Chapter 4

I came face to face with a tiger. It snarled in my face and puffed air out it's nose. I heard the large metal grates slide to a close behind me and I froze. It's breath was hot on my face, I refused to move. My eyes darted over to the door on the opposite side of the room that was materializing. It was similar to the one I once saw when I was in an airplane, I was staring at it when we had to fasten our seatbelts and my stomach had been doing backflips. It made me sick to my stomach again, not that the tiger helped. I sucked in a deep breath and took a step to my right. I held my breath as I watched the tiger out of the corner of my eye. It stayed in place, laying on the ground, but still watching me closely. It's eyes roaming around the room, body tense. I felt like I was turning blue, I began to feel lightheaded. I let out the breath I was holding in a rush and regained my composure for a minute. I sucked another breath and took a step to the right again, planning to slowly make my way to the corner of the room and move around the tiger. It still held it's place as I slowly progressed to the corner of the room. It was agonizing as each step I darted my eyes back to the tiger, praying that he wouldn't move.

I felt like I was tempting fate, pushing the limits by going so slow. But then, maybe I was only making it this far because I was going so slow. No matter what, I didn't want to test that theory. I was now standing next to the wall, hypervenalating. I could do this, I thought. I slowly stuck out my foot, only a couple of inches i front of me, not wanting to push my luck. I leaned foward onto my foot and slowly brought foward my other leg. The tiger's head whipped around to face me. How could he even hear that? I thought. I repeated the step, going a little bit faster. If he could already see me it doesn't matter now. The tiger turned to me and growled, bearing it's fangs. It still didn't budge from it's spot. I saw the hairs on it's back standing straight up and I waited until it relaxed. My rational mind still working. I took another step foward, sucking in a shaky breath.

The tiger took a menacing step foward, growling and my stomach lurched. It looked away, following a sound from another room and I took that chance to step foward. The tiger bounded over to me, roaring with fury. A deep sound came from my throat and I felt tears fill my eyes as I held myself still. I felt my knees giving out only seconds before they did. I dropped to the ground, biting hard on my lip to keep from crying, and then from my nervous, and completely insane, laughter. The fast movement had startled the tiger and it had come even closer.

I whimpered and slid out my hands slowly, watching the tiger. I pulled myself across the floor, moving a few inches. The tiger didn't this as threatening, it didn't move. I repeated the motion, puffing out my cheeks. The tiger followed me slowly as I crawled slowly across the room, taking each motion as slowly as I could. My lips tasted like they were bleeding because I was biting on them so hard to keep from choking out sounds as silent tears streaked down my face. I was a few inches from the door now. I stopped, the tiger breathing in my ear. I reached up for the handle, slowly and carefully, stretching my arm out completely and leaning foward on my hand.

Time froze as I reached out to the handle, it was just far enough away that I had to lean completely foward on my hand, bending my wrist in ways that gave it extreme cramps. I felt like I was about to fall foward on my face, I silently prayed I wouldn't. Stretching out to my max, I finally reached the doorknob. My fingers clutched the cool metal of the airplane shoot door and I relaxed and almost cheered outright at my victory. But I still had one more thing to do.

Twisting the knob, I shifted slightly so my feet were flat on the ground in a crouch. I took deep breaths and counted silently in my head. One... Two... Three! I yanked open the door, throwing my body out it at the same time. The tiger roared behind me and I threw all my weight into it. I swung around as soon as I was out the door and slammed it shut. Not even a second later, the door shook under the tiger's full weight slamming against it.

I sagged back against the door, breathing for a moment with my eyes closed. I opened them when I heard a tiger from another room, it was mad. I heard shouts and willed myself to get up. I felt wetness on my arm and realized the bite mark I had gotten from the wolves had split open more. I was gushing. I was afriad that I would lose too much blood so I applied pressure with my hand. I leaned back again and listened to the sounds from the other rooms, I felt hands on my arm. I screamed and pulled back.

The host was standing a few inches from me, slightly bending over my arm with a bandage wrap in his hand. His eyes were wide with shock as he looked at my face. He started to pull back but I shook my head, "It's okay, sorry I didn't know you were in here." I smiled like there was nothing awkward going on. He bent his head and skillfully wrapped up my arm in a quick second. He looked up ay me and smiled.
"All better." His face contorted in what looked like pain and he stepped back from me a little. "You look tense, I could..." He drifted off as he came up behind me and rubbed circles on my back.

I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch, I couldn't help it, I was so tense and stressed. I had to wait for everyone else to come through the doors anyway, right? His fingers worked down around my neck, out to my shoulders. I sighed and my head felt too heavy. It dropped foward and my hair dangled in front of my eyes. I thought I heard the faint sound of a door opening and then I heard heavy breathing. I opened my eyes a bit to see Matt staring at me and the host. He had a tense expression, then he seemed to shake himself, he looked outright furious.

"What are you doing to her?" Matt exclaimed, striding quickly across the room and practically knocking down the host when he shoved him away from me. I flicked my head up, I felt like I was coming out of a trance, my vision clouded, I felt a little drowsy.
"I'm fine, he was just massaging my back." I mumbled, or tried to, but it came out all slurred and weird sounding. Matt darted a glance at me and pulled my arm so I was standing by him. He wrapped an arm around my waist as I started to fall to the side.

I was confused, another test maybe? The man had seemed so nice though. I felt drowsy still, it wasn't much better than before. Connor and Brendyn flew out the door and slammed it shut. They looked around the room and sagged in relief, which passed as soon as they saw the scene before them.
"What's going on?" Brendyn asked the same time Connor came rushing over to our side, already seeing the tension, and the line that separated us from the host.
"It's nothing." I slurred.

Brendyn prickled at my voice and looked confused, "Mel are you okay?" He came over to me and motioned for Matt to let me go. He did, without taking his eyes off the man, who was quickly backing up into the darkness. He shot one last look and me and disappeared. I felt Matt's hand letting me go and I got ready to steady myself, only succeeding in fallling over into Brendyn.
"What's wrong with you Mel?"
The thoughts came slowly, but I looked down on the wrap that the man had put on me. "The wrap, I think i'm drugged." but it came out as, "Thwarp, thinim drugg'd."
"Your drugged?" Brendyn asked, the only thing out of the sentence he understood. I held up my arm, mustering all my strength. It dropped back down, but Brendyn new what I meant. He ripped it off and we all stared at the liquid that had been inside the wrap.
Matt gasped and Ryan finally came out the door, his clothes slightly messy. Matt sniffed the liquid-y stuff and choked. "She's been drugged," he confirmed, "I think this is our third test." Then I passed out.