Savage Run (13 page)

The lights fade and a
projection pops up right in front of my eyes, accompanied by a
dangerous tune. The first contender, a fierce-looking golden-haired
boy, appears on my screen. Screaming, he wrestles an alligator to
the ground with his bare hands. Finally with one snap, the boy
cracks the alligator’s jaw open, splitting it in two. The image
melts into the next one. A boy with black hair and skin appears on
my screen. The boy is one of many, clinging onto a tightrope above
a glacier, inching himself forward. Bodies lie frozen below, their
lifeless, blue faces staring up into the heavens. I close my eyes
to escape the image, feeling my stomach churn with nausea. The
images continue, each one more disturbing than the next and I have
a hard time keeping my eyes on the screen. The ninth image is of a
grossly muscular boy, nothing like I’ve ever seen, and he was a
contestant in the
Death by Nature
obstacle course Nicholas spoke about. The boy
runs alongside other competitors in a jungle. Tigers are chasing
them. But then he does something unexpected. He finds a sharp stick
and starts stabbing the others in the stomach with it, their blood
running down their abdomens and legs. Tigers attack out of nowhere,
being drawn to the scent of fresh blood. Fast-forward and the
muscle-bound boy runs ahead and crosses the finish line first, his
arms raised in victory.

Is this the kind of thing I’ll be up
against? That I’ll have to revert to so I can stay alive? I look
over at Nicholas who isn’t even watching the screen directly in
front of his face. Instead he’s looking down at his hands in his
lap.

The final top ten episode appears on the
screen and I immediately recognize Tristan, Arthor’s brother, as
the boy climbing a snow-covered cliff. I glance over at Arthor
again whose lips draw to a line and he looks away from the screen.
He knows what’s coming. This is the moment his brother died. I look
back to the screen, not really wanting to watch, but unable to tear
my eyes away.

Climbing the steep cliff, Tristan finally
arrives at the top with the Culmination flag in his hand. A
redheaded participant makes it to the top, and seeing Tristan, he
immediately lunges for him, punching him again and again until
blood flows from his mouth and nose. Why would he be doing this and
why is this clip being shown? I close my eyes for a second and when
I open them, somehow Tristan has flipped the boy onto his back,
straddling him. The boy kicks his feet against the back of
Tristan’s head and they roll to the edge of the mountainside, the
redheaded boy ending up dangling over the edge, above the icy water
one hundred and fifty feet below. The boy screams, and for a
moment, Tristan hesitates. Then he reaches his hand out to help the
boy and hauls him up, but this act of kindness, of complete
selflessness, costs him everything and the boy pushes Tristan off
the cliff into the water below, sending him to his death. My screen
closes and the lights in the hall turn on. I look over at Arthor
again and he has his eyes closed. Instinctively, I reach for his
hand, but before I touch him, I withdraw it. I’m not sure if he
sees it, but his eyes open.

“
Savage Run was designed
with these events in mind and to challenge both the body and the
mind so participants are adequately tested, proving that they are
suitable to join the superior Class-1 Master race. I believe every
single participant here today has the seeds of greatness deep
within him. It is the responsibility of each of you to bring that
greatness out in yourself. Just remember, we created this program
because we believe in you. And now, finally, for the moment you
have all been waiting for!” O.J. says. “Please welcome President
Volkov and the representatives of the official participating
countries, the generous benefactors of the Savage Run!”

The crowd erupts into applause and I clap
along with them, but not because I’m excited. My thoughts are still
on Tristan and how with one decision, his life was over. Hopefully,
I don’t meet his fate, too. I want to say to Arthor that his
brother did the honorable thing, and that that’s what was most
important. But he’s dead. Is doing the honorable thing the most
important? Or is it to do whatever it takes to stay alive?

President Volkov strides onto the stage, his
bald head catching the light of the follow spots. He welcomes us
brave souls, telling us we should be so proud to be the few who
still believe in the ideal of liberty and strength. This
opportunity, he says, was made for us and for anyone who ever had a
dream in their hearts.

I look over at Nicholas and when his eyes
find mine, they are full of quiet bitterness. Seeing him in such
close proximity to his father, it becomes obvious to me that he
wasn’t lying about how he feels. I can see it in the way his whole
body tenses and in the way his eyes smolder. To anyone else, he
might just look tough and proud—it’s easy to miss the subtle
contempt in his eyes. But it’s there. Very much so.

“
Before I reveal in which
nations the obstacles will be taking place,” President Volkov says.
“I’d like to personally thank the leaders who voted in favor of
hosting my program. Most politicians know that sporting events
rarely produce a financial gain, which is unfortunate. However,
when a country becomes involved in supporting an event such as this
one, research shows that there is a measurable increase in
happiness among the nation’s citizens. The excitement and partying
will infuse fun into the otherwise dreary, day-to-day routine. And
who isn’t looking for more happiness in life?” He pauses and ambles
across the stage.

And oil, is all I can think.

“
Most people don’t really
want true freedom because it requires a hundred times more than
living in bondage. But you Savages, you know what freedom costs,
and you aren’t afraid to embrace it!
And
now for the grand reveal!”

The moment of truth. When all will be
revealed to me. But there’s someone missing, and I feel weak
without her. Afraid. Alone. Gemma should have been here with me
now—she deserved it more than anyone. Why do some lose it all? I
chew the inside of my mouth until I can taste blood—anything to
keep my thoughts from going back to Gemma.

Chapter 10

I don’t know how in the blink of an eye my
throat got so dry and how extremely difficult it has become to sit
still and not fidget. The entire room has become so quiet. If I
closed my eyes and didn’t know where I was, I would think that I
was alone.

“
The first phase of the
Savage Run will be held in the Nation of Normark!” President Volkov
announces.
The spectators burst into
applause—the rest of the participants from Culmination and myself
also clapping dutifully—but I sense that some of the enthusiasm
displayed by the other participants is more to drown out their
fears than from any real excitement.
Three
women and one man enter the stage carrying Normark’s flag—a green
flag with a white and blue cross through it. They eventually make
it to their seats and sit down.

President Volkov continues. “Normark, as you
all know, has never been part of any republic or united order. They
could be labeled loners.” He laughs, and the gathering joins in.
“As an independent nation, they have done very well, and we salute
their leaders for holding to the traditions of the old world.
Normark is in short famous for its beautiful soaring mountains and
gorging fjords, and it is in this dramatic environment that you
will begin your journey to freedom. In the first round of phase
one, you will run a marathon—twenty six point two miles—across a
landmine-speckled field. In the second round of phase one, you will
swim ten miles in e-conda infested waters—a genetically altered
anaconda that is capable of generating one thousand volts of
electricity.”

I’ve never been a good swimmer, or a fan of
any type of water predator, but President Volkov continues to talk
before my mind comes up with all the scenarios in which I’ll
drown.

“
Last, but not least, in
the third round of the first phase, you will climb Devil’s Cliff,
and complete phase one by jumping into the fjord two hundred feet
below. For those of you who don’t know, Devil’s Cliff is the
deadliest cliff known to man.”

I look over at Arthor, wondering how he
feels about jumping off the cliff. Arthor’s face is
composed—ashen—making me think there’s a storm brewing inside.

“
Is it even possible to
survive a two hundred foot fall?” I whisper. No one
answers.

“
The second phase will be
held in the Republic of South Newland!” President Volkov announces.
Two men and two women step onto the stage, parading around with
smiles on their faces, waving the Republic of South Newland’s flag
in the air. Finally, they make their way to their seats and smile,
nodding to the leaders of Normark.

“
The Republic of South
Newland has a plethora of caves and waters.” President Volkov
greets each of the leaders with a handshake, his smile coming
across as a forged grin. After they sit down, he continues
speaking. “During the first round of phase two, you will find
yourselves balancing across floating disks, high above Black
Valley. During the second round, you will literally be elevated to
new heights, and during the third round, you will encounter a
surprise obstacle course. Finally, the third and last phase will be
held in…” he waits for the crowd to grow anxious. “Do you want to
know?”

“
Is he seriously asking us
that?” Arthor whispers. I stymie a despairing laugh by clasping my
hand over my mouth. I’m so nervous that my hands feel like icicles
and they’re trembling.

“
I can’t hear you! Do you
want to know?” We cheer, though we are far from
enthusiastic.

“
The O-Region! And the
Eastern Republic will be benefitting this program.” Murmurings go
through the crowd while the final four leaders—all men—parade the
stage with the Eastern Republic flag waving above their heads. Like
me, many of the Laborers in Newland still consider the super nation
traitors because they didn’t send help when the rogue Unifer army
usurped our country. I don’t understand why the Eastern Republic
didn’t stop the rogue Unifers from taking over our country, but my
father says it was because the rogue army of Unifers had grown so
big that the Eastern Republic was just glad to be rid of the threat
of attack.

“
The Outer Region?” Arthor
says, his mouth dropping open.

Eastern Republic scientists were
commissioned to recreate extinct beast like the saber-toothed tiger
and some of the more fearsome dinosaurs. When that succeeded, it
was rumored that the scientists had also begun to create new
creatures based on old mythologies, like dragons and sea
monsters.

After President Volkov greets the four men,
he continues. “During this part of the event, you will cross Magma
Island, find your way through the Caves of Choice and finally
encounter Savage Jungle, where the most vicious beasts—not known to
the average man—live.”

Johnny must have seen my worried expression
because he leans over and says, “Don’t worry; you won’t make it
that far.”

“
Don’t worry, neither will
you,” Arthor says without looking at him.

Johnny scoffs, but sits back in his
seat.

“
Now, let me talk about
prizes. Participants who complete the Savage Run in its entirety,
and score high enough in the appropriate areas, will be granted
Class-1 Master citizenship. But the top three fastest will receive
extra perks. The third fastest participant will receive one million
Newkos.”

The gathering gasps. One million Newkos is
enough money to maintain a very comfortable lifestyle for many
years.

“
Furthermore,” President
Volkov continues. “The second fastest participant will receive five
million Newkos.”

I feel the energy build in the room.

“
And the fastest
participant, the ultimate Savage of all, will receive ten million
Newkos.” He pauses, letting it all sink in.

“
And now, for our very
special guest. A jewel so rare he stands out like a solitary star
on a black night. A boy braver than any other here—a dreamer in his
own right. A young man who possesses all the Savage Run was founded
upon—the courage to have faith even when all the odds are against
him. Please welcome to the stage, Joseph Wood!”

It takes me a moment to grasp that President
Volkov invited me to join him on the stage; I’m not quite used to
responding to my new name. I look over at Nicholas, who looks just
as surprised as I probably do, and then I catch a quick glimpse of
Johnny—whose face has turned beet red.

“
Don’t be afraid, young
man,” President Volkov says. “I heard how horrible the press has
been toward you and I wanted to reward your valor publicly, among
the bravest. While they may see you as foolish, I see you as a
young man destined for great things.” He reaches his palm toward
me.

Somehow I manage to stand up and Mai takes
my arm and escorts me to the stage. If only my knees would stop
knocking and I could breathe I might be able to make a good first
impression. He could have my head if he wanted to so I better
figure a way to keep my wits about me.

Once up the stairs, I join President Volkov
at the stand. From this distance, I see all the wrinkles that line
his face—the grooves of an angry man.

“
What a handsome fellow.”
He takes my hand and raises it up with his, high into the air.
About a third of the audience cheers, so my guess is that many of
them aren’t very glad that I’m here. Or they just feel so sorry for
me that they can’t muster the strength to cheer for such a sad
scene. By the time President Volkov lowers my hand, all the energy
has been sucked out of the room, but it doesn’t seem to deter
President Volkov at all. He doesn’t seem to be a man who cares what
others think.