by Ann Bakshis
Am I actually in the Dead Zone? I’m not on the battle floor any longer? That’s not possible. No one can survive in the Dead Zone’s atmosphere. This has to be another trick by the Keepers.
I shake my head to clear the thought. An explosion a few blocks away catches my attention. A chime rings on my wristband and the tally of players reduces by two. I tap the tiny screen and it shows that a Nius and a Rapid have been killed. My gaze changes back to the building in the far distance and a new plan forms in my mind. I decide to forgo the battle and make my way to the structure. If I’m lucky, the rest will just kill each other off. I go back the way I came, exit the building, and follow the crumbling asphalt. I keep my Kopis at the ready and my shield up as I make my way around the wreckage.
My progress is slow since I have to keep an eye out for the other players, although I’m guessing they’ll get to me before I notice them. I can’t tell how much time has passed. The clock on my wristband is currently turned off. Apparently the Keepers don’t want us to know. The rumbling I heard in the distance earlier is closer now. I glance back towards the direction I came from and see rain pelting the building I’d been in. Lightning strikes the top of it and radiates down the outside of the structure. If I had stayed there, I’d have been electrocuted. Weather was never a factor in the previous battles, so I wonder what other changes the Keepers have made to the battle floor environment.
The road I’m on turns into an on-ramp to the highway above. Before I can continue, my path is blocked by a Looper and Dead Mark fighting. I crouch behind a vehicle and wait it out. The person from my unit tries to loop, but I notice her wristband is broken. She begins to run away, but doesn’t get far when the Dead Mark shoots her in the back with his arrow, piercing her heart. The rain begins to pour on us as he makes his way over to her body, checking to make sure she’s dead. Normally the body would disappear after death, but the girl stays in her spot. I keep my eyes on the Dead Mark as he turns and starts to head up the ramp. The vehicle I’m hiding next to disappears, causing me to fall forward onto my face. I must have made a noise since the Dead Mark turns in my direction. I turn off my shield and loop just as he readies his bow. I land on the ramp several yards behind him. He aims at me and fires, but I loop again moving only a few feet away. His arrow misses, which causes him to scowl.
He runs up the ramp to get a closer shot when the ground begins to rumble. Between several holes in the ramp, I catch glimpses of a Nius prowling around. Another small quake jostles us, knocking the Dead Mark and myself to the ground. Perhaps the explosives this Nius has isn’t strong enough to bring down the structure, so he’s doing it piece by piece. The Dead Mark gets back on his feet, aims his arrow at me, and fires. I loop towards the top of the ramp as another explosion goes off, this time leveling the ramp. Both the Dead Mark and Nius are crushed by the chunks of concrete and rebar. I don’t bother to look to see if they’re dead, my wristband confirms it. Only seven of us remain. I’m half tempted to open up the map of the Dead Zone, but since Hammond stated that our units are watching, I don’t want to give away the fact that I have it. Also, I’m not sure this is even the real Dead Zone.
I walk down the highway. The rain soaks through my clothes causing me to shiver as the temperature begins to drop. The highway stops when sections of the bridge used to cross old railroad tracks several stories below are missing. I loop myself across, one section at a time, but after I make it to the other side and begin to step forward I’m abruptly stopped. My body hits an invisible barrier. I try to loop around it, but even my abilities are non-existent on this side of the bridge.
“Having issues?” Drake shouts to me from his side of the bridge.
“I could just stay here,” I say. “You can’t cross those gaps and no one can get behind me, so I’m actually in a pretty safe spot.”
“You know the Keepers won’t let you just stand there and watch the rest of us die. They’ll loop you somewhere that isn’t safe.”
I know he has a point, but I try not to let it get to me. I walk until I’m at the edge of my section of bridge, then look down. A jump from this height would kill me. I’m hoping I’ve stepped far enough away from the barrier to loop, so I give it a try and focus on the section of bridge in front of me. My feet slip on small particles of debris mixed with water as I land, causing me to fall. I try and grab onto the concrete or one of the several rebar jetting out of the bridge, but they’re too slippery. I loop again as I fall and project myself behind Drake. It’s a risky move, but one he shouldn’t be anticipating.
I’m wrong. His weapon slices my arm as I land. I quickly put up my shield to deflect his other blows. I swing at him with my Kopis, but his shield looks to be designed to fend off my weapon. The temperature continues to drop and the rain turns to snow. The puddles at our feet turn to ice. The sudden decline in weather is having an effect on both of us. Our movements become sluggish. Pain radiates from my side as another wound opens, fresh blood trickling down. Fortunately for me, the Rapid attacks Drake, and I close my shield and loop further down the highway, away from the melee.
The snow starts to stick, covering everything in a pure white blanket. Blood drips from my wounds, leaving a trail. It won’t take long for the others to find me. My wristband chimes. Five is now the count with a Rapid being killed, but it doesn’t tell me if it’s Drake or the other one. I’m surprised that night hasn’t settled in yet, but with the Keepers in control of the environment I doubt darkness will ever come if they don’t want it to.
I follow the road past the onramp and towards smaller buildings that look to have once been houses. Many have been blown clear off their foundations, while others have collapsed roofs, or are just burned shells. I need to find a place to hide so I can check my injuries. I choose a partially collapsed house, its yellow shutters the only truly distinguishable feature. I walk into what once must have been the kitchen and collapse to the floor. The slash mark on my arm has already stopped bleeding, but the wound to my side won’t stop. I scramble across the tile so I can get to the cabinets. I rummage through them, looking for anything that’ll help stem the bleeding.
I finally find a greasy towel shoved behind some rusted pots. I place the fabric against the wound and scream from the pain. If my blood didn’t lead everyone to me, my scream definitely will. The towel is soaked in seconds. I scoop some of the snow and pack it between my shirt and gash, hoping the cold will slow down the blood loss. I lean myself up against the counter after I try to stand. My legs feel weak and my head is pounding.
Something metal hits the floor next to me.
“Shit,” I say, diving for whatever cover I can find.
The explosion is deafening. My outfit protects my legs from getting burned, but I can still feel the heat. Another disc sails into the structure, landing closer to the common room just opposite me. I move further into the house, entering one of the bedrooms. The building moans in reaction to the detonation, and begins to shift. I walk as quietly as I can and step through a hole in the back wall of the room. Another disc goes off, this time igniting the dry pressboard that makes up much of the interior. I slink around the side of the house, peering around the corner. Two contestants from Nius are taking turns lobbing their arsenal into the house.
Why haven’t the Keepers stopped them? Hammond said if we buddied up our kill rate would increase and our shields turned off.
Let’s see if that’s true.
I pull out my Kopis, as it had been sheathed, and loop behind them. My blade slices through one of the Nius before he can react. He drops dead as his partner works on generating her shield. Just as Hammond had said, it’s been deactivated. She turns to run, but my blade cuts through her before she’s even an inch away.
Three left. Two Loopers including me, and one Rapid.
I loop, projecting myself as far from the house as possible. Through the haze that occurs while looping, I see the other Looper hovering in mid-air by the statue I was near earlier. I land in my chosen location then loop again, headi
ng for where I started. The Looper is still hovering, perhaps not sure where to land. I select a different location to set down in, alongside the building instead of in front. I call up my shield and approach the plaza with caution.
Drake is sitting along the small wall that encircles the pool below the statue’s feet, staring up into the sky. I follow his gaze from my vantage point. The Looper I saw in the haze is spliced between realities. Portions of him show in the air like puzzle pieces, only grotesque and distorted.
“I wonder how he managed to do that,” Drake says, now standing next to me. “That’s a horrible way to die.”
I step backwards, but Drake places his hand on my back and pushes me forward. As he does this, his weapon carves a deep half-moon incision into my arm. I bring up my Kopis, slamming it against his shield.
“You know, Max, we’re evenly matched. My shield protects me against your weapon and yours against mine.”
“I can loop away from here.”
“I don’t think you’ll do that. Something tells me that the Keepers have moved the barrier to this plaza.”
I look at him quizzically.
Drake picks up a piece of concrete and hurls it up towards the street. It hits an invisible barrier, falling to the ground.
That must be how the Looper got caught. They must have been moving the barrier while he was looping. I’m surprised that didn’t happen to me. It should’ve since I was further away than he was. I wonder why it didn’t.
I step away from Drake, walking backwards, never taking my eyes off him. I don’t stop until my legs hit the barrier around the pool. I keep my Kopis extended in front of me. Drake doesn’t put his shield up, but he also stays out of reach.
“You know what Brink told me before I left the unit? He said for me to make sure you survived, which means he wants me to die as only one of us is leaving here.” He paces between me and the stairs up to the building. “Can you believe the gall of such a request?”
“It’s only because he cares for me, that’s all,” I say. “If you can beat me, then you deserve to win.”
He’s suddenly next to me. His one hand wrapped around my throat while his other one has thrust my arm to its side, preventing me from brandishing my weapon. “Aren’t you confident, Max? But what are you going to do now? You can’t loop away from me since you’ll be spliced like your friend.” He nods towards the other Looper, but my gaze is focused on the pair of birds flying in and out of the lobby door.
I take my free hand and grab his wrist. “Let’s go for a ride.”
I loop the both of us inside the building. When we land, I shove Drake off me. He skids across the floor, stopping when he hits the lifts. I loop again, landing right at his feet, my Kopis thrust forward stabbing him in the shoulder. He screams from the pain and sweeps my legs out from under me. My Kopis is still in Drake’s shoulder when I lose my grip. Since it can only be touched by me, the minute my flesh stops making contact with the weapon, it vanishes.
Drake notices I’m now weaponless, pulls his weapons from the pocket on his belt, and slashes at me. He cuts deeply into my arms. As he’s about to pull them out, I grab them with my hands and loop. Drake is stunned by my move. I let go of the weapons while still looping and they disappear.
“How?” he screams from below my feet.
I land in front of him, grab him by the collar, and loop again, this time projecting us high above the lobby floor. I’m not sure if the Keepers or our units can see and hear what’s going on inside the void Drake and I are currently in, but I speak my mind anyway.
“Look, I don’t want to be here any more than you do. But I’ve been maimed, drugged, and almost killed outside of Thrace Tower too many times to not want to see what this all means. I’m making it all the way to the event, and not you or anyone else is going to stop me.”
I let him go. He leaves the void, hurtling to the floor below. I stay in my position and watch as he cracks open when his body hits the half-wall encasing the lifts. I project myself outside next to the statue. The building vanishes, as does all the other props around me, and I’m back on the battle floor. I collapse from the loss of blood.
“Congratulations, Max,” a female voice calls out from hidden speakers. “We will now transport you to the medical office for evaluation.”
The room spins as I close my eyes and wait to be teleported.
Sixteen
When I open my eyes, Matron Kaniz is standing at the foot of my bed, a large smile on her face. Obviously she’s pleased with my victory, though I’m not. I murdered Drake. Dropped him out of the void so he would hit the bottom. His death plays over and over in my head. Part of me regrets it, but not all of me.
I’m turning into one of them. I’m starting to think everyone else’s life means nothing and can be easily dismissed or taken.
“That was quite a showdown you had with Drake,” Matron Kaniz says, slowly walking up alongside my bed. “I didn’t think you had it in you to kill that way. Matron Violet was not too happy Drake died the way he did. I think she’ll order the other Rapids to target you.”
“What else is new?” I mumble.
“You’ll be released tomorrow and sent back to the unit. The second round will begin in a couple of days, allowing you to get some rest.”
“What’s the format for the second round?”
She smiles, holding her lips tightly together. “You know I can’t tell you that.” She steps towards the door, but stops before leaving. “How did you strip Drake of his weapons? It appeared as if you touched them.”
“They were stuck in my arms,” I lie. “He must not have had a good grip on them when I looped.”
She seems to buy my answer and leaves. I lift up my arms, looking at the heavy bandages they’re encased in. More scars to add to the collection. I plop my head back down on the pillow and close my eyes. My stunt with the Deer Horn knives was a risky move. I’ll need to be more careful if I try that again. Who knows what the Keepers will do if they realize the Patrician have modified me.
I don’t get much rest. The nurses come in every couple of hours to change my bandages. I only catch glimpses of the injuries, and they look as bad as they feel. The one along my side is giving the nurses the most trouble. It doesn’t want to heal on its own, so they wind up stitching it. I’m not sure why they didn’t do that to begin with, as the doctors in the Outer Limits would’ve done that first. At least, that’s what they did when the Aedox were done with us. I’m pumped full of medication before I can leave. The nurses hand me a clean pair of clothes. I’m almost done dressing when my door opens, but it’s not Matron Kaniz, it’s Matron Ancilla from the Dead Mark unit.
“Hello, Max,” she says from the doorway. “Matron Kaniz has been called away to see the Keepers, so I will be escorting you to the lift back to your unit.”
Matron Ancilla is an inch taller than me and with blonde hair so white that it bleaches out her already extremely pale complexion. She looks a little nervous to be down here, but covers it up when she sees that I’ve noticed. I put my shoes on, comb my hair with my fingers, and join her in the hallway. We walk the length of the corridor, then exit out the door that’ll take us down another long hallway to the lifts. The area is poorly lit, with only sporadic patches of light. The air is cool and the hallway feels more like a large chamber by the way our footsteps echo around us.
“Max,” Matron Ancilla says, grabbing my arm suddenly and pulling me to a stop. She turns me to face her. “Be careful that you don’t show the Keepers your ability to grasp the other players’ weapons.”
My mouth falls open, but I can’t speak.
“The Patrician are counting on you getting to the event without incident. What you did with Drake was too risky. Another trick like that and they’ll catch on.”
“What makes the Patrician think I’m going to the event to help them? They mutilated my hands for their own purposes. That’s no reason for me to support them.”
“So what did you do?” Her
voice rises to an alarming level.
I pull down the left side of my shirt, showing her the dragon.
“You joined the Dracken? But why?”
“I have my own reasons.” I start walking again.
She has to hurry to catch up to me. “Does this have anything to do with your parents? If so, Max, then you don’t know the truth. You don’t know what we’re up against.”
“Then tell me!” I shout at her. I stop so abruptly, she almost runs into me.
“I can’t.”
“Then don’t trust me,” I say angrily.
I’m tired of being kept in the dark by everyone. I’ve made up my mind that I’m not fighting for anyone but myself. I’m not going to be a puppet for either side. I won’t protect anyone but myself. Getting to the event is my only goal. I have a feeling a lot will be revealed during that time, since everyone is alluding to my need to be there.
I step out the door, cross over to the lift, and go back to my unit. Frey and Addie are waiting for me when I step off. They both rush up and hug me, but I wince at their touch as my injuries are still tender. We walk to the common room where those sitting around and watching music videos applaud as I enter. The three of us take an empty spot in the back by the training room. Frey and Addie start bombarding me with questions before I even sit down.
“So,” Addie begins, “tell us about it.”
“There isn’t much to tell other than what you saw on the displays,” I respond.
“I’ve never seen a battle floor like that before,” Addie continues. “Where do you think it was?”
“The Dead Zone,” Frey answers before I do.
Addie and I look at him, surprised that he knew.
“That’s not possible. The Dead Zone is not habitable,” Addie says, brushing off his answer.
“If it wasn’t the real Dead Zone, then it was staged to look like it,” I say.
“You’ve seen it?” Addie asks, a smile forming on her face. “What’s it like?”