Rabbit chase

The whistle blew, and everyone took off running.

The ground shook from a multitude of people hammering the earth with their legs.

Each stride caused a cloud of dust to kick off from the ground.

The fools ran while those with sense jogged, trying to conserve as much stamina as possible.

Sweat started dripping down my face as we finished the 5th lap. My breathing was laboured, and I could only draw short and shallow breaths.

Still, this was different from being out there in the mutant-infested cities.

By the 10th lap, most were already showing signs of extreme exhaustion.

The sun's scorching heat was not so pleasant anymore.

Still, this is doable. I can do this. I can-

Cries of terror filled the air as people bolted past me, their faces twisted in horror. Loud barks bellowed behind us.

I turned a glance to see three huge hound dogs chasing the recruits.

'Dogs, Why did it have to be dogs?' I thought to myself

Will started sprinting at full speed, and so did I.

It was gaining on us. The morons who ran at the very beginning were the first to go. I'd expected that much. The dust clouds made it incredibly hard to see, and balancing myself became more and more difficult as time went on. My sides began to hurt like hell, and I had to steal breaths whenever I could.

How many laps have it been now? I lost count at the twenty-third lap.

My body heat became unbearable to the point I took off my jacket. My shirt underneath was so drenched in sweat that I looked like I'd been swimming. What's worse was the sweat that got into my eyes.

I was now running with one eye closed, my sides hurting while fighting the urge to puke.

'Please, please, someone, please end it already!' I screamed in my head.

It felt like Christmas came early when the whistle blew once more. I never knew a gym whistle could sound so sweet.

I collapsed onto the ground, my arms and legs feeling like they were filled with lead. Will stopped next to me. He was bent over, hyperventilating as he struggled to fill his lungs with air.

Was it over yet? Please, God, let it be over.

"Good job recruits." Ethan congratulated us over the microphone.

He stood next to Markus, who looked unimpressed. No, he looked disappointed even.

There was no way that freak of nature was judging us.

"Will you good?" I croaked, my voice raspy and dry.

All he responded with was a thumbs-up.

I lay flat on the ground, my sides still aching with pain.

"Get up all of you; we are only getting started!" Markus barked, the air vibrating with each syllable.

That man was barely human; there was no way he was one.

This was just cruelty at this point.

***

We were moved to a lake.

Most recruits limped or leaned on one another to get there.

My muscle aching became more apparent as time went on. I guess the adrenaline is starting to wear off.

We were given 30 minutes of rest while the nurses or caretakers handed us a canteen of water. It was one canteen per 4 people. Some didn't even have a chance to drink at all.

I shared the canteen with Will and two other guys. One was a younger guy my age, and the other was an older fella.

I took a swig from the canteen and handed it to the person on my right.

"What are your names?" I asked, hoping to lessen the tension growing among the recruits.

"What does it matter?" The older guy hissed with hostility.

"Don't mind him; he's just old. My name's Noah." He smiled and reached out his hands, "Noah Ramirez."

"I'm Jake." I said as I shook his hand, which was surprisingly rough, "Jake Everest, and this is my brother Will."

The older guy looked away, clicking his tongue.

"Alright now that all of you are well rested. We will begin the second part of the exam." Ethan declared.

Everyone collectively groaned only to be silenced by Markus' crushing pressure.

"This next part is simple really. All you need to do is complete a 500-yard swim."

"This is being cruel; are they trying to kill us?!" The older guy aggressively whispered.

"SILENCE!!" Markus yelled.

"As I was saying." Ethan continued. "I know some of you might require a bit of motivation, so that's why we brought them," Ethan said, pointing behind us.

Just as he did so, the hideous barks of those huge bulldogs filled the air.

All of a sudden I felt as if the pain in my body was gone and a 500-yard swim looked incredibly doable.

Some already dove head first into the lake, terrified looks on their faces. They were the ones who had to start behind us when we ran laps around the track field.

The soldiers released the reins; it didn't take even a second for the bulldogs to come running at us with a crazed look and drool flying off their mouths.

Will and I ran towards the lake, with Noah and the old guy following closely behind us.

The icy lake embraced my sore, aching body as I dove in.

I kicked hard, making pathetic attempts at swimming. My rigid body wasn't doing me any favors.

My ears were constantly filled with water. I can't even tell if they were waterlogged or not.

My body was so heavy, I felt like I was going to sink at any moment. To make things worse, I accidentally breathe in water, causing my lungs and nose to burn.

In a panic, I didn't even stop for Will; I swam frantically, doing all I could to get out of the lake.

If I don't croak after all this, I'm basically immortal.

After what felt like an eternity, I barely made it to shore.

I coughed up considerable amounts of water and it wasn't long after I did so. I heard a splash.

Noah crawled next to me, his hands around the collar of Will's shirt.

"Kid." He muttered in between huffs and pants, "Almost drowned."

Will was out of it. It was a miracle that he made it this far.

Will began to cough up water, so I sat up with my legs crossed, patting his back.

The number of people slimmed considerably. There are just barely over thirty people left.

My eyes turned back to the lake, and I saw soldiers rescuing the recruits who didn't make it across.

I let out a sigh of relief. The nightmare was over. We did i-

"Good job recruits." Ethan's voice blared through the microphone.

Finally, he was here to declare that the exam had finally concluded.

"Good job for making it this far; good job indeed."

'Please don't let there be a but.' I thought to myself.

"But…"

'God dang it!'

"There is one last test. Just one." Ethan said with a grin.

In front of us stood a steep stone cliff that towered over the sky. Barely any stone jutted out from it.

'They can't possibly be implying what I believe it is, right?' I thought to myself.

"Some of you might have guessed it by now. Yes, that's right. The final part of today's test is to see if you can, against all odds, climb this cliff.

"There won't be any motivation from us this time. After all, all of you have made it this far. Then again, you could just... give up." He taunted with a smug expression.

My stomach burned with fury.

I've come this far. I won't let my efforts be in vain. I refuse to let that happen.

Gathering all my remaining strength, I stood up, my body barely functioning.

I walked to the base of the cliff. The grass crunching under my feet.

This task was going to be nearly impossible as daylight began to fade.

A handful of recruits stood together with me. They weren't the ones you'd expect to still have some fight in them. Most of them were young, some even younger than me.

Will slowly walked up beside me with Noah supporting him.

He was in no condition to climb this. That would just be courting death.

"Give him to me."

"You sure?" Noah responded.

"Yeah, I'm sure; give him to me."

"Alright, sure man, jeez."

I took Will on my back. I could feel his breathing weakening.

"Ready?"

"When you are," Noah responded.

He didn't look much better than I do, but how was he this calm?

Noah started climbing first, and I followed closely behind him.

Every single movement took every bit of what I've got and then some.

The weight of my wet clothes and Will on my back was too much for me.

My heart skipped a beat whenever my fingers threatened to slip.

By some miracle, I was now nearly at the top.

This last part was beyond impossible with all the weight I have on me. I'd have to jump.

Noah looked over the cliff face and reached his hands out.

"Trust me, Jake." He yelled out.

I made the worst mistake of looking down. Below me was a drop that could kill a man twice over.

"I don't think I can do this." I blurted out.

My whole body was minutes away from being paralyzed with fear. I didn't have time to think. I had to do it.

Acting more on impulse than rational thinking, I closed my eyes and jumped.