Chris exhaled hard as he rounded the final bend in the track, his lungs burning with the exertion. Pain tore through his calves and his stomach gave a sickening lurch, but he pressed on. The dusty track gripped easily beneath his bare feet, propelling him on towards the finish line. From behind came the ragged breathing of the others, some hot on his heels, others a long way back.
Allowing himself a smile, Chris glanced to the side, and almost tripped when he saw Liz draw alongside him. The black-haired girl had her head down, eyes fixed to the track, and was picking up the pace. Panting hard, Chris followed suit, and side by side, they raced down the final straight.
Over the last few yards, Chris's feet barely touched the ground. Shadows swirled at the edges of his vision, exhaustion threatening. Through the darkness, he glimpsed Liz pulling ahead, saw her wild grin as she crossed the line a millisecond before him.
Drawing to a stop beside her, Chris shook his head, his mouth unable to form words. Bending in two, he sucked in a mouthful of air. He felt lightheaded, his lungs aflame. It took him a full minute to catch his breath. By then the others had finished up the race.
Lowering himself to the ground, Chris blinked sweat from his eyes. Using one large orange sleeve, he wiped his forehead clear and shook his head at Liz.
"You're fast," he croaked.
It was the second day since their awakening, and the two of them had still barely spoken. Despite her reluctant greeting in the cell, Liz remained withdrawn.
The young woman only shrugged. Two blue eyes glanced down, then away. "It's the air," she breathed. "We're in the mountains—I can taste it. You're probably not used to the altitude."
Chris nodded, stars still dancing across his vision. A groan built in his throat as he saw Liz straighten, but he pushed it down and lifted himself to his feet. Ignoring the ache in his muscles, they joined the others.
Sam and Ashley stood with their hands on their hips, looking like they'd barely broken a sweat. Chris cursed himself for exerting so much energy. Who knew what else the day had in store for them?
Yesterday, he and Liz had been taken into a laboratory and put through a series of tests. The doctors had worked with a cool efficiency, asking questions, giving instructions, taking measurements, all the while steadfastly refusing to engage with their captives. Behind the doctors, the guards had been colder still, their hard eyes following the prisoners' every movement.
The tests had been simple enough, little more than a thorough examination by the local GP. But now, it seemed, the easy part was over. That morning they had been roused in the early hours by a shrieking alarm and the sudden brilliance of overhead lights. For a few seconds Chris had tried to resist, exhausted after a long night spent tossing and turning, unable to sleep. But Sam and Ashley had been insistent, dragging them from their beds to stand for inspection.
Within minutes, the guards had marched past. A doctor had accompanied them, pausing outside each cell to make notes on his electronic tablet. Chris had shivered as the man's eyes fell on him. There was a mindless, mechanical way in which he took the roster, as though this was no more than an inventory check at the grocery store.
When the doctor had departed, the guards returned with a trolley. The hallway had rung with the sound of bowls sliding through metal grates. Chris had stared for a long while at the oatmeal congealing in his bowl before the rumbling of his stomach won him over. Resigning himself, he'd taken up his spoon and eaten all he could.
Then their escort of doctors and guards had arrived, taking them from the quiet of their cell and marching them through the facility to this field—if it could be called that. The open space was the size of a football field, but there was not a blade of grass in sight.
Instead, a fine dust covered the ground, spreading out across the oval like snow. A running track ran around its circumference, edged by tall, imposing walls that hemmed them in on all sides. The cold grey concrete stretched up almost thirty feet, interspersed with the metal railings of observation decks. A dozen guards looked down on them, rifles held in ready arms. The only building was a stone tower that rose some forty feet from the center of the field.
Overhead, the sun beat down from a cloudless blue sky. The world outside was hidden by the walls, and whether Liz's mountains existed beyond remained a mystery.
Other than the doctors and their escort of guards, the field was empty. The doctors had made quick notes on their ever-present tablets, before nodding to the guards. Orders had been barked, and the four of them had set off running.
Now they stood together in a little circle, panting softly as they waited for the next command. The doctors hovered nearby, their attention fixed on their tablets, talking quietly amongst themselves. The guards stood nearby, their dark eyes fixed on the prisoners.
Beyond the little group of overseers, a red light started to flash above the door they'd entered through. A buzzer sounded, short and sharp. The guards straightened, turning to face the entrance as the door gave a loud click and swung inwards.
Another group of doctors entered, followed by four prisoners in matching orange uniforms. Chris scanned the faces of the doctors, searching for Fallow, but there was no sign of her. His shoulders slumped and he clenched his fists, struggling to contain his disappointment. The woman was his only remaining link to his mother, but Fallow had been conspicuously absent since their initiation.
As the group walked towards them, Chris sensed movement beside him. Glancing at the others, he was surprised to see Sam's face harden, the easy smile slipping from his lips. The older boy grasped Ashley by the wrist, nodding in the direction of the newcomers. Ashley's face paled and she stumbled sideways before Sam caught her.
"What?" Chris hissed.
The two glanced at one another and then shook their heads. "Nothing," Sam muttered.
The new group of inmates reached them before Chris could ask anything more. They hovered a few paces away, three boys and a girl, studying Chris and the others with suspicion. Chris stared back, wondering at the reaction of Sam and Ashley.
Clearing his throat, one of the doctors stepped between the two groups. He glanced at his tablet, then left and right. "Ashley and Samuel. Richard and Jasmine. You have already qualified for the next round of trials. You're here to ensure your health does not deteriorate."
Chris watched a flicker of discomfort cross the faces of a boy and girl in the opposite group, and guessed they were the ones the man was addressing. Richard sported short blond hair and angry green eyes that did not waver from Ashley and Sam. He was almost a foot shorter than Sam, but more than matched the larger boy for muscle. He kept his arms crossed tight, his stocky shoulders hunched, and a scowl fixed on his face.
The girl, who he guessed was Jasmine, stood head to head with Richard, a matching glare on her lips. Her hair floated in the breeze, the black locks brushing across her face. The skin around her brown eyes pinched as she turned towards Chris and caught him staring. Air hissed between her teeth as she raised one eyebrow.
Chris quickly looked away, his heart beginning to race. The doctor standing between them had turned his attention back to them.
"Elizabeth, Christopher, today we will test your fitness and athleticism, to assess your suitability for the next stage of the program. William and Joshua will be joining you. I suggest you get acquainted."
Chris's gaze drifted to the other two boys, and found them staring back. Their eyes did not hold the same animosity as Jasmine's and Richard's, just a wary distrust. The one on the left was a scrawny stickman of a figure, his long arms and legs little more than bone. Sharp cheekbones stood out on his face, and his jade-green eyes held more than a hint of fear. The other was larger, his arms well-muscled, but he did not match Richard or Sam for sheer bulk. He stood several inches above Chris's five-foot-eleven, and had long blond hair that hung down around his shoulders.
Seeing neither of the two were about to introduce themselves, Chris made to step towards them, but Sam's hand flashed out, catching him by the shoulder. Chris glanced at the larger boy and raised an eyebrow, but Sam only shook his head. Settling back into line, Chris glanced at Liz and saw his own confusion reflected in her eyes. Ashley's hand was clenched around Liz's wrist, holding her back.
The doctor glanced between the two groups, and with a shrug, pressed on. "Very well." He cleared his throat. "All of you, line up." He paused as the eight of them moved hesitantly to stand in one line, and then nodded. "Today—"
The doctor broke off as the buzzer by the entrance sounded again. As one, the group turned towards the door. Chris shuddered as he saw Doctor Halt striding towards them.