Kale stared at the floor with his thoughts on what he had experienced. It wasn’t sothing that should be experienced by soone of his age.
The images and scenes he had seen had seed and felt so real. Too real.
Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind, he ntally prepared himself for the next test.
’Only God knows what else they have in store for us.’ Kale’s eyes inadvertently slid to Ming.
Her eyes were no longer red but they still had no light. Ian was no different with even more scratches decorating his forearms.
Everyone who had gone through it was severely shaken with weeks of trauma being resurfaced
Yet the test was still ongoing. They were given no chance to recover.
His gaze went to Miss Cayenne and her cold disposition. She appeared to be uncaring and even almost cruel.
The only emotion he had seen from her was interest. Was that truly how she felt or was it just a mask? Either way, he couldn’t tell.
As though sensing his thoughts, Miss Cayenne’s eyes settled on him and she let out a small smirk.
"Okay, everyone..." Her voice drew their attention.
"Follow and I’ll take you to the venue for your final test." Her heels smacked against the ground as she walked out.
The recruits looked at each other before following after her. Most, if not all, were starting to harbor hatred for the military but they still had to follow protocol.
Moving through the halls, Kale approached Ming.
"I’m sorry for costing you the first test... I decided to help them and it was-"
"Don’t apologize." Her voice was empty and lacking soul.
"It’s fine. It’s all fine." She chuckled lightly, her voice was wrong.
Looking at her blank stare, Kale knew that she would have to handle it by herself.
Then he went to Ian and stood by the red-headed giant.
"Ian, how are you feeling?" Ian turned to face him.
"To be honest, I feel no different from an average day in my life."
A smile spread on his lips but this was far worse than tears for Kale. He wanted to ask more questions but Ian just shrugged them off.
If he was being honest with himself, the only reason why he had recovered so soon was that he hadn’t spent long in the dream.
He knew that such a space was a hellscape. The half hour he had spent there had almost fried his mind.
The recruits, led by Miss Cayenne, soon approached an elevator.
"This is one of the areas outside your normally accessible places." She placed her watch on the glass panel on the side, opening it.
They went one by one until they had all entered and gotten to their destination.
Before them was a large network of underground caves filled with scrap tal and wires.
Apart from battery-powered bulbs placed at regular intervals, there was no other light source.
The insides of the caves were dark and hidden from the eyes.
As they were about to move, a low growl made the ground tremble slightly.
Everyone froze and started scanning their surroundings.
Another growl rumbled and made them gasp in shock because this ti they had gotten the source. Or rather, sources.
"Yes. You’re right. All of these caves have at least one beast chained up." Miss Cayenne spoke and confird their thoughts.
Kale just stared from the back at the caves. ’Just what is the test that the military had prepared for us this ti?’
She looked around and pointed at a random girl. "Follow ."
The two of them walked away from the recruits and into the darkness, away from their sights.
A loud creaking echoed through the network soon followed by a loud bang.
Left to themselves, so of them began to mumble and express their displeasure with what they had been through.
Kale, on the other hand, sat and tried to ease the passage of ti by napping briefly.
____
"Vincoff!!" A loud voice startled Kale.
He stood to his feet and noticed that it was only he who was left. Everyone else had gone through with the test.
Miss Cayenne stood opposite him with disappointnt written plainly on her face.
Sparing him a side glance, she turned around and headed to where she had taken the other recruits before him.
Beyond the apparent darkness were small bioluminescent mushrooms. They served as the only light source apart from the bulbs.
The two soon ca across a diverging path.
"Your test is waiting for you on the right and I’ll be taking the left." With those words, she left Kale to himself.
Kale walked slowly down the stipulated path. Each step made the air feel tighter.
He soon ca up on a set of thick, tal double doors. The space was completely silent.
The doors slid open to let him pass. With trepidation, he took several small steps in.
As soon as he crossed the doors, they slamd shut and clicked. They were locked.
Looking forward, Kale saw a pile of objects in the center of the room. Calling it a room was incorrect.
The air had a thick tallic odor perating it. Blood stains littered the floors at uneven intervals.
The ground, just like the rest of the network, was rough and unrefined.
To the side, were nurous pathways with tal bars blocking their entrances.
It was more like a coliseum than a room, save for the seats. This place was bare.
Kale steadily approached the pile in the center of the room and took note of what it was. Weapons.
There were guns, knives, spears, Warhamrs and so much more.
He was starting to have an idea of what was required for the last test. ’The military is extre but they wouldn’t do that, right?’
As though hearing him, one of the bars let out a loud bang.
Kale’s head snapped in its direction and he watched as it slowly rose to give way for what was coming.
A black figure walked through. It was the size of a small car with faint patches of fur and large wings attached to its arms.
Its eyes were white and its mouth frothed with a pink foam. Kale had only seen the humanoid creature in fantasy series and movies. It was a harpie.
The harpie let out a loud screech and then charged at him.
Reviews
All reviews (0)