by A. Anders
“I’m telling you now. And I’m saying, give me the gun.”
He looked at my grimace in a new light. It was enough to convince him to hand it to me. I checked the display. The gun had four shots left.
“Good. First we look for a way in. Once in, we find Thorin’s room and remove the chips.”
Keeping our eyes locked on the weed-infested grounds around the building, we stayed low and ran towards the fence. Our rest had done me some good. I was moving better. If I found myself in hand-to-hand combat, I had a shot.
Putting our backs to the chain links, I heard a metallic rattle. I looked at Thorin.
“I’m sorry,” he said, holding up his hand apologetically.
I took a quick look around, assessing our exposure. It was ridiculous. I would never say that a mission didn’t have a chance, but this one was close.
We scurried along the fence to the gate. Not only was the gate chained with a padlock, but small green sprouts covered the land in front of it.
“No one’s used this gate for a while,” I said, jiggling it. It barely budged. “We can’t get in here.”
“Can you shoot the lock?” Rose asked in a whisper.
I lifted the gun enough for her to get a better look at it. “It’s basically a pellet gun. A shot would barely scratch it.”
“Then what do we do?” Rose continued.
I led the two past the gate to the other side of the first pole. Although fence poles were always cemented into the ground, the chain link that touched the ground between the poles usually weren’t. If we didn’t luck out with the gate, I was hoping to climb under.
I got onto my knees and dug under the fence. I immediately hit concrete. The fence was probably cemented into the ground for the same reason it had razor wire on top; to keep out anything that could kill the people inside.
I returned my back to the fence and thought. This mission had been poorly planned. What was I thinking? Our best chance was to retreat and return under the cover of darkness.
I turned to the others to suggest it when I saw Thorin staring towards the jungle. I followed his gaze and saw it. The tower stood over the trees like a cyclops eyeing his land, and goddammit, GOD DAMN IT if it wasn’t glowing a pale shade of pink.
“What?” Rose asked, seeing my face.
She looked before I could answer. Her mouth dropped open in horror. “I didn’t do that. I swear!”
“You didn’t do any of this. None of this is your fault,” I reminded her.
She wasn’t buying it. Worse than that, we were running out of time. If we couldn’t retreat, and we couldn’t go under, over, or through it, only one option was left.
“Let’s go,” I said, following the fence around.
It took over a minute to work our way around the border of the compound. Not once during that time did we see another way in or movement on the grounds. They had to know that we were here by now.
Were they just toying with us, knowing that they could kill us at any moment? Was that why the tower had been triggered so quickly? To bring this sickening game to an end?
We stopped running when the ground turned from dirt to sand. We couldn’t go much further. The fence that we had followed continued across the white sand beach and out one hundred feet into the rough, blue water.
We all stared, watching the choppy waves curl at the last moment and crash onto the shore. We had reached the end. The compound only had two ways onto it, by air or by sea.
A helicopter had been parked in the back when I had first seen the compound from the tower. Scanning the grounds now, I could see it was gone. Getting in by air was out. That left one option.
“We have to swim around,” I announced to the group.
Thorin looked at me, stunned. “I don’t know if you know this, but there are a lot of sharks near these beaches.”
I looked at Rose, giving her a knowing smile.
“It’s not funny!” Thorin insisted. “Look, I know that you’re not afraid of anything or whatever. And you mock me because I’m not like you…”
“I not mocking you,” I clarified. “I’m trying to save your life. Do you understand that? When that tower turns red, you will die. Not me. You. And as tough as that is to hear, that’s what’s gonna happen. So if you want help saving your life, then that’s where we have to go.”
I didn’t like having to say it like that, but he needed a jolt of reality. It looked like it worked. He was angry but focused.
“I think that Rose and I should go. You should stay here,” Thorin said, suddenly calmer than he had been.
I could have responded in two ways. I chose to smile. “You tryin’ to get rid of me, Thorin?”
He remained cool. “It’s not that. It’s just that there are probably sharks in the water and you’re the only one of us covered in blood.”
I looked down, remembering what I looked like. My shirt was caked in blood. He was right. When I looked at him again, I saw how much he enjoyed it.
I whipped off my shirt and examined my wounds. They weren’t bloody, but they were juicy. I twisted my stomach to test the scabs. The scabs held, but I wasn’t sure what would happen once they were submerged in salt water.
“You two will go first,” I announced. “When you’re far enough ahead, I’ll follow.”
“Shouldn’t you give us the gun in case you don’t make it?” Thorin asked casually.
I was starting to hate his smug ass. I had to remind myself that I was trying to save him for Rose’s sake. She needed one less death on her hands, and I was going to do what I had to do to make sure of that.
“If something happens to me, then you’re done anyway. You won’t get past security, and you won’t be able to fight your way in. So how about you just hope that I make it, huh?”
Thorin didn’t like my answer, but he accepted it. Rose didn’t respond, but I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was scared. I didn’t know if it was because of what I had just said or her memory of our last swim.
Neither she nor I could forget the feeling of something dark brushing our legs, the helplessness, the terror that came from not knowing what would happen next. My heart raced thinking about it. Watching Rose wade into the dark water, it got harder for me to breath.
“Something touched my leg!” she screamed.
“Stay close to the fence!” I shouted. “They won’t have room to attach.”
“Ahh!” she moaned grabbing onto the chain links.
I watched, dreading every move that took her further from me. I would have given anything to protector her. When she rounded the razor wire a hundred feet out, it was time to join her.
I launched my bloody shirt over the fence and stepped into the splashing waves. The warm water filled my shoe. In a few steps, I had submerged my knees. Charging forward, my waist quickly followed.
The saltwater stung when it hit my wounds, but it wasn’t that bad. What was bad was the throbbing pain I felt when I had to swim. I could practically feel the scabs break.
Quickly after that, the stinging stopped. I was bleeding again. I didn’t want to think about what that meant, but when the shadows swarmed around me, I knew.
Thorin and Rose approached me from the other side of the fence. When she got to me, she was staring as something to my right.
“Don’t look. Just keep going,” I told her.
When her face contorted in horror, a chill rattled up my spine. What did she see?
“Look out!” she screamed.
My head spun in time to see a large mass plowing toward me. It was too late to escape it. I gripped the fence and folded as something the size of a couch hit me. A whirlpool encircled my chest as its powerful jaws snapped, trying to get a hold.
I gritted my teeth as I felt its nose and gums against my flesh. With it raking its head left and right, it was bound to catch me. As it pushed into my side, I felt the first cut from its teeth and then nothing.
“Go! Go! It’s swimming away!” Rose yelled.
My hear
t was pounding. I didn’t bother to look, I just moved. I was sure it would attack again, so I considered my options.
I thought about my gun. I had jammed it into my pocket, but remembering the hole made by my butcher’s knife, I wondered if it was still there. I needed to check, but I didn’t have time. I had to keep moving.
I wasn’t swimming anymore. I was hugging the fence. Sharks attacked from underneath, and I wasn’t going to let that happen. When something brushed my leg, my muscles locked.
I gripped the chain links for dear life. I was going to fight being torn away. I pressed my chest against the metal, and nothing came. It was just a fin. So slithering across the submerging chain links, I kept moving.
Reaching out and grabbing razor wire, I stopped. I was halfway there. It was time for me to let go, swim out, cross the fence and then swim back. My pulse pounded in my ears, preparing for it.
I released my death grip and pulled my legs to my chest. With one arm, I held my knees, and with the other, I took small strokes. Pulling the water through my fingers, I floated outward, fighting to stay upright. As I readied to cross the submerged razor wire, a wave hit me.
I tumbled, losing control. I rolled into the razors, and they hooked into my back. It tore at my flesh. The cuts burned.
Yanked away by the waves, I started spinning. Everything was happening too quickly. I began to drift and sink. I was disoriented. I didn’t know which side of the fence I was on.
I released my legs and desperately searched for the chain links. It was already ten feet away. How had I moved so quickly?
I looked for the light and swam towards it. I was pulling it closer. I was almost there when I saw a flash out of the corner of my eye. Before I could turn, it snatched me. Its teeth sliced into me. It quickly dragged me into the darkness.
It was drowning me. Soon we would be too deep for me to surface, and it would eat me while I watched. I had only one chance to escape, and if I made a single mistake, I would die.
I shoved my hand towards my pocket and caught it. My fingers slipped in, and it was there. I grabbed it. I wasn’t sure if I had time to pull it out because the pressure on my chest was becoming too much. But I did it, and the sound as I squeezed the trigger was deafening.
Shot, the beast let me go. Freed, I started swimming, but the light seemed so far away. Where was I? I would never make it back there, but I had to try.
Still gripping the gun, I reached, dragging the sky towards me. It was working. I was getting closer. I was just about there when my head was whipped to the side. Another one had me.
I didn’t wait this time. I just aimed and fired. I thought I got it, but it was getting harder to tell. The rushing water had stopped, but I didn’t know which way was up. I was getting confused.
My foot touched something. I yanked it back. I remembered that I had to keep fighting, but it was getting harder.
I longed to breathe. A single breath. That was all I needed. Something told me I shouldn’t, but I had to. When I knew I was about to give in, something grabbed my arm and yanked.
I wasn’t going down without a fight. I pointed the gun behind me to shoot. Something wrestled me for it. I fought back. I didn’t lose it.
Finally, when I couldn’t hold out a moment more, I inhaled. It filled my lungs. It was a fiery surprise.
“Ford?” I heard someone say.
What was happening? I took another breath. I recognized it. It was air. I was breathing.
My body hit the sand with a thump. I didn’t want to move. I just wanted to lay there and breathe. What a luxury that was. When the water washed out of my eyes, I was met by two horrified faces.
“I’m okay!” I spat.
I fought to clear my head. We had been doing something. I remembered that it was important. It was… I just needed a rest, but when the thought finally hit me, I knew that I couldn’t.
I reached out, grabbing the person beside me as I lifted off the sand. I had to get a hold of myself fast. The compound. We were at the compound. It had security. We had to get in because of the red light. I had it. I knew what was going on.
I immediately looked for Rose. It was her shoulder that I was leaning on. Seeing her brought back everything in an instant. I looked up. They were carrying me to a door. I knew the plan. We had to get in and find the room. We had to save Thorin’s life by removing Rose’s chip.
“Give me the gun,” Thorin ordered.
I looked down at my hand. I still held a death grip on it. I was hesitant to let go. I knew I was the better shot, even now.
“You can’t even stand up,” Thorin argued.
Propped against the wall, I knew he was right.
“Come on!” he insisted.
I released my grip. As soon as I did, I knew I made a mistake.
“Let’s go, Rose,” Thorin said, grabbing her by the arm.
Thorin opened the door with one swing and rushed in. How did he know the door would be open? I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t think about that now. They would need my help. Fighting my way to my feet, I followed them in.
Tracking their water trail, I staggered behind them. I expected to run into security at every turn, but I didn’t. I was starting to realize the place was empty.
A jolt of pain bulged my eyes. I grabbed my stomach. Touching it hurt worse. I removed my hand and looked down for the first time. I was bleeding from everywhere.
“Over here,” Thorin yelled from up ahead.
I fought the pain knowing that it would soon all be over. I just had to stay upright, but that was becoming easier said than done.
I stepped into a room and found Thorin and Rose. In the center was the dentist chair Thorin had described. Rose was climbing into it. As I entered, she looked over her shoulder at me.
“Sit down,” Thorin said with awkward excitement.
I found a waiting room chair next to the door and took a seat. I touched the holes in my torso and winced. Everything hurt. Looking at the doorway and the floor, I saw the blood I left behind. I would have described my situation as “not good.” Not good at all.
I next turned my attention to the wall of monitors and dials behind Thorin. Mostly, I stared at the wine-colored half globe with the countdown clock above it. They had to control the tower from this room. And I guessed that the countdown was the time until the next elimination.
“What are you doing?” I asked Thorin as he bounced around the room.
“I’m preparing a light anesthesia so that I can take Rose’s chip out,” he said testily.
“Can’t you just turn the machine off?”
“You want to come back here and figure it out before that clock hits zero?”
Less than two minutes were left. I made a move to get up.
“Sit down. You can barely stand. You’ll just get in my way.”
“It’s okay, Ford,” Rose said. “I’m ready to take it out. Just let him do it.”
I relaxed my grip on the armrests and fell back into my seat. I watched Thorin move. As awkward as he was in everyday life, he really knew his way around this room.
The dentist chair had an arm extended from its left side. The arm branched out into eight long fingers. I watched as Thorin inserted a cartridge into the side of one of the fingers. I heard a click as the finger touched Rose on her neck.
“This is a delicate surgery, and this anesthetic should keep you from moving. You don’t want me cutting something I’m not supposed to,” he quipped.
“I thought you said this was safe?” I spat.
“I never said it was safe. I said that I had done it many times before. And I have. What I’m worried about is time.”
“Time?” I asked.
“Yes,” he snapped, pointing back at the clock. “It usually takes me more than forty-five seconds to perform major surgery.”
“Then get started!” I ordered.
“Do you really want to rush me, now? Is that your best plan?”
“Ford?” Rose said, asking me to shut
up.
I did, but I didn’t know what the hell was going on. After moving like a dancer to give her the anesthesia, it was like he had forgotten what he had to do next.
The half-globe became a bright red, and the clock read twenty seconds.
“Thorin,” I yelled.
He barely moved.
“Thorin!” I yelled again.
Ten seconds.
He inserted an instrument into her neck. “This is very delicate. If I make one wrong move, you’ll die.”
Five seconds. My heart thumped frantically. He twisted his hands.
“Very delicate. Don’t move.”
Three, two, one. A fire alarm blared from the speakers. It had begun. He was too late. One of us was going to die. If it was him, then she could as well.
I watched his hands waiting for them to shake. The horn screamed, warning us that it was the end. Then finally, as I watched, the sound stopped, and Thorin stood up.
I looked down at the finger he had inserted into her neck. It had nothing on it. No chip. No blood. Nothing. With my mouth hanging open and my heart racing, I stared at Thorin, waiting for answers.
In an instant, his demeanor changed. He was angry, and all of his anger was directed at Rose.
“Not even now?” he asked, glaring into her scared eyes.
“What?” she asked, unable to move.
He enunciated his words. “I said, not even now, with your life in my hands, do you choose me over him?”
I sat confused. “What just happened? Why isn’t one of us dead?”
Thorin turned to me. “It’s because I don’t have a chip in my head. So she doesn’t have anyone left to eliminate.”
“Why don’t you have a chip like the rest of us, Thorin?”
“Well, Ford, because it wouldn’t make sense. Why would I put a chip in my own head?”
My hands tightened around my armrest as realization dawned on me. “It was you.” I moved to get up. As I did, I began to black out. Falling back, I fought to remain conscious as my vision tunneled.
“Thorin?” Rose asked motionless.
“I gave you so many chances, Rose. Think about it. You eliminated me. Me! But I knew that sometimes you did things that you later regretted. So I forgave you and gave you another chance.