The Testing

CHAPTER 19

"GET DOWN," I yell as I look from side to side, my entire body humming with tension and fear. "I didn't fire. There's someone else out there with a gun."

"That would be me."

Spinning, I aim and tighten my finger on the trigger before the familiarity of the voice hits me square in the chest. The cocky tone that could only belong to one person out here.

Will.

I lower my weapon and see him strutting toward us, twirling a pistol around his finger. And while I know Tomas doesn't want me to like or trust Will, I can't help wrapping my arms around him. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you," I say. "I'm not sure I would have been able to save Tomas. Thank you."

Although I'm not sure whether I'm thanking him for saving Tomas or for sparing me the need to take someone's life. Probably both.

Will steps back and slides the gun into his pocket. "I'm sure you would have managed without me. In a strange way, it's a good thing this idiot was stupid enough to attack you guys. I would never have found you without all the noise. I've been looking for days and figured the two of you had already gotten to the end of the test."

"No such luck," Tomas says, holding his side.

"Yeah." Will gives Tomas a nasty smile. "I know you hoped you'd seen the last of me. Guess I just proved you can trust me after all."

For a minute, Will and Tomas look at each other. Tomas is the first to look away as he says, "I guess so."

"Good." Will laughs. "Then why don't we let Cia here take a look at that cut before you bleed to death. If you die, I won't be able to lord my heroics over you. What fun would that be?"

At the mention of Tomas's injury, I rush to examine it, doing my best to ignore Roman's lifeless body crumpled on the ground. Tomas's cut is long but shallow and won't need stitches. Which is good, because after the past couple days I don't know if my fingers would be steady enough to perform the job. Will offers me the use of his medical kit, and I quickly clean, medicate, and bandage the wound.

Once I'm done, I hand the supplies back to Will and say, "You caught up to us. That must mean you found wheels. Right?"

"No wheels." Will gives me a big smile. "I found something even better. Want to take a look?"

Not too far from the road sits a small, single-passenger open-cabin skimmer. Kind of like a hovering version of a scooter. My father has three of them at his lab for light field use. They are good over short distances, but long distances make them overheat and they can't hold much more than 160 pounds, which limits their usefulness. My father and two of my four brothers are too heavy. They can't even get off the ground. But Will and his lanky frame are perfect for the design.

"Where did you find it?"

I hear the suspicion in Tomas's voice, but Will doesn't seem to notice as he explains, "Two days after I left you guys, I ran across a big stone building with a huge metal door. It took me a while to get the door open, but it was worth it. There were four of these babies inside. None of them were in working order, but I was able to use parts from the other three to fix this one. Looks like the Commonwealth stashed a lot of vehicles and other things in the second half of this test. I've seen a couple Testing candidates riding these, and one of the guys I ran into found a bunch of automatic weapons in a cabin just before the last city. I guess the first part of the test was about survival. The second is testing how fast we get to the end and how many competitors we'll take out along the way."

"How many candidates do you plan on taking out before the end, Will?" Tomas asks the question so quietly, I almost miss it.

But Will doesn't. With a serious expression, he answers, "The only competitors I plan on eliminating are ones who pose direct threats. Kind of like our friend over there." He hooks his thumb toward the body on the ground. "Or do you think he deserved to live?"

Will gives Tomas a smug, almost challenging smile. So much for hoping Will's heroics would put the two on the same side. I step in between the two and say, "Look, according to the Transit Communicator we have about eighty-eight miles left to go. Instead of sniping at each other, our time would be better spent eating breakfast, packing up, and getting the hell out of here."

"Fair point, Cia." Will flashes an easy smile. "I'm willing to put our differences behind us if Tomas is."

Silently, Tomas nods, and I let out a sigh of relief. I'm not naïve enough to think the two won't find opportunities to fight along the way, but I'm hoping they'll keep it to a minimum.

While I set out breakfast, Will rummages through Roman's Testing bag and finds clothes, two bottles of water, a compass, a fishing kit, several tools, and a bow with a quiver of arrows. All marked as Testing candidate supplies. Evidence the boy attacked and at least wounded one other candidate. We dine on pears and rabbit and divide the new supplies among our own bags. I keep the knife and bow and arrows if for no other reason than I don't want my two adversarial companions to have additional weapons to use if their sniping gets out of control. Then, while Tomas and Will aren't looking, I remove Roman's identification bracelet and slip it into my bag alongside the one that belonged to the girl Tomas and I buried. Roman was untrustworthy. He came into The Testing intent on winning at any cost. And while I hate what he did to reach his goal, I realize I hate the Testing officials more. Roman didn't deserve to be a future leader, but death seems an extreme penalty to pay. For good or ill, his life should be remembered.

Tomas and I put our bags on our bicycle racks, Will heads for his skimmer, and the three of us meet up on the road. There are two shadows on the horizon behind us. Other Testing candidates? If Will is right, they could have vehicles that will overtake us soon. We have to get moving.

Will's solar-powered skimmer is faster than our bicycles, but he keeps pace as we pedal. I can't help but wonder why. Knowing how fast my father's open-cabin skimmers travel, I'm pretty sure Will could be at the finish line in a matter of hours. While he might feel some kind of responsibility to me for my part in keeping him in The Testing, saving Tomas this morning has more than paid the debt. Although maybe Will doesn't see it that way since, technically, he didn't save my life. I don't know. Whatever his reasoning, I'm grateful to have another pair of eyes watching the horizon for signs of danger. And it's good he's watching because Will is the first to spot a glint on the road ahead. A tripwire that our wheels would have triggered.

We get off our bicycles and wheel them off the road, around the trap, and then back onto the smooth surface. Will's skimmer hovers over the trap, and we continue along. We pedal a bit slower as we watch for signs of other dangers. Tomas hates the delay. So do I, but adding a few hours to our journey is nothing compared to the alternative.

The plants and leaves become greener, the trees less twisted, the grass and water more plentiful as we get closer to our destination. Markers of revitalization. My arm aches, but the signs of our goal being so near help me ignore the pain and fatigue.

An explosion from somewhere far behind us shakes the trees. Gunfire and shouts echo across the landscape from the northwest. Reminders that we are not alone in our quest and the danger is not yet past. We keep watch during the night and rise early, hoping today will be the day we finish this exam. I check the Transit Communicator frequently to mark our progress.

Forty-five miles left.

Thirty-five.

Twenty-five. We drink water as we ride, ignoring our hunger. We can get food after we have passed this test.

Fifteen miles remain, and the sun starts its decent. The sky is streaked with purple and pink. We keep going, squinting into the setting sun, on the lookout for anything that poses a threat.

Ten miles.

It is only by chance that I see the flash of metal next to the wide trunk of an oak tree. I scream to Tomas and Will as cracks of gunfire split the air. Sparks fly on the road in front of us, and I pull my handlebars to the right to avoid running into their path. The quick change in direction is too much for my repaired bicycle. The front wheel wobbles and cracks. I land flat on my back and gasp for air as the wind is knocked from my lungs. My left arm screams from the impact. Tomas shouts my name as gunfire begins again. Louder. Closer. More terrifying than before because I can barely breathe, let alone move.

But I do move because I don't want to die. Tomas and Will shout from somewhere nearby, but I don't look for them. I can't. I roll onto my injured arm, ignoring the wave of dizziness and pain as I reach for my Testing bag. My fingers find the gun. I come up to my knees and look for the shooter on the other side of the road.

There. The barrel of the gun peaks out from behind the tree as the shooter prepares to fire again. I aim at the arm holding the gun and pull the trigger. A female cry of pain tells me my aim is true. I can't help the surge of triumph that streaks through me as the gun and the girl's arm disappear behind the tree. I keep my arm extended and my finger ready to pull the trigger as I watch the tree, waiting for signs of our attacker.

"She's making a run for it," Will yells.

I blink — then understand. While I have been waiting for more gunfire, the candidate has faded into the trees and mounted a skimmer similar to the one Will is driving. She must have stashed it there before taking her spot behind the tree. I pull the trigger and fire shot after shot as the skimmer fades into the setting sun. The candidate and her skimmer are gone. Unless another candidate eliminates her in the next couple miles, she will finish the test and pass on to the next one. This girl who stopped and hid here specifically for a chance to kill her competition might become a University candidate — a future leader of the United Commonwealth. I fight back a scream and realize the only way to keep her from being a University student is for more than twenty of us to pass this test. Then I can only hope the Testing committee will choose those who have not resorted to deadly tactics. For us to be included in that number, we have to get to the end. Which means we'd better get moving.

I climb to my feet before remembering the wreckage of my bicycle. A quick glance makes my heart sink. The fading light cannot hide the damage. The entire front wheel assembly has broken free. There is no fixing it. "I guess I'll be walking the rest of the way," I say, trying not to sound as discouraged as I feel. According to the Transit Communicator, there are only eight and a half miles left to travel. The distance is minor compared to the miles I have already crossed.

"Don't worry, Cia." Tomas appears next to me and takes my hand. "You won't be alone. I'll walk with you."

"You don't have to," I say, but I am glad he volunteered. The idea of walking by myself in the darkness, not knowing what lurks in the shadows, is terrifying.

He gives me a light kiss and says, "Yes. I do." Then he turns to Will. "I guess this is where we part company again. Cia and I wouldn't want to hold you back."

Will smiles. "Funny, but I was just going to say the same thing."

It's the smile that alerts me to the danger. Cold. Calculating. So unlike anything I've seen from him before. I shove Tomas to the side just as Will raises his gun and fires. But I'm not fast enough. I feel Tomas flinch as the bullet enters his abdomen. His eyes are wide with surprise and pain as he doubles over and sinks down to his knees.

My gun is up and targeted as Will shifts his attention to me.

"What the hell are you doing, Will?"

He smiles behind his gun. "Isn't it obvious? I'm getting rid of my competition. I didn't lose my brother and come all this way just to be told I'm not good enough to make it into the University. I made that choice early on. Only you wouldn't die. Thankfully, a couple of the others were easier to kill before I ran out of quarrels. Both Gill and I are championship crossbow marksmen. He always takes first, but I give him a run for his money."

Chicago. The crossbow shooter. The wound in Will's shoulder. A gunshot where I hit him. The pieces fall together with terrible clarity.

"And you think I'm just going to let you shoot me now?" My voice is remarkably steady considering the rage churning in my veins. I finger the trigger of my gun, trying to channel that anger into killing a boy I thought was my friend. "I've already proven I won't go down without a fight."

Will's smile widens. His white teeth gleam in the growing darkness. "You're smart, Cia, but you don't have the killer instinct. I could walk away right now and you wouldn't fire at me."

"You wanna bet?" I yell. "Go ahead and try me." The trembling of my hand belies my bravado. And for a moment, I'm certain Will is right. I cannot kill him. I am going to die out here on the Testing grounds.

"Cia."

It's the whisper of my name by the boy I love that stops the trembling. Tomas is still alive.

Will straightens his shoulders and takes aim. My finger tightens. The gun in my hand kicks a second before Will fires. My bullet punches into his right side, sending him staggering backward as his shot whizzes by my ear into the darkness. Will screams and starts running toward his skimmer as I fire again. His stagger tells me I've once again connected with my target, and I hear his gun clatter as it hits the ground. I shoot again and again as the skimmer lifts off the ground and zips forward. Two more shots and he is out of range, streaking toward the finish line.

The last of the gray light is fading as I kneel next to Tomas. The adrenaline coursing through my body fades, leaving me weak and tired and scared.

"Is he gone?" he asks.

Feigning more confidence than I feel, I say, "With any luck

he'll black out from blood loss and crash his skimmer before he gets to the end. Where did he shoot you?" A pointless question since I can see where Tomas's red streaked hands clutch his right side. I roll him over and find a bloody wound on his back. The bullet passed right through. One less thing to worry about, I tell myself as I pull the rest of the towel I took from the Testing Center out of my bag, rip it into pieces, and hold one against the wound. With the flow of blood stanched, I rack my brain for everything I learned from Dr. Flint about human anatomy. An ear pressed to Tomas's chest tells me his heartbeat is quick but steady. His breathing sounds strained but there are no gurgling noises to indicate his lungs are filling with blood. Both are good signs. But neither will matter if I can't get him back to Tosu City.