Testing Zero: a dystopian post-apocalyptic young adult novella series (Remnants of Zone Four Chronicles Book 1) (7 page)

Chapter 10

ZERO STOOD BY AND WATCHED inside the locker room as Brawn wrapped Lefty’s hands with white sports tape in preparation for his big fight. After finishing with the tape, Lefty pulled on a pair of thin black leather gloves that covered his knuckles but left his fingers exposed.

Zero sighed and shook his head when Lefty stood in front of the mirror to admire his fists, pounding them together. Lefty then bounced around the locker room, warming up.

“I’ve got to visualize my victory,” Lefty said. He stood again in front of the mirror and boxed at his own reflection.

“Alright. So what’s that look like?” Zero asked.

“Well, the referee is holding up my hand. Preferably my left. That’s my good hand.”

“No. I mean, what’s your plan of attack?”

“I should probably stick to my strengths.”

“Which are?”

“You know. You’ve seen me fight loads of times.”

“So what are they?”

Lefty stopped. Casting a telltale glance Zero’s way, he said, “I don’t know. I was sort of hoping you’d be able to tell me.”

“Just try to stay away from the business end of his fist.” Zero began rubbing his shoulders from behind to loosen up Lefty’s muscles. He looked up at their reflection in the mirror.

“What kind of advice is that?”

“I don’t know. You told me to give you advice. I don’t know anything about fighting. I’ve never been in a fight.”

“Tell me what you think about this: When he swings at me, I charge him. I wrap my arms around him, and no matter what he does, I don’t ever let go. I’ll have to keep the fight in close. If I try to stand and trade punches with him, I don’t stand a chance. He’s probably got eight inches longer on his reach than I do. If I stay in close, he won’t be able to hit very hard. And if I can move around to his back—which would probably be easiest if I can figure out how to get him to the ground—then I can use the chokehold move I saw one of the frontline scouts use today on a Remnant.”

“That’s good. Try to get to his back.” Zero considered this, now that he’d said it. “You think that’ll work?”

“It has to,” Lefty said. He again began swinging his fists against his reflection.

The crowd outside roared, and Lefty stiffened. Something big had just happened during one of the other fights. By the sound of things—the way everyone yelled, applauded, and then went silent—it sounded like the fight was over. This was it. “It’s my time to shine.”

“Stay in close,” Zero reminded him. “You nervous?”

“I’m only fighting for my life here. But there’s no time to be nervous. I’m pumped. I’m pumped. I’m pumped.” Lefty smashed his fists together.

A tall man in a purple Elite robe poked his head into the locker room, waving Lefty after him. Lefty took a few more jabs at his reflection, and then they walked together down a long hallway. Just before opening the door outside, the Elite looked Lefty over from top to bottom. “You sure you wanna do this? Your opponent is twice your size.”

Lefty nodded. “Get ready to be amazed.”

“Fine. When you hear your name, go out to the cage and stand in the middle. Follow the referee’s lead and obey his commands at all times. Good luck.”

The Elite handed a flashlight to both Lefty and Zero before opening the door. Cheering, booing, and music blared down on them. At first Zero didn’t know why they would need a flashlight, but once they stepped outside they realized how hard it was to see the ground as they made their way through the dense crowd. Zero shined his light on the ground to illuminate their pathway as Lefty continued to punch the air and high-five people in the crowd. They stopped at the side of the cage and waited for the announcer to call his name.

“In the blue corner, we have a fighter weighing in at 162 pounds. Let’s give it up for J-12, also known as Lllllleftyyyyyy.”

As they entered the ring, Zero watched him wink at the Elites sitting in the rows closest to the cage.

“This is it, Lefty. This is your chance.” Zero gave him one last pat on the shoulder for good luck, and then took his seat in the front row. He looked to his left and to his right. He was surrounded by a sea of purple. Even those he knew were frontline scouts were dressed in purple robes. The only people wearing standard issue clothing were the students from his year, but they were all at the back of the crowd, out of sight. He had never felt so out of place, even when surrounded by Flea and his gang.

He looked back up at his friend, who was shadowboxing in his corner.

“And in the red corner, we have a fighter weighing in at 251 pounds. Let’s hear it for M-4, also known as Caiiiiiiiimannnnnnnnnnnn.”

Darkness fell over the crowd, leaving only the cage illuminated. The crowd roared even louder. Although he was surrounded by thousands of people, the whole world disappeared in Zero’s mind except for Caiman and Lefty. “Come on, Lefty,” Zero said out loud. “Keep the fight in tight. Don’t try to trade punches with him.”

The referee leaned in and said something to the boys, and then instructed them to back up into their corner. The bell sounded. Zero felt like he was going to vomit.

Lefty and Caiman came out of their corners and circled each other for a moment. Caiman threw the first punch—an enormous right hand, which Lefty easily ducked. He lunged inside, wrapping his arms around Caiman’s middle.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Zero yelled. “Don’t let go. Whatever you do, don’t let go!”

Lefty attempted to lift Caiman to bring him down, but Caiman was simply too heavy. He tried to pull Caiman to the ground, but that attempt was just as futile.

With Lefty latched tightly around his midsection, Caiman pulled his right hand in, put his palm on Lefty’s forehead, and pushed his head out. With sweat already dripping off Lefty’s face, Caiman’s hand slipped and Lefty’s face butted right into Caiman’s chest.

Caiman repeated the move, pushing Lefty’s forehead away from his body, except that this time when Lefty’s forehead slipped, Caiman’s left elbow whipped in to meet Lefty just under his right eye. Dazed, Lefty’s grip loosened just enough for Caiman to throw a right uppercut. Lefty never saw it coming, and he crumbled to the floor—motionless. The referee stepped in to keep Caiman from throwing another punch. The bell sounded over and over. Ding. Ding. Ding.

The fight was over.

Zero rushed into the cage and knelt next to his best friend. The ringside doctor cradled Lefty’s head in his hands until his eyes slowly blinked open.

His lids flickered for a moment—a confused look on his face. “What happened?”

“Are you able to sit up?” the doctor asked.

“Zero, what happened?” Lefty asked again, frantic this time. “Did I win?”

Zero bit his bottom lip and said nothing.

“No. No. Let’s go again.” Lefty tried to stand, but the doctor held him down. “I gotta go again. I can’t lose. Come on. Let me go.”

Lefty twisted away and got to his feet. He ran to the corner, looking straight into the faces of some of the Elites. He started chanting, “One more round. One more round,” clapping his hands as he chanted, encouraging the crowd to join in, but the louder Lefty yelled, the quieter everyone became.

“It’s over,” Zero said into his ear, wrapping his arm around him from behind. “Let’s go. It’s over.”

“No! This wasn’t supposed to happen.” Lefty shoved Zero and sprinted out of the cage. Before Zero had a chance to stop him, he was gone. With the arena lights blinding his night vision, he couldn’t see which direction Lefty ran.

Zero hurried to the locker room, but the only ones inside were those preparing for the next fight. He then realized where Lefty had gone. There was only one place he would want to go at a time like this.

***

Zero turned on his flashlight before running between the buildings and across the lawn to the corner of the fence where they had sat earlier in the day.

There he was, staring out into the darkness. He was on the other side of the fence this time, sitting in the tall grass next to a crocodile, petting it like it was a Labrador.

Zero knew the answer to his question without having to ask it, but silence made the situation seem much worse than any words could. “You all right, man?” he asked through the fence.

Lefty said nothing, continuing to stare forward blankly.

“Come on. Talk to me. You okay?”

“I probably have a concussion, and I might need stitches under my eye.”

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.”

Lefty continued to stroke the crocodile’s back for a while before snapping out of his reverie. He turned his head, stood up and linked his fingers into the fence. “What am I supposed to do now? My life is over.”

“You don’t know that for sure. Maybe you’ll pass the written test.”

“Do you really believe that?”

Zero didn’t answer.

Lefty pulled the leather fighting glove off his right hand, threw it into the river, and then did the same with the glove from his left hand. “Me neither.” He slowly unwound the white tape from his hands, throwing the bits of tape into the water as he tore them loose.

“So that’s it, then? You’re giving up?”

“Giving up?” Lefty’s head snapped up, and Zero could see the fire in his eyes even in the darkness. “I just faced off with Caiman in front of thousands of people, and the only thing I got out of it was a concussion. You think I’m giving up? I didn’t choose to get knocked out. I did everything in my power to prevent it. And I’m not giving up on my life, either. I’ve done everything I can think of, but there’s no hope. This written test is going to knock me out worse than Caiman did, and that has nothing to do with whether or not I’m giving up.”

“You’re right. I shouldn’t have said that. Sorry.”

Lefty stepped over the crocodile, standing inches away from the water. “Director Keys said he and his friends used to dare each other to swim across the river. He made it sound like they did it often. I only need to do it once to get out of here.”

“Lefty—”

Lefty kept his back to his friend, his eyes fixed on the water. “Did you ever wonder about why so many people got infected with the virus when it first broke out? Not everyone did, though. Isn’t that odd?”

Zero stood and said nothing.

“I think all the people who survived the original outbreak of the virus are immune. I think it’s genetic.” He slapped the inside of his forearm. “I think there’s something in our blood that keeps us safe from ever getting infected.”

“You don’t know that. Maybe our ancestors were immune, but that was, what? Hundreds of years ago? What if you get infected the first time you have to fight one of them?”

Lefty shook his head.

“You pretend to have all this confidence, but you don’t fool me,” Zero said. “I’m not stupid. You have a death wish because of—what? You’re scared of failing that test? Maybe Director Keys was just trying to scare you so you’d stop screwing around.” Zero linked his fingers through the fence and pressed his face into it. “Wake up, Lefty. You saw those Remnants today, frothing at the mouth. There’s nothing left to them. Their heads are empty. Do you really want to risk it?”

Lefty said nothing.

Zero knew his friend was teetering on the edge of making an insane decision, which was pushing him to do something he thought he’d never do. Zero reached up, grabbed the top of the fence and hoisted himself up. He swung one leg over to the point where he was straddling it, and then dropped to the other side—the forbidden side of the fence. He suddenly felt very scared and exposed.

Lefty spun around and stared. “I can’t believe this. Congratulations, Zero. You’re no longer a complete coward.”

“This has nothing to do with being a coward. This has to do with whether or not
you’re
going to do something
stupid.”

Lefty wrapped his arms around him. “Thanks for always being there for me, man.”

“Now you’re getting sentimental again. That’s twice in two days. You must be losing your mind.”

Lefty grinned and slapped him on the shoulder.

He was on the other side of the fence, the first barrier that separated them from the outside—the old world. His heart pounded as he looked down at the crocodile and then out into a world of questions. For the first time he shared Lefty’s curiosity. He wondered what was out there.

“You’re crawling out of your skin right now, aren’t you?” Lefty grinned. “This is a little too much for you.”

“I’m pretty anxious to get back to our side of the fence. I admit it.”

“All right, then.” Lefty grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him toward the fence. “You’re a good friend. You always have been.”

Relieved, Zero interpreted that as his cue to climb back over. He did so with ease, anxious to be back where they belonged. But just as he reached the top, just before swinging his second leg over, he heard a
splash
. He dropped to the ground, grabbed his flashlight, and spun around to see Lefty dog-paddling his way through the river—splashing more than actually swimming.

Zero gasped. Any thoughts of following Lefty disappeared when the large crocodile that had been next to the fence slipped into the water behind him. Zero held up his flashlight and scanned the area. Half a dozen sets of eyes glowed back at him from just above the water’s surface.

“Lefty! Get back here. What’s wrong with you?”

Chapter 11

Zero couldn’t believe what had just happened. He shined the light on Lefty as he kicked and grabbed at the water, moving so slowly that he knew every crocodile in the area could easily chase him down if they wanted to. He gasped as he paddled, sounding like he was about to drown every time his head popped above the water.

“I’m doing … I’m … I’m … doing it.” Lefty yelled, swallowing so much water that he was barely understandable.

“You fool! Get back here!” Zero didn’t know what to do. He hurried along the fence, keeping pace with Lefty as he floated downstream. “The river is taking you away. You’ll never make it.”

He was easily able to keep up with Lefty at first, but the closer he came to the center of the river, the faster it carried him away. When he reached the middle, Zero was forced to run in order to match his speed. It became increasingly more difficult to keep the light shining on him. Every time he lost track of him with the flashlight, he saw the leathery spines of another crocodile floating nearby—keeping tabs on him. How long would they keep their distance before grabbing hold of him and pulling him under?

The sound of the crowd cheering on the fighters grew louder as Zero ran along the fence, coming closer to center of the testing grounds where the fights were taking place. Zero realized that the flashlight in his hand would draw the attention and curiosity of anyone who might glance his way, so he clicked it off. He squinted his eyes toward the water, but it was no use. He saw little more than the outlines of bushes and reeds along the water’s edge. He could still hear splashing, however, and as long as he could hear that, he knew Lefty was still progressing toward the opposite bank.

Once Zero was so close to the crowd that he couldn’t hear the water over the jeers, he had no way of knowing if his friend was even still alive. In one quick motion, he grabbed hold of the fence, jumped, and pulled himself over. He landed stiffly on the other side, falling to his right shoulder in the reeds. He popped up and hurried along the water’s edge, squinting and cupping his hands around his eyes in hopes of spotting him in the dark.

He felt like his shoes weighed twenty pounds, considering how difficult it was to run in the mud. He was sure Lefty was far downstream now, but just how far he didn’t know.

“I made it!” Lefty’s voice called out from the dark. “I’m on the other side.”

Zero continued to move until he had reached the spot that seemed to be directly across from where he figured Lefty to be. He looked around for anyone who might be within earshot. Nobody was there. “Okay, now how are you going to get back here?”

“I’m not coming back. There’s nothing for me over there.”

He could hear Lefty sloshing through the mud. “You can’t go.”

“Zero, we both know we’re going to have to say goodbye sooner or later. There’s no way they’re going to draft us into the same city. Go live your life. Become Elite. Live it up.”

“No. I mean, you don’t stand a chance out there. You don’t have any supplies. Don’t you think you at least need a knife and something to make fire?”

Lefty went silent for a while. “I didn’t think of that. Can you bring me some?”

Zero shook his head, flustered. “How am I supposed to do that? You want me to sneak into the kitchen and then swim them across to you?”

“Yeah.”

“Not a chance.”

“You made it this far. You don’t have to swim. Look how close you are to the bridge.”

Zero looked up at the bridge by the front gates, which was now about two hundred feet away. “There are two guards just inside the gate. How am I supposed to get around them?”

“I don’t know. You’re the smart one. Use your—” Lefty screamed in pain so loudly that Zero looked up at the guards to see if they heard. They didn’t seem to.

“What’s wrong? Did you get bit?”

“It’s my leg.”

Lefty rarely complained about pain, especially when he was in the middle of something he considered exciting. Zero stepped one foot into the water before terror froze him. “What is it? Is it a croc?”

“No. I stepped in a hole. My leg is stuck in the mud. I can’t get out.”

“Just … just … just pull your leg out.”

“I can’t! I need you to come pull me out. Hurry. Before one of the crocs gets me.”

Zero took another step into the water and looked down. He was standing ankle deep with both feet now—something he thought would never happen. He wanted to jump in, but that was a terrible idea. Lefty was lucky to have made it across without being pulled under by a crocodile. And even if Zero did try to swim, the current wouldn’t allow him to reach the other side until he was far beyond the bridge.

He jumped out of the water and ran toward the bridge. He struggled to remain quiet as he came close to the guards. Luckily, they seemed more interested in trying to see the cage matches than monitoring anything going on close by. When the sound of the crowd in the distance roared louder, one of them climbed up onto the top of the fence to get a better look.

Zero froze. He was only about ten feet away, crouched down in the reeds.

“What happened?” The guard still standing on the ground asked.

“It’s hard to see from here, but I think the fighter knocked out one of the Remnants. The other two Remnants are latched onto him pretty good, though. I think—oh, there he goes. He just went down. I think one of them choked him out or something. Not bad.”

“Excellent. I bet he’s the only one to knock out a Remnant tonight. That should at least get the attention of the Elite.”

The guard jumped down from the fence. The crowd was still loud, but it was so far distant that the guards would still easily hear him if they were paying much attention. He had to take the risk. Any longer, and the crowd would soon be completely quiet. Any longer and Lefty might not survive long enough for him to reach him.

He kept his head as low as he could and crept toward the bridge. He was relieved to find the ground a bit more solid as he approached. The sound of the crowd died down so low that he could hear himself breathing. He did his best to calm himself, but when he heard something splash in the water behind him, he jumped. He looked up at the guards, who still seemed oblivious. He hurried his pace, keeping in mind to move only on the tips of his toes so as to not make any more sound than necessary.

He reached the bridge and looked up at the sky. There were no trees hanging over the opening of the bridge, which allowed the moonlight to shine down on him, making him feel exposed. There was only one thing to do now.

Run.

He took off as quickly as he could. He didn’t dare even turn his head out of fear that it might slow him down. When he reached the other side, he dove into the reeds. He raised his head just enough to be able to see the guards. One of them stood facing his general direction, but his demeanor appeared to be the same as before—at least from this distance. The other one sat astride the top of the fence again, trying to get a better view of the cage matches. Within a few seconds, the one on the fence jumped down and the other guard stopped looking out across the bridge. They stood a few feet apart, talking quietly as if nothing was going on. Zero didn’t realize he had been holding his breath until this moment when he finally felt like he was in the clear. He exhaled and wiped the sweat from his brow before stepping out of the reeds in search of his best friend.

“Lefty. You there?” He panicked at first when he couldn’t hear a response, but then it came.

“I’m here. Over here.”

He hurried to the sound of the voice. The mud became thicker the closer he came. “Are there any crocs near you?”

“They’re all over the place.”

Zero’s heart began to pound even faster. He stepped into a pocket of soft mud and sank halfway to his knee. He was almost to Lefty by this time, so rather than just trying to pull his leg free, he lay forward onto his belly and reached out his arm. His own foot came free at the same time Lefty grabbed onto him. They grabbed each other hand-to-wrist and pulled. Lefty grunted and there was a loud sucking sound as he came free. They crawled on their hands and knees for about twenty feet before feeling the earth become solid beneath them, and then they dashed toward the outer city wall.

“I can’t climb the wall with my bad hand,” Lefty said.

“Follow me.” Zero hurried to one of the trees. He wiped his hands frantically on the back of his shirt, which was the only part of him not already covered in mud. He reached above his head, grabbed a branch, and hoisted himself up. Once Lefty was beneath him, he pulled him up and they climbed together toward the top. One of the thick branches hung close to the wall and before long they were both sitting astride the top of it, panting heavily.

It took a moment for the situation to sink in. Zero had always considered Lefty to be crazy for always wanting to swim the river and climb the wall. Now that he had reached this point, it was exhilarating.

The world was huge from up here. It looked completely different. It was a freedom he had never felt before—not even while admiring the horizon from the bus.

He breathed in and tasted the air. Even with a putrid swamp behind him, it felt fresh in his mouth and lungs. It filled him with energy and yet calmed him at the same time.

The sound of the cheering crowd was gone, replaced by the chirping and clicking of insects. A crocodile groaned below. A light breeze rustled the leaves and creaked the branches. Fireflies danced around the tops of the trees like restless stars, flashing bits of neon green. From this height he could see the glow of three cities on the horizon.

“This is where I belong,” Lefty said, almost at a whisper.

Zero snapped out of his reverie. For a short moment he had let go of every worry. Hearing Lefty’s voice brought them all rushing back, though. “We have to go back.” It pained him to say it.

“Maybe you didn’t hear me. I said this is where I belong. I’m like a crocodile. A panther. I’m not meant to be caged.”

“Running free isn’t an option. You know that. It’s either the cage—as you call it—or death. You have to understand that.”

“Is that really worse than being a lab rat? At least this way I’ll have a day or two of freedom before something catches up with me.”

“You have to try. Maybe someone watched you fight in the cage and saw something in you that, you know, would make them want to draft you.”

“I didn’t even throw a single punch.”

“You don’t know what the city officials are looking for. Maybe—”

A branch snapped nearby. At first, it seemed like it might have been caused by the wind. As he listened closer though, it sounded like someone was walking toward them through the heavy brush.

“What do you think that is? Is it a Remnant?” Zero’s heart raced so fast he could feel his blood pulsing all through his body.

“No. Flashlight.” Lefty pointed toward the sound, where the faint hint of light could periodically be seen through the trees below, dancing back and forth.

They sat motionless, wishing they had somewhere to hide without creating noise.

Two figures stepped out of the shadows into the moonlight. Facial features were impossible to distinguish from this distance, but it was clear that one of the two was wearing a long dark robe. That man raised the flashlight’s beam until it illuminated the top of the wall about thirty feet away. The light moved closer, and before they were able to react, it shined directly into Zero’s eyes.

“Well, what do you know?” Cumulus called from below. “When I heard someone was spotted outside the fence, I wondered if I would find one, or both, of you two out here.”