I shake my head. “I have a feeling this is going to be a bloodbath.”
Cameron’s mouth firms as he takes in my nervous state. “Depends on the trial. We’ll find out soon.” His calm demeanor doesn’t make me feel any better.
The entrance is made of a black metallic wall that has a garage door type of opening for us to enter. I’m hit with a blast of hot air from the heaters above and the scent of steel. The walls are silvery metal and reflect the harsh lights in every angle. It’s damn near impossible to keep your eyes open. There’s a line of tables and soldiers on each side of the room. I’m directed to the left, while Cameron gets pushed to the right.
I swallow anxiously, facing the long black table and the people across it with serious expressions. One soldier shoves a black bag into my arms without a word, then I’m walking down the line to the next person. Another takes me in before tossing me a different mask than the others were given. Mine has a hard skull face while the others are just black fabric ones.
What the fuck.
We’re told to secure the masks over our faces, tuck our hair into our jackets if it’s long, and then strap our helmets atop our heads.
Right at the exit, I’m handed a black combat knife. The officer grabs my wrist and pushes up my sleeve. He secures a black flexible band there with the number one hundred and one flashing on the screen.
“Bend your head down,” the soldier beside him orders gruffly. He has a huge syringe in his hand. My knees feel weak, but I do as he says and shut my eyes as he sticks me with the needle. It burns for a few seconds, then fades. “Next.” He shoves me along and I’m left rubbing at my neck, eyes widening at the small bump that now exists there.
A tracker?Jesus, they’re treating us like animals.
I’m jogging to keep up with the people in front of me. I can’t tell any of them apart, not even the women from the men. Worry ebbs at my jaw. I’ll never know which one is Cameron. Not when we’re covered head to toe and with only moonlight to see.
A cadet strides close beside me, his long legs indicating he could be Cameron, but I can’t bet on it. He hooks his thumbs through the shoulder straps of his vest. The black mask is made of thick fabric and conceals everything completely except for his eyes. His has a skull face just like mine does.
Mori. A symbol of death.
We’re being singled out on purpose.My blood chills, and I can already see the others looking at us more than anyone else. Obviously, because we stand out like goddamn glow sticks.
Cameron looks down at me as I’m still rubbing my neck, the arch in his eyes alluding to a smile.
“What’re you looking at?” I quip, furrowing my brows and turning my eyes straight ahead.
His fingers flare out innocently, his thumbs still hooked around his vest straps as he says, “Nothing, just admiring how well Nolan fucked us in this first trial. Don’t worry, though. I haven’t killed anyone in over a month, so I’m pretty jacked up.I’ll leave some for you.” He winks at me. “Welcome to the pack, love. I certainly hope you’re ready to get your hands a little red.”
“My hands are definitely more than a little red,” I grumble back.
Just don’t come for me.I glare at him as he pointedly looks at my neck. Lieutenant Erik said he gets unhinged after exertion. Sex was one thing. I can already see his pupils dilating with the excitement to kill.
“Yeah, I meant fresh.” He shoulders me playfully.
My eyes dip to my hands. By the end of this first day, I know they’ll be stained. I’m no stranger to stains. I clench my fists.I’ll do whatever I have to in order to survive.
Cameron brushes his gloved hand over my neck. “Like the little trackers we get?”
I knew it. “Does it do anything besides track?” I ask in a hushed tone.
He stares at me for a moment before muttering, “Let’s just say you don’t want to leave anything to chance in the trials.” He puts his hand against his neck and mimics an explosion with his voice and hand.
Bile rises in my throat. “What?”I whisper-shout. “There’s a fucking explosive in our necks?”
Cameron chuckles and pats my helmet. “Well, yeah. They aren’t just going to set all of us free out here. You’ll be fine as long as you stay inbounds,” he says smoothly, and the lack of worry in his voice is at least a little comforting. As we near the group, trudging through the snow, he’s still watching my every movement.
I glare at him. “What?”
“I’m just memorizing your traits.” He looks over the other cadets and seems to be assessing them as well, letting his gaze linger longer over the more threatening ones. I should try to follow his lead and learn as much as I can, but my hands aretrembling with anxiety. It’s the same feeling as studying for an exam for months and then having the sensation that you’ve forgotten everything the moment you’re handed your paper.
Reed never trained me for this scenario. I’m used to having a very planned out method with high tech. Not going up against a hundred other cadets who are trying to survive like I am.
I know Cameron’s been through the trials before, but how can he not be concerned at all? He’s acting like this isn’t life or death, ours and the other cadets. Or maybe it’s just that he doesn’t care at all. We reach the other recruits and stand at the back.
Adams is waiting at the head of the group just as he promised, and once the last cadet joins us he clears his throat. “Trial One: How well do you know your partners? In the battlefield, you won’t have the luxury of asking who’s your squadmate and who’s the enemy. You need to know without a shadow of a doubt who is who within a split second. As you’ve been informed in the prior weeks, you are allowed to team up with whomever you wish for this trial in particular. But how well do you know the soldiers you’ve sworn your loyalty to? Can you find them before they’re killed, you kill them, or they kill you?”
