Testing Zero: a dystopian post-apocalyptic young adult novella series (Remnants of Zone Four Chronicles Book 1) (9 page)

Chapter 14

Zero sat with his back against the city’s inner fence wondering if his life was over. An hour ago he was contemplating whether or not he wanted to be an Elite. Now he was all but certain that wasn’t even an option. He didn’t know what any of his options would be from here on out, but he knew they wouldn’t be good.

“Hey, Lefty. Caiman sends his thanks,” Flea said. He was lying on the grass with his hands behind his head. “Because of you, he got a chance to show his skills in the cage and now he has already been chosen to be one of the guards at Exile City. He knocked out one of the Remnants. It doesn’t even matter what score he gets on the written test.”

“What in the world is wrong with you?” Lefty asked. He sat on the grass with his legs crossed, shaking his head. “You have no idea how serious this is, do you?”

Flea brushed it off. “For you, maybe. Once the Elite hear my side of the story, they’ll let me finish my test. I was doing great with it, by the way. How was
your
test going, genius?”

Lefty smacked his forehead with the palm of his hand. “You’re even dumber than I thought you were. You punched an Elite—one that is particularly proud, I might add. You think he’ll just forget about that and let you finish your test? You gave him a bloody nose in front of everyone.”

“I only punched him because you ducked. It’s your fault.”

Cumulus stepped out of the building. He shot a quick glance at the three boys sitting on the grass before beckoning them to follow him. He led the way down a sidewalk to where a small brown pickup truck was parked among a dozen other vehicles. “Get in,” he said.

Zero and Lefty looked at each other.

“Where are we going, sir?” Lefty asked.

“I said get in.”

Zero and Lefty climbed into the back of the pickup but Flea didn’t follow after them. He waited until Cumulus opened the driver’s side door before saying, “Sir, if I may… Up there in the classroom I was just raising my hand to let you know that Lefty and Zero—”

Cumulus spun around. Before Flea had time to realize he should probably shut up, Cumulus head-butted him square in the face, knocking him to the ground. Flea placed one hand over his nose and raised the other in front of him to shield any other blows that might come his way.

Cumulus stood over him, staring. “There’s one thing you need to understand about me, boy. I don’t get even. I get ahead. We’re even right now. You bloodied my nose. I bloodied yours. Now it’s time for me to get ahead. Get in the truck.”

Flea waited for Cumulus to climb into the driver’s seat and shut the door before standing up and getting into the back of the truck. With Zero and Lefty sitting with their backs against the cab, Flea chose to sit against the tailgate. He pinched his nostrils shut as they backed up and drove through the city gates.

Within seconds of exiting the outer gates, the truck was moving so fast that it was hard to breathe.

“Where is he taking us?” Zero asked, his voice barely audible in the heavy wind.

Lefty shook his head. “No idea.”

They continued at high speed for about ten minutes before Cumulus stomped on the brakes. Zero and Lefty’s heads slammed backward into the cab.

Flea had already started to look nervous, but he was downright scared now. “Why are we stopping?”

Cumulus stepped out from behind the wheel. He rested one elbow on the side of the truck’s cab. “Last night I told you I wanted to drive you out to the middle of nowhere and drop you off. The other Elites overruled me. They wanted to see how well you would do on the written test.” He pointed a finger directly into Zero’s face. “Obviously we know now how you did on the test. You’re not Elite material. That much is clear. From here on out, I don’t care what happens to you.”

“Sir, what are we supposed to do now?” Flea’s eyes dashed back and forth as if he was expecting something to come busting out of the trees to attack him.

“Did you not hear me, boy? I said I don’t care what happens to you now. Get out of the truck.”

Zero and Lefty jumped out, choosing to do so on the side opposite Cumulus. Flea gripped the sides of the pickup bed.

“Don’t kick me out here. I’ll die.” Flea’s eyes were huge—begging. “It’s not my fault. Lefty punched me while I was just trying to take my test. I just—”

Cumulus’ lips tightened and he began to stomp toward the back of the truck. Flea saw the rage in his eyes and scurried out of the pickup bed before he could get to him. He ran twenty feet away before daring to turn around.

Cumulus walked back to the cab. He smiled broadly, making eye contact with each of them individually before sliding back into the driver’s seat. The engine roared to life. He did a three-point turn before squealing the tires on the pavement and driving back toward the testing grounds.

Zero looked at Lefty and then at Flea, who stood mesmerized with his hands dangling heavy at his sides, his shoulders drooped and mouth agape.

Lefty began walking, but not in the direction of the testing grounds.

“Where are you going?” Flea asked, his voice full of panic.

“Now you see how serious this is?” Lefty laughed at him. “You thought Cumulus was going to let you finish your test. You thought he would forgive you because,” he raised the tone of his voice to mock him, “Oh, Cumulus. It’s not my fault. I’m innocent.”

Flea didn’t even bother with a retort. When he saw Zero join up with Lefty, Flea hurried after them.

“So … where
are
we going?” Zero asked. “Why don’t we go back to the testing grounds?”

“What for? Even if we did make it back in time for the draft, do you really think anyone is going to draft us now that we’re all getting zeros on our written tests?”

“Maybe. I don’t think Cumulus has the authority to disqualify us from the draft.”

“Well, you can go back that way if you want. I know I’ve exhausted all my chances to get drafted, so I’m not going to waste my energy. Last night when we were sitting up on the city wall, I saw the glow of three cities on the horizon. I’m going to keep walking along this road until I find one of them.”

“Then what?”

“I don’t know. We’ll figure that out when we get there.”

“That’s a terrible plan.”

“Yes it is, but it’s the best I’ve got. If you have anything better, I’m open for suggestions.”

The sun beat down on them so heavily that it didn’t take them long before they didn’t want to continue down the center of the road anymore. They walked as close to the trees as they could in order to benefit from the shade.

Cars passed by every few minutes. Most of them were going toward the testing grounds—probably to take part in the draft. Zero waved his arms as they approached, hoping there was still a chance to get back in time for the draft, but those hopes quickly dissipated. The drivers of those cars took great interest in them, slowing enough to get a look at them, but never stopping. Some of those drivers wore purple and traveled in shiny silver cars. Others drove pickup trucks and dressed in the standard issue white t-shirts.

Flea remained ten feet behind them at all times. They did their best to maintain a quick pace. They did not want to spend any more time in the old world than was necessary. It was only a guess, but Zero felt pretty confident they could reach one of those cities before nightfall. For all he knew, they might be walking toward the front gates of Exile City. Whatever city they found might not be too welcoming toward people wandering in from the old world.

There was a real possibility that the old world could be their whole life from now on. If that were the case, then finding food and protective shelter would quickly become top priority, neither of which any of them knew how to do.

Zero lifted his eyes and noticed that a few hundred yards away the road forked in two directions.

“I think we should take the right fork,” Zero said.

“How come?” Lefty asked.

“I don’t know. I’m just going with my gut on this one. In my mind it seems like that way is a little faster.”

“I’m coming with you,” Flea said from behind.

Zero had already assumed he would, but he also knew Lefty would jump on this chance to torture him a little.

“What’s it like to be the follower now?” Lefty laughed. “Now you’re the tagalong, not the leader. All your little shadows are back there waiting for the draft while you’re here begging to follow after us.”

“You think this is funny?” Flea asked. “I admit it. I’m not too crazy about wandering around the old world alone. Even if that does mean I have to stick with two worthless—”

Something rustled in the bushes nearby. Flea screamed as he jumped. It was just a rabbit. It sprinted out of the brush, darted between them, and then hurried down the road and out of sight.

They all laughed at this—even Flea. But just as they were about to resume walking, Zero grabbed Lefty’s arm and pointed at the trees. They went silent, eyes large.

There, standing in the shadows about fifteen feet back from the tree line, was a man. His clothes were tattered. His skin was as dark as the mud of the swamp—just like the Remnants they had seen the day before. He wasn’t moving. He was only watching them.

Then Zero noticed another set of eyes monitoring them. He was even closer than the first.

“Don’t make any sudden movements,” Lefty whispered.

Chapter 15

Zero remained still as his eyes bounced back and forth between the two dark-skinned men in the bushes. For a long time, he didn’t dare move other than taking a step back. He knew very little about the Remnants’ behavioral tendencies, but he was pretty sure these men wouldn’t lose interest and simply walk away.

“We can’t stand here forever,” Zero whispered.

“If we try to run, they’ll chase us down,” Lefty said.

Zero felt the sweat on his forehead drip down the side of his face and off his chin. Another drop was threatening to slide into his eye, but he resisted the urge to wipe it away out of fear that any sudden movements might trigger an attack. “Maybe not. They act like animals, but they’re still human. Maybe they’re not any faster than we are.”

“It doesn’t matter who’s fastest or slowest,” Flea said, not bothering to keep his voice down. “It matters whether or not someone has a head start.” He took off at a full sprint, running down the center of the road with his head tilted back and his arms swinging wildly. He was 10 steps away before either Zero or Lefty followed after him.

Zero had known Flea for as long as they both could remember. He had no respect for him, but this was an all-time low for him.

Zero was easily the fastest of the three. Within only a few running steps, he realized it wouldn’t take very long to catch up and pass Flea, but that would leave Lefty trailing far behind. He slowed to keep pace with Lefty, and the distance between them and Flea grew increasingly wider.

Zero looked back and saw the two Remnants following, but not at a full pace. The closer of the two was over a hundred feet away. His animalistic scream pierced the air. The Remnant farthest away had a club foot and ran with a limp in his step, his body leaning slightly to the right with one hand curled in to his chest. Black saliva stained the fronts of their shirts.

“I think we’re starting to lose them,” Zero said, his face still looking back.

Lefty stopped abruptly—his shoes skidding on the blacktop. Zero was about to ask what the matter was and urge him to continue on when he looked ahead and saw a Remnant run out of the trees. He walked to the center of the road where he stood a short distance ahead of Flea with his arms his above his head and his fingers out like claws. Flea stiffened up--his shoes sliding and stopping on the blacktop. He reversed his direction and headed back toward Zero and Lefty.

The two Remnants following behind slowed to a walk. Their chests heaved. Their bloodshot eyes bulged. They gnashed their rotting yellow and brown teeth, growling.

“Run or fight?” Lefty asked, breathing heavily.

“I … I don’t know.” Zero was terrified of either option. He had seen hundreds of fights in his life, but he didn’t know the first thing about swinging his own fists. If they chose to run, the only place they could go would be into the dense woods on either side of the road. If there were three Remnants this close to the road, then running into the woods could very well lead them directly into a pack of them. As horrifying as the thought of fighting three of them was, defending themselves against hundreds would be much worse.

He looked at the Remnant up ahead, who was now chasing Flea back toward them, and then back at the two coming up from the rear. He darted toward the trees and grabbed onto a branch that was about the same thickness as his arm. It took three jerks to break it free from the trunk. He quickly snapped off its small peripheral branches before bringing it down over his knee to break off three feet of the thicker part. He threw the club to Lefty, who took a few swings at the air to warn off the coming Remnants.

Zero grabbed hold of another branch and quickly made himself a weapon to match. He hurried to Lefty’s side and they stood back-to-back in the center of the road.

Flea was soon once again at their side. “Don’t let them get me. Don’t let them get me.” His voice shook almost as much as his hands.

“You have a lot of nerve asking us to protect you,” Lefty said. “Why don’t you make yourself useful? At least grab some rocks or something.”

Flea scurried to the side of the road, where he began gathering rocks. A fourth Remnant screamed and came bursting from the bushes with his mouth open wide. Flea had almost no time to react, but he was able to raise his right elbow, which struck him just below the eye before he could sink in his teeth.

The Remnant fell face-first to the ground. He lifted his head and cried out in pain before grabbing hold of Flea’s ankle with both hands. The outer layers of skin had peeled off when his face hit the ground, embedding gravel into his cheek. He bared his teeth, half of which were missing, and pulled at his leg.

Within three quick steps, Lefty was at his side. He swung his club down as if swinging a large hammer, catching the back of the Remnant’s head at the base of his skull. The Remnant’s arms dropped limply to the ground and his face bounced once again off the gravel.

“Is he dead?” Zero asked.

“No. His chest is still moving,” Lefty said.

Flea jumped on top of him, placing one knee on his spine. He pulled both arms together behind his back so that one wrist was on top of the other. “I’ll keep this one subdued. You guys figure out how to keep the other ones away.”

The other three Remnants paused their advance. They remained thirty feet away on either side of them, their chests heaving, rambling nonsense and spitting black saliva all over themselves.

The one with the clubfoot was the first to peel off and disappear into the woods.

A shiny silver car approached. It was heading in the direction of the testing grounds. It slowed almost to a stop as it passed the first Remnant, who slapped an open hand on the side of the car, but the driver didn’t dare stop. He drove slowly enough that he was able to make eye contact with Zero, who was standing at the side of the road gripping his club in front of him. The driver was wearing the distinctive purple robe of an Elite. He rolled his eyes as he drove past, as if he was annoyed that their tomfoolery had caused him to use his brake.

When Zero looked back down the road, another one of the Remnants had gone. He turned toward the only one left standing in the road and swung his club threateningly through the air. “Go on. Get out of here.”

Lefty laughed. “That’ll never get rid of him. You don’t look mean enough.” He picked up a fist-sized rock from the side of the road and hurled it at the Remnant before running a few steps toward him with his club high above his head, yelling as loudly as he could.

The Remnant watched the rock bounce down the street, nowhere near hitting him. He took a step back when Lefty began to scream, and then backpedaled until he reached the trees. He didn’t fully disappear into the woods like the other two had. He stepped a short distance into the shadows and crouched low into the bushes.

The Remnant under Flea’s knee began to stir. His red eyes were glassy at first, unfocused as he gradually regained consciousness. He muttered gibberish, spitting and biting at the air.

“What are we supposed to do with him? Kill him?” Flea asked.

“I’m not killing him,” Zero said, taking a step back.

“I’m not either.” Lefty crouched down in front of the Remnant but remained out of spitting distance. He looked him in the eye. “You know what I think, Zero? I think this would be a great opportunity for us to… ummm, what’s the phrase I’m looking for?” He grinned. “Oh yeah… for us to ‘get a head start.’” He pretended he was going to run away, but he didn’t actually take a step.

“You wouldn’t.” Fear was all over Flea’s face now.

Lefty noticed a large box truck coming toward them and he stepped out of the road. “You’re right. I wouldn’t. Because I’m not you.” He pointed a finger in Flea’s face. “But we may be out here in the old world together for a very long time, and if you ever pull something like that again, then yes, I
would
dare.”

A high pitched squeal pierced the air as the box truck slowed to a stop next to them. A young man only a few years older than they were hopped out of the passenger seat and stepped toward them. He stopped a few feet away and placed his hands on his hips. He wore a plain white t-shirt that was covered in dried blood. His disposition seemed pleasant, but the blood all over his front made his appearance alarming. He looked down at the Remnant, then at Flea, and then back down at the Remnant. “What in the old world is going on here?” he asked.

“We got attacked.” Lefty said matter-of-factly. “There were four of them, but the other three got away.”

“There were four of them? And you caught one?” His mouth hung open as he looked back and forth between Lefty and Zero.

“Yeah, well, one of them is still over there in the bushes.” Lefty pointed at the Remnant hiding in the shadows fifty feet away.

The young man jumped when he discovered what Lefty was pointing at and took two steps back toward the truck. “Who are you guys?”

“Students. We just took our placement tests,” Flea said.

“Then aren’t you supposed to be at the testing grounds? The draft is starting soon.”

“We got kicked out for fighting,” Zero said. “Cumulus drove us out here and dropped us off to fend for ourselves.”

The young man shook his head. “That guy always thinks he has more authority than he actually has. I remember him from when I took my tests.” He walked toward the back of the truck. He jerked the handle and the back slid upward. “Get in. I’ll take you back to the testing grounds.”

“What about me?” Flea was beginning to panic. “You can’t leave me here. I can’t let go of this guy or he’ll bite me.”

“Choke him out,” Lefty said. “Wrap your arm around his neck and squeeze until he passes out.”

“I’m not getting my arm anywhere near his mouth,” Flea said.

“Then I don’t know what to tell you.” Lefty grinned.

Zero groaned. “You guys are pathetic.” He pulled off his shirt. He ripped it down the center, and then ripped it again to create a single strip of white fabric. He walked a wide circle around to the back of the Remnant, checking in the trees to make sure nothing or nobody was going to come chasing out after him, and then knelt down next to Flea. He wrapped the strip of cloth around the Remnant’s wrists before pulling it tightly into a knot. “This should hold at least long enough for us to get into the back of the truck.”

Flea rose up to his feet while keeping one hand on the Remnant’s wrists. He counted to three and everyone then ran together to the back of the truck. Zero placed one foot on the rear bumper and jumped in before turning around and offering his hand to Lefty. He pulled Lefty in and offered Flea his other hand at the same time.

The truck began to pull away before they had fully situated themselves in the back. Lefty almost tipped out, but Zero grabbed him by the shirt and kept him in. They sat themselves between the cargo crates, which was mostly pallets of bananas and other fruits.

They looked back at the Remnant as he grew smaller in the distance. He ran along the side of the road, snarling and biting at the air with his hands still tied behind his back.

“Now what do we do?” Zero asked. Escaping the Remnants was a relief, but heading back toward the testing grounds and the draft felt like they were only swapping one problem for another.