Fighting for Life

Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN:

I settled down inside the tent next to the random woman who had so kindly taken me in. I layed on my side, disgruntled by the fact that sandy rocks and pebbles jabbed at my arms and legs. Although the woman fell asleep almost instantly after she hit the solid ground, I was having trouble. The outside was quiet,  as wind blew clouds of sand across the barren land. Few stars twinkled in the night sky, peering out from behind the smoky clouds. My head ached, my throat was dry, and a few tears dribbled down my face, forming a puddle on the ground just below my chin. I thought of my parents sitting at home, probably in bed, reassuring each other that I was ok. Their last words bounced around in my mind,

"You'll do great!" my mother explained.

"See you soon!" my father said so certainly.

I just imagined their faces when the broadcast will come on TV. It lists all of the kids who participated, and informed on what job division they would be placed in. Those kids must be so lucky at this moment, sleeping in their own rooms at the training facility, overjoyed about their incredibe results. I let my thoughts drift away and tried to fall asleep.

"Clomp, Clomp, CLOMP"

I was awakened by a loud stomping noise. My eyes bolted open, and the hairs on the back of my neck tingled. The air was still cold, and the sky was still dark. Through the material of the tent I could see a figure, whose shadow became bigger and bigger. I completely froze. Bringing my legs to my chest, I huddled up in the corner of the tent and did my best to hide myself from the intruder. The world seemed to slow down, the night became silent, all time stopped until someone turned the corner, and stumbled upon our tent.

In seconds I could hear a high-pitched wail. My eyes widened as my mouth grew bigger, letting out the screams that flooded throughout the tent. My neighbor quickly awoken, yawned, and stared at the intruder like it was no big deal.

"Ugh" she sighed, laying back down.

I sat there in awe. Could she see what I was seeing? The figure just stood there, staring down at us.

"Piss off", I heard her mumble under her breath as she tried to fall back asleep.

The figure obeyed, and walked away, his shadow getting smaller and smaller as he left the premesis.

"What was that?" I screamed, completely confused.

"Spectator" she said, "they come at least once a month to pick up all of the dead bodies".

I shuddered, as an image flashed through my mind. My limp, pale body on the ground, a spectator marching over and slinging me over his back, not a care in the world.

"You would be surprised" her voice piped up again

"I've seen more people die, more people stop living right infront of me, than you would expect", she replied again.

"Oh- um sorry about that", I responded, trying to sound the least bit comforting.

With one last sigh, she was out, and I was alone. I layed down and let the sound of the cool breeze help me drift into sleep.

~

Light flooded through my closed eyelids, causing me to awake. I sat up slowly, my back aching, and my eyes still drooping. I swished back the tent entrance and let the sunligh absorb me. I saw the woman sitting just outside the tent, plopping blue berries into her mouth. I crawled out of the tent and sat across from the woman on a rotting stump. She sat there, sharpening a stick with a jagged rock, trying to make a pointy edge. She finally noticed my presence and glanced up.

"Berries?" she asked.

I took the stone slate of berries from her grimy hands and began to pick at them. I wasn't very hungry, but I was determined to stay alive. Out of nowhere, I heard a grunting noise. I looked at the woman, who was scratching her throat. She smiled at me and waved my concern off. I placed the berries next to me and began kicking at the dirt with my combat boots. More grunting. I looked up at the woman, who was now clenching her throat. I looked at her, like a derranged animal, for at least a minute before coming to her rescue. I sat beside her, unaware of what to do. My legs were shaking and my knees wobbly. She made a series of gagging noises before falling off the stump and onto the sandy ground. Her eyes stayed open, her hands still clenched around her neck. I stood above her, nudging her gently with the tip of my boot.

"Hello?" my raspy voice questioned.

"HELLO?" I asked, even louder than before.

I already knew she was dead. Her throat had closed up, and she had suffocated. I walked over to the berries and turned them over. Posion. Green juice oozed out of the bottom of almost every one. I tossed them far away from our area and ran back to the woman. I sat down next to her and clunched my knees up to my chest. I stared at her face, her mouth open, her eyes open, her throat puffy and red. This woman had helped me so much, yet I never even knew her name. Yet here I was, a scrawny little 18 year old, helpless and homeless, sitting in the presence of a dead woman; a stranger. I had let her die, and now I was going to let myself die. This would be my fate. This would be my place. To lay down here on this sandy island that I had so unfairly been put on, and accept death like it was an old friend. I willingly laid down in the hot sun, and let my thoughts and memories carry be to a better place.