Page 43 of Once Upon an Apocalypse

“I can be there if you need emotional support. Honestly, I’m fucking pissed that Norman is ordering me to do this to you when Amos isn’t here. I promised Amos to look after you,” Kyle says in all seriousness, but he still can’t meet my eyes, as if he’d give something away if he looked at me.

“Why would Amos ask you to do that?” My question is rhetorical, or at least I know the answer…I think. I know Amos cares about me. I know there is something between us. I’m just not ready to face it.

“I dunno.” Kyle shrugs, still avoiding eye contact.

Olivia sighs in frustration, rolling her eyes at Kyle. “We all know the answer to that question. Now let’s move. Norman doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

I follow the exercise routine Kyle planned for the morning. Some weight training before a butt ton of cardio. After two hours, my endurance is waning and I don’t know if I have the energy for Norman’s obstacle course. Kyle ends our session without a cool down, sweat lining his brow as he had done every single exercise alongside me.

After a drink of water, Olivia joins us and we head down the long hallway to the aquatic area. I see Norman waiting for us as we approach the glass door to the pool. He opens the door, allowing me through, but stops Kyle and Olivia from entering.

“Where she goes, I go, Norman.” Kyle stands his ground, giving Norman a look that would make Amos proud.

“Same with me, doc. Our orders from Amos were to make sure his lady is well taken care of.” Olivia smirks at me as my eyes widen at her statement.

I want to say I’m no one’s lady, but the words don’t make it out of my mouth. All I can do is stand awkwardly on the other side of the door, hoping that Norman doesn’t lock them out. I don’t know why I’m so afraid to be alone with him. It’s not like we are in an abandoned building, but this pool has always given me the creeps. The secretive way Norman sneaks in here to perform experiments no one talks about. Well, I guess I’m about to find out what those are at least.

Norman sighs as he opens the door wider to allow Olivia and Kyle inside. “You can sit in the stands. Do not interrupt my experiment.”

Before following Norman into the pool area, I ask, “Am I the experiment today, Norman?”

I will not be made a victim again. I will not be someone’s plaything again. I don’t say these words out loud, but I give Norman a look so he knows he will not get away with the same shit Doctore did to me.

“I would simply like to test your endurance. If you can hold up to a higher level of stress and exercise than most. How do you feel after your workout with Kyle?”

“A little tired, but I feel like I’ve already recovered.” I cross my arms, stubbornly following Norman into the pool area as Olivia and Kyle follow close behind.

Norman halts at the pool and turns around to look at us. “And you, Kyle? How are you feeling?”

“I would love a large sandwich and a nap to refuel my body. I’m just grateful I don’t have to do that.” Kyle points into the pool where a myriad of contraptions and obstacles have been built.

“Did you build this for me, Norman? Or already had it set up?” I ask as I look ahead of me at the twenty-five-meter bone-dry pool.

“It’s been a work in progress for a few months. Now,” Norman says as he spins around, motioning us to follow. “Olivia and Kyle, you can head on up to the stands as spectators. Laurel, climb on down.”

I lean over the edge, looking down at the shallow end. It’s a small jump in. Once my feet land on the solid floor of the pool, I look up at Norman for instruction. His only words are, “Try to make it to the other side.”

Shit. This will not be fun. The obstacles begin before the floor slopes down to the deep end. I can’t see a way out, but I move ahead anyway through something that’s a hybrid of a playground and an American Ninja Warrior course. A few pathways await me. A tunnel on the left. A floating bridge on the right. In the middle, a large rock-climbing wall.

I choose the wall first, hoping it will give me an advantage. When I reach the top, there is no view of the inside. If I climb down on this side, I’ll be walking into a dark unknown. Pass. So I climb back down the way I came up and head over to the tunnel. It’s another dark passage, but I can see light at the end, so I get on all fours and crawl to the other side.

The tunnel ends with a drop and no way to get down except for the fly wheels hanging over the deep end of the pool. Looking down, I can’t tell if there’s any padding that will lighten the fall. If I don’t make this jump, I could break my legs. I try to see where the floating bridge leads to, but I can’t see it from this vantage point. Everything is cleverly hidden under canvas canopies or sheets of plywood.

Taking a literal leap of faith, I jump onto the first fly wheel, swinging my body back and forth to gain momentum. I fly into the air, reaching the second fly wheel. From here, all I need to do is land on the small platform a few feet ahead. One more swing will get me there. As my feet land heavily on the platform, the solid ground underneath my feet disappears and I fall to the pool floor, smacking my head on something on my way down.

It’s dark underneath the enclosure of the obstacle course, but I can make out the shapes of walls, something that looks like monkey bars, and…shit. Something moved. Something fucking moved. Maybe it’s my mind playing tricks on me, but I can’t shake the feeling that this is wrong and I need to get the hell out. I sprint for the monkey bars, jumping up to grab hold of the closest rung. Then I swing my feet up, sliding my legs in between the rungs to pull myself through.

When I’m safely off the ground, I turn toward the movement I saw earlier. My eyes land directly on a deadie. Behind it is a fresher zombie. Not one of the fast freshies, but there’s enough flesh on this one to make my adrenaline kick into gear. My eyes scan the dim light for anything I can grab to hoist myself higher. Spinning delicately on the rungs of the monkey bars, I spot a rope hanging from the roof of this deadly obstacle course. I’ll need to run in order to make the jump.

Taking a deep breath, I pull myself up to my full height and sprint with delicate precision, landing each step on a rung before reaching the end. With every ounce of strength, I launch myself off the last rung and grab onto the hanging rope as if my life depends on it. Which it sort of does because if I fall, I will be eaten alive. There is no easy access for anyone to stop the zombies from doing so in this arena.

Fury ignites inside me. How could I let this happen again? If I get out of this hellhole, I am going to kill Norman. I climb the rope, sliding down a few inches for every foot, but I’m making progress. When I reach the top, I find a small opening in the trusses of the make-shift roof covering the deep end of the pool. It’s a big enough hole for me to climb through and stable enough for my full weight. Out in the open, I find Kyle on the stands and shout, “Get me out of here! There are zombies inside!”

Kyle is on his feet and sprinting down the stands a moment later, Olivia right behind him. Norman only smiles at Kyle’s screaming fury. I can’t hear what they are saying to each other as fear and adrenaline are still pumping through my ears. While they argue, I look for a way out. The roof is not flat enough to walk across, but I could jump from panel to panel even with them angled dangerously toward the pool floor.

Thankfully, my sneakers have a good grip, giving me confidence to go for it. I make the first jump with ease. After the fifth jump, my fingers are bleeding and my knees are sore from being banged up. But I have to keep going. I’m so close to the edge of the pool. When I reach the end of the roof, I only have a few feet to jump in order to reach safe ground.

I grip the plywood of the roof hard before making one last leap. In midair, my foot gets caught on something, bringing me up short. I’m able to grab the edge of the pool with the tips of my fingers, pulling myself up to my elbows. Something grabs my ankle, pulling me further down. I scream as I lose my grip. I scream louder as I feel my flesh being ripped open by decaying teeth. Right before another scream rips through me as my fingers slip on the smooth concrete, a pair of arms reaches for me, pulling me up and out of the obstacle course of death.

---