All Chapters of THE CULLING TRIAL: Chapter 41
- Chapter 50
92 chapters
CHAPTER 41 — TORN APART
The steam finally began to clear, hissing into the scorched air like dying breaths. I stumbled out of the centipede's corpse on unsteady legs, my eyes scanning desperately for any trace of my best friend. Anything like a piece of clothing, his weapon, even ash that might have been shaped like a person.Nothing. Until I spotted something. The ground where Tobi must had made his final stand was crusted over with a layer of hardened minerals and toxic residue. It was as if he had never existed at all, as if our friendship had been nothing more than a fever dream in this hellish place.I dropped to my knees, my hands pressed flat against the warm surface. This couldn't be real. Any moment now, Tobi would emerge from behind some rubble, grinning that cocky smile and telling me I looked like hell. Any moment now.But the moment never came.I was too numb to cry. Too empty to scream. I just knelt there, wishing with every fiber of my being that this was all some twisted nightmare I coul
CHAPTER 42 — NEAR DEATH
Its jaws clamped down on his shoulder with a wet crunch. He screamed and fell backward, blood spraying across the ground. Then it turned to me and Little. We huddled together, trembling as the beast stalked closer. Its lips pulled back to reveal rows of curved teeth, each one as long as my finger. Now that death is facing, why I'm I scared? The creature's jaws closed around my leg, and pain beyond description shot through my entire body. It felt like being struck by lightning and stabbed with molten metal simultaneously. I screamed until my voice gave out, but the sound seemed to come from someone else. The beast began dragging me across the rocky ground, my skin tearing on jagged stones. I was too weak to resist, too poisoned to care. Maybe this was how it was supposed to end. Maybe I deserved this for letting Tobi die. More shapes emerged from the shadows. It was the whole pack. They fell on my companions with savage hunger, their jaws finding soft flesh and vulnerable joi
CHAPTER 43 — THE DESPERATE PLAN
Dawn broke gray and toxic over the wasteland, painting the sky in sickly shades of yellow and green as we followed Jabari toward Bitus's stronghold. Every step sent fresh waves of pain through my bandaged wounds, the torn flesh pulling against makeshift stitches, but I gritted my teeth and kept moving forward through the treacherous terrain. Vira had Little on her back as nobody else could volunteer for the burden. My injuries made carrying him impossible, and the others were still recovering from the lingering injuries those mutant wolves gave us. "There," Jabari whispered, pointing to a cluster of jagged rocks ahead. "Behind those."“Alright, let's stay low and observe them from a distance.” I said. We crouched behind the massive boulder, our bodies pressed against its cold, rough surface as we peered over its jagged edge at the scene of organized brutality below. My stomach clenched with a mixture of rage and despair at what I saw.Bitus had turned it into his personal kingdom.
CHAPTER 44 — TRAIL OF FIRE
I made my way down the slope as quietly as possible, staying low and using the scattered debris for cover. When I reached the edge of the supply depot, I took a deep breath and sprinted toward the main stockpile.Movement in my peripheral vision made me freeze mid-step. One of the participants, a wild-eyed boy who looked half-starved and completely desperate, had somehow broken free from his bonds and was creeping up behind Vira with a jagged piece of twisted metal raised above his head like a primitive weapon. His movements were erratic, fueled by the kind of desperation that made people do unthinkable things."Vira!" I shouted without thinking. “Behind you!” She spun around in time to spot her attacker. She caught him by his wrist and used his momentum to slam him face-first into the ground. The metal shard went skittering across the rocks.Even though I saved Vira, my shout had given me away."Hey!" One of Bitus's minions spotted me immediately, his head snapping toward my posi
CHAPTER 45 — SINKING AND WALLOWING
How many flaws must I endure to get it right? An answer I don't know and maybe will never know.I watched as participants scattered like ants from a disturbed hill, desperately searching through the smoldering wreckage for anything salvageable.Vira was among the first to reach the ruined supply piles, her hands plunging into the black soot without hesitation. The charred residue stained her palms and fingers as she dug frantically through twisted metal and ash, searching for even the smallest vial of medicine that might have survived.From where I sat, my mind raced through possibilities. Airdrops were supposed to have landed. They definitely wouldn't want their favorite participant to lack anything, especially since he was giving them the content or whatever material they needed for this trial. So why hadn't it happened?My eyes swept across the area, counting heads. There were approximately nineteen participants left, almost all of them gathered in one spot. This kind of concentrat
CHAPTER 46 — THE LIVING RING
The dark cloud swallowed everywhere, making everyone anxiously look up. I forced my gaze up but saw nothing, only that the middle of sky was dark with strands of highlighted colors flowing to it, swelling its size. That's when I realised what those strands were. They were the birds from the forest. Birds burst from the forest in impossible numbers, their wings blotting out the sun as they rose into the sky.They formed a rough circle overhead, a living ring of black feathers and gleaming eyes that cast everything below into shadow. The pattern being deliberate and organized, like they were following instructions from someone…….or something.Every participant in the camp looked up nervously, weapons raised but useless against something vast and coordinated.When we least expected it, that's when they descended.The first victim was the young girl who was one of the captives Bitus held before others, unfortunately being tied with her were consumed. The birds fell on them like a bla
CHAPTER 47 — IN THE BRINK
I woke to Little's concerned face hovering over mine, his dark eyes studying me intently with the kind of worry that seemed too old for his young features. The moment he saw my eyes flutter open, he called out softly but urgently."Vira! Jabari! He's awake! Come quick!"Footsteps approached rapidly, and soon Vira knelt beside me, her face etched with lines of worry and overwhelming relief. Dark circles under her eyes spoke of sleepless nights spent watching over me."How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper as if speaking too loudly might somehow break me again.Jabari appeared behind her, his usual stoic expression cracking into something resembling a smile as he gave my back a playful but careful strike. "You scared the hell out of us there for a while, brother. We honestly thought we'd lost another one. Your breathing was so shallow we had to check for a pulse every few minutes.""The antidote?" I croaked, my throat feeling like I'd swallowed handfuls of sa
CHAPTER 48 — THE FINAL CARD
The next morning, Jabari woke me with a gentle shake. I'd managed maybe three hours of sleep.“I'm going to be on the lookout, you should get some rest.” Jabari insisted. I tried to let him know that I was alright but he was adamant about it. I decided to succumb to him and went to sleep. For a few hours, we lived in relative peace. No trials, no attacks. I almost let myself hope it could stay that way, but I knew better. This is designed to have as many casualties as they can and since we are drawing towards the end of the trial, it's best to believe that it will become more intense. "This is everything we have left," Vira announced on the third afternoon, spreading our supplies on the ground. "Maybe two days' worth if we ration carefully."I studied the meager pile, it sure looked pathetic."It won't be necessary," I said. "With a few participants remaining, the next trial will start soon. We should eat everything now because we will need strength more than supplies we might not
CHAPTER 49 — AM THE SCAPEGOAT
Somebody wake me up from this nightmare.I glanced at everyone who looked at each other. “So?” Asked Bitus, “Who is it?” Murmuring filled our midst as many gave out their own opinions. “We should check everyone's cards to be sure.” one suggested. They all agreed with another adding, “The person should confess to make it easier for us all. Isn't it ok if nine of us survive? You're saving lives this way.”My legs remained planted on the ground, my body shivering like I got a cold. I stared at the grinning jester in my trembling hand, the cruel irony not lost on me. After all I went through with this so-called trial, they still want to make sure that I am dead. Thorne made it known to me that he wasn't done with me yet.Vira moved closer to me, whispering “What's your card?” I glanced at her, wondering if it's ok to tell her or not. “I, I don't know.” I stammered. She took another step closer to the point that I could feel her body heat. “Don't lie to me.”Taking a shaky deep bre
CHAPTER 50 — BAIT AND SWITCH
Why am I seeing Cent and Vivi in the small cave all of a sudden? Vivi, stood up, leaving Cent to keep working on something. I moved closer, taking a spot right beside him to see what he's up to. "What are you doing?" I'd asked, leaning in to get a better look.Cent had half-covered his project with his hands. "You're not supposed to look yet.""Come on," I'd teased. "Let me see."After some coaxing, he'd finally relented and showed me the strange contraption of wires and metal components."What is it?" I'd asked."It's my invention," he replied with characteristic sarcasm.I'd rolled my eyes. "What does it do, Cent?""I'm trying to see if I'll be able to make a mini fan, Vivi complained about the heat.”“Doesn't look like it.”“ I'm trying ok.”I'd laughed,” OK smartie pants.”"I'm trusting the process," he'd said with a shrug. "Hoping it will have its usefulness."The memory had been so vivid, so real, that opening my eyes back to the cold cave felt like being slapped. This dream