Testing Grounds (On Dangerous Grounds Book 1)

by G. Allen Wilbanks

  “At least they waited until you were done peeing. They even let you wash your hands. What if they had grabbed you while you were still on the toilet? Two hours is a long time to be stuck with your pants around your ankles.” Annie snorted again, louder this time.

  Sofia nodded, and even managed a partial smile at Annie’s suggestion. “I suppose that’s true,” she acknowledged.

  “How about you, Annie?” Leon asked. “How did they get you?”

  “Well, I didn’t have my pants around my ankles either, if that was what you were hoping. You really are a pervert, aren’t you?”

  “I-I … no. I wasn’t…” Leon stammered. He could feel his face grow warm.

  “God, you are way too easy, Idaho. Relax, I was kidding.” Annie looked toward Sofia and jerked a thumb in Leon’s direction. “You’d think the poor boy had never talked to a girl before.”

  Sofia shook her head at Annie. “You shouldn’t make fun of him like that. He’s trying to be nice and all you do is tease him.”

  Annie rolled her eyes at the reprimand. “Wow. Okay, mom. I’ll play nice. I was only trying to lighten the mood a bit.”

  “I was also locked in a dark room for several hours,” said Michael, unexpectedly. He had so far rarely spoken to anyone without being addressed first. His voice was soft, but everyone else stopped talking to listen. “My alarm went off and I got out of bed to get ready for work. I noticed a door in the wall next to the closet. The door had never been there before so, like a wanker, I opened it up to look inside. Sofia here already described what came next. Except when the door opened again, I didn’t step out. I stood there for a few seconds until something pushed me out.”

  The group walked along in silence for almost a minute. When it became apparent that Michael was not going to elaborate any further, Annie spoke again.

  “No dark room for me,” she said. “I got a ride, like Idaho. I told my floor manager that I was going to take a lunch break at the food court. My store is on the ground floor of a two-story mall, and the food places are upstairs. Right next to where I work there’s this open circular area with a water fountain and a bunch of benches where people sit and hang out. One corner of the space has stairs that go up to the second floor, and on the opposite corner they put in an elevator. There’s also a couple escalators in the building, but they’re both further away.

  “I usually take the stairs up. The exercise helps me keep my girlish figure. See? Idaho gets it.” Annie turned to Sofia and raised her hands in apology. “Sorry. I’m not supposed to make fun of him anymore. My bad. Anyway, I usually take the stairs. I decided to be lazy today and jump in the elevator. The doors close. I push the up button and…” Annie made a swooping gesture with her left hand. “Down we go. At first, I wasn’t too upset. I thought maybe I had pushed the wrong button. Then it hits me, there isn’t supposed to be anything beneath where I already was. I was on the ground floor.

  “The elevator just keeps going down. About three floors along it gets pitch black. Even the elevator buttons blinked out. A while later, I guess it could have been a couple hours, I see a little light on the ground beneath my feet. It gets bigger and bigger until it turns into this hole, and I fell right through it.”

  Annie cocked her head backwards to indicate Malcolm still trudging along several yards behind them. “I landed in that room to find the big dude with the bad dye job standing over me and trying to peek up my skirt.”

  “To be fair,” said Sofia. “It’s a pretty short skirt, and I think we all got a good look when you hit the floor.”

  Annie turned to Sofia, eyes wide and mouth open in surprise. Then she started to laugh, snorting loudly. Leon and Sofia joined in, and even Michael had a grin on his face.

  The laughter died and the four walked on in silence. The scenery around them did not change and it seemed as though, despite walking for a half hour or more, they had not made any progress. The sun continued to shine down on them from directly overhead, and on their left the two pale moons remained hovering over the horizon as if permanently affixed in the sky. The dirt path beneath Leon’s feet began to feel like a treadmill, moving along underneath him while the world remained stationary. The silence that had started so companionably a few minutes earlier, began to feel oppressive.

  Leon opened his mouth to comment on the unchanging landscape, or to point out the moons, or something, anything, to break the stagnant void of quiet currently surrounding them. Before he could speak, however, Annie beat him to it.

  “Hey, Mi-chael.” She said his name slowly and deliberately, stretching out the pronunciation in response to his earlier rebuff at using a shorter nickname. “What’s the story on the British accent?”

  “There’s no story,” he said simply. “I was born in London. It’s how I talk.”

  “You don’t look like you were born in London,” she pressed.

  Although the temperature was not oppressive and there was a slight breeze blowing across the travelers from right to left, the steady activity of walking was taking a toll. Michael wiped a few beads of sweat from his upper lip with his hand, then peeled off the leather jacket he had taken from the library. He wrapped the coat around his waist. As he tied the sleeves together over his stomach, he turned to face Annie.

  “Because I look Asian, I can’t be born in London?” he asked her.

  “Whoa there, buddy. You can be born wherever the fuck you want. I was just asking a question. But, okay, maybe I could have done that better.”

  The tension in Michael’s posture relaxed and he sighed quietly. “No, I’m sorry. I suppose I’m still a little defensive, even though I’ve heard it my whole life.” Michael gestured toward Sofia. “I’ve already told them my father was from Japan. He moved to the UK because he wanted to marry my mom who lived in London. What I didn’t tell them was that my father spoke with a really heavy accent that the kids I grew up with would make fun of. My dad always told me I shouldn’t let it get to me, but it still did. I think it made me even more angry that he refused to defend himself when people made comments.

  “To make my situation even worse, he opened up a Shorin Ryu martial arts school and he expected me to train with him and help teach new students. So, I wasn’t simply the Japanese kid in class anymore. I was that really Japanese kid that did karate.”

  “At least you don’t have Asian symbols and dragons and shit tattooed all over you,” said Annie helpfully.

  Michael grabbed at the hem of his t-shirt and pulled it up. Across the right side of his ribcage were the tail and snaking body of a dragon, the scales filled in with alternating red, yellow and green ink. The mythical creature wrapped around to disappear under his shirt in the back.

  “Oh, shit,” exclaimed Annie.

  “Right,” said Michael, letting the shirt fall back into place. “When you’re the kid that looks different, you can either try your best to blend in, or double down on the expectations and stand out completely.”

  Leon nodded. “I get it,” he said. I tried the blend in thing for a long time. It never actually worked. I found out that the times I blended in best were the times I stopped trying so hard to do it.”

  “Smart lad,” Michael agreed. “I, however, doubled down. How can a Japanese kid do martial arts and not have a dragon tattoo? So, I got one. I probably would have gone to college wearing a kimono and chonmage topknot if my mother hadn’t intervened.”

  He swiped at the sweat on his face again, then wiped his hands on his shirt. “It wasn’t actually horrible. My mates would bow and say stupid things in a Japanese accent that they thought was funny. They never went too far, though, because the truth was I could beat their asses if I wanted to, and they all knew it.”

  “What did you study in college?” asked Leon.

  “What?” asked Michael, confused by the question.

  “You said you went to college. I was just wondering what your degree was?”

  “No, sorry mate. You’re thinking university. I never went to univers
ity. College is just what you would call, em, high school? I think. Yeah, high school.”

  “Oh,” Leon responded, but suddenly no one was paying any attention to him.

  All eyes had turned forward to where Hiss, Shoo and Kack had stopped at another dirt crossroads. As the trailing members of the party caught up to the Many, they overheard the end of a brief discussion between Hiss and Shoo.

  “The plan, the same, remains? We, straight again, go?” said Hiss.

  “We, no more information, have,” said Shoo in response. “We, no changes to plan, should make.”

  “I agree,” said Annie. “We decided to go straight before, nothing has happened to make us want to change that. I think we should keep going like we have been.”

  Hiss waved a small hand in acknowledgement. He and the other Many marched forwards along their original path. As the humans fell back into line, Leon stubbed his toe and had to take a couple quick steps to catch his balance.

  Annie started to laugh, then stopped abruptly. “Oh, fuck,” she said ominously. “I think the plan just changed. Guys, I think that’s the same rock I tripped on before.”

  CHAPTER 8

  “Are you sure,” asked Leon, staring down at the rock he had stumbled over.

  “Of course, I’m not sure,” Annie spat back. “We’ve been walking in a straight line for half an hour and rocks don’t move by themselves, so there’s no way this can be the same rock. But it looks just like it. Besides, how many rocks have you seen sticking out of the dirt? This path is perfectly smooth for miles in all directions except for two rocks that look exactly alike. Nobody else thinks that’s a really big coincidence?”

  “We haven’t changed directions,” Michael said, trying to be logical in the face of Annie’s hysteria. He pointed at the far mountains on the horizon. “One of us would have noticed if we travelled in a circle. We have been headed right at those mountains the whole time,”

  “You’re right. You’re absolutely right, and I’m probably getting worked up over nothing here. But just to be sure…”

  Annie pulled the knife she carried from its belt sheath and squatted down next to the rock in question. She wiped the top of the protruding stone with her hand to remove any loose dust, then used the tip of her knife to scrape an arrow-shaped mark on the surface. The arrow pointed in the direction they were heading.

  “Okay, let’s go. I won’t say another word about this. But I’m warning you all now, if we get to another intersection and we find a rock with an arrow scratched on it, I am seriously going to lose my shit.”

  Hiss and Shoo exchanged glances and a few gestures but did not otherwise appear to react to Annie’s statement. The Many started once more along the endless stretch of road, expecting that the rest of the party would catch up.

  There wasn’t as much talking among the human companions as before. The silence was no less oppressive or uncomfortable, but the discussion regarding the possible reemergence of the same stone created a tension among the walkers that did not allow for the easy banter they had managed earlier. Leon watched his feet, kicking up small puffs of dust on top of the hard-packed clay road and counting his steps. On a whim, he slipped his backpack off his shoulders and pulled out his cellphone. The phone still had no reception, but he expected that. He checked the time and saw that it was 12:30 PM back on Earth in San Jose, where he had been abducted. His first two classes would have concluded by now and he would have about 90 minutes to get some lunch before his third and final class for the day started. He needed to figure out a way to get lecture notes for the classes he missed, but his absences were not the main reason he was checking the time.

  Leon guessed that their procession was moving at no more than 3 miles per hour, perhaps even a bit slower. Hiss had set a pace that was comfortable for the human members of his group without being plodding. If they ran into another intersection, he hoped that by knowing how long they had travelled, he could calculate about how far apart the intersecting roads were. If these massive grasslands were laid out in a grid pattern, maybe knowing the size of the squares would help them figure a way out.

  What that way might be exactly, he had no idea. He was mostly just trying to keep his mind occupied so he didn’t have to dwell too much on Annie’s rock theory. The reality of their situation was, if they came to another crossroads and found that same rock in the dirt with an arrow scratched into it, it didn’t matter how far they had walked. They would be completely screwed.

  How do you walk out of a trap that consistently brings you back to the same spot every time?

  Leon shook the idea away. It did no good to speculate. They could deal with the problem if, hopefully not when, it happened. For now, Leon kept walking and hoped for the best.

  Pulling off his windbreaker, Leon tied it around his waist as Michael had done with his own coat a while ago. He dropped his phone back into his pack and slung it over his right shoulder.

  “Who did you call?” asked Sofia as Leon adjusted the strap to a more comfortable position.

  “I don’t have any reception,” he told her. “I didn’t call anyone.”

  Sofia’s sigh was clearly audible. “That was a joke, Leon. I haven’t seen any cell towers out here, so I was fairly confident you weren’t trying to call for a taxi ride home. I was trying to find a clever way of asking you what you were doing. I seem to have failed.”

  “Oh, right.” Leon mentally kicked himself for his stupidity. “I was checking the time so I could judge our progress. If I know how long we’ve been walking, I can figure out how far we’ve gone.”

  “And how far have we come?”

  “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I forgot to check the time when we first got here.”

  “I see,” Sofia said. “Does your phone have GPS? Maybe it can tell us where to find the nearest rest stop. I’m starting to get a little hungry and thirsty.”

  “That’s another joke, right?” Leon asked.

  “Yes,” Sofia smiled. “That’s another joke. The GPS part anyway. I actually am getting a bit thirsty.”

  Leon held up a finger, indicating Sofia should wait, then he called out to the rest of the procession. “Hey everyone, stop for a second. I need to ask something.”

  The Many paused and allowed the group to gather. Leon smiled, slightly embarrassed to be the focal point of everyone’s attention, but he was the reason they had stopped after all.

  “Sofia made a good point,” he began. Sofia looked at him with a confused expression. “Does anyone here have anything to eat or drink with them?”

  Hiss, Shoo and Kack had only the items they had gathered in the library, and none of the others had been given an opportunity to grab anything before they were abducted.

  “I thought that might be the situation. Okay, I do have a little bit that I’m willing to share. It isn’t much, and it will probably go fast, but I think now is as good a time as any to bring it out.”

  Leon opened his backpack and rifled through the main pouch. He pulled out two 23-ounce cans of energy drink, which he handed to Sofia to hold, and two wrapped trail mix bars. The Many expressed their gratitude at Leon’s generosity but explained that they did not consume liquids of any kind and they were unsure if their digestive systems would be compatible with human food.

  Michael stated he was not hungry and suggested the remaining four should divide the limited supplies among themselves.

  “Do you want something to drink, at least?” asked Leon.

  Michael shook his head. “Those things have so much caffeine, I think it would make me more thirsty to drink it than to have nothing.”

  “Maybe,” agreed Annie. “But they also have a shitload of sugar in them, and since we’re probably going to be walking for quite a while out here, you’re going to want some of that.”

  Annie took one of the cans from Sofia, opened it, and took a sip. She then forcefully handed it to Michael. “Drink it, or I’ll punch you in the face for being a moron.”

  Michael sm
irked, took a long drink, and handed the can back to Annie.

  Sofia opened the second can and raised it to her lips. “Thank you,” she told Leon, handing him the opened energy drink.

  Leon also sipped from the can before passing it next to Malcolm. Malcolm accepted the offered item, tipped his head back and drained more than half of its contents before returning it to Leon. Holding the much lighter aluminum container, Leon glared at the big Scotsman but said nothing. He sipped lightly a second time and held the remainder out for Sofia.

  “Finish it,” he told her. “Annie, you and Michael can share that one between you.” He next unwrapped the two trail bars and broke each in half. Pocketing the empty wrappers rather than tossing them on the ground, he handed one piece each to Malcolm, Sofia, and Annie, keeping one for himself. “Eat it now or save it for later, but that’s all I’ve got.” He held up his last piece toward Michael. “You sure you don’t want some?”

  “I’m sure, mate. I’ll be fine. Cheers, though.”

  “Well, I’m not going to wait,” announced Annie. “I already missed lunch.”

  She took a large bite of her half. The others followed her example, choosing not to save the meager meal for later.

  Hiss resumed his task of leading the trek and everyone else fell into formation. Leon marched along dutifully behind, chewing the last of his trail mix bar and wondering when they might all have their next opportunity to eat something.

  Sofia walked along the path beside Leon. She still had the energy drink in her hand, but from the way she carried the can, Leon could tell it was empty. He held his pack out toward her, pulling the main pouch open. “Throw it in here. I don’t mind carrying it.”

  Sofia smiled her gratitude and dropped the can into the proffered pack. “Thanks. I know it’s silly, but I didn’t want to litter. We’re in the middle of nowhere, but it still feels wrong to throw garbage on the ground.”

  “I know,” he agreed. “That’s why I have candy bar wrappers in my pocket right now. I didn’t want to make a mess either. I guess, whatever else the Apex learn about us, they’ll know we aren’t litterbugs. Annie?”