Sang-hee and Marcus made their way down the steps at a slow but steady pace. It was awkward for the first few seconds as they both were completely out of sync, leading to Sang-Hee almost falling and in turn almost dragging Marcus with her.
Eventually, though, they figured out a steady rhythm and smoothly descended downstairs with a slow pace.
By the time they reached the bottom step, Sang-hee's breathing had evened out somewhat and her grip had loosened on his shoulder.
"Alright, I don't need you anymore," Sang-hee said firmly as she began to push Marcus away from herself.
Her push didn't hold much force due to her weakened state however, Marcus knew better than to push his luck.
"Fine." He replied nonchalantly, pulling himself away.
"But you don't gotta be so damn rude," Marcus said as he rubbed the shoulder Sang-hee had been gripping for support.
It stung like a hell.
Sang-hee rolled her eyes as she began to walk away from Marcus. "What, you expect a thank you?" She said with a boiling annoyance in her tone.
"I don't owe you shit boss."
Marcus sighed as he watched Sang-hee walk away with a hand on her stomach. He could tell that she was still in pain from the simulation, but she was determined not to show it, or at the very least, not show weakness.
Marcus couldn't believe how stubborn this girl was being.
He shook his head in frustration as he began to follow her towards the exit.
As he walked he noticed that his own pain began to fade slightly. It was still evident with every step he took, but at least it had grown manageable.
Stepping out of the main building, the only thing on Marcus's mind was reaching his dorm room and falling asleep.
As he walked down the path leading from the main building towards the dorms. Marcus had turned his gaze up towards the evening sky and took a deep breath.
The air was stale and humid, but it was a blessing compared to how cold it was in the simulation.
But now that Marcus actually had a moment to think about the simulation within a calm atmosphere, he realized that death was terrifying.
He still shuddered at the idea of being stabbed in the chest by a hand. That burning feeling spread throughout his body and agonized him.
It all felt so…. Real.
And it didn't help that the little girl, Crimson, felt so real. Every time Marcus closed his eyes he could see her, crying and begging for her mother not to kill him, only for his head to go flying seconds later.
Marcus sighed heavily as he rubbed his eyes.
"It's just a simulation, it's not real." He told himself as he continued walking down the path with a lowered head.
Trying to take his mind off the simulation, Marcus began to look around the complex. He noticed that it was rather calm in the evening.
"I wonder how peaceful it'll be near the end of the exam?" Marcus asked aloud, knowing that over 200 cadets would be leaving this place, and soon.
Marcus continued to ponder such things until eventually he reached his dorm room.
Reaching into his pocket, Marcus retrieved the card the staff android had given him.
After using it to quickly open the door, Marcus was greeted with a blast of cold air, and the smell of sweaty clothes.
Marcus pulled at his nose as he stepped inside his shared dormitory with Felix.
Glancing at the bunk beds, Marcus noticed that Felix was fast asleep. He was shirtless with his left arm dangling off his bed.
Marcus huffed as he closed the door behind himself and stepped further into the room. He was careful to avoid making too much noise, as he knew Felix needed as much sleep as possible.
Reaching the bunk beds Marcus slowly and quietly began his ascent to the second bunk. Once he was in bed Marcus let off a long sigh that eventually turned into a yawn.
He was too tired to change his clothes and he didn't care much for cleaning himself up in the bathroom either.
And so he just sat in bed, looking up at the ceiling, with a mind that was full of thoughts and feelings.
Marcus had truly underestimated the first exam.
Not only were the physical tests draining and exhausting, but the psychological exams were stressful and traumatic.
Even now, every time Marcus closes his eyes he sees himself within that cabin. Crying and covered in blood and snow, with Crimson's tear-soaked face looking down at him with fear and despair in her eyes, while her mother was shouting at her to eat him.
Marcus's façade of being a loner was beginning to break before it had even settled.
It was at this point he'd kill for someone to vent to.
But there weren't many options.
Marcus didn't know most of the cadets besides Felix and Sang-hee.
But Felix was dealing with his own problems and Marcus knew there was no way in hell Sang-hee would ever care about him in any capacity.
There was Dr. Fletcher and Luna, however, Marcus still felt betrayed by their actions of talking behind his back, not to mention that he swore to both of them he'd do this exam on his own, without their help.
Yet here he was, hoping Luna's core could heal him, and wishing for someone to talk to.
"Talk about Sang-hee." Marcus said softly, "I'm probably just as bad, but at least I admit it."
Marcus sighed as he closed his eyes, and waited as sleep slowly began to claim him.
That night, Marcus had a dream about being in the simulation.
He was standing just outside the cabin he had died in during the simulation. The snow was pouring down constantly and the winds were fierce.
It was hard to hear in these conditions, yet Marcus could hear the sounds of faint shouts.
"Just Eat!" a ferocious and angered voice echoed louder from the cabin. "Eat!"
Marcus felt a shiver run down his spine as his heart began to race.
Marcus began to back away from the cabin. Almost off instinct.
"No, no, no," Marcus repeated as he backed away from the cabin. "This can't be happening, how is this happening?!?!?"
As Marcus grew further from the cabin, the voice within it only grew louder.
"It's either us or him!" The voice shouted so loud that Marcus' ears began to ring.
"Mama please no!" A faint voice spoke out through tears and sniffling. "Please, mama!"
Marcus' expression twisted in pain as he heard the shouts of what seemed to be Crimson. Flashes of her face began popping up in his vision. The tears, the cries, the screams, it played over and over as if it was on a loop.
Nothing could break him out of it, until suddenly he felt a sharp and intense sensation from his abdomen, along with the sound of meat and flesh being torn apart.
Blood began flowing from Marcus' mouth like a river going downstream.
Marcus looked down towards his chest, though his vision was blurred, he could see a pale hand covered in his blood sticking right out of his stomach, the pain growing increasingly intense.
Marcus then heard the same bone-chilling words that frightened him the first time. "I'm not letting you die yet." A voice hissed sadistically.
Marcus almost instantly jolted awake at those words. He was in a cold sweat, his breathing was ragged and uneven.
"What the fuck?" He said in a questioning, yet breathless tone as he grabbed at his chest tightly gripping his shirt. "What the fuck was that?"
Marcus's eyes darted around the ceiling of the dorm for a few seconds as he slowly began to understand that he was still in bed.
"A dream…." Marcus said between heavy breaths, "No a nightmare."
Marcus slowly sat up in bed, he reached a hand to his face and began to rub his eyes as he calmed himself down.
For a moment all was quiet, with only the hum from the air conditioning and Felix's snoring making any noise.
After a moment of silent reflection, Marcus sighed softly.
"This is bad…." Marcus said quietly, "This is really, really bad."
The dream Marcus had just experienced felt real, too real in fact. The fear, the sense of dread, the pain, it was all present and continued to linger.
He never expected the first exam to be a walk in the park, as he was told this is where 75% of the cadets are culled, but he didn't expect it to be this bad, this traumatizing after just one day.
Marcus couldn't help but feel like he had gotten in way over his head, this is not what he signed up for….
— — —
"Ms. Fletcher, mind if I have a word with you?" Lance asked as he knocked on her office door.
Dr. Fletcher, who was busy going through Marcus's simulation reports, frowned as she closed her eyes.
"It's open, lieutenant." Dr. Fletcher said in a calm and authoritative tone.
Without another word spoken, the door leading to Dr. Fletchers's office slid open with a hiss, revealing Lieutenant Lance standing before her with a small tablet in his hand.
Dr. Fletcher placed Down Marcus's reports on her desk, she then intertwined her fingers as she placed her elbows on the desk.
She placed her head onto her intertwined hands and started at Lance with an emotionless expression. "What do you need?" She asked bluntly.
"That cadet, Marcus was it… he's from the North American eastern division, right?" Lance asked as he stepped further into Dr. Fletcher's office.
"Yes, your point?" Dr. Fletcher replied.
Lance raised an eyebrow as sucked in his left cheek. "I don't have a point, it's just something rather peculiar about him."
Dr. Fletcher remained silent.
Lance stepped closer to her desk. "He doesn't look like it, but he's surprisingly resilient. Even though the exam has just begun I've noticed that there's something about this boy, something different."
Dr. Fletcher leaned back in her seat as she crossed her arms. "That's interesting, but it's not a question." She replied coldly.
Lance chuckled softly as he placed his tablet on Dr. Fletcher, desk. On it, were several recordings of Marcus from today's physical exam.
Dr. Fletcher accepted the tablet and began to watch the recordings with a close eye.
"I'll just get straight to the point, is Marcus on any performance enhancers?" Lance asked curiously, "I mean, the kid is walking off everything, and while that isn't necessarily uncommon, it's strange that performed so well."
"And that's not all." Lance continued. "earlier this evening Marcus had helped carry a fellow cadet, it was right after the simulations, his body should've been ripping him apart with pain, yet he still had the strength to help another cadet, and this girl wasn't 'light' either, she's over six foot and weighs in at almost 180 pounds."
Dr. Fletcher's expression remained stoic as she listened to Lance's words. "He's not on any performance-enhancing drugs, however, he is taking some pills I had prescribed."
Lance's expression grew into a frown. "Can I see the prescription?" He asked.
"No, you may not." Dr. Fletcher replied, "I've submitted his blood work and it shows he's fine, that's why you need to know lieutenant, or have you forgotten your place?"
Lance fell silent.
The tension between the two had grown evident, Dr. Fletcher's sharp tongue seemed to have cut deep into Lance.
"It's you who doesn't have any authority here Doctor." Lance retorted with the point of his finger, "I swear if you're hiding something about that kid."
Dr. Fletcher's gaze hardened as she stared Lance down. "You would do best to stay out of his way, lieutenant, I am not a woman of patience."
Lance narrowed his eyes. "You've changed Anna, that much is evident, but I'll stay back for now," Lance said coldly as he turned his back to Dr. Fletcher. "Just don't give me any reason to go searching."