A/N Another update! Let me know what you think.
The crack sounded incredibly loud.
Letting out an ear shattering scream, the searing pain arrived a split second later; a white hot agony. The Soldier had dislocated my right shoulder. Whimpering, my lip trembled but no tears slipped from my eyes. There's no point in crying. There's no point in letting him see the vulnerable side of me. Letting go, the Soldier pushed me off of his body and I rolled limply onto the floor beside him.
I suppose the last straw was drawn when I attempted to remove the object that kept his identity safe. It was a weak move on my part, but it was the only one I could think of that might get him to stop. The Soldier got up from the floor and I groaned in pain as I clutched my shoulder. Peering down at me from above, he held a solid glare in his narrowed eyes. It was if he were scolding me on my crude decision making.
Taking in shallow and shaky breaths, I watched as the Soldier took a step back; signalling that the session is over. Grunting as I stood, I stumbled my way out of the private room. I looked over to the three remaining girls who waited for their turn to face the menace. Good luck, I snickered to myself. The Soldier's worse than I thought he'd be. Stronger. Smarter.
Katlin immediately joined my side as I slid down to sit against the concrete wall. A harsh throb had set in my aching bone. I'm grateful in a way. The Soldier could have broken it if he wanted too, but instead he left me with a small mercy. Looking down to inspect my injury, I could see the jarred bone prodding at a deformed angle against my skin. It's a gross site.
"You don't look as bad as the rest" spoke Katlin. She hadn't noticed my shoulder.
I nodded in agreement to her statement. Even if I have a dislocated shoulder and a split lip, I didn't receive the same brutal outcome as a majority of the other girls. Then again, I doubt any of the others would have tried to choke him half to death like I had.
Keeping my shoulder hidden as Katlin sat next to me, her red locks are plaited to the side. Her knees are up against her chest, arms wrapped around to hug them tight. She's one of the last three to go in, and unlike me, she has no idea what she's walking into. I would have told her if I thought it might have helped, but it's better that Katlin doesn't worry herself. She needs to be calm, not frightened.
Another half an hour passed as the last girls and Katlin had entered only limp back out. Defeat is written on all their bruises faces. The door to the combat room opened and doctor Krupin stepped in "Ladies, settle down now" following behind him are the others girls that had been sent to the medical bay "My, my, look at you all. Judging from the site of it, I can only presume you've met your new instructor – not an inch unscathed" Krupin tisked as if he were expecting more "No matter. I'm sure you'll put in much more effort in the future"
Moving to stand in a formed single line in the middle of the room, I watched as the Soldier creeped out from the darkness of the private room. The bright light shining down on his solid form did little to make any of us comfortable. He still looks formidable. A permanent shadow seemed to linger around him, following the man wherever he went. Standing tall, the Soldier is silent and still.
You wouldn't think that he'd be capable of having such stealth, considering his heavy frame and clothing. But never the less, the Soldier was quiet as he began to circle the line of us girls. Not daring to twitch or move a single muscle, he stalked down the line behind us; one step at a time. A slight rustling noise and click echoed out, the sound being deliberate; making some of us anxious of his next move.
Stepping back into our view, we all looked as the Soldier clutched a gun his left hand; the silver of his metal hand contrasting against the black metal of the weapon. What is he going to do? Kill us? Krupin stepped forward to stand a stride away from the Soldier. The doctors' hands are clasped behind his back as he looked at us through his glasses.
"Unknown to you all, today was a test" started Krupin "A test that determines whether or not you're worth keeping in the program. Some of you passed" in a flash of metal, the Soldier raised his gun and fired a bullet. A thud sounded beside me as Ashley's body fell to the floor "And some of you were unsuccessful. Very soon, you'll find out who those people are" Krupin looked at the Soldier "Continue"
We watched as Krupin left the training room. I admit, it's an unexpected turn of events, but it was bound to happen. It's illogical to keep the ones that aren't able to keep up. I don't know how many girls would be dead by the end of the day, but doubt it would be many. It's too early in the game. As the minutes passed, bodies continued to drop one after the other; Eliza being among them. When the Soldier had finished, he holstered his gun.
"Leave" he said with a gravelly voice. I took note that there's eighteen of us left now, including Rachel and Katlin. I guess the kill count was nine.
The rest of the afternoon went quietly, especially dinner. The guards on the other side were mumbling to themselves about where the rest of us were. They hadn't been told yet, although I'm sure they'll figure it out. Sitting down at my table in the corner, the seriousness of my predicament had begun to roll over me in waves. Today's happenings only served as a reminder to me that I needed to step up my game, or I'll be next to drop dead.
Once again handcuffed to our beds, it's now mandatory procedure every night. Drifting off to sleep, I'd hoped that I might dream of something a little more peaceful, but unfortunately I'm not that lucky. Instead the events of the eliminations today played in the back of my mind like an old cinematic recording; the gun shots becoming louder with every kill.
None of us except myself had ever been forced to take a life. The people that I'd known since a baby don't know what it feels like to carry that weight, at least not yet. Although I know they'll have to eventually, and sooner that we all might think.
Gasping into the night air, my body felt like a furnace as I began to heat up. Tugging on my cuffs, I pushed down the blanket and the cool air made me shiver as it touched my searing skin. Taking laboured breaths, I began to tremble as beads of sweat rolled off of my skin to wet the sheets. I'm getting sick, a fever maybe.
Reaching up with my free hand, I fumbled around with a bobby pin from my hair and unlocked the link that bonded me to the metal frame. Swinging my legs over the edge, I got up on two shaky legs. I feel so dizzy and my stomach is churning. Making sure none of the other girls are awake, I stumbled out of the sleeping quarters and over to the shower.
It's still late at night as I turned the tap on one of the stalls. Getting under the spray of water, I tried to cool down but nothing seemed to be working. If anything I feel worse than before. My insides feel like shards of broken glass as a hoarse cough raked my body. Spluttering, I clutched my chest as I bend over to heave a mass of red, almost black fluid all over the floor and half tiled wall. My blurry eyes narrowed down at the site.
What's happening? I know it isn't anything ordinary, but I'd never seen anything like this before. Light headedness consumed me as I fell to my knees and slid down to a sitting position; the wall being the only thing able to keep me upright. The cold water continued to pour onto me from above as my vision continued to go in and out. There's something off into the distance.
I couldn't be certain, but a shadow had walked to crouch down in front of me. Taking my chin in their warm hand, they wiped away the few wet strands of hair from my eyes "Katya" the figure knows my name, but it sounds more like a dull echo to my ears.
Squinting, I tried desperately to see who the person might be, but I can't focus. Another harsh cough raked my body making me bend forward. More discoloured fluid dribbled from my lips to streak down my chin. It turned the water an odd colour as it whirled down the drain. There's pain all over; like sharp stabbing and acid in my veins.
The figure shook me a little and called my name again "Katya" that's when I saw it, a glint of something shiny and silver to my right. The world was coming into focus as I looked again. It's him, the Soldier. Is he helping? How did he find me? Is he supposed to be here? A million questions ran through my mind.
Clutching my face in his hands, I instinctively leant into his touch as the cold metal of his left arm soothed my burning skin. The Soldiers grey eyes wandered over my body and face as he inspected me; trying to figure out what was happening. Finding the courage to speak, I asked "What's wrong with me?" my voice sounds weak and frail.
The Soldier didn't hold back when he answered "You're dying" glancing down at my lap, I coughed again. Coming to a conclusion, I was pulled forward and into the Soldiers strong arms. Hooking an arm around his neck as he held under my knees and behind my back, he carried me to the medical bay "Someone poisoned you. Why?" he asked.
"I don't know"
My windpipe felt as if it might close over. I can barely breathe, and when we entered into the deserted medical bay, I started to convulse. My eyes squeezed shut as I clutched onto the Soldier uniform. Black fluid dripped from my mouth to form a wet patch on his shoulder. Quickly lying me down on the gurney, he'd turned back around to sift through the cupboards and draws.
Coming back over, he tugged down my pants and pulled the cap off a silver pen-like needle. Stabbing in the top left thigh, his hand rubbed the spot to make the injection spread faster. It only took a few moments for my body to stop twitching from the convulsion. My breathing slowly evened out to normal.
Once he knew I was alright, the Soldier turned back around to collect several items onto the metal trolley. Dazed, my eyes are half lidded as I stared a wall scattered with medical diagrams. Grabbing hold of my right arm, the Soldier searched for a vein before sliding it in and attaching a thin plastic tube. Watching as my blood ran out into a bucket situated below, he grabbed two blood bags labelled with my name and attached them to an I.V stand.
Walking around the other side of the gurney, the Soldier inserted another needle into my left arm before hooking it up to the blood bags. I knew what was going on, but my energy had been drained. I couldn't find it in me to ask or say anything as the Soldier started the process to filter my blood; not even a thank you. All that I could really do is wait until it's all over and hope that it works.