-Worlds Apart- Ruination by Amanda Thome Page B

of absolute darkness falls over me and my body feels like it’s plunged into an icy bath. My ears strain to hear but I no longer perceive the sound of gunshots from the foreigners.
    The darkness continues to blind me but my ears begin distinguishing a slow and steady beeping. The sound reminds me of a medical alarm, nothing I’d expect to hear in the wilderness. The alarm grows faster in parallel with my pounding heart.
    “She’s waking up. We have five minutes before she’ll be coherent.” I hear Dr. Glidden’s muffled voice.
    “Her results are quite interesting.” Natalie says sweetly.
    The alarm accelerates in conjunction with my growing confusion. They’re supposed to be dead, I saw them die.
    “She made it to the black rock and even eliminated the first assailant, but it appears she chose death over killing the second attacker.” Natalie pauses, “It’s quite unique.”  
    “Is that so?” Dr. Glidden asks, sounding halfway intrigued.
    “Oh yes. Only sixteen percent of testers make it out of the facility and of that sixteen percent, less than one percent make it to the river. Let alone to the black rock.” She pauses adding a dramatic effect, “The elite few that make it there always kill both assailants.” Her voice fills with excitement.
    “Well it’s in the designer’s hands to interpret the meaning. Our job’s to wake her and put her through the dummy test.” Dr. Glidden no longer sounds interested, he’s formal and direct again.
    The darkness is beginning to bare a hazed quality as the minutes carry on.
    “Let’s get her to the dummy room before she wakes.” Dr. Glidden barks.
    Hands reach and pull at the pads stuck to my chest and head; I’m so confused by what’s happening. My body wheels across the concrete floor as I feel the heat from multiple hands pushing the giant chair out of the oval room.
    “Less than one minute until eyes open!” Dr. Glidden shouts. My chair turns abruptly about face. My body’s set free from the shackles holding me down. “Thirty seconds people!” Dr. Glidden booms.
    Someone pulls the goggles off my eyes just before draping my limp legs off the corner of the chair. In that exact moment my body is released, I’m awake.
    “There, there, Miss Hollins. Everything’s alright now,” Natalie coos to me as she grazes my back with her hand.
    “What happened?” I look to both her and Dr. Glidden.
    “Miss Hollins, I’m Dr. Glidden. You had a syncope episode, nothing to worry about. It happens to many testers.” He flashes a smile to Natalie before turning his attention back to me. “What is the last thing you recall before you passed out?”
    I almost reveal that I remember everything. The corridor, the icy drug dancing in my veins, watching them both die, but I stop myself. I’m not supposed to remember. Even Dr. Glidden had said I wouldn’t remember our meeting.
    “I remember the shuttle ride over here and that’s all sir.” I try forcing confidence behind my words.
    “It’s quite normal Miss Hollins. Not to worry. You’ve been cleared to test and I’m sure you will do quite well.” He says as his strong arm guides me off the chair.
    I’m in a completely different room than before. No more screens or tablets, no more Centrals dashing around in white coats. It’s a bright, cheerful room that in no way resembles the sterile oval room from earlier.
    Natalie takes me by my elbow, guiding me from the room into a large open arena. To my left I see weapons and trapping materials laid across a long brown table. To my right are stationary and moving targets located throughout the expansive room.
    “Miss Hollins, you have a list of skills you must complete and then you’ll be free to leave.” Natalie says, handing me a sheet of paper.
    My hands tremble momentarily. I grab the paper from Natalie, my mind is still in the other room. Why did I remember everything? Does everyone remember but nobody says anything? A part of me already knows the