Intertwined

by Cooper Eaton

  “Yeah right.”

  “I saw all of you huddled together mourning me. And I know that Jessica cried some.”

  His eyes brightened. “Wait, you saw that?”

  I nodded, “yup.”

  “Well, I didn’t cry, it was just Jessica. Girls are like that though. How’d you know that? What your saying can’t be true. Can it?

  “I swear it is. But whether you believe what I told you or not, you have to promise not to tell anyone what I just told you.”

  “I promise. I just can’t believe it. Did that really happen?”

  “It’s really true.”

  “Don’t you think we should tell the girls?”

  “No, but I do think I should tell them that we’re going to be in the deciding game tomorrow.”

  “What, really, are you serious? Dang it!”

  “I know, it sucks, but regardless, we need to warn the girls.”

  “They might already be asleep. It is pretty late. Maybe you should wait till morning.”

  “It’ll be too late then. Plus Jessica would be mad if I waited until tomorrow. I’ll be quick.” I finished standing and heading for the door.

  “Wait, I’m coming.” Rasben hollered as he hopped up putting on his shoes.

  We snuck down the hallway but had to come to a halt when we discovered that a gate had been lowered preventing us access to the girls’ side of the hallway. “We’ll have to go around.” I whispered.

  Without questioning Rasben followed. We took the stairs down to the first floor in hope of going back up on the other side where hopefully no gate would be lowered.

  The first floor was creepy in the dark. Moonlight seeped through the windows giving the hallway a ghostly glow. Shadows were draped everywhere, which is what I thought I was seeing at first but then I heard voices. “We have to take him downstairs. Hurry it up.”

  Rasben and I quickly dashed behind a small plant and watched as four humans passed by!

  In the front was a woman. She directed two of the men behind her. The third man seemed to be some sort of prisoner! He looks pretty old, why is he here?

  He turned his head and that’s when I realized where I’d seen him before! In fact, I’d seen him just the other day; it was the man from the shack in the forest!

  “Rasben, I know that man. Let's follow them.”

  “What! Are you crazy?” He whispered angrily back. “You're gonna get us both sent home!”

  “You have to trust me. Just follow me!” I ordered darting off after the man that might hold answers.

  Following the quadruplet wasn’t hard. They hardly ever looked back and when they did both Rasben and I were able to avoid their gazes.

  We came to a hallway that was different than the rest. This one had large pictures lining it and seemed wider than any others I’d walked in. I paused as the woman leading turned towards a large picture. The group stood silently for a moment as the woman did something with her back turned. Then the picture swung open!

  Hidden behind it was a passage! The four of them quickly entered. I waited until the picture had closed and then motioned for Rasben to follow me. I ran to the picture with Rasben following close on my heals. “William, this is insane. We should go back. If we get caught we’ll be in a lot of trouble.

  Ignoring him I reached and pulled on the picture but it wouldn’t budge. I pulled harder, but it seemed to be glued shut!

  Then I saw it. A little lever that was poking out. I pulled and, “Woosh.” The picture swung back revealing a set of stairs behind.

  “Hurry, and keep quiet.”

  Together, we descended into the darkness. Down and down we went until the stairs finally ended and we were in what looked like catacombs!

  “Hurry, follow me, we have to get out of sight.”

  “I have a bad feeling about this.”

  I didn’t have time to answer. I just continued to run. “Wait, wait up.” Rasben called from behind me.

  I stopped at the end of the hallway and waited for him. The hallway had barely any lighting and was covered in years of dust. The pavement that made up the tunnel was cracked and chipped. The whole place looked like it might come down at any moment.

  Rasben arrived and we cautiously looked around the corner and there he was!

  The old man from the forest was in a cell!

  “Who’s that?”

  “You’ll find out in a second. Follow me.”

  With Rasben behind me, I slowly made my way to the cell door. ¶“Well, what do ya know, it's one of the boys responsible for getting me in this mess.”

  “I didn’t think they’d capture you.” I blubbered. “I barely told them anything about you at all.”

  “So, you admit it. You told them about me, how could you?” He said with a sudden anger

  “Why do they want you anyways?”

  “Because I know things.”

  “What things? Do you know things about the test?”

  The man sensing my urgency slowed down. He looked around the room as if pondering before moving his hand and releasing red colored cords. Upon seeing my reaction the man spoke once again. “So, you do have it.”

  Suddenly, I heard a noise down the hallway. “He’s down this way!” ¶“Have what?” I whispered trying to get some clue as to what was happening to me.

  “William we need to go.” Rasben whispered frantically.

  “What do I have, tell me, tell me now!” I whispered trying to keep my temper.

  “You have the sight.” ¶“What’s that, what is the sight? I have to know!”

  “Things will be made known to you in time.”

  I lost it and yelled, “Tell me now!”

  Footsteps! They were coming. “Boom, boom, boom!” The footsteps were approaching faster and faster!

  “Run, run!” The man screamed at me through the bars. “You can’t let them catch you!”

  I turned, planting one foot on the ground and lunging into takeoff. I looked back one last time and that’s when I saw it! Something jumped out of the shadows! “We’re gonna die!” Rasben yelled leading the way!

  The thing closed quickly. Time seemed to be standing still as I tried to run! I couldn’t outrun it! I zigged left and then right! This thing isn’t human, it’s way too fast! I can’t look back, I’m going to die! I had to focus on every step as the noise from behind began to catch up!

  This was it, a corner! I jumped and put one foot on the wall, then another and then my left leg touched back down.

  The beast misjudged the corner and ran headlong into the cement wall! “Yelp!” I ran left and then right, but Rasben was nowhere to be seen. Oh crap, where’d he go?

  I continued to jog down hallway after hallway hoping beyond hope that the crazy beast had died. There were no signs of an exit. The catacombs had entrapped me in their hidden twists and turns!

  Just as I had given up hope of ever escaping this timeless abyss, I heard a trickling of water! That’s strange, why would there be water? Where am I?

  And then I saw them. A set of giant oak doors. I jogged over my feet crunching on the gravel strewn everywhere and began to slowly pull open one of the massive doors! “Creak!”

  What is this place? A breeze brushed against me as the door slowly opened. I had to find a set of stairs and get back up stairs. But this room seemed to be the exact opposite of what I was hoping for. Everything was pitch black. I walked to my right feeling against the wall for some sort of light switch, there has to be one.

  Luckily there was, and I flipped it. The giant switch turned started the hum of a giant generator somewhere overhead, and then, as if by magic, hundreds upon hundreds of lights lit to reveal the horror of the room!

  Hundreds of bodies lay of tables! There were tubes running everywhere! Hundreds of human bodies lying in lines running off into the distance! I can’t believe my eyes! All of the bodies looked real, but they can’t be, can they? My legs suddenly felt incapa
ble of movement. Everything felt like a nightmare in that moment!

  This isn’t good, what is going on?

  I reached the first row of bodies and was met with cold lifeless stares. I had never seen these people but I felt oddly connected to them as their dead eyes tracked my every movement. This is so freaky! I continued walking, I couldn’t help myself. There were so many of them, why are all of these bodies down here? Is this a dream? This can’t be real, it must not be real! ¶I walked to the third row and almost passed out! I felt my knees buckle as I lost my balance and fell to my knees.

  They were here! Testers! The kids who’d been sent home! Something was terribly wrong! There had to be at least three dozen people I’d seen in the hallways above. Why are they here, what’s wrong with them?

  Their bodies seemed different than those I’d seen in the first row. Their eyes were lifeless and unmoving. They looked as though they were completely dead! Tubes ran to and from the bodies. Are they on life support?

  Everything felt unnatural. Where am I? I looked down the rows that never seemed to end! There had to be thousands of bodies! Why are all these people here?

  “BEEP, BEEP, BEEP! Intruder alert, Intruder alert!” An alarm began to wail! Red lights on the walls began to spin! Giant speakers screamed at me as I looked around desperate to find safety!

  I could hear people running down the hallway! They were coming for me! This is it, there’s nowhere to go!

  I ran down the row, but I couldn’t see any doors! I ducked down behind one of the tables as men ran into the room!

  “Spread out and look for the intruder. They must not leave here alive!” A man shouted.

  The sound of increased as men quickly approached where I was crouched. There’s nowhere else to go. I have to do it! I quickly slid under the table and directly beneath one of the almost dead testers. I didn’t dare move a muscle. The men passed over me and continued to search further down the rows. There’s no way this should be happening to me! These guys are shooting to kill! I don’t want this! I didn’t mean to meddle this much! I didn’t realize what I was doing, why do I have to be so curious!

  Then, surprisingly a familiar voice rang out. The headmaster’s! “Find them! Find them now! We cannot allow the intruders to leave!”

  His voice vanished for a few moments but then began again, but in a much quieter tone. He was talking to someone as they made their way down my row! “I assure you, we will find them and they will be taken care of.”

  Then the other man spoke as they slowly approached. “I’m very disappointed in you Blackwood. I would have thought you’d have better security measures in place.”

  “I assure you sir, we will find them.” Mr. Blackwood replied, clearly scared.

  The two of them were practically standing on top of me now! I could see their shoes, but no more. And then, it happened again! The colored spirals appeared! I could see them flying in all directions, but this time was different! This time the spirals were a dark black!

  The black spirals seemed to wrap me in a cocoon making my head feel like it was about to explode! I wanted to cry out, but self-preservation kicked in.

  The headmaster continued walking but the other man stopped, almost as if he could sense me! Oh no! This cannot be happening!

  “Why are you stopping, Mr. Dark?” Mr. Blackwood asked politely.

  The man didn’t respond. I could sense him looking down at where I was hidden! This is it! This is where everything ends! I braced for the worst. “Clap, clap, clap.” His shoes rang out as he once again began walking.

  “Nothing, I thought I saw something, but I was mistaken, let us continue our search.” The man’s quiet voice answered Mr. Blackwood.

  The men walked off as did the search party of guards and I was left alone. Phew!

  Eventually the sounds of the men searching died altogether and I decided to make a run for it.

  I rolled out from under the table and quietly jogged back through the door I’d entered through. Everything was suddenly easy, what if they’re tricking me?

  It doesn’t matter; this is the only chance I have. Without thinking I pulled open the large door. To my relief no one awaited me on the other side. Phew! Thanking the heavens for a stroke of luck, I began to run, as silently as I possibly could, back through the catacombs from whence I’d come.

  This time however I managed to find a staircase. What a stroke of luck! Taking them three at a time I quickly climbed back to the ground floor. I then climbed one more set to the boys’ hallway. Half walking and half running, I made my way back to my room. There I discovered that Rasben had also been fortunate.

  “Phew, you made it! I thought for sure that beast thing ate you!” Rasben jumped up from where he’d been in shock.

  “I’m fine, but something happened. I saw something. It was horrifying!”

  “What, what was it?”

  “Knock, knock, knock!”

  With terror filled eyes Rasben turned, walked over and opened the door to reveal a very large guard!

  “We’re just checking all the rooms to make sure everyone is asleep. There’s been a slight disturbance and we are just making sure everything is okay. Don’t worry though, we’ll be in the hallway all night, sorry to bother you.”

  “Thank you,” Rasben managed.

  Closing the door he turned to me.“Wow, I think we may have just dodged a very large bullet.” ¶“Don’t speak so soon. We should still play it safe.”

  “What did you see?” ¶“I’ll tell you tomorrow, I can’t risk being overheard.”

  “Alright, I’m just glad you made it out okay.”

  “Me too… me too.”

  Chapter 9: Sudden Death

  We ate breakfast the next morning during which I’d told the girls our team would be in the deciding game. Neither was happy, but kept calmer than I’d expected.

  Breakfast ended and we headed for the simulation room. “Alright everyone, find a bed. Those teams that will be participating need to take a bed in the corner and you will be transported immediately.” An old man similar in looks to Dr. Madstein ordered.

  Boom! We were ripped from our bodies only to be sent flying into the simulation world. Once again I slammed into a body almost identical to mine, however, the setting in which I’d landed had changed.

  Rasben, Rachel and Jessica all took control of their bodies around me in the dark damp room where we’d been sent.

  “Uuhhmmm.” The headmaster's assistant, Mrs. Nasdrin, cleared her throat. “Alright everyone, welcome to the deciding game! Unfortunately, you will be the entertainment and not the entertained. We don’t have much time, so I’ll be going over the instruction quite quickly. Today you will pick one person from your group to fight. That person will then be further instructed alone. You have 3 minutes to decide who will be your champion. She turned leaving us to it.

  Wasting no time Rasben began. “I think you should do it William.”

  “Wait, what? I don’t think so. I would probably be the worst option. I think we should consider everything before jumping to hasty conclusions.”

  “You’ve got this,” Jess said placing her hand on my shoulder.

  “We believe in you.” Rasben urged.

  Since when did I become the scapegoat? This gonna suck, I’m gonna get killed instantly!

  “You got this.” Rachel added.

  Well that definitely isn’t true, but who else would have a better shot?

  “Alright, fine but you all owe me for this.”

  “Sure thing.” Rasben replied turning with Rachel as they walked out.

  Jessica stayed as the others continued out. She then leaned in and whispered in my ear. “Good luck and be safe. Oh, and don’t lose!” She looked me in the eyes reassuring me and then turned and hurried from the room.”

  “If you want to learn about what you're supposed to be doing before the fight, I suggest you listen.” Mrs. Nasdin instructed.

 
I turned my attention away from Jessica’s fleeting figure and, to that of Mrs. Nasdin. “Sorry, go ahead.”

  “Have you ever ridden a horse?”

  “What’s a horse?”

  “Wait, do you seriously don’t know what a horse is?”

  “No, we didn’t exactly have access to a lot of things since I grew up with poor parents.”

  Mrs. Nasdin just kept talking. “Well, you’ll be taking a part in jousting competition, and for that you’ll have to ride a horse.”

  “What’s jousting?”

  “Oh boy, this might go very badly for you. I guess I probably should have told your team what the game would be before you chose your competitor. But never mind that, it doesn’t matter now. You’re here and you need to know what you’re doing. Jousting is a very old form of entertainment. I’ll explain to you the rules, but you’ll need to put on your armor while I talk.” She finished ushering two men forward who carried many pieces of metal in an old timey wheelbarrow that instead of hovering rolled forward on a single wooden wheel. How far back in time are we?

  I backed up to move out of their way, but Mrs. Nasdin corrected me.

  “No William, this is what armor is. These men will help you put it on. You have to move quickly, the competition is about to start.”

  The two old men walked up and began strapping pieces of awkward metal onto me. Each piece dragged me down closer and closer to the ground.

  Mrs. Nasdin began, “Alright, the rules are simple. If you hit your opponent with your lance, you score. The more points you score the better. You score one point if you hit your opponent's shield attached to their shoulder. You get five points if you shatter a lance and you get ten points if you manage to knock your opponent off their horse.” She paused for a moment as a square looking shield was attached to my shoulder.

  I still had no idea what a horse was, this is going to go bad very fast!

  “That is where you want to hit your opponent.” She said gesturing to the shield looking thing that had been strapped to me. “Also, make sure not to hit your opponent anywhere but that shield or you will be deducted points.” The last piece of armor was buckled down and Mrs. Nasdin’s final words were, “Don’t worry, it's not like you’ll really die.” She chuckled as she pushed me towards a hallway with a small pinprick of light at the end.