Chapter Twenty Two

It was just under two weeks later; Trapper sat with us in the cell now. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to tell him about Bud and Buzz, he was acting as if he was grateful that someone was showing affection for Bud but also seemed unsure of Buzz’s attitude. I just hoped that brotherly protection didn’t kick in half way through breaking rocks, Buzz was friendly and not everyone would appreciate it if he got a hammer to the skull. I’d had one more training session in surviving harsh environment, it had left me just as aching as the last one if not more so; it seemed like the shooters were wanting to pay me back for breaking four of their men’s arms. Still, today would be different. Trapper was with me, the moment he was pushed through the door and the guard went I began to talk. With his help we’d been trying to come up a plan so I didn’t die of exhaustion. Today was the day it would be put to the test; I prayed that Trapper’s plan worked. The cell door opened, everyone got ready in a second. Trapper got in his chair, I stood up and TNT locked his legs together around the bars. Jessica wished and wheeled Trapper out as another guard grabbed my shoulder roughly and hauled me out, they were getting tired of TNT’s behaviour. The last guard there smacked TNT hard in the knees and pulled him from the bars, pushing him as we walked so he kept stumbling and wincing at the pain in his knees.

“TNT – you’re assigned to fighting and weapons training” the nurse seemed to have found something TNT was good for at least “Wheels –“
“Trapper!” the miffed mobility challenged man moaned.
“Right, whatever you want to be called. Since you can’t so much as walk or even use both arms anymore you’ve got planning and battle strategy; you sit there and play against some computer in chess. You lizard man are back in the survival course. Now go all three of you before I beat you worse than anything you’ve ever gotten.” I hated her, I hated her a lot. I wanted to see how long she could last in that damn room. I brushed past her quickly; she pulled away quickly as if she didn’t want to touch me. The others made their own way to the rooms; I resented them and I knew I shouldn’t. It wasn’t their fault that I had the worst training there was. I stood in the middle of the room, sighing as the hiss of the door sealing told me that these next few minutes will be full of pain. I didn’t even have time to stop moving when the opposite side flipped over to reveal the burning heat lamps again. Wincing from the burning of light in my corneas and the searing heat washing over me I tried to remember what Trapper and I had agreed on. I dodged sideways and curled up, as far away from the lamps and exposing as little to them as I could. My back was roasting in seconds but my front stayed cool. I swear I felt my back starting to melt, a thick blob of white skin rolling down my back. Wincing I changed position, laying my back against the floor to try and cool it with my legs crossed in the air so I was still protected from the heat. I had to switch places, resting my legs when my back was cool again and frying my back while I tried to stop the aching in my legs.

Whoever made the announcements was definitely not a happy bunny that I’d beaten the trial without so much as breaking a sweat. Figuratively at least, I was drenched from head to toe in the stuff.
“Stage one completed, stage two will initiate in thirty seconds” I could tell they weren’t happy because the moment I got up and started to rub what little heat I still had in me out the water almost slammed down on top of me. I grabbed onto the floor with my clinging hands and pulled myself out from underneath the shake inducing ice cold jet of water. I moved quickly this time, grasping onto the side of the room and pulling myself free before I started to go into shock again. I breathed strongly and deeply as the room began to fill with cold water, letting the cool air flow through me. I knew this exercise was about withstanding the cold well I’d proved that I could up to a point before and I didn’t want to again, I clung onto the ceiling for dear life now so I didn’t end up a frozen freak. I crawled across the ceiling, avoiding the holes still pouring water into the room with difficulty. The water level was getting higher by the second; it was inches under me now. I prayed they didn’t try and drown me, drowning was a horrible way to go. I pressed my face hard against the ceiling as I felt the water rising up my back, spreading chills through my body from the bottom up. I relaxed, I didn’t need to cling onto the ceiling anymore the water was bobbing me like a cork. I felt it creep up my ears and began to breathe hard, the holes in the ceiling providing me with fresh oxygen for now. It was crawling up my head now, almost numbing coldness going into my brain. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes tight as the water spread over me.

I lay there, floating underneath the water and being pressed against the ceiling. The water was freezing me from the outside slowly, pain then numbness spreading in. The only thing keeping the cold from taking me completely was the fact the lack of oxygen burnt within me, a flame keeping me alive. I opened my eyes slightly, looking around for my one goal to life. I clawed at the ceiling but the water made any extra grip I had useless. I began to panic as I flailed at the ceiling, only succeeding in pushing myself deeper. I couldn’t keep using up my oxygen like this, every move I made wasted precious air. I tried to think but my head was light; thoughts got up half way and collapsed like bubbles. I shook from the cold and muscle spasms, flinching out in a desperate attempt to get out. I flailed my legs out in terror; I was pushed upwards and slammed into the ceiling. I grabbed a hole just in reach and pulled myself to it, shoving my lips to the hole and taking huge gulps of air.

The water began to drain out of room, I let go of the gap in the ceiling and sank with it. I closed my eyes slowly, the fire in my chest kept me alive against the cold. I looked sideways at a slide of metal, still floating on the water as it lowered. Gun barrels were pointing at from the holes just above the water’s edge. The first bullet smashed into my side, it hurt like hell. They weren’t using the weak stuff now; they were right into the hard bullets. I did the only thing that made sense; I dove back under the water, my chest still burnt but I had a good lungful of air now. Bullets smacked into the water around me, I curled up expecting pain... and found pieces of bullet shrapnel floating past me. The shots were going too fast, they shattered the moment they hit the water. It was the chance I’d been waiting for. I swam towards the nearest wall, popped up underneath the slots in the door and grabbed the guns either side of me. I wrenched the gun sideway; the barrels bent sideways and locked in place in their holes. I pushed forward faster than the guards could readjust their aim and began to twist all the barrels sideways, in no time the entire wall was full of twisted barrels rattling to get free of the gun sights.

I dove back down into the lowering water, popping up at the wall to my right and beginning to twist those guns until they too were locked in place. Half way through I winced as a bullet caught me in the side of the head, stunning me but letting me slide under the water so no more bullets hit me. I regained my senses as I inhaled water, got back up coughing and spluttering and somehow managed to make it to the other side with only three more impacts. I twisted the barrels out of place again; almost half of the holes were blocked by the guns since no one could get them back out. I slumped against the wall, the water was totally drained now and nothing protected me as bullets slammed into my chest. A growl of rage came from outside as the door was flung open, there was a black clothed guard stood there, pointing an accusing finger at me.
“YOU!” he roared at me “YOU’VE MADE A MOCKERY OF THIS PLACE EVER SINCE YOU ARRIVED!” I raised my arms defensively as I saw him take off towards me holding a gun high. The barrel smashed into my arms, knocking them down and away from my face. There were two barrels now, three, four heavy guns smashed into my body as the enraged guards pummelled me into the floor, all crying out abuse and rage.
“YOU’RE MOMMA SHOULD HAVE KILLED YA!”
“JUST DIE YOU WORTHLESS MAGGOT!”
“THAT’S IT! YOU’RE GOING IN THE HOLE!” a barrel hit my skull. I fainted.

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