Moving on to the next station, Spike looked behind to see Liz reaching the rocks. Fran had slowed to a walk, and Jamie lagged behind her.
A skipping rope next, Spike’s stomach flipped again. As the third one to it, he had to jump fifty times. Liz would have to do sixty.
Sarge blew his horn to signal the elimination of both Jamie and Fran in response to Hugh moving off into his sixth lap of the arena. The crowd grew louder, helping Spike quicken his pace. Ranger then set off for lap six.
Following the other two, Spike locked into a rhythm and searched the crowd. Still no sign of Matilda and his dad. When he looked back in front of him, he saw Ranger slowing. Throwing up had been the best thing to happen to him, his stomach lighter, his breathing easier. His target in sight, he quickened his pace.
The same order as before when they reached the lumps of grey rock, although as Ranger lifted his lump to more jeers from the crowd, Spike lifted his just a second later, getting it above his head quicker than Magma’s son, so he arrived at the press-ups next. Just ten this time, he busted them out and moved on to skipping, to watch Hugh set off again. The boy didn’t have a frame for speed, but his wide waddle spoke of a fierce stamina.
For the second lap in a row, Sarge sounded his horn, eliminating Liz.
Forty skips, Spike set off after his friend before Ranger had even reached the third station.
Now half a circuit behind Hugh, Spike locked onto him and dug deep. The mud tugged on his every step, threatening to drag him to a halt. The cold air bit into his hot skin, and his lungs burned as he fought to fill them.
Less than halfway around, Spike nearly gave up when he watched Hugh run to the first station. No way could he make another lap, but Ranger had only just finished skipping. He saw his friend lift the heaviest rock yet again. The sound of the crowd made him dizzy, all of them behind the unexpected leader.
As Hugh moved from press-ups to skipping, Spike got to the rocks. Ranger hadn’t even reached the halfway point on his seventh circuit.
Because of the response Ranger had gotten from the crowd, Spike went for the second smallest rock, the rough stone tearing stinging cuts into his hands.
Ten press-ups, Spike’s body shook as he pushed through them. Sarge’s horn then elicited the loudest cheer yet. Ranger had been eliminated.
Forty skips, Spike damn near fell into his eighth lap. He nearly gave up until he saw Hugh had slowed to a walk. His hands behind his head, his fingers linked, he looked to be struggling to breathe.
Spike caught up to Hugh. “Are you all right, man?”
Hugh didn’t reply. Despite his exaggerated actions showing he couldn’t breathe, Spike saw he had more in him. Maybe the crowd did too, because they booed and hissed. But what could he do? Whatever Hugh had in his head, Spike needed to win this; his future happiness rested on being the next apprentice. While passing his friend, he patted him on the back and said, “Sorry, man, I can’t wait.”
By the time he reached the lumps of rock, Spike saw Hugh had stopped. It sounded like everyone there willed the boy to keep going, but instead, he hunched over and leaned on his knees.
Despite the crowd urging him to go for the largest lump of rock, Spike picked up the second smallest one again, lifted it above his head, and threw it back down with a loud squelch. He did five press-ups and skipped thirty times. Part of him wanted to wait for his friend, and for a moment, he stared at him.
Sarge had his horn raised to his lips as he hissed, “What are you waiting for?”
Spike set off to a chorus of boos and jeers as Sarge blew his horn to eliminate Hugh.
The loud tone rang out over the sound of the surrounding chaos, robbing Spike of what little strength he had in his legs. He fell into the mud, knees first, his entire body rocking with his heavy breaths.
Were Spike not standing on the other end of the line to Hugh, he would have asked him why he gave up the lead. The boy had avoided him, choosing to stand next to Ranger of all people as they regrouped. He looked stronger, fitter, and faster than he’d ever seen him. He appeared to have recovered quicker than the rest of them too. It didn’t make sense why he’d gas when he did, but he could ask Hugh later. While he had the chance, he scanned the crowd again for Matilda and his dad.
The day before, Spike and the other competitors were told they were allowed to invite two people to come to watch the games. They could be from anywhere in the city, as long as they weren’t imprisoned. Even though it would have broken his dad’s heart, if he’d have had the chance to get Matilda and Artan together, he would have done it. Instead, he had to hurt his mum’s feelings by inviting Matilda and his dad, but he still hadn’t located them.
Sarge walked over and grabbed Spike’s right wrist. He spoke to him from the side of his mouth. “How you got this is beyond me.” While raising Spike’s arm in the air with one hand, he pressed his metal cone to his lips with the other, the loud hailer echoing through the arena. “This one didn’t go the way I thought it would, but rules are rules. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please give it up for William Johnson.”
A barrage of abuse would have been easier than the suffocating silence. Spike squirmed where he stood, but he still searched the crowd for his loved ones. For the two friendly faces in the sea of hostility.
Tension winding through him, threatening to wring the air from his lungs, he finally saw his love and his dad. When he locked eyes with Matilda, she gave him the slightest smile. He nodded back, his body loosening enough to walk out of the ring at Sarge’s behest. It didn’t matter what the crowd thought; as far as the trials were concerned, he had one down and four to go.
Chapter 20
With the first trial done, Spike wanted nothing more than to go to his bed and lie down—even covered in mud. He could wash later. Sarge had other plans though, leading all six cadets to the gym.
After opening the door, Sarge stood aside. Spike followed Fran and Jamie in, the others behind. The second he saw his dad and Matilda, any thought of returning to his dorm left him with a gasp, and he ran over to them, hugging them both, kissing Matilda and clinging on.
While patting him on the back, Spike’s dad said, “Well done. First place.”
Spike watched Hugh, who’d gone to be with a woman and young boy. It must have been his brother and mum. “I know, right? But I’m not quite sure how I managed to get it.”
Both Spike’s dad and Matilda looked over at the stocky boy. Spike’s dad said, “It was a strange one. I thought he was going to win it for sure. Did he tell you why he pulled up?”
“I’ve not had a chance to speak to him yet.” Before Spike turned back to Matilda and his dad, he noticed Ranger in the corner of the room on his own. He stood by the heavy red curtain covering the cells that held the sheep and the diseased they’d seen in their first week of national service. They locked eyes, and for a second Spike saw the old Ranger staring back at him.
Ranger then pulled a tight-lipped smile and spoke in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “Dad’s really busy with the protectors.”
It killed the chatter in the room. Where only Spike had looked at him, everyone else now turned his way. A flood of red covered his face before he dropped his focus to the floor and left the gym at a fast march.
“That was odd,” Matilda said. “How’s it been to share a dorm with him?”
“Surprisingly okay.”
“Huh?”
“I know. He apologised on the first day, and he’s really making an effort. Don’t get me wrong, I still think he’s a snake, but as long as he keeps his head down for the entirety of this process, it doesn’t matter what I think. It’s not like I’ll ever see him again once we’re finished.”
To look at Matilda’s pale face sent a pang through Spike, but he didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable by asking how she was doing in front of his dad. Instead, he turned to the man. “How’s Mum?”
“She sends her love.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t as
k her to come too. I only had two invites.”
“She understands.”
Even as his dad said it, Spike felt his attention drifting to Matilda. “Um, Dad, I’m really sorry, but do you mind if Matilda and I have a moment?”
If it hurt his dad’s feelings, he didn’t show it. Instead, he wrapped Spike in a hug and whispered, “Your mum and I are both with you through this. We believe in you.”
The reply caught in Spike’s throat, so he held on to his dad for a few seconds longer before they separated. “I’ll see you next month.”
Spike’s dad patted him on the shoulder before leaving the gym. After watching him out, Spike turned to Matilda. “So what’s been going on?”
Her eyes were already filled with tears, her face buckling, her chin shaking. “The neighbours are being awful.”
“Jan?”
“Not just Jan. All of them. They’re being so nasty now you’re not there.”
“Have you heard anything more about Artan?”
“How could I? They won’t let me leave the district. I go to work, come home, eat, and then sleep. I’m counting down the days until you come back.”
“I came first today, so at least that’s a start. We can only take this one step at a time. We’re closer than we were this morning.”
The snap of Sarge’s clapping hands cracked through the room, and Spike jumped. “Right, visiting time’s over until next month.”
Spike stepped forward and hugged Matilda, his mouth close to her ear. “I love you. Stay strong. Everything will be okay. We’ll find a way, I promise.”
Matilda shook in his arms, nodding her head into his neck.
“Just hang in there, okay?”
As the two separated, Spike held onto her hands. Chaos stared back at him. Four months was a long time for her to hold it together.
Chapter 21
Hugh worked better on his own nowadays. Running helped him forget. To lock into the physical and push himself to his limits, it left little room for anything else. It kept the nonsense at bay. But he’d promised Spike he’d wait for him. It had been over two weeks since the first trial, and they’d trained together every day since. Maybe they would have anyway, but Hugh knew his fitness helped push Spike to be better, and he couldn’t begrudge him the chance to improve. He had to win the trials, after all.
While stretching outside the dorm, the bitter November air urging him to get running, Hugh waited. Instead of Spike, Ranger and Fran emerged first. They’d been together a lot lately. She laughed at his jokes and batted her eyelids at him. To look at the boy and his fake smile clamped a rock in Hugh’s gut. Although, he understood why Fran hung out with him: a future with Ranger meant freedom in Edin whether he won the trials or not. Who wouldn’t marry someone for such perks?
The pair laughed as they walked towards Hugh. Maybe Fran didn’t see it, but the mirth vanished when he and Ranger made eye contact. The same bitterness he’d always had, it bubbled beneath the surface. He might have convinced the others he’d changed, but he hadn’t, and he likely never would.
After they’d passed him, Hugh heard Ranger’s voice. “I’ve forgotten something. I’ll meet you in the gym, yeah?”
To watch him approach would give the boy too much respect, so Hugh kept his back to him, remaining focused on their dorm. Tension twisted through his shoulders. He’d left himself open for attack, but he fought against his need to turn around, monitoring the boy through the sound of his heavy steps.
A second later, the muscles in Hugh’s neck tightened to feel Ranger’s hot breath in his ear. Even with the strong wind, his halitosis smothered him. “Don’t think you’re going to win this because you got lucky with the first trial. I’d had a heavy breakfast that morning; otherwise, I would have smashed you. Don’t worry; I’m not going to make the same mistake again. You’re going to go home a failure, if you’re lucky; if I have anything to do with it, you’ll finish these trials outside the wall beneath a mound of rocks next to your darling Elizabeth.”
Hugh focused on his breaths while violence screamed through his mind. A clenched jaw and clenched fists, he felt the crunch of Lance’s nose all over again. He’d gotten away lightly; Ranger wouldn’t be so lucky.
“Spike!”
The loud noise snapped Hugh from his thoughts, and he looked up to see Spike walking towards them, Sarge a few steps behind. Although the boy regarded Ranger with narrowed eyes, Spike still dipped a nod at him. “Morning. You all right?”
“Tickety-boo,” Ranger said, slapping a hard clap against Hugh’s back.
The impact of his open palm stung, the cold morning making it worse. The Hugh of old would have stumbled forward from the impact, but he didn’t budge.
After he’d looked between Hugh and Ranger, who ran back to the dorm, Spike said, “Is everything okay?”
Hugh remembered the dark red blood belching from the deep wound and smiled through it. “Yeah, fine. You?”
Spike shrugged. “You ready?”
It took a few steps for the tension to leave Hugh, his movements awkward for several paces as they jogged in the direction of the arena.
They were allowed access to the gym and the arena during the days. Although, the gym was off on Sundays because the national service cadets remained inside the walls. Ranger and the others had taken to spending most of their time in the gym, so Hugh chose to be anywhere but. It already took a great will to tolerate Ranger’s bullshit; he didn’t have to make it harder for himself. Besides, training in the muddy arena helped with their conditioning.
They ran through the arena’s entrance, the ghostly silence of an empty stadium greeting them as they emerged into the vast open space. The place stretched out as a swamp with only the wooden hatch in the centre to break up the sea of mud. The sound of their squelching steps echoed off the eight-foot-high walls between the arena’s ground and the front row of seats.
“I still can’t get over Ranger,” Spike said.
“What do you mean?”
“How different he is.”
The crunch of Lance’s cartilage. His swollen eyes. His begging for forgiveness.
“Hugh?”
“Oh, sorry. Yeah, I know what you mean. He seems like a different boy, right?”
“Are you okay?” Spike said.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You’ve had a lot happen. I dunno; you seem distant sometimes. Unreachable.”
God, he sounded like James. Why did he need to talk? Talking wouldn’t bring Elizabeth back. Talking wouldn’t help him get his revenge on Ranger. “I’m fine.” Before Spike could probe him again, he said, “And no wonder Ranger’s such a dick. He had no one come to visit him after the first trial. If he doesn’t even have one person to watch him compete, he must have a lonely home life.”
“I know, right? A busy protector as a parent. An expectation to live up to a dad who’s probably too busy to guide him. Did you know his mum died when he was young?”
“Yeah. That can’t be easy on anyone.”
If Hugh said any more about Ranger, the poison would spill out. He had to hold onto it. Bottle it up until he could channel it in the right way. He got his breaths under control before saying, “But what about you?”
“Me?” Spike said.
“How are you?”
“You don’t want to hear my worries. We all have stresses in here.”
“Try me.”
“But … with what happened with Elizabeth …”
Her twitching arms and legs. A shake of his head, as much to banish the thoughts as to reassure his friend, Hugh filled his lungs again and locked back into his rhythm. “What happened to her is sad, but please don’t feel like you can’t talk to me because of it.”
“I’m worried about Matilda.”
“Thank you,” Hugh said.
“Thank you?”
“It’s been two weeks since you saw her. I’ve been waiting for you to tell me about it.”
They’d found a rhythm,
their feet slamming down against the muddy ground.
Spike said, “She’s not in a good way.”
“Do you think you’ll get Artan out of prison?”
As they started their third lap, Spike expelled a large cloud of condensation, steam coming from his head, his dark skin glistening with sweat. “I don’t know. I really don’t. All I can do is try to win the apprenticeship. I’m more use to her with the freedom of the city than trapped in agriculture. Not that I’m asking you to let me win …”
“I didn’t think you were.”
Their conversation halted for a few seconds. What could Hugh say to him? He’d come here with plans too. Plans he had no intention of sharing.
“I lived with Tilly for the month before we came here.”
“How was it?”
“Wonderful. Amazing. But I wish I hadn’t.”
Instead of replying, Hugh watched his friend wince.
“It just means I now know what I could lose. I’ve tasted life with her and I might never get to have it again.”
“You’ll be okay.”
“That’s easy to say …”
“You’ll be okay. Don’t worry about it. Keep your head down. Keep training, and you’ll be fine. Everything will work out.”
“Can I ask you something?” Spike said.
“Sure.”
“Why did you play the first trial like you did?”
“What do you mean?”
“You made it harder for yourself by lifting the heaviest rock every time.”
“I need the training.”
“I’m not sure you do. I haven’t seen anyone here who’s fitter than you. How did you improve so much during your month off?”
Lance’s swollen eyes. The boy in the woodwork district. “I dunno. I just changed what I focused on, you know? Worked harder and decided to put my mind towards winning. We all have voices in our heads. Demons that tell us we should stop. I’ve learned to turn them off.”
Retribution - Book three of Beyond These Walls: A Post-Apocalyptic Survival Thriller Page 10
