"Go on…" Noah said with a curious look.
I ignored his antics and began explaining what we could do.
"When Ethan explained the rules, he never said that the flag needed to be stationary. I was thinking maybe we could move the flag around."
"That's… a bit of reach, don't you think?" Noah spoke out.
"That's stupid," Robert added. "I don't think we want to be experimenting around with wording."
"We only have one shot." He reminded. "And I'll be damned if I get disqualified because of your mistakes."
He's right. What was I thinking? There was no way my plan was going to work, but nobody was coming up with anything. What's his plan then?!
"Alright, what's your plan then?" I asked, hoping he'd say something stupid.
"We split up into pairs. You and I will defend the flag while Noah and William will converge on their position. William is smaller than the rest of us, so he's more likely to sneak up behind them and steal their flag."
My teeth clenched; I hate to admit it, but his plan was way more sound than mine, but why'd I get stuck with him? I have way more chemistry with Will; he and I work better together.
"It's very clear that you have nothing going on up there." He added coldly, rubbing salt into the wound.
Veins visibly popped on my forehead and I was ready to give him a piece of my mind whe-
"Alright, everyone! We will now be moving on to the next round. Leaders of Team 2 and Team 5, would you please come to the front?!" He yelled excitedly over the microphone, only for his enthusiasm to be met with crickets.
"They are calling you, leader," Robert said coldly.
His stoic expression pissed me off. My stomach began to boil with anger.
"Come on guys, no fighting," Will interjected.
I managed to stop myself before I did anything stupid.
"Right, yeah, I'll get going now," I said as I turned and began to walk out to the front.
The assembly was now emptier with two whole teams gone.
The grass crunched under the weight of my boots as I walked.
What is wrong with me? Why am I acting so childish? This isn't anything I should be worked up over.
"Team 5? Team 5? Please come up to the front."
Ethan's voice knocked me out of my daze.
'Focus, for God's sake, focus.' I scolded myself.
I inhaled the pristine air of the forest untouched by pollution as I walked up into the open area.
Before me stood Ethan with his comically large glasses and another set of Victorian-era clothing. Standing beside him was a kid like me, except he had much longer hair and light skin.
His eyes were like slits, and he had this aura around him that stood me all I needed to know.
I reluctantly held out my hand, hoping that he wouldn't do the same.
His ice-cold hand shook mine, and my hair stood up on its ends as a chill ran down my spine.
"My name is... Jeffrey." He said in a forced cheerful tone with a grin plastered on his face, too wide to be genuine.
"Jake," I replied as I quickly took my hand away.
My instincts screamed at me to do something, but I stood there uncomfortably, waiting for Ethan to announce something.
"There we go, see? It didn't hurt anyone."
"Now remember, boys, this is just a test. Your only enemy is the mutants; remember that."
"Yes sir." We said it in unison.
The relief when I walked back to my team was astronomical.
***
We were led into the forest shortly after that whole ordeal.
As expected, the location of our flags was different from the last round. The damp smell of the forest was somewhat pleasant.
The leaves and branches crunched under my feet as I walked around the area, familiarizing myself with the environment.
Everyone was silent. Their bodies reacted to the slightest sound, and everyone was tense as a brick, including me.
"I'll remind everyone of the plan," Robert spoke out, a human voice so out of place in the dense foliage.
"Nah, I remember," Noah said as he ruffled Will's hair. "Count on us."
"Yeah, we're the fantastic four!" Will declared childishly.
"What he said!" Noah yelled, hyping Will.
They then started chanting "Fantastic Four" over and over again, which made Robert explode.
"Will you stop that?! Are you trying to lose?! Are you?!"
"Sheesh, we're just trying to have some fun."
"Get going already!"
They left shortly after that.
I sat down next to the flag while Robert restlessly continued to walk around.
"Can I ask you something?"
He didn't respond; he continued to survey the area.
"Robert, Rob, Bobby, Bob."
"What." He replied irritatedly.
"Why are you so serious all the time?"
"Why aren't you?"
"I am; believe me, I want to win too, but you don't need to keep your guard up all the time."
"I don't think you're aware of the situation we're in."
"The world is dying, the future isn't certain, I'm just trying to survive! You of all people should know how dangerous the outside world is getting."
"How can you be so lax?!"
He's right. I didn't know when, but at some point, I became too relaxed.
"You're right, I'm sorry."
"Shut up."
"Wha-"
"Shush, listen."
I listened attentively for anything that might be troublesome.
My shoulders flinched and my ears twitched at the slightest sound of the forest.
I never really noticed how loud the forest was.
Leaves fell almost every second, and critters ran across branches.
My eyes darted everywhere.
If they were trying what Team 6 did, I wasn't going to let them sneak up on us.
Before I knew it, we were cornered just like Team 1. What about Noah and Will? Did they get knocked out?
A million thoughts ran across my mind as my heart raced.
A twig snapped, and my body jolted up.
Two members of Team 2 had already surrounded us, and without missing a beat, they lunged at us.
I brought up my hands in an attempt to block anything they might throw, and my eyes winced.
In the next moment, my arms burned with searing pain.
A large gash was cut across my arms. A cut? What…
It all happened too fast. My brain couldn't process anything. Why did they have knives? I thought weapons weren't allowed. Just what was happening?
They slashed again, and I recoiled back just in time for it to knick me.
Confused and in pain, I stumbled over as I reached for the flag and ran as fast as I could.
"Jake! What the hell!" Robert yelled only for yelling to follow.
I held the flag close to my chest, my breathing labored and my bleeding arms staining my shirt and the white flag with red.
The damp air made it impossible to breathe as I ran.
Behind the sound of my footsteps was another set.
No matter how many turns I take or how many times I speed up. The adversary managed to keep up.
I didn't look back; I didn't need to know how close he was, nor did I want to know.
Leaves and branches crunched under my feet as I ran deeper and deeper into the forest.
My brain split between keeping my pace and being careful not to fall over.
I became increasingly aware of the gravity of my situation as time went on.
At some point during this test, I never really had a drive. I kept saying this was for Will, but I know it isn't true.
Due to sheer luck, I survived this long, and I only did it because I was leeching off someone.
Deep down, a part of me wanted to be a child for a little while longer. To laugh and crack jokes a little while longer.
Despite my best efforts, I slipped over a tree branch and fell down a slope.
Scraping my skin against the ground and tree bits as I rolled down.
I face-planted into a puddle of water, and the flag flew out of my hands just inches from me.
My body ached from head to top, and my clothes were dirtied.
I felt angry with myself. I couldn't do anything right. Completing the first part of the test, the obstacle course made me feel like I could do anything but really. I only passed because Noah helped me. I only survived because Uncle John saved me. I really am incredibly useless.
I'm utterly incompetent, as a brother and as a person.
Tears streamed down my face as I was furious at my pathetic self.
As my vision grew blurry and faint. The adversary walked past me and over to the flag.
I summoned all the strength I had left and clung to his ankles with my teeth. Biting down as hard as I can.
He reeled back in pain and kicked me away.
My vision grew faint and dark.
The last thing I saw was the opponent picking up the flag.