Death's Game

Death's Game(Lydia Moore) Prologue
“You probably only have three days,” the stone faced guard said, “Good luck.” The gargantuan steel doors opened slowly as the guard crept back into safety; leaving him to face the underworld. He stepped out into the sun, the actual sun, and gazed at his surroundings. It was all barren, not a living thing in sight. However, he knew better.
“Time to get moving,” he thought to himself. As he walked away from the doors, they came together with a huge bang. That’s when the moaning started.
He had heard the Marowleath’s cries before but it had always been muffled by the dome around them. The sound was deafening and it was like a base note that droned through emptiness. They started to creep out of every crevice and cranny, coming for him. The door had woken them from their downed state. Their looks were even worse than the sound. Most of them were caked in their own blood. Many of them didn’t have one or two limbs attached. Some were crawling towards him, deported to infect; desperate to kill. The eyes were the worst. They were gaping holes of nothing. Sightless pits that only saw the victim they wanted, him. There were more than he could have ever anticipated. Tens of thousands converged towards him like starving locusts. Quickly, he took out his machete and prepared himself for the end. He did fairly well at keeping them at bay, but there were so many of them. Their hungry hands reached to grab a hold of him so that they could tear him apart and get the blood they so badly wanted. It was a sea of hands and mouths as they circled him and cornered him. All he felt was the smallest pinch on his upper left arm. That was all it took for them to know that their job was done.He knew what had happened; so did the Marowleaths.
Just as quickly as they had come, they left. Their job was finished. Time was no longer on his side. He saw the blood and could feel the infection eat through him like a roaring fire that would never be put out till he turned. He knew that there was only one way to stop the spread, but could he do it? Could he take his own life? He knew his answer. He also knew that he would never see his wife or newborn baby girl ever again. He was now a Marowleath.
***
16 years later
“Alex! Get yourself out of bed! You don’t want to be late for your SAQ!” my mother yelled from the kitchen in our small apartment. “You don’t want them to think that you are chronically late!”
I slowly uncurled myself from the covers and slithered out of bed. Begrudgingly, I put on a t-shirt and jeans and headed to the kitchen with the smell of freshly made eggs and toast. I mumbled a thinks and started chewing. It took me about five minutes to let my mother’s words really sink in. Today was the SAQ. The nervous butterflies that usually come when I take a test started their normal routine with me. They knotted in my stomach and then crept into my lungs and started to make me hyperventilate. The only thing that I could think to do was look out our kitchen window and see the pale blue opaque dome that separated us from the Marowleaths. If I don’t do well today, I might be out there in just a few days. Thinking that just made it worse for me and my butterfly companions. My mother must have noticed my reaction because she stood up came behind me and gave the biggest bear hug.
“You’ll do fine my love,” she soothed, “ Just remember, that you have studied for this thing for months, and you are good at playing the piano and singing. There is nothing to worry about.”
I smiled a shaky smile, “I hope your right.”
She smiled back, more confident than me, “ I know that I’m right. You have your father’s brains and my talent for the piano. The Lord knows how you have that amazing voice. You are my precious daughter. I know you can do it.”
I unwrapped myself for her hug and felt a little more reassured. She always knew what to say to make me feel better. I finished eating my breakfast and got my stuff ready. Since everyone in my grade was taking the test, we only had to have our lunch. I punched in the code into the Transportation 2.9 and stepped in side. My mother was watching me as I was in there. I waved to her and smile. She smiled back, but it didn’t reach her eyes. Both she and I knew that this could be the last time that we see each other in this little apartment. In that one second, I knew that I had to pass this test. I had to see her again. In that moment, I was ignorant to realize that it was the last moment of normalcy.

It always feels weird when you go through the Transportation 2.9. It feels like you are being separated from your body and then put back into it in another place. That’s how I got school that nerve racking day. That’s how I bumped into him.
“Hey! Watch where you’re going! You might be late to the tests but I’m not going to be!” the dark black shadow said.
“You know Caleb! You really get on my nerves! What in the world did I ever do to you!” I screamed at him. Nothing like a fight before the test of our lives.
“You’re blocking my way and I need to be as far away for you as I can.” he sneered,”Hey! Does anyone know why they let this dodo bird into the school?”
“You know Caleb? You are just a jerk!” I retorted back, “ You.... Grrrrrrrr!” I started storming away because I knew that if I’d stayed, there would be a fight. That’s my only flaw that the testers won’t like. I have a bad temper.
“Yeah, like I haven’t heard that before!” He scoffed, as he walked away in the other direction.
The storm clouds didn’t dissipate from my head for quite a while. The nerve of that guy! What was up with him! We used to be the best of friends since we were in first grade. Ever since we started high school, he just sort of left me and we all on a sudden became apart. Which is a such a shame because he turned into tall dark and dreamy. I mean, he is so cute. With his black shaggy hair and lean form... what am I thinking, he is such a jerk!
“Hello! Hey Alex, are you in there?” All of a sudden, a hand waved in my face. he chuckled, “Are you in there? Earth to Alex.”
“Oh! Hey Dorien. I...I didn’t see you there. My mind was somewhere over the rainbow.” I stammered. Now here’s a guy that I have known for years that is the the perfect fairy-tale prince. His sun-kissed skin matches perfectly with his mahogany hair. But, it’s his eyes that strike every available bachelorette. His crystal blue pools drown me about every day.
“So, are you ready for the SAQ? I know that I’m not.” He said, playfully slumping his shoulders, which is all an act of course. Around here, we all need to keep up our guard. You never know what the government will think is treason.
“I honestly don’t know. You never know what could be on the test.” I said. That’s when the bell rang and the announcement.
The crisp clear automated voice rang clearly,” Attention all seniors! Attention all seniors! Please report to your designated Transportation 2.9 and punch in the code that is on your screen. And as always, good luck to you on the most important test of your life.”
I took a deep breath and stepped in. You can do it, I told myself, this is what I have trained for. Well, that’s what I had thought actually. I had never thought of what would come next.

The transporter took me to a small white room. The only idea of what I was supposed to do was the black ominous door right in front of me. I slowly, with uncertainty, opened the door in to another room, this time with two doors. What the...? Was all could think before the loud booming voice echoed through the small room.
“Ms. Alex River, please choose the door you think is the right one. But, be warned, one wrong answer will make you transport to the next part of the test.” Then, all was silent.
The door on the right was a weird purple, like the blood of the Marowteaths. The other was the color blue, like our national flag. Taking a deep uncertain breath, I choose the national flag. Once I stepped through, I saw a small girl in a white gown crumpled on the floor heaving huge sobs. Blood pooled around her heaving body. When I ran over to her, I saw all the bite marks on her body. That’s where all the blood had come from. She looked up at me with big doe eyes. I knew what she was going to want me to do.
“Hel.....help me.” She whispered shakily. “I... I need to get back to my mother. I need to tell her that I didn’t...” She never finished her sentence, or if she did I didn’t hear her. I knew what the testing officials wanted me to do. Our rules state that if someone is bitten, the person who finds them must leave them to die their death.
“Please! Don’t leave me here!” She wailed. I knew I shouldn’t look back, but I did. That’s when she started to turn. Her voice transformed into a low moan. I had heard them scream before, but only on TV or muffled through the dome. The moan was sickly and deafening. She lay there, her eyes fixed on nothing but me, the potential prey. That’s when her body went still. That was not a good sign. I stood there transfixed, as her eyes slowly came out of their sockets. A loud pop sucked the eyes to the floor. They slowly rolled towards my feet and hit them with a light tap.A scream died in my throat; I knew that I needed to be quiet. But the loud bang that came from nowhere didn’t follow those same virtues. The Marowleath stirred, slowly at first, till her sockets caught sight of me. She lunged for me, her tiny hands wanting to infect me. I was trapped, there was no where to run or hide. My limbs froze as she came closer, closer; her hands stretched out. They wanted me; desired my flesh and pure clean blood. All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, i saw a dagger waiting for me. That’s when my instinct kicked in. As quick as a flash, I grabbed the dagger, turned, swung, and sliced it through the neck flesh of the tiny Marowleath. Thank goodness we had basic training in elementary school!Her head rolled to the side and collapsed on the ground. Her body slumped to the floor without the possession of the head. I sighed in relief, thank goodness that was over. That’s when the voice came back.
“ Congratulations Ms. River,” The voice said, almost like it was amused, “Please, walk through the door, and prepare for the next part of the test.”
A solid black door appeared out of nowhere, indicating that was where I should go. Taking a deep breathe, I strode through it with my heart in my throat. I knew that the hardest was yet to come. The worst was inevitable. I knew that I was not prepared for it. In front of me was a small classroom sized desk. The only two things that were on it were a pencil and pretty hefty looking packet. The only other thing to keep me company was a read digital clock that said 60 minutes. Once I sat down the clock started to count down. My second test had begun.I looked at the first set of problems that were labeled “History”.
“What is the current capital of our country?”
I knew this one! It was so easy. I wrote “Los Angeles”. “Okay,” I thought to myself, “So far so good”. Frankly, I am not a very good test taker. My hands get all sweaty and I think that I am doing great, but when I get it back, I usually get a C or a D. However, since History and Literature are my best subjects, I went through those with ease. When I looked at the clock again, it read 30 minutes. The next section was science, and of course, the first question was something that I had learned in 3rd grade. How was I supposed to remember that?
It read “Name at least 10 elements and put them in atomic order, make the element of the Marowleath one of those ten.”
“Oh great!” I groaned aloud. I then skipped to the next one which wasn’t much better.
“What are the key components in how to make the structure of the domes, also explain why the Biodensity of the domes can’t contain more than it’s full capacity of what it is right now.”
I pondered over these two and a couple of others until I realized that there were only 10 minutes left. The clock seemed to mock me with each second that ticked away.It definately wasn’t my compatriot now. I have to admit I’m not very good under pressure. Come to think of it, I hadn’t even started the math questions yet!
7 minutes.
I frantically jotted answers here and there. I barely comprehended the questions that I read, and I knew I wasn’t going to finish, but i had to keep trying. This was life or death kind of stuff! Literally!
5 minutes.
More and more answers just turned into gibberish. Nothing made sense, bits and pieces of words flew through her head and out the other side. I still hadn’t even touched the Math!
1 minute.
My heart raced, my hands dripped beads of sweat and landed in Small puddles on the floor. All I could think was, I had to finish, I just had to. I dove into the last section like it was a life or death situation. Well, technically, it was.
30 seconds.
One, maybe two more answers could be filled. At this point, I knew I was done for. Why did I have to a such a nervous test taker? Then, I saw one question at the very back that read in bold, TAKE ON THIS QUESTION ONLY IF YOU DARE!
Then the question came to me, “ Didn’t some of my classmates say that there is one question on this test that if you get it right, you’ll get all the other answers right? This must be the question!” She read it fast and fervently. She could see that there was an obvious answer, but what was it.
10 seconds.
Just as she looked at the clock it came to her. She quickly wrote down the answer just as horn blazed for her to stopped. The voice then told her to report back to the school to await her results.
***
Two men sat in the conference room like shadows as they watched the tapes of the SAQ’s. They said nothing to each other except after each person’s individual tapes to discuss if they that specimen should be accepted or not. Both men were highly trained generals that had been awarded multitudes of medals in their years. One was older with gray spots of hair, the other was younger with a small scar on his upper left arm. They stopped the tape of their next specimen to be examined.
“So, what do you think we should do with this one?” the older man asked, “ She is intelligent and brave.”
“What were her test scores again?” The other asked, sounding a little bored, even though his eyes portrayed something that he was not telling the other.
The gray haired examined her scores again. “97 out of 100. She also got the special answer as well.” he paused for a moment, “There’s something you're not telling me.” He inquired, his eyes showing very little, but his tone telling a lot more.
“Nothing that you should be worried about.” he replied smoothly. Changing the subject, “So we’re in agreement?”
The old fellow nodded and placed the official seal over their answer.
***
I was back at my school’s lunchroom waiting for me results. When I had gotten there there was about maybe two people who had finished before me. They both sat on opposite sides of the room, one was pacing while the other was twiddling his thumbs. In reality, I felt like I had the emotions of both of them mixed into my tiny body. I was strangely calm and confident about my results, but yet I wouldn’t doubt if I chewed all my fingernails off before the results came in.
It was maybe an hour before anyone else came back. Then, they started to trickle in by twos or threes. They were all like a silent heard of dumb sheep. No one said a word or even spoke to their friends when they sat down. They could not and would not share what happened to them in their test. That was certain death since everyone was always watched. Frankly, for me, that was not such a bad idea. I shivered just thinking about that little girl.
Dorian came in looking as shell shocked as I felt. He slowly sat down and put his head in his hands. A huge sigh crept out of lips and into the air. I leaned up against him trying to comfort him. He took my hand shakily, and turned to look at me with an understanding eye. My heart raced just by looking in those deep blue eyes. When in the world had I ever came to like him like this? We sat there for who knows how long until the intercom came on.
“Attention students! Attention!”, the voice said,” The results are in.” The lights went dark, as if this was a freaky game show. A screen projected itself onto the wall in an eerie red with the black lettering that read, Candidates that are going into the Game. This was it, this was the moment my would change for ever. Would I live or be sacrificed for the sake of the “community’s betterment”?. I squeezed Dorian’s hand as if it was a sacred life line. If I didn’t know better, he was doing the same. The screen changed to reveal ten names in the same black lettering. The voice then garbled something that was incomprehensible, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t believe it. The last name that was on that list read Alex River.
***
We didn’t even have time to say goodbye to our classmates who were chosen to stay. We were escorted to different pods and then transported to a discrete location that I didn’t even recognize. We were in some type of bunker with no windows or doors only the transporters that we had walked through. The only thing breaking the monotony were the ten of us and the lone women in white standing before us. She smiled an eerie kind of smile. I decided that I hated her.
“Welcome one and all,” she said in a voice that was as smooth as silk; it grated my ears like sandpaper. “ You have been selected as candidates for the Game, as you all should know by now,” She talked slowly and precisely, like she was talking to a bunch of little children, “Unfortunately, you all didn’t pass the first test. The Game is a chance to redeem yourself. One of you will walk away unharmed, the others will be exiled from the dome and will never return. Once the one has proved his or herself, the gates will close. Good luck.” The door behind her slowly crept open. A strange light seeped through that I had never seen before. The women in white faded away. of course she was a hologram. She would never have put herself into any danger.
The door opened up all the way and slid to a halt. Heat that I had never seen or felt except in books hit me like a wave. For some reason that woke up my instincts, I knew what I had to do to survive. I was determined to be that one that was let back in. There was no way around it. I would not be a Marowleath. Who cared about these other nine contenders, I would not let them beat me. Suddenly, a hand brushed against mine. I looked behind me and saw a face I did not want to see with me. His crystal blue eyes stared back knowingly. Only one of us could make it out. Me or Dorian. My heart dropped like a stone.
That’s when the moans started.

At first, I didn’t really hear anything because my eyes couldn’t be taken off of his. How could he be here? He was one of the smartest kids in class. Surely they would have wanted to keep him around? It was too hard to think about. I don’t know if I could live without him.
“Alex! Come on! We have to get out of here!” He shouted, over the cries. Before I knew it, he had pulled me off the platform and we were running. We ran as fast as we could. But, we stopped in our tracks. There was no where to run. The Maroleaths had taken over the entrance to the outside. They swarmed in like locusts; clouding all the sunlight till it was nothing but the eerie crimson flood lights in the back of the room. Their red tint lit up every grotesque figure of the undead. Their soulless black eyes were shadows against their gray skin, now tinted red. They came closer and closer, not stopping till they reached the ten of us.
Dorian and I were near the back of the group. We saw the first boy and get bitten, their blood spattering across their cloths and ours. Their screams were worse than the Marowleaths. There was no way out, I could not see the light of day any more. We were stuck in a metal coffin with death itself reaching for us with blood soaked hands. I was frozen, I couldn’t do anything but stare into those pits that used to be eyes.
Then all of a sudden, an opportunity made itself aware. An opening in the swarm gave way to a little bit of light. Still holding his hand, I yanked him toward the opening. Our time was slipping away as the opportunity was closing. I knew that I had to face the thought of getting bit but it was the only way to get out of there. Pulling Dorian and I though was like going through our crowded schools hallways. Only this time, we were going through death. I reached for the spread of light that was our freedom. I knew that this was madness, but I would not let myself or Dorian die. They seemed to go on forever, but some how we managed to find an end to their writhing bodies. Some how it seemed like it was not by accident. We were not the only one to make it out of there, but there were not many. Out of the ten that started, only six remained. We could still hear the screams of our companions as they turned into moans. I could just picture thier eyes dripping out of their skulls as they changed sides of this unforgiving war.
Either way, we all had to move on. There was no hope for them now.
***
He never took his eyes off that screen. he knew that there was nothing that he could do besides hope that they would choose her as among the three that would live this battle. Granted there were four who would survive, but the fourth one wouldn’t last for long. Since, there were only six left the odds were fifty-fifty. Oh, how he wished he could help her, but being on the outside meant that he was above all that came out of this. He knew that t was for the survival for the future of mankind, and that this was the best route for if she made it, but she would have to go through many hardships to get to the real truth of this place. Especially, if the boy she is with has the type of mark that he can not survive. He took a closer look at the boy’s arm. Yep, her true test was about to start.
***
After the shock of what just happened passed through me, I got a good look at our surroundings. The place was a barren wasteland. The underbrush was scattered sporadically every where. Nothing seemed to be alive. The battered land spoke of death. It didn’t help that the sun heaped it’s sweltering heat onto us. I knew that we had to start moving soon. We needed to find water and get to the end as soon as we could.. I grabbed Dorian’s hand and pulled him away from the others; I told him what I thought. He seemed to agree. We tried to silently slip away, but the other four had other ideas.
“ Where do you two think you are going?” he asked questioningly, “ We should all stick together. We would be better in one group.” He was a burlier guy and looked pretty intimidating. If I remembered correctly, his name was Shawn. His stern eyes stared at both of us, but mostly at Dorian’s left arm. for some reason that seemed to change his attitude a lot.
“Alex,” he stammered, fear creeping into his eyes, “Get away from him right now.”
Dorian stiffened beside me and I knew something had to be up that I wasn’t catching onto. I stole a look Dorian’s arm. I recoiled as if I had been bitten by a snake. No, it can’t be, he couldn’t be one of them. He just couldn’t! On his arm was the distinct teeth marks that were bleeding. I stifled a sob as I slowly backed away.
“I sorry Dorian, I don’t want to do this, but I have to.” As if in a dream, Shaun charged at him and the two collided. They tumbled across the barren landscape, both blowing effective punches at each other. Then Shaun was on top of dorian and he had him in a choke hold. I didn’t know what to do, I couldn’t move one iota. Than, out of nowhere, Dorian pushed him off and Shaun fell backward. Onto a protruding branch of one of the old trees. The branch impaled him straight through to his front. His body shook for one second then it went still. The life ebbed out of his eyes. The other two that were left had long been gone. Which left me with the friend that I have come to love standing before me with his mark bleeding and blood on his hands. We stood about fifty yards from each other.
But then, something struck me as strange. If he really had been bitten, he should have changed by now. Our teachers always told us that the trip from human to undead took about thirty seconds; it had to be about five to ten minutes by now. I looked into his eyes, they weren’t bloodshot or crawling out of his skull. He wasn’t going to turn. I stepped toward him and he shrunk back, not letting me get any closer to him than I already was.
“Stay back, Alex,” he said solemnly, “ I don’t want to hurt you.” He looked like he was about to bolt. Like he was prey trying to get away from his predator. I would not let that happen.
“Wait, don’t you see, you would have already turned. You would have been like the ones in the hanger.” I shivered at the thought.
Sudden realization lit up in his eyes. We had all heard of this happening before. Very rarely, someone is immune. They were called Unexpecteds. They had a special gene in their DNA that could ward off the Marowleathes. However, the only way to find out who these people were was to get them bit. That’s why the are called Unexpected because, well, they were supposed to turn and they didn’t. It was unexpected.
“I’m okay?” he asked disbelievingly, then he looked Shaun, “Well not totally okay.”
“Dorian, we have to move now. We have to reach the rendezvous point in Fresno.”
He nodded his head and took my hand. We headed north, turning our backs on the body of Shaun and the memory of him.
***
It had been three days since the whole nightmare had started. We passed many ruins of the old world before they came. Their promise of shelter was always tempting, but it was a death trap in it’s own making. A person just never knew where a dormant Marowleath could be lurking. We camped out under the stars at night, one of us always keeping watch. We were always paranoid with every sound that skittered across the ground. It seemed like we were ready for anything, or so we thought.
***
That fourth morning, the news came. A tiny floater robot flew to the center of our camp as the sun came up. The dawn would have looked pretty if that robot didn’t block it from us. It waited till we were both fully awake to bring us the news.
“Attention! Attention!” It’s voice grated my ears and sent a chill through my spine.
“The One has been chosen. There is no point for you to try and come home. I am sorry, but you are not allowed to show your despicable faces in any domed city.” It spat, I always hated floater robots, they always had such an attitude. Then it did something that I had never thought it would do. Out of it’s body came a huge speaker. Before I could figure out why, it belted a huge note that sounded like an old fog horn. Then, just as it came, it left.
Soon after, the whole valley was filled with sound.
In the blossoming dawn light, their shadows lurked toward where they had heard the sound. Thousands of the Marowleaths crept toward us. Each stumbling over the other, with their determined thought of infecting. Their shuffling feet and unnatural moans created a weird beat as they came closer.
“Stay behind me,” Dorian instructed as he stepped in front of me. I did as he instructed me until I saw what was behind us. More of the undead were behind us. They had surrounded us and were forming a circle that we wouldn’t be able to escape if we didn’t move fast. I searched our surroundings till I found something that could buy us time. The high rock pillar showed like a beacon of hope.
“Dorian, we have to go up there.” I gestured to the pillar. He didn’t even acknowledge me, he just ran. Our feet hit the ground with a sound that interrupted the song of the dead. We reached the pillar with them on our heels. Thier slow progression was an advantage sometimes. Some of them had reached it as well. They reached for our feet with their crumbling hands. My heart raced a million miles a minute just looking at them. Their eye holes hungered for my blood. Their desire growing, just being near to me.
Suddenly, one hand grasp my ankle and I was yanked out of Dorian’s hand. I looked down as the culprit tried to bring my foot closer to his mouth. His broken mouth opening and closing in anticipation. Everything went into slow motion as his mouth came in contact with my foot. Blood dripped down his mouth to the ground until he let go. His job finished.
The pain was excruciating. Well, only for a little while. The disease took control of my nerves and deadened them. I collapsed to the ground. the disease taking hold of me as I hit the ground. Dorian came rushing to my side. It only took one look for him to understand. His eyes went wide.
He stuttered, “ Ok... Alex, look at me you’re going to be ok. You hear me, you are going to be alright.” Tears formed in his eyes. “I am not losing you! Not here, not now! Look at me Alex! Tell me you’re alright!”
I looked up at him as his first tear hit my cheek. I slowly raised my hand and cupped his face. I stared straight into his eyes as the heat of the pathogen swept through my veins.
“I love you Dorian,” my voice was barely a whisper. Then my hand went limp. I didn’t even feel it hit the ground. I couldn’t move anything.
“Alex? Alex? No, no... talk to me. Come on, don’t give up! Stay with with me! Stay-”
Everything went black.















***
The blinding light came out of nowhere. Someone or something had called out to her and then the luminescence took hold of her.
“Alex, can you hear me?”
There it was again. The sound of it was sweet and calming. I reached for it, wanting to hold on to it. A blurry face came in front of my view. As it came into focus, I noticed that it belonged to Dorian. He was grinning at me.
“Hi.” I said a little croakily. That’s when the memories came rushing back. My muscles bunched as I relied on my survival instincts. Then I noticed that I was strapped to a hospital bed. Dorian put a calming hand on my shoulder.
“ It’s all right,” he smiled,”you’re safe.” I relaxed just a little. Then the questions came bubbling over.
“Wait, how am I here? Where is here? How am I still alive? Wasn’t I turning? Wh-” he put a finger to my lips.
“How about we let him explain what happened...” Dorian stepped aside to reveal a middle-aged man. Well, he was more on the younger side to be honest.
He looked strangely familiar.
***
He stood there amazed. It was actually her. He had left her sixteen years ago just to have this moment. He took a deep breath and spoke.
“Good afternoon, Alex.” he spoke calmly even though his heart was racing. What would she think of him.
“Hi,” she said flatly, “and you are?”
He scratched the back of his head,”Well, my name is Caster River. I’m your father.”
***
I stared at him. He was my what? I knew my mouth was probably on the floor.
“You can’t be my father. He was thrown into the Game and never came back. He left my mother pregnant with me. If you’re him, you’re supposed to be dead.”
He chuckled , “ Yes, I did never come back, but that was because I am an Unexpected. Just like you.”
I shook my head. This was too much to take in. My mind couldn’t contain all of it.
“So if I am an Unexpected, why did it feel like I was changing.” I asked.
“That’s hard to explain. Sometimes the DNA in some cases, take longer to kick in. Therefore, that is the reason why you were knocked out.”
Dorian piped up,” Yeah, I thought I had lost you there for a second,” he smiled,” Then I noticed that your eyes didn’t pop out of your skull. Soon after, they came and picked us up.”
I nodded slowly. “So where am I now?”
Caster, um, Dad spoke next, “ You are in the underground. It is the government’s organization that makes Unexpecteds become soldiers. We are some of the only people who can actually face these things without the worry of turning.”
that made me a little confused, “So, if you knew that I was an Unexpected, then why didn’t you just pick me up and take me here?”
“Well, the gene that makes you immune is somehow linked to your brains and agility. So, that is why we have the test for the Game focus on those traits. Both of you were smart, light on your feat, and strong willed.”
“Ok,” for some reason this made some sense. “ So now what?”
My dad sighed, “Now, it is time to start your training.” He took my hand and helped me stand.
I looked at Dorian and he nodded, taking my hand. I looked back at my dad and nodded to him. I was going to help mankind against this threat.
I squeezed his hand and went through the door. Ready for what this new future would bring.