All Chapters of THE CULLING TRIAL: Chapter 1
- Chapter 10
88 chapters
CHAPTER 1 — THE CHOICE WASN'T MINE
My lungs burn as I stumble through the Ironwyrm's twisted wreckage. Metal groans and sparks around me. Behind me, too close, that thing roars again, claws on glass against my skull. "Move, move, move!" I gasp, vaulting over a jutting seat. The floor tilts. I taste copper, blood from biting my tongue during the crash. The creature fills the doorway behind me, all shadow and teeth. Its amber eyes glow in the emergency lighting. I don't look back again. My fingers find the emergency release. Nothing. I hit it again. "Come on!" The door hisses open as something wet splatters my neck. I dive through, rolling across the train floor as claws rake where my head was. I was the only one who survived this attack, well, the only one that has held long enough. Who would have thought I'd be in this unfortunate turn of event twelve hours ago, trying so hard to survive what I see as impossible. My brain is playing tricks on me as I drift back to twelve hours ago when I was still safe in my
CHAPTER 2 — THE MARKING CEREMONY
They said the world is a small place, well, in here it's quite smaller. The odds of meeting a familiar stranger is higher than going into a new relationship. Well, in Tobi's term and this particular scenario isn't far from that. "What are the odds." I glared at him "To meet you again as a broker." "Among other things." Pierce replied as he pulled out his cigarette and released a smoke into the room before walking in. Sera pushed past me to meet him, stretching her hand out Pierce stared at it like it had disease on it which made her mad. "We had a deal." she gritted "And?" asked Pierce which stunned her "And? she repeated "You are supposed to pay for accessing them. I know how difficult it was to lay hands on them which makes them precious to you." Pierce looked at me briefly before facing nodding to the enforcers. "Gentlemen." The twins screamed as enforcers moved past me. I lunged forward, but something metallic snapped around my wrists, yanking my arms behind my back.
CHAPTER 3 — AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER
If I could describe what hopelessness is, this would be it. The shadow moved, rippled in the emergency lighting. I pressed against the metal wall, breath trapped. Fifteen others did the same. No one whispered. No one moved. An enforcer three seats ahead clutched his bleeding arm, face pale. Blood dripped onto the floor with soft plinks that thundered in the silence. He groaned. The shadow twisted, condensed, and the creature appeared, its massive claws punching through reinforced glass like paper. It wrapped around the enforcer's torso and yanked him through the jagged opening. Toxic gas hissed in. The monster scraped along the Ironwyrm's top with metallic shrieks, then dropped to peer through another window. Amber eyes fixed on the girl near the front. Swift, brutal. Claws sheared through glass and flesh. The girl's scream died with her. Another female candidate shrieked in terror. Those glowing eyes snapped toward us. The creature launched itself forward. She was still scre
CHAPTER 4 — MY NEW REALITY
I must be hallucinating or is that a gunshot I heard. Then more followed and soon, I could see it ringing in my ear. I forced my eyes to open slightly, watching as the monster staggered, roaring. More shots followed, driving it back. Hands dragged me from the ground and I groaned in pain. "Target secured! Move!" Authoritative voices surrounded me. I’m lifted onto a stretcher and loaded into another armored vehicle. As consciousness faded again, I glimpsed the creature retreating into the toxic mist. At least I was still alive. I woke to gentle fingers cleaning my forehead. Blinking against the sterile lights, I gazed into striking brown eyes. "Easy now," a warm voice said. "You're safe." The woman appeared late thirties but timeless. Dark hair swept back, rebellious white strands framing her face. Even amid the chaos, she possessed an undeniable beauty. "I'm Kambi," she said, dabbing antiseptic with practiced precision. "You took quite a hit. Luckily, our specialist is top-
CHAPTER 5 — NOT MY CUP OF TEA
Dead faces surrounded me in the darkness, their hollow eyes burning with accusation. The blonde girl stepped forward, her finger pointing straight at my chest. "You let me die," she whispered, blood trickling from her lips. It felt suffocating, like air being sucked from my lungs. I gasped as their hands wrapped around my neck, squeezing it. I wanted to tell them it wasn't my fault, especially to the girl, but I couldn't find my voice. When I thought this was going to be my end, the blazing alarm shrieked through the dormitory, forcing my eyes to snap open. My chest hammered against my ribs. The nightmare clung like smoke, but I was grateful to escape those accusing stares. Soldiers marched in and stood at the entrance. "To the field in ten, nine..." one barked as we jumped from our beds. I got up, disoriented, then saw Tobi still snoring on the top bunk. "Really?" I muttered, shaking him until his eyes opened. "What's happening?" he groaned. "Get up." I pointed at the count
CHAPTER 6 — TEETH IN THE SMOKE
Even after lunch, this eerie feeling and thoughts didn't seem to go away.Kambi pulled me aside to check my wound. Her face tightened."It's getting worse. What happened?"I narrated the pesticide bath, sweat and exertion. She sighed. "Be more careful."As she was leaving, I fought the urge to ask her what the old man said but couldn't, what if she's part of them? Tobi wrapped his arms around my neck "Ease up K, I'm sure he's just drunk and spewing rubbish. Don't let it get to you." But it was too late, it has gotten to me. The afternoon brought endurance training with a different instructor. Running, jumping, crawling through mud, each exercise tore at my injuries until I bit my tongue to keep from crying out.That evening, Tobi led me to where several boys and girls had gathered near the main gate to board a chartered bus, carrying us through gleaming streets to a massive gathering packed with thousands. We followed a girl through the crowd to a building."Better view up there,"
CHAPTER 7 — SOME SORT OF PUNISHMENT
Lex's words hit me as poison fire crawled through my veins. Each heartbeat drove the venom deeper—needles stabbing my skin, metallic blood taste, vision bleeding colors together. Breathing turned to panic. The toxin shut me down piece by piece, fingertips going cold. Through fading sight, I watched Kambi and Lex search for supplies. "What is it?" Kambi's voice echoed distantly. "Something I swore I'd never use again." Lex's hands shook, pulling out an unmarked vial of silver liquid. "Experimental military antidote. No idea if it works on these toxins." Everything spun. Tobi's face flickered above me. "Will it kill him?" Lex hesitated. "It's an antidote, but not for this strain. Still in trials." Molten lead poured through my arteries. My heart stuttered, pumping poisoned blood, black spots dancing across my vision. "Do it," I croaked. Lex knelt beside me, vial trembling. "This will hurt like hell." The needle hit my chest. Silver liquid struck like lightning. Every muscle lo
CHAPTER 8 — ENCRYPTED VISION
The silence stretched tight as a wire. I could hear stomachs rumbling, that hollow, desperate sound of hunger eating itself alive.Everyone else looked just as bad—hollow cheeks, shaking hands, the whole nine yards of slow starvation."We can't divide this equally," this thin kid suggested. "It's impossible with our numbers.""One spoon won't do me any good," someone else said.This seven-foot giant with dark hair pushed through the crowd like a bulldozer."Share?" He laughed, showing teeth that looked too sharp. "I'm not sharing a squat with you weaklings.""Bitus! That's barbaric," a girl protested."Look around," Bitus grinned wider. "We're caged animals fighting for scraps. Might as well act like it."Arguments erupted. Some wanted fair shares—others backed Bitus and his brutal take. His three massive friends flanked him like a muscle wall."There has to be another way," I said, stepping forward despite my body's protests.Bitus eyed me like prey. "Here's your other way."He lunge
CHAPTER 9 — THE GRIM REAPER REVEALED
They dragged me into the chamber like I was carrying secrets I didn’t know I had. The restraints snapped shut, and suddenly every eye in the room burned with the same question."What did your father mean in that message?" The lead scientist leaned close. “I don't know.” I answered. It was news to me too. "Has he been communicating with you?""No.""Do you know where he is?"“Know where he is?” I was stunned. “Isn't he supposed to be dead?”The scientist cleared his throat and went on, "Any knowledge of his whereabouts?""I'm literally confused. My dad left when I was five and never came back."The scanner hummed over my body as the interrogation continued. Shortly after, one of them approached him with the results in his hands. “Sir, I'd like you to take a look at this.” He said, handing it over to the lead scientist. He looked at me with an open-eyed expression "Have you encountered any beasts?"Remembering Kambi's warning, I stuck to the safe story. "Yes. A monster attacked the
CHAPTER 10 — MY LAST BIRTHDAY
A soldier escorted me out after he was done, his threats still echoing in my head. What did I do to deserve this? Did he want me dead? The threat wasn't clear, but my hope of surviving and getting back to Cent and Vivi shattered completely.I went back to the training center, where they announced the rankings. My name appeared at one hundred fifty-one.That couldn't be right. I should get a higher placement. Tobi ranked ninety-eight, Nira at one hundred. Was this part of Thorne's manipulation?Coordinators were called forward. Kambi sat with the others, each selecting ten candidates. She chose Tobi, Nira, and me along with seven others.Then came an announcement:"Thorne invites all candidates to tomorrow night's dinner banquet."After selection, Kambi led us to a waiting bus that took us to another location called The Tent. Its compound sprawled before us—military-style canvas structures arranged in neat rows. Kambi showed us to our quarters."Tomorrow I'll brief you about the tria