by Tara Maya, Elle Casey, J L Bryan, Anthea Sharp, Jenna Elizabeth Johnson, Alexia Purdy (epub)
What the hell was that all about? I looked at Spike, but he was still staring at me, so he missed it. No one else said anything - everyone was waiting for me, I guess.
"Well, shit, people... are you just going to stand there while our captors come waltzing in to give us another shot of elephant tranquilizer?"
Spike released me, able to tell somehow that I was willing to wait a few minutes before unleashing my wrath on them. He stayed close, though, ready to give me another tough-love hug if necessary. Man, I so wanted our first physical contact to include kissing. Now he's gone and ruined it. Guys are all jerks. I glowered at him.
He grinned back at me, flashing those damn fangs again.
Argh. He had to know what that was doing to me. There was no other explanation for that much smiling.
I felt Tony come up on my other side and take my hand in his.
I laced our fingers together, glad for his support. I think I was almost ready to fight to protect him, more than myself. It was my fault he was here in the first place. It was his chivalry awakened by my pitiful family problems that had made us runaways. "I'm so sorry I got you into this, Tones," I whispered.
"You didn't get me into anything, Jayne," he whispered back. "We're a team, we stick together. Just don't get yourself knocked out again."
Dardennes cleared his throat.
I couldn't wait to hear what he was going to say – probably a bunch of lies.
"Hello, everyone, thank you again for being here. I'm sorry if our methods for keeping our operation confidential were upsetting to you," he gave me a small bow, which made me want to pound him all over again. "But I assure you, it was necessary. All will become clear to you, eventually. But for now, we must commence the test, as we are running out of daylight. Please follow us outside." He and the other two turned, leaving the lodge through the front door.
I looked around at everyone, noticing Becky moving towards the door. I lost my cool again. "Oh, so we're just going to do whatever they say now, is that it? They say jump, we ask, how high?"
Becky shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. What else are we going to do? We have no idea where we are ... ," she finished lamely, looking to Finn for help.
"Them people are our only way outta here that I can see. Chase and I checked the place out. We're out here in the middle of bumfuck Egypt," said Finn.
I looked over at Chase. He shrugged his shoulders and walked towards the front door, which was apparently his way of saying he was going to go see what they had to say. Finn and Becky followed him out.
Jared's eyes were aimed at the floor when I glanced over at him, but he quickly looked up and went to the front door too, not once even acknowledging me. I decided right then and there that there was something fishy going on with him; he was acting very strange. Maybe no one else had seen his little exchange with Dardennes, but I had.
Only Spike and Tony where left with me, and Spike made his move towards the door as it swung shut behind Jared.
"Et tu, Spike?" This was the surest sign I was stressed; now I was quoting from my Lit teacher's favorite Shakespearean tragedy.
He shrugged, his hand on the doorhandle. "Might as well. Beats sitting in here waiting for something to happen."
"Maybe ... maybe not." I turned to Tony. "So, what do we do? Go out there and face the music, or arm up and wait for them to storm the castle?"
Tony sighed. "I appreciate your concern, Jayne, especially since you were basically attacked while we all slept. But I think they're right; we're not going to get anywhere staying in here. At least out there maybe we'll get an explanation, or an opportunity to run away. In here, we're sitting ducks."
"Fine. Let's go, then. Just promise me you'll be ready to kick some serious ass."
"I promise. I'm ready - as ready as I'm going to be, I guess."
We followed Spike out the door, joining the others already standing in front of the lodge.
Chapter Eleven
Dardennes, Céline, and Ivar were joined by another one of their group. My parents always told me not to stare at people who look different than me, and for the most part I was able to control myself; but this time ... not so much. He was a dwarf. And I'd never seen an armed commando dwarf before, so it totally wasn't my fault that I couldn't look away.
He stood about three and a half feet high, wearing camouflage clothes and combat boots. He even had a black bandana tied around his oversized head, and a bowie knife strapped to his tiny thigh. It was only Tony's suddenly very strong grip on my hand that kept me from laughing out loud. I was totally on the edge right now – anything could have set me off; but seriously, no one could blame me for this one.
"This is Niles, your field contact. He will instruct you on the test conditions and supply your provisions."
Céline stepped forward. "We realize that you have arrived here under stressful conditions - some of you more stressful than others." She looked at me, and I gave her my best screw you look in return. "Be that as it may, I urge you, we urge you, to put that behind you and do your very best on this test. There is not only money at stake here. Those who complete the challenge, and do so in an exemplary manner, will qualify for additional remuneration."
Additional remuneration? I wasn't sure what the hell remuneration was, but it sounded like more money, and that interested me. Not enough for me to stop being mad, but at least they had my attention now. I looked at Tony, and he nodded his head. We were both willing to listen.
Dardennes was talking again. "The object of this test is to make it through the course to the end."
Obstacle course. I called that one. I looked over at Spike who was already looking at me. He nodded his head in respect.
"There will be four waypoints. At each waypoint, you will indicate your arrival by tying a flag to the waypoint marker. Each of you will have a set of colored flags assigned to you. There is no placing in this test, which means it doesn't matter who comes in first. It only matters that you reach each waypoint and finish the course."
Pfft. Easy as pie.
Tony leaned over and whispered, "What's the catch?"
Exactly what I was thinking.
"This forest is not your typical forest," he continued. "There will be ... obstacles ... in your way; things designed to keep you from reaching your goals. You are permitted to use whatever is at your disposal to ... eliminate or incapacitate those obstacles."
Incapacitate? What kind of obstacles needed to be incapacitated? That sounded a little too ominous to me. I looked sideways at Tony and saw confusion on his face too. Okay, so I'm not the only one lost here. Chase looked like he always does, totally in control. Spike had a big question mark floating above his head. Finn and Becky were standing side by side, looking nervous, Becky hopping from one foot to the other like a little bird. I looked at Jared and he just stared straight ahead, his expression revealing nothing. Sneaky bastard. He's up to something.
"The rules you are used to, the rules of our day-to-day society, do not apply here. You are very far from home. Consider this place to be ... a rule-free zone. The only rule is: there are no rules." He smiled, coolly.
Now, normally, I was a 'rules are made to be broken' kind of girl, but I was pretty sure he was talking about something more serious than curfews and smoking sections here.
Tony was whispering in my ear again. "Does he mean what I think he means?"
God, I hope not.
"Be mindful that this 'no rules' policy applies across the entire forest. Anyone in the forest will be aware of this rule and will also be following it. Your goal is to survive to the end."
I couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Survive? What is this? Some kind of tacky reality TV show?"
Tony squeezed my hand. I was taking that as his approval.
Céline answered me. "This is all about survival, but it's not a TV show and nothing is being filmed. What happens in the forest, stays in the forest."
That never meant anything good when it was used in Las Vegas, so it g
ave me a bad feeling to hear it said in relation to a forest I was about to spend the next couple of days in. And I wasn't fooling myself anymore - into this forest I was going ... if not to complete this test, then to find another way out of here. These guys were fucking nutballs, and I knew they weren't going to just let me walk away.
"Does anyone have any questions?" Dardennes looked out over our group, waiting for a response.
Finn raised his hand. "How long do we have to complete the course?"
"As long as you need."
Finn looked as confused as I felt. "Well, what if it takes us a whole week?" he asked.
"It won't," was the mysterious and very unhelpful answer.
Not surprisingly, no one had any more questions. If the answers were going to be this ridiculous, there really wasn't any point.
"Okay, I will now turn you over to Niles. The sun will be going down soon, and he needs to have you outfitted before sunset."
Dardennes and Céline went back to the lodge, stepping inside and closing the door behind them. Ivar stood next to our commando mini-man who was now speaking.
"Follow me to get your provisions and further directions." He turned and disappeared between the trees, Ivar closely behind him.
Jared went first. Tony let go of my hand so we could walk single-file. Behind us were Finn, Becky, Spike, and Chase. I found myself wishing Samantha were here. Her take-no-shit, badass attitude would have made me feel a little bit better being out here with these crazy fucks in no man's land. I'd bet she would have spoken up. They probably would have had to stick her with the tranquilizer needle, too. It was a sad thing, really, this nostalgia I was having for a girl who probably considered me her enemy.
A couple of minutes later, we ended up in a clearing. In the center were a few tables made of huge slabs of sliced tree trunk propped up by thick stumps. The trees around us were so dense they nearly blocked out the remaining daylight. Our feet made no sound on the carpet of needles and long-dead leaves. My feet sprung up with every step, telling me the layers of decomposing forest went very deep. I turned around, realizing that I had already lost my bearings. I had no idea which way the lodge was from here because everything looked the same.
Tony stayed close, not saying anything. The others remained quiet as well, their heads swiveling in all directions, taking in the incredible majesty of the forest around us. I wasn't so angry that I couldn't appreciate this kind of beauty. It was truly breathtaking.
"Everyone please take one pack from the far table."
I looked over and saw that one of the tables was covered in small, camouflage backpacks. Tony went and got two, one for each of us. I stayed where I was, keeping my eye on Niles, commando dwarf. He didn't waste a second looking back at me. He was all business and a little bit scary. I'd bet he knew how to use that knife strapped to his leg.
"Inside each of these sacks you will find waypoint flags, a map of the forest with waypoints indicated, food, water, flint, a small flashlight, and a rescue flare. If you don't know how to use a flint, please raise your hand."
I was glad Becky raised hers. Even though I didn't know how to use one, I didn't want to admit it for some reason. As the seriousness of this situation sank in, the less I wanted to expose any weaknesses I had.
I watched out of the corner of my eye as Ivar demonstrated the flint for her. It seemed easy enough. I noticed I wasn't the only one watching, too. The only ones who didn't seem to care much were Chase and Jared. Maybe Chase was in on whatever Jared had going on. I was going to keep an eye on both of them.
"Step over to the middle table."
I followed Tony to the table in front of Niles. I hadn't paid much attention to it before, but now I sure was - now that I realized it was covered in weapons. Weapons?
"What the hell do we need weapons for?" I asked angrily.
Niles just looked at me, not answering. He had no expression on his face - just like Ivar. Two cold, heartless bastards they were. I had a mind to use one of those weapons on them.
"The biggest will pick first. You ... ," he gestured towards Chase, " ... choose your weapon."
We studied the table. Laid out in nice even rows were a gun, a bowie knife, a compound bow with arrows, a double-bladed axe, a spear, a slingshot with pellets, and a sharpened stick. A sharp stick? What the hell good is a sharp stick? No way am I getting stuck with that shit.
Chase walked over to the table and picked up the gun, shoving it in his bag.
"You ... next."
Jared walked up to the table and took the spear.
"You ... your turn."
Spike stood in front of the table for a few seconds, eventually selecting the slingshot. He turned away and stretched the rubber bands out, pretending to play them like a guitar.
I had to smile at that. At least someone was having fun out here.
Spike caught me staring and smiled back, but even his sexy self couldn't make me happy right now.
"You, freckles ... "
Finn looked pissed, but walked up to the table quickly. He picked up the compound bow and arrows without hesitating. I hoped he knew how to use that thing - I'm afraid I'd shoot my own foot if I had to try to work it.
"You ... " Now it was Tony's turn.
"What do you think?" he asked me quietly.
"I don't know ... axe?"
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too." He walked up and took the weapon off the table.
"Little girl ... you ... " He was gesturing to Becky.
"Hey, wait a minute! I'm bigger than her!" I was pissed. I knew what was going on here. I was being punished for giving Ivar a hard time. The big oaf looked at me, and I could have sworn he smiled. It might not have reached his mouth, but it was definitely in his eyes. Bastard.
"You can go ahead, Jayne, I don't mind."
Damn her for being so nice. "No, Becky, you go. I don't give a shit which weapon I have."
Becky's no dummy; she walked up to the table and took the knife.
That left me with the sharp stick. Yay, me. Now I'd be able to use my mom's favorite saying – That's better than a sharp stick in the eye! – and have a prop too. I walked up to the table and took the stick. I tapped it in the air in Ivar's direction; then I kissed the tip of it, keeping my eyes on him. Asshole. A little piece of me wished I were going to see him in the forest later. Of course, I'd have to sneak up on him since he was three times my size. And I'd have to borrow Tony's axe and whack Ivar with the flat side of it on his head, since I really couldn't see myself stabbing him with my stick or actually chopping any of his body parts off ... but still ...
"Your instructions are simple. You are to leave this clearing and head to waypoint number one. Once there, you tie your flag to the waypoint itself. Then you head to waypoint two and repeat the process. Continue until you reach the fourth and last waypoint. Once you have tied your flag there, follow the instructions that will be provided to proceed to the debriefing. Are there any questions?"
It didn't matter if we had any, because he didn't wait. "If, at any point in the test you decide to surrender, light your flare. Someone will come and take you back to the lodge. For each waypoint you have reached and tied a flag to, you will receive one hundred and twenty-five dollars. If you have not yet reached any waypoints when you surrender, you will receive only fifty dollars. Any questions?"
He continued once again without waiting. "There is no way to cheat during this test. In fact, there is no such thing as cheating on this test. Anything goes. Do whatever it takes to get to the waypoints. There are no rules here ... there are no laws. Not even the laws you remember from home. Do you understand?"
I looked around at everyone's faces in the clearing. It was getting darker and it was harder to see them. Finn, Spike, and Becky were nodding. Chase and Jared had no reaction.
Tony raised his hand.
"What?!" asked the impatient dwarf.
"Um, I just want to be sure I understand ... when you say 'no laws' do you mean, like no law
s, like, at all?"
Niles sighed loudly, obviously frustrated with the apparently incapable idiots in front of him. "No laws. I can't be any clearer than that."
"Okay, so if Jared wants to throw his spear through Chase's head, that's okay with you guys?" I asked, flippantly. This was totally stupid. They had to specify what they meant by 'no laws'. They couldn't just leave it out there for us to figure out.
"That's exactly what I mean. Thank you, Jayne, for that excellent clarification."
I choked, having swallowed some drool down the wrong tube. Tony had to whack me on the back a few times to get me breathing again.
I heard Becky squeak in alarm.
Finn let out a, "What in the sam hill?!"
Chase just shook his head slowly from side to side.
Jared looked down at the ground.
Tony grabbed my upper arm and squeezed like hell.
"Ouch, Tones, lemme go!"
"Oh, shoot, sorry. But holy crap, Jayne! I think they expect us to kill people out here!"
"Don't worry about it," I muttered. It wasn't every day people were let loose in a forest of homicidal maniacs. Something was going to fix this. Something had to happen. This was too fucked up to be real. I refused to panic over something this outer-limits messed up. In fact, it was highly possible I was just having a really bad trip from the drug they injected me with. Of course, I had just felt Tony pinching my arm. Dammit.
"It's seven o'clock. I suggest you get started. Nightfall comes quickly here and the forest is very dark. You have enough food in your packs for two nights if you're careful. Good luck. I'll see you at the flare or waypoint four, whichever comes first." He grinned then, and it was very disturbing. He looked almost happy about setting us loose in this lawless land - me with a stupid sharpened stick to protect myself.