The middle

Introduction

The forest is a dangerous place.
Those words were always muttered throughout the village, from mother's scolding their child for being so curious to the pastor preaching wildly about the horrors that lie inside. In our village, once you turn twelve you begin training for a position you wish to hold in our town, those who cant choose or who are either brave or dumb enough become magpies. I was one of those foolish enough. The day finally came when we were all called to the Church courtyard as the preacher climb his podium and began to croak. "Welcome everyone to the augment ceremony, we've had many bright minds this generation although there are a few who sadly were not able to complete their apprenticeship." A soft sob arose from a mother most likely mourning her child's soon to be death march. "But without further delay the Augment ceremony shall now begin!" A wave of clapping sounded from the crowd as the preacher smiled a crooked toothless smile. "Our first graduate is Judith Cox." A soft squeal emerged as a bouncy young girl came almost skipping up the stairs and to the preacher where she stood, rocking back on fourth on her heels. The preacher looked slightly disgruntled at her excitement for her new position. The preacher handed her the parchment, making another squeal escape this girl, except it was only louder. she flew off the stage and ran through the crowd, as if she was oil and we were water. "Next, Gabriel Fauks" A few snickers drifted from the adolescents at the boys last name, Gabriel made his way through the crowd, apologizing anytime he touched anyone until he stumbled up the stage and towards the preacher. The boy fumbled for a second before bowing and taking the paper and retreating into the crowd of people. More names were called and more came up until I was the last standing there, no family to accompany me as I waited for the preacher to call my name. "Last, Chloe Hall." My mind froze as I stepped towards the stage where the preacher was stationed. I climbed the stairs, savoring every step I took as it might be my last in here. The preacher gives me a knowing nod as i grasp the rolled up paper and take it. I quickly step off and begin walking away. The preachers voice droned in the background as I made myway to the place that would be both a ticket to heaven and hell.

I walk into a small courted area with a stone houses lying in the far right side of the slip of land. A few people were already here, most of them were rejects while few were those who signed up. The leader, and instructor of this band of flotsam's looked at us with both amusement and hate. "Alright you worthless pieces of shit, your either here for two reasons, one, you went able to complete your basic apprenticeship and now your here, either thinking your hot shit or being a huge pussy cowering in your own puddles of piss, reason two, is that you've got some sort of death wish or you want revenge on those lurker-fuckers out there." A few of the rejects look at each other and one guy scoffs at Mr. Kings lecture. "Really sir? if you were trying to be threatening then your not doing a good job." I realized that this kid seriously fucked up. Mr. Kings veins began to pop out of his neck as his face boiled a deep red. "Come here you little Fuck..." The kid realizing what he just did, and timidly approached him. Before a word could be spoken the kid was flung onto the stone tablet walkway, Mr. King bent down and grabbed the kid by his hair and jerked him up, his scalp bleeding from the force of his hair getting pulled. "You listen to me you little shit, if i ever hear another word come out of your little cunt flap of a mouth ill nail you to a tree out there and make sure the lurkers rip you apart, you understand me?!" Spit and blood trailed the kids face as he quickly spoke "Yes sir!, it wont happen again sir!" The instructor stared at him for a time until he looked back at us and yelled "One of you get me a hammer, NOW!" We all quickly began frantically searching for one until one of the rejects brought back a standard hammer. The instructor ripped it from the rejects hands and dragged the kid over to a stone table, slamming down on of the kids hands onto it. "If you move and inch or try to get away, i'll personally kill you myself." The boy visibly shook in fear from his threats. Mr. King brought the hammer down onto one of the kids fingers, shattering both the bone and the fingernail, he proceeded to do this to the rest of the kids fingers on his right hand, all while the kid screamed and begged for his forgiveness. After he got down with the fingers he grabbed the kid by the back of the hair and slammed his head into the stone table, causing a small streak of blood to splatter on the carved stone. The kid fell to the floor, either dead, exhausted, or unconscious whatever it was he wouldn't be showing up again. "Now then, lets get back to business." Mr. King clapped his hands together, causing the majority of us to jump. "For your first mission your going to be going out into the forest to collect some herbs for the pharmacist and for various teas as well." Everyone looked at each other, the rejects looked the most scared out of all of us. "Now then ill be grouping you up into teams of three, as long as you stay on the path you shouldn't encounter any lurkers, just don't fuck with any of their shit or try to shoot at any of them and you should be fine." Me and a few of the others who signed up for being magpies began walking into one of the stone houses and grabbed rifles off the walls, the rejects following in quick pursuit. Everyone marched back towards Mr. King and stopped waiting for his command as he looked over us. "Alright... Chloe, Johnathan, and Genesis, your group one and will go retrieve the medicinal herbs." I looked at the other two, who signed up at the beginning and thought that this would be easy. After Mr. King assigned the other groups he had us follow him past the stone armories and to a gate, needing two people to open it. He instructed two of the rejects to open it, as they twisted the handle the gate slowly creaked as it arose from the ground. "Alright now get out of here, and don'tcome back until you have what I told you to get." We all marched out of the gate, going separate ways with our group. If I had known this was my last time seeing my home, then things might be totally different.