Recruits (New Haven Book 1), page 15
“Is there a way to get them out of there?” I asked, going over to the table and scanning it.
Luke looked frantically at all the buttons. “I don’t see anything.”
“There’s no door,” Will said, staring through the window.
“What?” I asked, turning to him.
“There’s no door in the room. How could they get out?” Will asked.
“They had to get in,” I said, walking to the window. My stomach lurched, watching them squirm, with rats all over the place.
“Maybe there’s a trap door,” Luke said.
Will went to the door again and looked outside. “Angela, David! Come here!”
They both grunted, but a minute later they were in the room. Their eyes widened in horror when they saw our partners being mauled by rats.
Thunder Thighs had come up to the window and banged. “HELP!”
“There has to be a way to get them out!” Luke yelled, running his hands over his head.
A loud groan rippled in the air and movement started in the other room. I looked closely. “Are the walls moving?”
“They're moving in,” Will said.
He was right; the walls were closing in on our partners. If we didn’t stop them, they’d be squished. I shuddered at the thought.
Another loud groan came from outside our room. David walked to the door and looked to the left. He gasped. “Uh, guys, the elevator's gone, and it looks like the wall's moving in.”
Skinny ran to the door. “That’s impossible!”
“But it’s happening,” David said. “If we don’t get out of here soon, we’ll be trapped.”
“We can’t just leave our partners in there!” I said, tears coming to my eyes. “They'll die!”
“So will we if we stay here!” David yelled. “What’s better, five or ten deaths?”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “I’m not leaving them.” I ran to the table and hit all the buttons, turned the knobs, and pulled the levers.
“Stop!” Luke yelled. “The walls are going faster now!”
Sure enough, the walls were moving in faster, the rats going wild, and our partners screaming in pain and fear.
“There has to be a way!” I shouted.
A chair sat under the table, so I pulled it out and ran at the window full speed, thrusting the chair at it. The window vibrated but didn’t even crack.
“The wall out in the hall is moving faster now, too,” David said. “I’m sorry, but I’m out of here.”
“Me, too,” Skinny said, taking off with David.
I couldn’t believe they would just leave like that.
Will and Luke looked as frantic as I felt. We stood there, trying to think of something, but there was nothing to do. I tried to block out the screams so I could concentrate, but they were too piercing.
“Up there!” Luke shouted, pointing at the ceiling. A vent was right above him. I grabbed the chair and put it directly under the vent. Luke stood on the chair and reached up, touching the vent cover. He pushed it up and lifted the cover, shifting it to the right.
“They have a vent cover, too!” Will yelled. “It’s right in the middle of the room.”
“Emmie, come here. I’ll lift you.” Luke held out his hand to me.
I took it and he lifted me onto the chair with him. He clasped his hands together. Resting my palm on his shoulder, I put my foot on his hands and pushed up. He lifted me into the air, and I grabbed the edge of the vent, pulling myself in. I crawled down the vent and turned left, going to their opening. I tried to take off the cover, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Luke!” I yelled as loud as I could. I turned back around and headed toward the way I came in. Luke was just being hoisted up. “I can’t open it,” I said to him.
“Let me squeeze by and I'll see what I can do.” Luke inched past me. It was a tight squeeze, but he moved ahead of me.
“It’s almost closed off!” Will yelled from below. “I’m sorry, but I can’t stay here any longer. The wall has already reached the door. Only a few more feet and we’ll be trapped.” He paused. “And our partners don’t have much room now. Even if you got them out of that room, there wouldn’t be time to get them out of this room. I’m so sorry.”
With that, he was gone.
We were left alone, with no hope of saving them.
“I can’t open it,” Luke said, his voice filled with despair. The screams below were getting louder. I scooted myself next to him, trying to see if we could combine our strength to open it. We pushed and pulled, but nothing worked.
“It’s welded shut,” Luke said.
“Why would they do this?” I asked, tears filling my eyes again. “They're just going to kill them? Kill us? Why?” It didn't make sense.
Luke eyes were watery. “I don’t know.”
My body shook, the emotions too much for me. I couldn’t believe they were capable of this. Luke wrapped his arms around me, squeezing tight.
“We need to go, Emmie,” Luke said, his voice barely a whisper.
“I can’t just leave them,” I whispered back.
“It’s too late,” Luke said. He choked on a sob. He was right. Their screams had stopped. The sudden silence cut me to the core. “We need to go.”
It took every ounce of strength I had left in me, but I scooted back toward the opening. Luke followed behind me. When I got to the vent opening, I threw my body over the edge and jumped down. Luke hopped down a second later. My eyes landed on the door, but the wall had already covered the opening.
“We’re too late,” I said.
I turned to the window, but the lights were out, making me grateful. I didn’t want to see what lay on the other side.
I didn’t know if they were listening, but I was done playing their games. They couldn't do this and get away with it. “What is wrong with you people?” I shouted as loud as I could. “Killing innocent kids! What for? Power? Control? Instilling fear in everyone? That's not how you run a corporation or city. That's not how you gain trust or support. This is on your head, Randall! I hate you! I hate River Springs and everything it stands for! Screw you all! I hope you rot in hell!”
I fell to the floor, screaming out my sadness and frustration. Luke sat down next to me, holding me close.
I shook my head. “They can’t do this!” I buried my head into his neck. “They just can’t do this.”
“I know.” Luke’s tears fell on my head. My whole body shook in anger. In hatred.
A groan made me look up. Our walls started moving in. We stood, looking around the room as if we could find a way to stop it. I didn’t want to die like that. Squished to death. All because they trapped my friends; the people I loved and cared about.
I turned to Luke. “I couldn’t leave them, Luke. I couldn’t live with myself knowing I lived, and they died. I had to try and save them. I’m sorry.”
Luke grabbed my arms and looked me in the eye. “This isn’t your fault, Emmie. You did the right thing. You did everything you could to save them.”
I shook my head. “But I didn’t. They’re dead. And we … we will be soon.” I fell against Luke’s chest, more tears coming. He held me tight, resting his head on mine.
We stood there in the middle of the room, listening to the groans of the walls as they moved in and to the sounds of the table snapping, breaking into pieces. The walls were getting closer, the seconds left in my life ticking away.
I don’t know why, but I pulled back and looked at Luke. He pulled my head close, resting his forehead against mine. The whole experience had bonded us in a way I couldn’t explain. I cared deeply about Eric. We had bonded in a way I didn’t think was possible. I was starting to fall for him. And I know Luke loved Tina. It was so obvious.
But we were alone in that room after a day of terror together. We connected on a whole other level. Maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe it was the thought that my life was almost over, or maybe it was the way Luke looked at me, but when he pressed his lips to mine, I didn’t stop him.
Instead, I put my hand on the back of his head, pulling him closer, pressing my body up against his, and kissed him back with everything I had. I concentrated on the warmth of his lips as the wall pressed against my back.
W hen the walls started moving back, I pulled away from Luke. We stood there in silence, not knowing what to do. My heart raced, my breathing fast. I stared at Luke, trying to comprehend what had just happened.
When we finally broke eye contact, I looked around the room. Shards from the busted table lay scattered on the ground. What astonished me more was that the door wasn’t blocked any more.
I was frozen in place, unable to make myself move toward the door. It took me a moment to realize Luke had his hand on my arm. He must have noticed it at the same time because he pulled it away fast and his face flushed.
I cleared my throat. “Should we go out there?”
Luke nodded. “Yes.”
But we both stood there, not wanting to move. When we walked out that door, we had to face reality. I wasn’t sure what that reality was going to be, but I wasn’t ready to stare it in the face. We were alive, but our friends were dead. President Randall had to have heard every word I had said. I didn’t know what I would do if he was out there waiting for me. How would I explain? How could I continue in Recruitment?
“Emmie, we should probably leave,” Luke said, his voice quiet.
I nodded and forced myself to move toward the door, Luke walking right behind me. When we stepped out of the room, I looked down the hall to the left and saw that the elevator was back. Then I looked to the right and saw the door leading outside stood open, beckoning to us.
I looked back at Luke. He gave me a small smile and then nodded toward the door. I took a deep breath and moved toward freedom, away from the crazy building. I paused at the door, not wanting to step out.
“We have to go out there at some point,” Luke said from behind me.
“I know, I just don’t know if I’m ready,” I said, turning to him.
“You really want to stay in this place?” Luke asked, his eyebrows raised.
I gave a small laugh. “Not really. It’s just once we step out there, I have to face the facts of what happened today.”
Luke nodded. “I understand. It’s a lot to take in.”
“But everything I said, I’m sure they heard.”
“Probably, but we’ll just have to take it one step at a time.” He reached his hand out to touch my arm, but then pulled it back.
I tucked my hair behind my ear. “You’re not the one who shouted out back there.” What were they going to do with me?
“But I didn’t stop you.” Luke looked me in the eye. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll get through this together. I’ll be right there next to you.”
I nodded slowly. “Okay, here goes nothing.” I stepped outside, my eyes adjusting to the outside light. From the sky, it looked like it was late afternoon. The cold air made me shiver.
“They should've given us jackets to take today,” Luke said, standing close to me. “Winter seems to be coming fast this year.”
“I know,” I said, rubbing my arms. There was no one in sight. “Where is everyone? There has to be some people left. At least Will, David, and Angela should be out here.”
“Maybe they’re around the corner,” Luke said.
We started walking, staying close together. When we rounded the corner, there was a small cluster of Recruits standing near the bus. Among them were Will, David, and Angela. Will ran to us when he saw us coming.
“What happened in there? I for sure thought you two were dead.” Will bounced on the balls of his feet.
“The walls moved back, letting us leave,” Luke said, his voice clipped.
Will looked behind us. “Just you two? The others … you couldn’t …?”
I shook my head and buried my face in my hands. Luke pulled me into his arms. “We did everything we could,” he said, holding me tight.
“Wow, this is just crazy.” Will shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “How could they do this? None of it makes sense.”
“Are these the only Recruits left?” Luke asked Will.
Theo came over to us and for the first time since I’d met him, he wasn’t smiling. He looked at me sympathetically.
“They’re the only ones that have come out,” Will said. “I haven’t seen RL Steven or the bus driver.”
“Have you done a headcount?” Luke asked.
“With you two, it’s twenty-two,” Theo said.
“So only half survived? Did you ask everyone what happened to them?” Luke rubbed my back, trying to console me, but there was nothing that could make me feel better at that moment.
“Sounds like they went through everything we did,” Will said. “Groups of three to five Recruits locked in a room, then the bats, and then the room with their partners.” Will shook his head. “You two were the only ones who stayed back.”
I couldn’t believe out of twenty-two Recruits, only two were willing to do anything to try to save their partners. I guess no one had bonded like Tina and I had, or Eric and I had. I was pretty sure Luke had stayed for Tina, not Eric. But I couldn’t be sure of that and I wasn’t about to ask.
Theo bounced where he stood. “You don't think they killed them, do you?”
“Who knows,” Luke said. “I would think not, but it all seemed so real.”
“It felt real,” Will said.
It had to be fake. Why would they just kill half of the Recruits? I thought back to the tree “accidentally” falling and swallowed. Nothing made sense. Worry sat in my core, making me question everything.
We stood there for another twenty minutes with no sign of anyone else. I had finally regained my composure, but I didn’t want to leave Luke’s arms just yet. Only hours before it had been me comforting him, but now the tables had turned.
“Hey, look, it’s RL Steven!” Theo shouted.
I pulled away from Luke and turned to see RL Steven walking toward us. All my emotions from the day flared and I ran toward RL Steven, stopping only inches away from him.
“Would you like to tell me what's going on here?” I screamed at him.
RL Steven shook his head. “I had nothing to do with this challenge, Emmie. I just do as I’m told.”
My laugh bordered on hysterical. “Really? You do as you’re told? So, they tell you to lead us all into a death trap, and you say, ‘okay, everyone follow me?’”
“I didn’t know what they were doing!” RL Steven yelled back at me. “They don’t tell me what exactly is going to happen in a challenge. They just tell me when and where to show up and what to say to you. That’s all.”
I shoved him in the chest out of frustration.
RL Steven held up his hands. “Considering what you just went through, I'm going to pretend you didn't do that and I'm not going hold it against you.” He walked away.
Luke came up beside me and put his arm around me. “It’s not his fault.”
“I know that. I’m just so upset I don’t know what to do with myself. I've never felt these kinds of emotions before, so I have no idea how to handle them.” I leaned into Luke and he pulled me into a hug.
“Are we leaving?” Will asked.
“Not yet,” RL Steven said. “They just told me to come out here and watch you.”
A couple of minutes later, someone gasped. I looked over at everyone and they were staring behind me, their jaws practically on the ground. I turned around and my heart leaped. There were a bunch of Recruits walking toward us. I scanned them and saw Thunder Thighs, Simon, Will’s partner, and David’s partner.
“Emmie!” I looked toward the source and saw Tina pushing her way through the Recruits. She broke free and ran toward me. My eyes filled with tears when I saw Eric right behind her. Tina reached me in no time, pulling me into a hug.
“You’re alive!” she said into my hair.
“Me? You’re alive!” I said, squeezing her tight.
“That was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through,” Tina said through her sobs. “I thought you'd been squished to death!”
My mind whirled. What was she talking about? I saw her in the room. She was the one who had been squished.
“I don’t mean to end this reunion so fast, but you’re killing me and Luke,” Eric said, his voice anxious. “We need hugs, too.”
I laughed out of excitement and pulled away from Tina, throwing myself into Eric’s arms. He held me tight, rocking me back and forth. He was alive. I didn’t know how, but he was there in my arms.
“I thought I lost you, Emmie,” Eric said.
Tina and Luke talked next to me, I’m sure hugging like Eric and I were.
I pulled back from Eric just enough so I could see his face. I put my hands on his cheeks. “You’re really here.” I scanned his whole body, just to make sure everything was intact. “And in one piece.” I hugged him again, crying and laughing at the same time.
“Can I have everyone’s attention?” I reluctantly pulled away from Eric's warm embrace and saw RH Johnson standing there. He scanned the Recruits. “I'm sure you’re all confused right now and have a lot of questions. As you all know, you were split up into groups. You were all locked in rooms, all let loose, and all had to escape a bunch of bats.
“The final test, though, was when you saw your partners trapped in a room with no escape. Or, at least you thought your partners were trapped. What you saw then was an optical illusion. There's a lot of technology involved that cannot be explained to you, but it wasn’t real. You were just led to believe that it was real. There were a lot of reasons for what we did, but to sum it up, we wanted to see how you react in stressful situations. We also wanted to test your loyalty to your partner and River Springs.” He looked at me when he said that last part. “But as you can all see, everyone is alive and well. RL Steven, you may take them back to the dorms now.” RH Johnson turned around and left us there, baffled at what we had heard.
“Everyone on the bus,” RL Steven said. “The box with your watches is at the front, so stop and pick yours up before you sit down.”
