Collision by Alyx D. Vacca (e ink ebook reader TXT) 📖

is not coming." "Why?" That was Cole. "Watch out for giants for me will you?" I started climbing down the rope. When I got to the ledge that Tobi was on he laid into me. "What the fucking hell! You were up there, safe!" "Yes, but you were not." He looked as if he was going to say something but I cut him off. "Look, just go up the rope, it is shorter than the one at the school and it is easier to climb. You wont fall." "I can not." "OK, than we will have to go down. Staying here will only get us killed faster." He looked alarmed at that. "NO! You have to go back up. I have spells to help me." "That is well and all but can you actually use those spells now that you have used a good amount of energy to make a rope that you wont use?" "Maybe..." He looked away but not, I noticed, down. "Just go up the damn rope. It is either that or use your magic to float you across." He shook his head, this time not as a no but more of an acceptance that I was crazy, and that he would do it anyway. I grinned. "Up you go then. The longer we wait the more chance that a Giant will see us." He looked at me again and shook his head (again) at my insensitive humor. He started up the rope and tried not to think about the consequences of slipping. Halfway up the rope a giant turns around and sees him. Or at least I think it sees him. "Hurry!" I half yell half whisper. He starts climbing faster. hoping that he makes it without being eaten or falling. At the last second I realize that he does not see Tobi, but me! I run to the stairs and start to run down as fast as I can, but I am not fast enough. He reaches out and grabs me. My arms are pinned to my sides by his massive fist. "Jayd!" I hear Tobi yell out. I hope he was on the ledge when he yelled that, otherwise he would soon be dead, just like I was. All of a sudden I was falling and then I was not. I giant had punched the one who was holding me making him let go and grabbing me before I fell and died, `cause you know that dead meals are not near as much fun as when it is still alive. Then I was falling again, another giant saw me, it kept on happening that I almost wished that they would just get it over with. Finally one giant hit the holding me really hard but he did not let go of me until he the floor. I picked myself up as quick as possible and ran to the steps and up them and to the rope and I climbed up the rope, nothing was going on in my head except survive, survive, survive. I had been striped of everything that made me human, until all that was left was my bare animal instincts. When everything started to process and my mind became human once again Tobi was hugging me and I was on the ledge. About thirty minutes later the whistle blew and all the giants stood completely still. "All of you left alive and conscious pass," the voice of the old woman says. If you are injured have your partner help you out. If he or she is unconscious stay where you are and help will come, you both fail." Cole and Henry go down first. I get Tobi to go back down the rope and I follow. We reach the others and the next door just before the last of the people arrived. The numbers had drastically waned. What started out with thirty odd kids, there was now maybe eight. Four teams had made it out of the Giants' pit without dying or being horribly maimed. I hoped that through the next door it all would be easy.
And in a way it was. It was not a challenge but a rest stop, with an infirmary and everything. It was also a place where we discovered our loses. Ten of us had died. Lilly, Martin, Abbi, Hope, Jon, Tyler, Jacob, Fred, Zoe and Hannah. Dead. I had never even talked to some of them and yet that night, I cried a lot. We slept in the infirmary. They knew that people needed a break. I knew that a lot of other people were also saddened by the deaths, I could hear them crying through out the night.

Chapter Six
The last Challenge

The next day began with the rise of the sun, but for me and all the others who were grieving for the lost, our day began with the fall of the moon. For breakfast we got bacon, eggs and pancakes. Not to bad either. As the eight of us continued eating, we were briefed for our last challenge. Our job in the next 'game' as they call it, is to get everyone to the other side of the obstacle course. What the obstacles are (and they are not the normal kinds of that everyone is sure) no one will say. So as we journey forth in to the unknown Cole and Henry dropped back to talk to us. "Hey," says Cole. He is by far the nicer one. "Do you have any ideas on what we are walking in to? I mean, last time it was giants, this time who knows?" Tobi grins. "Might be Dragons." Cole shudders, "Don't say that, it might come true." Henry is silent. "So what do you think...um... I forgot your name." I laugh. "Jayd, I have no idea, it could be anything. For that matter we have no idea what the obstacle course is. It could be a field or another pool. Maybe up in the trees or under ground." This time Tobi shudders. I do as well, but inside so know one will know just how afraid I am of the dark, or even that I am at all. "Jayd, can I talk to you privately?" I looked at Henry in surprise. He pretty much said that he hated me the day before, why would he want to talk to me now? My surprise turned in to suspicion. He did not like me, so what was he planning on doing or saying once we were alone? But for all that I nodded, without any real plan if he planed on doing something nasty. Besides it is not as if I would know what kind of plan to make until he said or did what ever he was planning on doing. "What did you want to speak to me about," I asked him after the Tobi and Cole had gone far enough along that they could not hear if we talked quietly. "I wanted to apologize. Yesterday I insulted you and yet you saved all of our lives any way." "Well duh. I am human, and that is a human thing to do, you do not just leave people to die." "Still, you did save us. Thanks." He looked really embarrassed and sincere. Thinking to lighten the mood I said, "Out of curiosity, how old is Cole anyway? He seems to young to be in this competition." "He is fifteen." His face had become closed. Looks like my tact had not worked all that well. "So how did you two get to know each other?" "We met one time when he was running from some people." "Running? What for?" He looked away, a sure sign that what he was going to say next was either a lie or not the entire truth. "How should I know." So it was a lie. I know this because if it was a half truth there would most likely be more to the story. "Oh, OK. Let's catch up with the others." Henry agreed and we ran. Tobi looked at me with a question on his face, I shrugged and he nodded He knew that I would tell him later. We walked through the doors (I seem to be saying that a lot) and onto the pristinely cut grass. Everyone else was far ahead. Tobi and Cole had slowed down a lot so as not to leave us behind. We all ran towards them arriving just in time to hear the rest of the introduction. "Now than, here is exactly what you have to do," said a tall gangly man who looked as if he spent most of his time with his nose in a book. When he spoke he punctuated his words like he was trying to use them to stab you. Needless to say, I did not like him. "You will split into Teams of four. Two teams per Team. There are reasons for all of the tests, the ones you have gone through, and the one you are about to do. No one should die here. The object of this is to get everyone across the field to the platform set up there." I could not see the platform from so I let my hope that it was not a high platform rise. "Now before you began I am going to give you a bit of advice, stay on the path. At some points that is impossible, but trust me, it is preferable. Now quickly choose your Team." Me and Tobi looked at each other and then at Cole and Henry. Henry and Cole looked at each other and then at Tobi and me. "Want to be a Team?" Cole asks. Tobi grins and I answer, "Sure." Now the others are stuck with each other and they hope that they are able to get along. "OK, now that the Teams are decided we will choose weapons." When everyone started to look uneasy he said, "What did you think that we would let you start without being properly prepared? Each Team needs one bow, one sword, one staff and one knife. Talk amongst yourselves and when you are decided come to me." We all looked at each other. "I will be the bow. That is all I know how to use anyway," I stated. Everyone accepted that. "I will be the knife. I know how to use them," was what Cole wanted. Them? I wondered. The guy in charge had only said "knife". Oh well, if Cole knows how to use two he can probably use one as well. "You be sword and I will be staff?" asked Tobi. It makes since. Tobi is the Wizard in this group, he should get the staff, and Henry looks as if he could easily use a sword too, he is very big and muscular. We all nodded, this Team was perfect! We are going to kick but! We walked over to the guy and told him