by Chris Babu
But it was dark, unlit. Like a station with no challenge. The dim light was nothing more than sunlight trickling down the staircases to the street above.
The pledges stopped on the platform to scan the station.
“Nothing here,” Sidney said.
“Hey, thanks Bureau!” Charlie shouted.
Ancient plastic bottles and other garbage littered the platform floor. A fine layer of dust coated everything.
Drayden remained suspicious. They hadn’t passed an empty station in hours, though it did make sense by his calculations. Even with a break here, it was going to be tight. Still, this gave them new life. They had a chance now. If there had been a challenge here, they were doomed.
Catrice checked the clock. “Should we just go?”
Drayden bit down on his lip, his nerves frayed. “Yeah. They said stations that were dark had no challenges. We wouldn’t have enough time if there was one. Let’s hurry.” He led the pledges in a jog down the platform.
Already thinking about the final challenge, Drayden couldn’t help but notice their surroundings in the station were changing a bit.
“Is it just me or is it getting cleaner in here?” Sidney asked from behind.
“Thanks again, Bureau!” Charlie called out. “Nice of you to tidy up!”
It had gotten cleaner. Gone was the garbage and dust. The tracks were now blocked off too, preventing them from jumping down there until the end of the platform, just thirty feet away. Maybe the pledges were being paranoid, and really, who could blame them? There obviously was no challenge here and they still needed to race to face the final one.
A hissing sound permeated the air.
Drayden stopped and extended his arms for the others to do the same. Everyone bunched up around him.
“Um, what is that?” Sidney asked.
Alex whacked Charlie’s arm. “Dude, you touch something?”
White gas billowed into the station from both walls and the ceiling. It formed a cloud, swirling in intricate vortices through the air.
“That can’t be good!” Alex yelled.
“Run!” Drayden screamed.
“Hold your breath!” Charlie shouted. “It might have poison in it.”
Drayden sucked in a huge breath and held it. He broke into a full sprint to the platform’s end.
His eyes burned and watered. The gas made his skin tingle.
Don’t take a breath!
He’d nearly reached the end of the platform.
Luckily, the gas remained on the platform or rose to the ceiling, so it wasn’t spreading down to the tracks. Someone behind Drayden started coughing, gasping for air.
He turned back before jumping down onto the tracks.
Catrice had taken a breath and stopped. She was doubled over, choking, struggling for air.
Drayden’s own oxygen ran low, and his watery eyes clouded his vision. Should he jump down into the tunnel, gulp a breath, and come back for Catrice? No time, she was suffering. He sprinted back for her.
She violently rubbed her bleary, bloodshot eyes. She sucked in hefty, audible breaths.
Drayden scooped her up by the legs, flopping her over his shoulder. He ran back toward the edge of the platform, his ankle throbbing with the extra weight. His lungs screamed for oxygen. Ten more feet. Dark spots dotted his field of vision. He leapt down onto the tracks, making sure to land on his right foot, and stumbled ten feet into the tunnel.
No gas here.
Drayden sucked in a deep breath as he collapsed to his knees with Catrice still on his shoulder. His vision darkened, so he dipped his head to increase the blood flow before he passed out. His eyes burned so intensely he could barely see. Rubbing them only made it worse.
Coughing, Catrice tumbled off his shoulder and fell onto her hands and knees. She gasped a few times and vomited.
The other pledges scattered. They wheezed, clawed at their eyes, blew their noses, and scratched their skin.
After a few seconds, Drayden regained full consciousness, his eyes still burning. He knelt beside Catrice, who was dry heaving. He pulled her long golden hair behind her head and rubbed her back. Watching someone else puke usually made Drayden want to hurl himself, but he fought through it.
She recovered and leaned back with her eyes closed, sitting on her own feet. “I’m sorry,” she squeaked. She wiped her mouth with her shirt. “Yuck. I’d kill for some water right now.” She rotated her body so she faced Drayden. “Thank you. I want to hug you, but…” She pointed to her pukey mouth and managed a weak smile.
Drayden leaned forward, pulling her close. “I could use some water too. If we finish this, we can have all the water we want. Fifteen minutes. You think you can start moving again?”
“Yes.” She cradled his cheeks in her hands, looking deep into his eyes. “Let’s do this,” she said, just like Tim would have.
CHAPTER 23
South Ferry was a hike.
Drayden led the pledges down the tunnel at a full sprint to the next, and final, station. Their only option was to run their hearts out and pray enough time remained. They sprinted, powering through the exhaustion and pain.
The Bureau had shown there was no limit to its depravity. There wasn’t even a challenge in the previous station, yet they’d hit them with poison gas? It probably wouldn’t have killed them, but it sure as hell wasn’t pleasant. The Bureau kept changing the rules, which left a lot of questions heading into the Initiation’s end. Namely, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t renege on their promises of someone joining the Bureau, the others moving to better zones, bringing their families along. The modicum of respect he once had for the Bureau seemed so foolish now.
Drayden peeked back at Catrice and Sidney, who ran directly behind him.
Both were sweating and breathing heavy, their tousled hair in knots.
What was that movie about a horse the Bureau played in Madison Square Park last year? The Black Stallion. Sidney ran like the horse, with lengthy, elegant, coordinated strides. Catrice ran like the old guy, the horse trainer. Drayden snortled. Sidney was so athletic; Catrice was not.
Both girls smiled back, blissfully unaware of his thoughts.
He pushed forward in the Initiation because of his mother, his family, and the deterioration in the Dorms. Yet it was for the girls too. That motivation hadn’t existed even a day ago, and now it was just as powerful as the other reasons. The bond they shared, experiencing the struggle and terror of the Initiation together, would last a lifetime. Whether it would be a short one outside the walls, or an enduring one in the Palace remained to be seen.
Except…all three of them couldn’t end up in the Palace. He’d tried not to think about it, focusing solely on surviving the Initiation, but it ate away at him beneath the surface like an infection.
The possibility of separation from Catrice in particular made Drayden’s heart ache. Her attractiveness multiplied with each passing moment, and her looks had nothing to do with it. She was fascinating, an enigma, and totally genuine. She could outthink him. Concrete walls surrounded her, and when he cracked them, even more beauty revealed itself inside.
Sidney, by contrast, was an open book. She wore her emotions on her sleeve, which was not necessarily a bad thing. She always made you aware of exactly who you were getting. What if Drayden never saw either of them again? If placed in separate zones, they couldn’t visit each other, or even correspond in any way. In fifteen minutes, he might never see them again. He’d be alone.
It was so puzzling that he liked them both, and they both liked him, yet they couldn’t stand each other. Apparently, the transitive property in math didn’t apply to feelings. Maybe it was the popular girl hating on the social outcast, just like in school. Or the smart girl not respecting the athlete. However, if it were competition for his affection, well…that was simply too outrageous
to believe. Before yesterday, no girls had even noticed Drayden was alive. His sudden desirability might have been nothing more than the circumstance of the Initiation. The pledges formed a limited group, confined in an intense setting. The only other boys present, Alex and Charlie, weren’t exactly the all-star team of potential boyfriends.
In an alternate reality, where they all stayed together after the Initiation, the girls would probably revert to forgetting he existed. Drayden hadn’t even kissed a girl yet, so he was hardly an expert on love, but it seemed so fleeting, so transitory. One moment it was there, and then it was gone, like with his parents. He reminisced about his best friend, who embodied the fragility and transience of love. For weeks at a time, Tim would fall in love with someone new every day. He’d call it love anyway, though a more objective observer would term it lust.
Realistically, as the finale neared, Drayden thought he’d earned a decent shot at a Palace spot, assuming they finished. He’d performed pretty well on the intellectual challenges. Though he was terrible on the first half of the bravery ones, he’d done much better on the last few. Catrice probably had a shot too, either with him, or instead of him, if only one made it. They’d both find a home in the Lab if they weren’t picked for the Palace. Charlie and Sidney were both strong on the bravery challenges. They might have a shot at the Palace on that basis, though the Precinct was more likely. It was also Charlie’s goal.
What would the Bureau do with Alex? He’d displayed weakness everywhere. He lacked both the intelligence for the Lab, and the bravery for the Precinct. Perhaps they would allow him to live in the Palace as a worker rather than joining the Bureau, which would be unprecedented as far as Drayden knew. Whatever they decided, Alex could never return to the Dorms. It would violate the Bureau’s guidelines, plus Alex knew far too much about the Initiation.
Then it clicked.
The choice.
Owen Payne’s option of quitting or continuing. Something about it had bugged Drayden ever since. The Bureau had shown no mercy throughout the Initiation, so why would they then? Because it wasn’t a choice at all. It was just another test. They could never be allowed to quit and return to the Dorms. They knew way too much about the Initiation. It must have been just another challenge to see if they had the resolve to carry on. Thank God he had chosen to continue, because he bet a decision to quit most likely would have meant exile for everyone. Bullet dodged.
“Drayden?” Sidney yelled.
“Yeah?”
“What do you think will be waiting for us at South Ferry?”
He shined his flashlight at Sidney to see her. “No idea. Given it’s the last challenge, I think we have to assume it’s going to be bad.”
He aimed it past her, at Alex and Charlie.
They were engaged in a heated discussion, though spoke too softly to hear.
Again?
“Hey, Charlie!” he called. “You know what kind of poison gas that was?”
Charlie turned his head toward Drayden, looked back at Alex, and didn’t answer.
“Okay, then,” Drayden said. “Good talk.”
Screw them. He’d focus on this grand finale coming up. Whatever awaited, he wouldn’t let it intimidate him. There wouldn’t be much time. Based on the last few challenges, the Bureau would present something visually shocking, designed to petrify them. If a monster swam in a freezing pool covered in swinging blades, he needed to dive right in.
They’d been running steady for six or seven minutes, on tracks that gently curved left the whole way. It seemed like they’d run in a complete circle at this point. It couldn’t be too much farther. The tunnel narrowed to one track wide, with concrete walls on both sides, running noticeably downhill now.
The tracks rounded sharply to the left, obstructed by a steel wall. A staircase to the left led up to the platform. Everyone bent over, catching their breath.
Drayden was about to address the group, to pump them up for this challenge, but stopped. “Anyone else feel that?”
“Um, yes.” Sidney fanned herself. “It just got real hot in here.”
Indeed. The wall was radiating heat.
Drayden would not be defeated. Not now. Not after all they’d been through. He needed to finish this for Mom, for Tim. For Dad and Wes, and Catrice and Sidney. And himself.
He clenched his fists and thundered, “Don’t be afraid of whatever’s up there! We can beat it! We’ve beaten everything else so far. This is no different. You guys ready?”
The other pledges hooted and hollered, pumping their fists.
He hopped up the steps. When he emerged at the top, the oppressive heat knocked him backward into Catrice. It felt like being inside an oven.
“Holy shkatnuts,” Charlie said. “It’s so hot you could eat a chili pepper and cool down.”
The scene, unusual even before the modifications, blew Drayden away. The station curved sharply right along its length, with only one platform. The Bureau had created a broad floor area by covering the tracks. They’d raised the ceiling throughout the station around thirty feet, and removed the supporting pillars. Unlike the other stations, dim orange, flickering light bathed the cavernous room. Why was it flickering? Was it a power problem? Drayden walked down the platform and froze.
The answer lay fifty yards away. A gap. A chasm. A void existed where the platform should be, like a section was removed. Past that, the platform continued. In that gap, smoke rose and sparks flew, violently strewn about the air by powerful winds. It emitted a red glow that illuminated the station.
“That looks like…Hell,” Sidney said.
The scene became clearer as they neared the chasm and the temperature surged. A long table bearing a note sat before the chasm. After the chasm, the platform continued for forty or fifty feet. It ended at an enlarged open doorway cut into a white wall. A massive clock hung above the door. Time remaining: 00:06:49, 00:06:48…
Drayden gulped. That doorway must mark the finish line to the entire Initiation.
The chasm, or gap, stretched about twenty feet across, and thirty feet wide. Monstrous rotating fans surrounded the gap on the sides, and from above. They blew high-pressured air in different directions, creating turbulent winds.
Before picking up the note, Drayden shuffled closer to the edge of the chasm. The hot winds rippled his clothing and the searing heat stung his face.
He inched closer and closer until the bottom came into view. He gasped.
The gap wasn’t a gap at all. It was an abyss, dropping at least two-hundred feet. An epic fire raged at the bottom, the only reason the bottom was visible at all. Nasty looking spikes jutted upwards on the walls of the chasm. At platform level the walls were smooth, save for the fans built into them.
Drayden ran back to the table and snatched up the note, which was weighted down with a brick.
The others rushed to surround him.
Drayden read out loud. “Not won is not done. Prove you can finish the job. You must cross through the door at the end of the platform to complete the Initiation. Good luck.”
“That’s all it says?” Sidney asked.
“Yeah.” Drayden flipped the note over to make sure the Bureau hadn’t written on the back.
The pledges walked up to the edge of the gorge.
Drayden searched for any kind of clue, his heart racing. Smoke and blustery wind watered his eyes.
A violent screeching, a visceral grinding of metal, erupted way behind them. It came from the station’s entrance.
Drayden whipped his head around. “What was that?”
A grinding noise ensued and dust kicked up, as if something were moving.
“Lemme check it out,” Charlie said. He sprinted back for the beginning of the platform. He touched the metal wall, and then pushed against it with both arms. His straining was visible from fifty yards away. “It’s the wall!” he yel
led. “It’s the wall!” He raced back. “It’s the wall. It’s moving. Toward us!”
“Oh my God,” Sidney said. “Drayden, what do we do? How do we get across?”
“Holy shkat.” Drayden’s adrenaline spiked. He ran up to the abyss. Could they jump it? No way, twenty feet across. Climb along the wall somehow? It was totally smooth. “Anyone see anything around? Any tools, a rope?”
Everyone scoured the area, but found nothing. Catrice stood frozen, catatonic even.
Drayden gripped her by the shoulders. “Catrice, I need you. Work with me. Help me think this through. How can we get across?”
She bit her nails. “I don’t know.”
“Can we form a human chain or something?” Drayden darted his eyes everywhere.
Catrice paced. She stopped and faced Drayden, her eyes wild. “Can we tie a rope with our clothes? Swing across somehow?”
Drayden examined the ceiling.
It was smooth, no exposed pipes or beams.
“Nowhere to hang it,” he said. Sweat soaked through his shirt already.
Think, dammit!
He looked back at the wall.
It moved slowly, but at only forty yards away now, it demanded they solve this challenge immediately. A violent death, not exile, was the other alternative. Drayden checked the clock.
00:05:10, 00:05:09…
He couldn’t believe it. They’d come this far, and to complete the Initiation they simply had to traverse a hole in the ground. He saw no way to do it. It was as if the Bureau intended on leaving them tools, and they forgot.
Or had they?
Drayden digested the whole scene again. The wind. Why was it there? To create a challenging walk across the chasm. There must be a way to walk across, and the wind existed to make it harder. How?
He ran over and picked up the note again. It was so…basic. This note served no purpose. On other obvious challenges, like the rock wall, the Bureau left no note. So why did they leave this one?
Drayden’s eyes widened. One peculiarity had escaped him throughout the Initiation.
