by Marina Epley
Before I make it halfway to the bottom, several other racers sprint past, chimeras giving chase. Screaming, I run toward the nearest dead tree. A beast comes after me but I manage to jump up and grab the lowest branch. I easily pull myself up and climb higher, my skin rubbing against the rough bark. Deep red scratches cover my legs and arms. I’m exhausted and in pain, but at least I’ve escaped the chimera. It stands on its hind legs, shaking the tree and snapping its teeth. I hold onto the branch for dear life, praying silently for the tree not to give.
Martha and Topaz throw stones at the chimera, trying to distract it. The beast charges at them. The girls scream, running in opposite directions. I watch in horror as Martha stumbles and the beast lunges for her. A split second later Topaz leaps in front of the animal, defending her sister. The chimera’s long teeth bury deeply into her arm. She screams. I jump from the tree, hitting the ground hard.
“Here! I’m here!” I yell at the chimera, trying to divert its attention.
The animal tears off Topaz’s arm, spaying a fountain of blood. Martha stands frozen in shock. I flail at the chimera’s side with my arms, but the beast isn’t affected. It bites into Topaz’s head and I hear the awful sound of crunching bone. She’s dead. There’s nothing I can do to help her. I stop moving.
Sandro scoops Martha off the ground and carries her away from the beast. Dennis grabs me by the shoulder, shaking me.
“What are you doing?!” he shouts “Run!”
I take off again, running without any direction. I feel dead inside. It seems like that chimera ripped me apart along with Topaz. No time to think or mourn. I have to keep going.
I slip and fall in a puddle of blood. To my left lies the corpse of a young boy without legs, his eyes frozen open in death. I push myself up, suppressing another scream. I hear somebody cry out, and turn to look around. Samantha lies crammed in between two huge stones, yelling as a chimera tries to get at her. She’s trapped, and the beast is rocking one of the stones, working in closer toward her. I realize that she’ll be eaten within seconds. I can’t let it happen.
I grab a dry branch off the ground and smash it against the chimera’s back. The animal roars, turning toward me and biting at the branch. I let go, sprinting toward Samantha. As the chimera furiously shakes its head to break the branch, I grab hold of Samantha’s arms, yanking her up.
“Run!” I yell.
We both sprint away, jumping over fallen deadwood and rocks. The snarling beast is right behind us. I notice another small cavern in the ground just ahead.
“There! Hide!” I shout.
We both crawl into the space, gasping and coughing. There’s almost no room inside. The chimera pushes through the entrance before getting stuck and growling. It claws at Samantha’s leg and she screams out in pain. I kick the beast in the head. The animal growls, snapping its teeth and trying to push in further. I lie on top of Samantha, shielding her and kicking at the chimera as it attempts to bite my feet. Samantha holds onto my shoulders, crying loudly.
“Get away!” I yell at the animal. “Leave us! Go!”
I feel a sharp rock under my hand. The beast inches in closer. I pull my legs up, turning, and jab the rock into the chimera’s eye. With a roar of anguish, the animal backpedals and leaves.
Samantha and I lie motionless a few more moments, catching our breaths. Her leg is bleeding.
“We have to get out of here,” I say. “A smaller one could get in. It would kill us in here.”
“I can’t,” Samantha sobs. “I can’t do it anymore.”
“We have to,” I mutter. “Come on. Let’s go.”
I grip her arm and pull her out of the cavern. Her face is smeared in mud and blood, sweat dripping off her chin. I guess I look about the same. We hear another scream followed by growling. Holding Samantha’s wrist, I lead her toward a fallen tree and we take cover.
Several minutes later, the guards fire off a flare, signaling that the Terror Race is over. Samantha and I cautiously leave our cover, jogging toward the trucks. I can’t stop thinking about Topaz. I can’t help but wonder how many of us died today.
CHAPTER 12
I kneel panting beside the truck, feeling sick. At least I’m still alive, I think. I’ve survived the first of the six Terror Races.
Several chimeras lie spread across the ground, arrows protruding from their bodies. One arrow to the head would likely have been enough, but the masters didn’t aim for their heads. They enjoyed watching the animals suffer, dying slowly. I wish I could take a rifle from one of the guards and finish off these animals. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to use a gun even if I could.
The masters slice off the horns for trophies. They leave the corpses to swell and rot under the hot sun.
Amy stands beside me, breathing hard. Coagulated blood covers her face and sticks to her hair. Her arms and legs are bruised and scratched. Dennis and Sandro sit on the ground in gloomy silence. Martha and Samantha cry, and Trent stares at the fallen chimeras with a distant look in his eye.
Topaz is dead along with five other racers. The masters don’t bother recovering the bodies. They’ll be left back at the caverns for wild animals to later feed on.
After the masters finish collecting the horns, we’re ordered back inside a truck. Back at our quarters, we shower and proceed to the dining room. I don’t believe I can eat anything, but somehow get down a full bowl of stew.
Inside our room, Amy spends a good half hour soothing and calming Martha. I sit on the top of my bed, wrapping myself with my arms, still in some sort of stupor. I wish I could comfort Martha, but I’m no good at soothing others. When somebody cries I never seem to know what to do or say.
Martha finally cries herself to sleep. Amy sits on top of her bed and glances at me.
“We can’t survive five more races like that,” she states.
“Not likely,” I agree.
“Kora,” Amy looks straight into my eyes. “We have to get out of here.”
I realize that what she says is true, but part of me still hesitates.
“Where would we go?” I ask.
“I don’t know… Perhaps to Bastion. We can’t return to our villages because that’s the first place they would look.” Amy pauses, thinking. Then adds, “Or maybe we could try to find Jingfay.”
“Jingfay?” I frown, recalling an old story I once heard. “I thought she was just a legend.”
Amy shrugs. “Who knows? I heard she was a servant in Central Settlement many years ago. She killed her master, initiated a riot amongst the slaves, and led them far away from here. I’m sure she’d let us join her outfit.”
We spend a few minutes in silence. I think about Jingfay, wondering whether she’s real or not.
“So are you in?” Amy asks.
I’m still having doubts. I dreamt about living in Central Settlement for so long. I held so much hope of finding a better life here. Then I envision the chimera ripping Topaz’s body apart.
“I’m in,” I nod. “But how will we survive in the wilderness?”
“I can fish,” Amy says. “And Dennis can hunt. We’ll try to persuade Dennis and Sandro to escape with us. And we can’t leave Martha here.”
“Of course not,” I agree. “I’ll need to talk to Trent.”
“Do you really trust him? I mean… if Gabriel learns what we are plotting, you know what will happen. So we have to keep everything quiet.”
“I trust Trent,” I say. “He wouldn’t rat us out.”
“All right then.” Amy smiles. “We’ll have to leave before the next Terror Race. I think we probably have a couple of months. So we must recover, then steal some food and weapons. Maybe a gun or a knife.”
I listen to Amy, my thoughts racing. Should we really escape? Should we try to reach Bastion or find Jingfay? Gabriel will kill us if we’re caught.
“I’ll go talk to Dennis and Sandro,” Amy announces, heading toward the door.
“I’ll go find Trent,” I say.
***
Trent isn’t in his room, so I walk outside to look. Samantha sits on the grass beside a tree, her face wet from tears. I know I should ignore her. She was bullying and abusing me for a long time. When I think of her throwing stones and calling me a puke, I feel angry. But now my anger gives way to sympathy because Samantha looks too broken and lonely to hate.
“Are you all right?” I ask quietly.
Samantha looks up at me. “No… I hate myself.”
I don’t know how to answer.
“Why did you do it?” she asks, wiping her eyes. “Why did you help me? I was so mean and rude to you, and you still rescued me…”
Her voice breaks. She shudders, covering her face. I sit on the grass beside her. I have no idea why I helped Samantha and don’t know what to say. I mean… she is probably my worst enemy and we hate each other. But back at the caverns none of that mattered much. We were stuck in the same boat, fighting for our lives. I just don’t know.
“I’m so sorry,” Samantha sobs. “I’m such a loser! I hate myself. I can barely look at myself in the mirror without feeling disgusted. I’ve done so many things wrong in my life.”
I look at her, astounded, feeling like I’m speaking to myself. I hadn’t expected a reaction like this from Samantha. She has always seemed extremely arrogant and mean until now.
“I’ve never really hated you,” she confesses, averting her eyes. “But the other factory girls said they’d disown me if I didn’t follow along. They wanted me to insult and hurt you. And I realized it was wrong. I knew I shouldn’t have done those things. But I went along because I was scared. I was afraid they’d laugh and make fun of me if I didn’t. And I… I just wanted to belong… wanted to have friends.” She gasps, sniffling and shivering. “I feel rotten and nasty. I’m so ashamed.”
I take a breath, my eyes tearing, and touch her hand. “It’s all right. I’m not angry with you.”
Samantha turns to face me. Her eyes widen.
“You… forgive me?” she asks.
I have to think. Can I really forgive her after all the humiliation and pain she and her friends caused? Can you really forgive someone who was so mean and aggressive toward you?
I remember rejecting Tanya only because I was worried the others would laugh at me. I feel shameful. How can I judge Samantha for something I’m also capable of? Perhaps, there’s more similarity between us than I thought. We both have something rotten and mean inside. Inner weakness, being afraid of going against the crowd. So how can I hate her if we’re the same? And as for the latest incident during the race when Samantha pushed me and almost made me fall… well, I guess I could do that type of thing if I felt my life was in danger. I’m not a genuinely good or nice girl.
“I forgive you,” I say.
Samantha thanks me, crying more. She looks at me sadly and mutters, “I miss my family so much. I never wanted to be sold. And now… we’re all going to die, aren’t we? The chimeras will kill us all sooner or later.”
Although Samantha and I are no longer enemies, I still don’t trust her too far. And I can’t involve her in our plot to escape.
“We’ll be all right,” I lie. “We’ll survive and earn our freedom.”
“Freedom?” Samantha sighs. “But I’ve never wanted to be free. I wouldn’t know what to do. Even the thought of freedom scares me.”
I spend a few more minutes with her and then continue my search for Trent.
***
I find Trent doing pull ups at the training field, although we’re dismissed from any training over the next two days. He smiles upon seeing me. I can’t understand how he can appear so happy after everything that’s happened. Six of us are now dead, including my friend Topaz.
I clue him in to Amy’s plan.
“Kora!” Trent exclaims. “Are you insane?”
“Please, listen to me,” I plead. “If we just stay here, we’ll all be killed. None of us has a real chance to survive all the way through. Just think about it. Brutus and Joan are the only survivors after so many years and…”
“Don’t say that!” he cuts me off. “We can do it. We’ve survived one race and can survive a few more.”
“You know it’s impossible.”
“Stop it. I don’t want to hear about any more stupid plans you and your friend came up with.”
Still emotional after my conversation with Samantha, I begin crying, hating myself for being so sensitive. Trent sighs, watching me.
“Kora, the masters would hunt you down,” he says. “Do you realize what they do with runaways?”
I nod. I’ve heard stories before. They give you the whip, then burn you at a stake, or maybe cut off your head.
“Where would you go anyway?” Trent asks.
“To Bastion,” I mutter. “Or possibly try to find Jingfay.”
“Oh,” he rolls his eyes. “Jingfay is just a silly myth. She never even existed. Do you still believe in fairy tales? As for going to Bastion, you’d have to cross the Dark Land where roamers live.”
“So what?” I ask, trying to hold back more tears. “The roamers are just runaway servants, right?”
“Wrong! They’re killers and rapists, Kora. They hunt down and torture travelers. They sometimes even attack nearby villages and kidnap women and children. Do you understand what would happen should you run into one of them? Do you have any idea?”
“We could fight,” I snap. “Maybe Dennis and Sandro will choose to leave with us. Together, we’ll be able to defend ourselves.”
“Forget it, Kora,” Trent grins. “You’re not a fighter. You’re just not built for that. You’re a racer.”
My heart aches. I realize that Trent won’t agree to leave with us. And it’s likely I’ll never see him again should I escape.
“Why don’t you want to leave with me?” I ask, choking on the words. “We’d be free. Don’t you want to be free?”
“Runaway servants are never free, Kora. And that’s definitely not something I want to get involved with. I hope to earn my freedom through hard work, and maybe later become one of Samuel’s guards. Can you imagine? I’ve never before so much as dreamt about becoming a guard of the high master. But now I do believe I can do it. I’m one of the fastest racers and can find a way to survive five more hunts.”
But I’m one of the slowest, I want to shout. I barely survived the first race.
“Trent,” I utter. “I don’t want to leave without you.”
“Then stay here with me,” he says, touching my chin gently and looking into my eyes. “Choose to believe in yourself. You’re a good runner. You can survive five more races and earn your freedom as well. So please, don’t do anything foolish. I truly don’t want you to leave. I’d miss you and worry about you.”
“Really?” I ask.
“Really.” He smiles. “Promise to not run away.”
“I promise,” I sigh, gazing up at him. “You’re right. It was a stupid thought.”
Trent pulls me closer and kisses my lips, relieved that I gave up on the idea. He doesn’t realize that I’ve just lied to make him happy.
***
I find Amy sitting on her bed, wearing a grim expression on her face.
“Dennis and Sandro have refused to escape,” she reports.
“Trent is out too,” I sigh, feeling heartbroken.
Martha wakes up and we spend the next hour trying to persuade her to leave with us. Looking terrified, the little girl shakes her head negatively. She finally jumps off her bed and runs out of the room. I realize Martha won’t join us because she’s too scared of angering her master. And I suddenly recall Gabriel’s words how none of us ever have any real freedom, doing only what we’ve been taught to do.
“So it’s only you and I for now,” Amy states.
“Looks like,” I sigh, feeling nervous. Should Gabriel learn about our plan, if he catches us… I force myself to stop thinking. We have to escape or we’ll become the main course in a chimera’s supper.
Amy and I agree to escape in about two weeks. The next several days we rest and eat as much as possible. At night we discuss our plan, convincing each other how everything will be all right. Still, we remain hesitant and feel scared, because the future is unknown and there’s no telling what may happen.
I sometimes wonder how everything could turn out so wrong and messed up so quickly. How could all my dreams end in such great disappointment? I was hoping to make something out of myself, become somebody, prove that I’m not worthless. And now there’s no choice left but to give up on everything and leave those dreams behind. Is it the right thing to do or am I making a mistake? Might Trent be correct in believing that I could survive the next five races? Maybe I should stay here and train harder and…
But then I remember running from the furious chimeras and realize I don’t want to have to ever do it again. I must set myself free.
Unfortunately, Amy and I don’t get a chance to escape as planned. On the tenth day following the Terror Race, Gabriel comes to the track to watch our progress. Something bad is coming…
CHAPTER 13
I feel his sharp gaze following me. I hunch my shoulders and continue jogging, willing myself to look straight ahead. He stands at the edge of the track, dressed in a snow-white shirt, brown slacks and gloves. Seeing those gloves makes the skin on my neck tingle and I feel strangled, temporarily forgetting how to breathe.
“Why did he show up here?” Amy whispers, jogging beside me. “What do you think he wants from us now?”
I pretty much know what Gabriel wants. I’m sure he intends to finish the job his father interrupted. He intends to wrap his hands around my throat and choke the life out of me.
Don’t look at him, I tell myself. Don’t show fear.
My legs weaken and my heart beats so fast that I begin to hyperventilate. I think about our coming escape and freedom. I imagine Amy and I travelling through the woods, heading toward Bastion. I think of anything I can to distract myself.