“Liz? Liz, can you hear me?” I must have banged my head harder than I’d thought, because I felt confused and I was finding it hard to concentrate.
My boot caught on something in the ground, pitching me forward and straight into a hole, (or should I say grave!), that I hadn’t seen before. When I hit the hard glass surface of the coffin inside, my already failing vision flashed and everything around me seemed to swirl around and sway back and forth.
I pushed myself up to my knees and tried to focus and see things clearly again. But not only was my vision failing, but the fall had seemingly weakened my mind and its ability to think clearly, so I could hardly concentrate on anything.
Suddenly, I found myself leaning closer to the coffin and felt my hand beginning to rub the glass. I didn’t want to brush away the dust and grime on the coffin lid and see who was inside, but it was like something was controlling me; telling me to do it. Inside my head, a voice screamed at me to stop, get out of the hole and run far away, but another voice was whispering into my ear at the same time, telling me to stay there and find out who it was in the coffin.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I still knew all of this wasn’t real. There weren’t real people in the coffins and Liz hadn’t really disappeared. All of it was just a trick; a very good deception. But I also knew that though the girl that had been chasing me wasn’t human, she could still kill me. Because, it was what she was made to do. But, all those thoughts were going on in the very deepest parts of my brain and the rest of my brain seemed to be filled with a kind of poison, which prevented any deep thoughts and left me with only a deep desire to do what the voice whispering in my ear wanted me to.
When I did see who was in the coffin, I could only see enough in the dark to recognize only that the person looked vaguely familiar. I knew it was a girl, but her features were unclear.
Then suddenly, as I was staring at the girl in the coffin, her eyes flew open! I shrieked and jumped away from the coffin, onto the solid earth surrounding it. The girl pushed open the lid of the coffin and sat up, looking straight at me.
“Don’t you know who I am, Britta?” She said, and I recognized her voice immediately. It was the highlight.
I gasped and backed up slowly, terrified of what she could do to me. But, in a flash, she was gone, no longer sitting in the coffin. Looking up, I saw she was standing directly above the grave, in a patch of moonlight, laughing insanely.
And I wasn’t sure if it was actually another trick of The Other Side, or if I was just seeing things, but the highlight began to multiply until there were so many of her that they completely surrounded the grave, their laughter echoing into the night.
“Who are you?!?” I screamed, suddenly sensing that it was the most important thing in the world at that moment that I know. “Tell me who you are!”
“Why, don’t you see Britta?” she said, smiling wickedly at me. Then all of the other images of her disappeared, leaving her alone. She turned her face upward for the first time and let the moonlight hit it. “I’m you.”
Dark, brown hair, blue eyes, the same height; she had every single feature I had. She looked exactly like me—a terrible, frightening version of me, but still me without a doubt. Her skin was much paler than mine; deathly-pale. And in her eyes was the same look I’d seen in Owens, only tripled. A crazed, murderous look, I could never forget.
I stumbled backwards in shock, only to hit the side of the grave, making me realize I was trapped. I didn’t have my knife or even any weapon at all and I was alone with something that was made to destroy me—both mentally and physically. And so far, she was doing a pretty good job.
I was still standing there, petrified, when I heard a voice. “Britta?” It was Liz.
In a moment she came running out of the trees and then stopped short, staring at me and the highlight, her eyes wide.
“Britta,” she said, slowly. “That’s not really you.”
But I still couldn’t move. I was frozen there, staring at the girl, who was so much like me it could have been a reflection in a mirror. Those eyes…would that be what mine looked like in a few years, if my life continued like this? Would I go crazy and become something deranged and inhuman?
The silence was broken by a distant sound. At first I didn’t know what exactly it was, until rabbits, squirrels and deer began to run past us; all headed in the same direction. It was the sound of many tiny animals fleeing part of the forest. Then I heard the sound of what they were escaping. A crackling, roaring, sound mixed with those of tree limbs snapping and crashing to the ground. It was the sound of a forest fire.
I looked back, at where the sound was coming from. An enormous wall of fire, big enough to consume an entire building in a single instant, was flaring up above the trees, destroying everything in its path and eating up huge trees as if they were mere twigs thrown into a bonfire.
Without thinking twice, I jumped up onto the side of the coffin and, using the edge of the grave to pull myself up, leaped out of the grave, and slammed into the highlight, knocking her to the ground. Then I took off running, as hard as I possibly could. Liz had soon caught up and was running alongside me.
Glancing back, I saw that the fire was getting nearer, and it was getting there fast. I was already beginning to get hot and running wasn’t helping. At the rate it was approaching, we’d have to make it to the end of Horror fast, or we’d never make it out.
Ash was raining down, starting miniature fires all around us and becoming yet another source of danger. I kept my hands over my head to avoid being caught on fire by any of the pieces of ash which were still burning. But when a piece of ash hit my hands and I could feel the burnt skin sizzling and blisters beginning to appear, I yanked off my jacket and held that above my head instead.
I remembered how, in the test, the fire had been the last challenge. I hoped that meant that this was the last challenge in The Other Side. I didn’t think I’d be able to make it through much more. So I just kept running, and telling myself, that the way out would be just through the next patch of trees.
Even at the fast pace we were going though, we never had a chance to outrun the fire. Soon, it was so hot, the fire felt like it was right over us. Sparks hit me, singeing my clothes and causing blisters to form on all of the exposed skin on my arms and neck. The smoke rising up around me was choking and made my eyes sting. It got so bad that I ended up holding my jacket over my mouth rather than above my head.
Lungs filled with smoke, pieces of ash in my eyes and blisters covering my hands, I was beginning to think we’d never make it out of the forest. I’d just dodged a falling tree limb and skirted around a patch of burning grass, when I thought I saw something through trees and smoke. Not far away, was a wall that looked identical to the one in Paciscor. The forest ended suddenly with a perfect line of trees and there was a small, open field before the wall. All we’d have to do to get out into the open and to safety was cross the border of trees.
But when they were only feet in front of us, the highlight suddenly stepped out from behind one of them, blocking our way. She leapt at us, sinking her nails into my arm. I shrieked and tried to pull my arm away, but she held up her knife and put it to my throat.
Meanwhile, the fire was getting closer and closer and I was afraid at any minute it’d get so hot I’d pass out. There was a sickish feeling growing in my stomach and my head was pounding. And now, with a knife at my throat and nails digging into my skin, I was beginning to feel dizzy.
I didn’t dare move for fear it would trigger something in the highlight and she’d kill me with that knife. I shot a desperate look at Liz, only to realize she was no longer right next to me. She was standing in the dark shadow of a tree, just behind the highlight. She looked straight at me, as if trying to tell me something. I begged her with my eyes to do something. She gave the tiniest nod, as if telling me she had it under control.
The highlight dug her nails into my arm even deeper. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to c
oncentrate on NOT blacking out. My vision was beginning to swim, Liz’s shadowy figure, nearly invisible to me. I wondered if my face was as pale as the highlights right now. But Liz still wasn’t doing anything. Why was she waiting so long? Could it be because she was waiting for me to do something?
In one quick movement, I yanked the knife out of the highlights hands and pierced her hand, making her jerk away from me immediately. I felt a wave of dizziness pass over me, as blood began to flow from the places where her fingernails had dug into my skin. But, I had the knife now and the highlight was standing in front of me with no weapon. I could kill her.
But then, she looked up at me and I was looking at myself. And somehow, I just couldn’t kill her. And why was I thinking of it as her, as if it was human? I felt as if I was being driven insane. She began to walk towards me slowly, her gaze locking with mine. But, I still couldn’t kill her. When the she was only a few feet away, Liz leapt out of the shadows and knocked her to the ground.
“Britta,” she said. “Kill her! You have to kill her!”
So, shoving all other thoughts aside, I raised the knife and plunged it into the highlights heart. She staggered forward, coughing out blood and then fell to the ground, dead. The awful thing that had tormented me since I’d first entered The Other Side was finally dead. And I had killed her.
For a moment I just stood there, staring at the grotesque bloody form at my feet that looked exactly like me. But then a piece of something burning hit me and I looked up to see the huge wall of fire practically on top of us. I darted out of the woods and into the field, Liz close behind me. We ran until we could no longer feel the burning heat of the flames and then stopped. I looked back at the forest. I could just make out the highlight’s form for a second, before it was enveloped in flames.
In front of us was the massive, black wall. Vanissa, and the rest of our group including Priscila, were already climbing up the wall. Owen, wasn’t anywhere in sight. When we caught up to them, they said, they'd given up hope of us being alive and decided to go on without us.
At the top of the wall, I looked out over the land which would be our new home. There were mountains all around, making the mountain back on the island seem like a small hill in comparison. A long road, that looked like it had rarely been used, stretched out before us. And in the distance, down in a valley, I could see the lights of city.
When we reached the bottom of the wall, we saw the lights of vehicles headed our way. No one even questioned whether or not we should trust the people here. We would figure that out later. For now, we just waited for, who we thought of as our rescuers, in silence.
During that time, I finally had time to think about all that had happened that day. Really, I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t help it, there were no other thoughts to fill my mind.
Kendall was dead and Owen had killed him—but why? What reason would Owen have to do it? Had he simply gone crazy? Or was there more to it than that? Had something been going on between him and Kendall that I didn’t know about? Had Owen threatened him, about something? If only I could ask Kendall…
That was when it really hit me. I would never see Kendall again. I wouldn’t ever be able to say anything to him, again. Back on the island when he smiled his sparkling, brown eyes would light up. I’d never see him smile or laugh or talk again. This realization, plus the deep cuts on my arm, ended up being too much for me to handle and the world went black.
32
Unconsciousness was a wonderful place—peaceful and not at all painful. It was a place where I could hide from reality; a place I wanted to stay in forever. I could feel the drugs, when they did finally come, coursing through my body and giving me a very sweet feeling of contentment and peace; two things I don’t think I’d ever felt before at the same time. But eventually, the feeling went away and I felt the drugs retreating.
My eyes fluttered open and a white, hospital room came into focus. I was lying on a soft, comfortable bed, a few machines surrounding me. Vanissa was sitting on a window seat near me.
“Are we in the city?” I asked, sitting up slowly.
“Yes,” she said. “So, I guess we’re safe for at least a little while.”
“What about Owen? What happened to him?”
“Apparently, he made it out of The Other Side, before us and is now working for the government.”
“Why isn’t he in prison? He should be in prison charged of murder.”
“They said they can’t arrest him for a crime he didn’t commit in this country. I think it’s mostly just because they want him to work for them. They want us to work for them too.”
“We can’t. That’s what we came here to get away from; being controlled by people.”
“I don’t think we have much choice. We have a meeting with them tomorrow. Besides, we don’t have any money. So far, they’ve been supplying everything we need.”
“Come on,” I said, pulling a couple tubes out of my arm, “I don’t want to stay in this hospital any longer.”
I got up and found my bag in a storage compartment. Then Vanissa got me some clothes to change into so no one would notice. It was a plain white dress with a high neck and long sleeves and wasn’t the most comfortable thing I’d ever worn, but Vanissa said that all clothing we were given was all so similar it could have been a uniform anyway, so none of it would be comfortable. And besides, back on the island, all our clothes were made for long-lasting durability and these were probably just the standard clothing for—whatever country we were in. Then we simply walked out of the hospital without anyone noticing.
Outside on the street, I found a much different city than the one in Paciscor. It wasn’t nearly as big and the buildings weren’t as elaborate. At first things looked pretty nice, though they weren’t perfect. The buildings were at least clean and the streets were in good condition. It was mostly apartment and office buildings, and though they were mostly white and not colorful, they weren’t at all run down. But I soon discovered that, the city wasn’t all like this. Because, after walking for a while, we came to an area on the outskirts of the city, that wasn’t at all clean or neat.
The buildings were run-down and drab looking. Instead of shiny glass windows and smooth white walls, they were built of ugly metal and stone. The houses weren’t much better either. They were small, dirty-looking and by their appearance, not very healthy places to live. Many of the people looked sickly and weak, making me think that maybe this wasn’t the right place to live after all. But we didn’t really have any other choice, and besides, we’d be living in the nicer part of the city anyway.
Everyone in the run-down area seemed to stare at us, as if we were out of place. I guess we really were though, because they had torn and ragged clothing and ours was new and fresh. And while they were dirty, we were clean and healthy.
My entire walk with Vanissa, I managed to stay off the topic of yesterday. I think she knew I was avoiding it on purpose, but I didn’t care. I didn’t ever want to talk about any of it again. All I knew was that, my whole life, my goal had been to find a safe place to live for myself and my brother and sister. I’d already failed at getting one of them there and now, I wasn’t sure if this was a safe place after all.
It began to drizzle lightly, but we kept walking, through parts of the city with office buildings and through parts with neighborhoods. We walked until we were standing on, what seemed to be a road leading out of the city and straight up into the mountains. According to Vanissa, there were small villages spread throughout the mountains that made up the country. It was called New America and was in, what used to be, the Rocky Mountains.
“So what are you going to do now that we’re safely out of Paciscor?” I asked.
She hesitated a moment before saying:
“I guess I’ll just start a new life here. It’s really not too bad a place. What about you?”
I didn’t hesitate at all when I said:
“Find out exactly what the government wants with us and w
hy. Everyone has their own agenda in mind. I’m going to find out what theirs is.”
I looked towards the mountains and the blue sky and made a promise to myself. I promised that no matter what, no matter how many things the government here might force us to do, no matter what happened to us, I’d would someday find a safe place to live, for myself and Priscila and I’d never let anything stand in my way.
I felt like I had back at The Island Program, when I’d come out of the drugs after the test. Confused and disoriented, with no idea of what to do or who to trust. It was as if I was hanging onto the edge of a cliff; the only thing keeping me from falling my determination to think for myself and not be controlled by anyone. If I made the wrong move, I’d fall to my death. But my friends and Priscila were hanging off that cliff too. They were tied to me and if I fell, so would they. So I clung tightly to that cliff—and resolved never to let go, not ever.
Epilogue
Dear Diary,
They say we’re safe here. The government officials, with their unsmiling faces and militaristic attitudes, who look as if they’ve known nothing but war their entire lives, when, really they’ve known none at all. They say we’ll be free to make whatever choice we want about whether or not we’ll help them. And I don’t believe them. Because isn’t that exactly what The Island Program said? That we’d be safe once we got to the outside world? I always know when something is wrong. Something is definitely wrong here. And I’m going to find out what it is.
Today is April first; my birthday. I definitely feel older—much, much older. These last few weeks have made me age years. And when Kendall died, it changed me forever. My little brother, who trusted me so much, has been murdered by someone I said was my friend. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to be happy or at all light-hearted again.
Maybe, someday, I’ll go back to Paciscor, just like Liz wants to. Maybe I’ll be able to set the country free and end The Island Program forever. I guess when Kendall died; I finally realized just how much suffering pain The Island Program is causing. And I realized it wasn’t just me. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of kids have died, because of it. Not for any reason, only to prove how dangerous The Other Side is, when really it’s Paciscor’s own government that made it—to keep people inside; to trap them. So, if I put an end to it, then, maybe, just maybe I’ll someday be able to live in peace and so will Priscila. Kendall died because of The Island Program. They murdered him and so many others. But, maybe, I can do the impossible—save myself and Priscila from a fate that was preordained for us, before we were even born. After all, wasn’t it Priscila that said everyone thought I’d be brave enough to do anything—that I could do anything?
The Other Side (The Other Side Trilogy Book 1) Page 19