" the girl beside me pointed to the left.
The woman in the vehicle had dark olive skin gleaming, her nose elegant and narrow, eyes that seemed to flirt with the entire crowd. Messy braids framed a face that belonged in ancient poems about beauty and war.
"And that's Chizzy!" The girl pointed to another woman, this one blowing kisses through wire-rimmed glasses. "But everyone calls her Chili."
More names were called with each having their own unique characters but leading them all was a figure that commanded attention without effort. Blond hair caught the light like spun gold—olive skin stretched over muscles that spoke of countless battles. Sharp features that could cut glass, and eyes that had seen things beyond the dome.
"Darius," the girl swooned. "The Savior himself." I stared at him "Our cluster got over half the annual supplies thanks to him, Sorayah and Bello. Darius wanted to do what his predecessor did—making sure all four made it out to secure all our supplies but couldn't."
"He was close until one maniac ruined that, forcing them to have five instead." one chipped in
"It was extended so much that the trial makers were running out of ideas." another added.
"Why is that?" I asked
"A champion gives their cluster twenty-five percent of annual supplies which means the entire cluster lives like royalty."
"How do you know this?"
She looked at me, incredulous. "This is common knowledge."
"You don't know your champions?" a blond green-eyed boy with glasses asked. I shrugged.
Everyone except Tobi looked shocked.
"Every Ark should have at least one champion." she added.
I explained no one returns, so we don't know what happens. This disturbed them more.
"So you have no strategy for the game?"
"Game?" I asked. "Isn't it an experiment?"
The boy with glasses patted my shoulder pitifully. "It is, but it's difficult. The trials are death matches."
My mind went blank. From Tobi's expression, he felt the same shock.
The boy stood. "We should head back."
"Jakob's right," someone grumbled. "Almost lights out."
The return trip felt tense—every nerve shivered when I thought about it.
'I might actually die,' I thought. 'I wasn't strong enough for training, and now, I learnt that I'm entering a death game.'
Arriving at the base, we raced to our dormitories, but found the main gate sealed with the lights out.
"Where are we supposed to sleep?" someone whispered.
Suddenly, there was a figure in the shadows, standing at an odd angle in the darkness.
A girl approached the figure and asked, "Hello, sir. We got lost, and we wonder if you have the spare key for the gate?"
It remains mute
She took a few steps further. "Excuse me? Do you….." it grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into the darkness. Her scream cut through the night before being abruptly silenced.
Then I saw its face, or what remained of one. Rotting flesh hung from exposed bone, eyes like burning coals. It looked almost human, but wrong in every conceivable way.
Its limbs stretched unnaturally long, joints twisted at wrong angles, and its face was pure horror.
"Run!" I shouted.
Skeletal fingers wrapped around the belt's edge. A creature found us, head tilting unnaturally as it peered down. Black pit eyes absorbed the remaining light.
Chaos erupted as creatures emerged from shadows, tearing into the group with rusted claws.
I pulled Tobi behind cover as we fled through the abandoned warehouse. My boots slipped on dusty concrete while claws scraped metal behind us.
"They're gaining!" Tobi shouted, terror cracking his voice.
The guttural snarls grew closer, echoing off rusted machinery casting twisted shadows. My heart hammered against my ribs.
Tobi spotted a gap between conveyor belts. We squeezed through the narrow space, scraping against metal.
"Did we lose them?" I whispered.
Skeletal fingers wrapped around the belt's edge. A creature peered down with black pit eyes.
"Run," Tobi breathed.
We burst out as the creature lunged. Its claws raked my back, tearing through uniform-like tissue. Fire exploded across my shoulders and I screamed.
Tobi hauled me upright, trying to console me as we pressed on.
Creatures swarmed everywhere—walls, ceiling, moving like spiders. One dropped between us and the exit. Another emerged from behind a pillar, jaw unhinging.
"We're gonna die," Tobi whispered.
"No. There's another way," I said, nodding toward rusted fire escape stairs.
The largest creature stepped forward. This was how it would end—two days before my birthday, torn apart where no one would find us.
Tobi hurled debris at the creatures, creating a brief distraction. We bolted for the stairs as they flowed after us like water.
I grabbed the handrail, legs shaking. My foot slipped on loose steps and I fell backward toward waiting claws. Tobi caught my wrist and pulled me up, but claws raked my ankle.
On the second floor landing, we were trapped against rusted machinery. The creatures climbed slowly, savoring victory.
Gunfire exploded through the warehouse. The largest creature staggered, black ichor spraying from its chest.
"This way! Now!" Kambi descended from the rooftop in tactical gear, rifle ready.
We climbed her rope to the roof while she provided covering fire.
"We need to move," she said. "We're heading to military quarters."
As we crossed rooftops, she asked if there are others outside. Despite Tobi's desperate look, I admitted there were eleven more.
At a gap between buildings, white-hot pain pierced my leg as claws wrapped my ankle, dragging me backward. The creature raised its other claw toward my head.
Kambi's rifle erupted. The creature flung me aside to focus on her. I hit the wall hard, vision blurring.
Another creature perched above me. I threw debris toward a metal structure, and it leaped toward the sound.
I dragged myself toward the escape hole, each movement shooting lightning through my mangled leg. Another creature's claws pierced my arm before Kambi shot it down.
Tobi crawled back, tears streaming. "Stay with me," he said, dragging me toward the hole.
We crawled through backward while Kambi followed, panting heavily.
Seeing my blood loss, her face switched to panic. "Change of plans. We're going to Lex's place instead."
When we emerged from the tunnel, both of them helped me to my feet, supporting my weight as we made our way to a building marked with the number seven.
She knocked repeatedly when we arrived. "Lex! It's urgent! This patient is very important!"
After several knocks, a tall figure emerged, glaring. "Normal people sleep at this hour."
He had striking hazel eyes and olive skin that glowed in the dim light. Seeing my critical condition, he swallowed his irritation and let us in.
"What happened?" he asked.
Tobi began explaining our escape, but Kambi interrupted. "Not that." She described the creatures to Lex.
His eyes widened as he studied me. "How did he survive all those stings?"
"Can you help?"
Lex's expression turned grim. "I'm sorry Kambi, but this is far beyond what I can do."
What does he mean by that? Maybe I'm clearly misunderstanding him but the look in both their eyes said otherwise. That I was going to die before the trial begins.