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Rated: 18+ · Short Story · Contest Entry · #2058988
Alex is faces with revelations that shock him after watching an attack on the news.
The Fifteenth's Trial
Alex walked down a dark, narrow hallway. There hung a weird smell in the air. Alex felt anxious, he did not know where he was going or what awaited him down the long, dark narrow hall. All he knew was he had to get out of there. Alex's breathing was uneven and fast. His eyes kept looking around the corner as though expecting someone to attack any moment. Looking down at himself Alex wondered why he was dressed in a long white robe. Why was he barefoot and dressed like a patient in a hospital? Why was the floor so cold it felt like he was on a frozen lake at night? The questions kept coming in his mind but Alex tried to ignore the questions for now he was close to the end.
A thin ray of green light sneaked out of a mysterious looking door. At the end of the hall Alex expected to see an exit but here he found himself, heart racing so fast it may as well come out of his chest and his hands and feet freezing so much that his skin color became pale (but perhaps that was because he was terrified of what awaited him). This mysterious door was different from all the doors Alex had seen so far. The other doors were made of steel and needed a fingerprint for identification. This one however was made of metal with two large wooden boards on it forming an X. The wooden boards had been broken by someone. Taking the little courage he had, Alex pulled the door open and stepped inside.
His eyes were burning from the green light. He couldn't see anything because of it. The room was warm and immediately melted away the invisible coldness that enveloped him. There was a nauseating smell in the room. The smell of blood and burned flesh combined with the smell of hospital equipment. There was something sticky on Alex's foot. Removing the hand from his eyes, Alex looked down to see what was sticking to his feet only to fall down on his back from horror. It was blood. Alex was standing on blood. Immediately looking up, Alex saw 14 bodies piled up and blood flowing out of them and behind them a large mirror stood, on it a bloody message: "You're next 15th. Don't run away... you can't hide!"
Alex fell out of bed gasping for breath and screaming for help. He waved his hands around manically trying to free himself from the cocoon of blanket that wrapped around him. Finally pulling himself out of it, Alex grabbed the bedside and took deep breaths. This wasn't the first time he had had this awful dream. Every time he wondered if this was a premonition but it made no sense to him even if it was one.
Alex couldn't remember anything from a year ago. Every time he thought about what his life was like before whatever happened to him he only felt a strong stinging pain in his chest. Sorrow and melancholy. That is all he felt. Sighing, Alex got up from bed and wiped away his sweat and freshened up for another aimless day. Alex dressed up in blue denim shorts and felt too lazy and warm to put on a shirt. He wasn't necessarily a healthy man despite the fact that he had a good figure. Grabbing his colorful bowl of sugary, delicious cornflakes and milk Alex sat in front of the T.V. As soon as he pressed the red "On" button, a movie was being played on the screen. A rather inappropriate scene to see right in the morning. The hero and heroine were apparently 'making out'. Alex spit out the milk from his mouth and quickly changed the channel with his panicky hands. For a 20 year-old, Alex hated seeing scenes like that. Especially because he was still a virgin and hadn't met a girl ever in his life. Never. And he knew for a fact that even in his previous life he probably never met a girl. The reason being he panics every time he sees a couple. It's almost impulsive how his hands immediately go up to slap his eyes and his legs dash away from the scene.
Listening to the voice of an old man, Alex's ears went up like a cat. Convinced that it was safe to see now, Alex relaxed and surfed through different channels. This was pretty much all he did. Stay at home and watch T.V or paint or play his big, shiny piano. Alex tried to find a job but every time he would go he felt weird. Something inside him burned and a strong need to kill something aroused. Alex feared that. That was definitely not normal. Furthermore, every time he did try his dreams got worse so Alex avoided work overall. To be honest, he avoided people. He even ordered the groceries he needed. He currently lived with a kind old lady who treats him like a son. For some reason he doesn't feel like killing anyone around her. Maybe it's because of her motherly love.
Alex's thoughts were interrupted by a breaking news that played on every channel. This the 14th time, Alex thought.This was the biggest one. A huge explosion erupted like a volcano at the local supermarket. 1,000 civilians in total all died. What on earth is going on? Alex stood up and increased the volume of the man speaking. Recently, there had been many attacks. All at local places in London. Parks, supermarkets, festivals and amusement parks. Alex watched as lifeless bodies drenched in blood were piled up and blood flowed away from their bodies forming a pool of blood. "YOU'RE NEXT 15TH" someone screamed in the back of his head. The more Alex watched as people roared in sorrow the more nauseated he felt. The man now screaming and struggling to be clear in his words was standing at the scene reporting how this was the 14th time and that this attack was bigger than any other attack seen. Was this an act of an organization that wants liberation? All attacks seemed to attack commoners, civilians. Men, women and children. Suddenly the reporter stops and concentrates on his tiny, hidden ear piece. Panic overcomes his face as it loses all its color and the reporter stands there frozen. The camera man calls out to him when he snaps out of his horror clears his throat and with a soft fear-filled voice reported that a call came in, it was from the organization that is responsible for these attacks. They claimed proudly that all 14 attacks were merely experiments. The last 15th attack will be larger and more beautiful. Like fireworks going off at a festival. He ended by quoting the person: "I'll be waiting to listen the beautiful orchestra of people crying and begging for help. Oh and you're next 15th. Don't run away and don't hide."
Alex dropped the remote. His hands were shaking like as though someone had attached a vibrator to it. His heart was racing extremely fast so much he could hear every single beat. He was in such shock that he felt his eyes would pop out from the horror. It was just a dream. Why is... why is this happening? Alex panicked.
Soon his legs gave away and he fell down on the wooden floor by the sofa. He sat with his head in his hands. He feared the future even more now. A waterfall of sweat came down from his forehead. Tears came rolling out his eyes. Alex couldn't believe it. Am I the 15th? Am I part of this organization? I have to do the last final task? The biggest attack yet? To kill all those people, all those innocent lives. Who was I? No... Who Am I? All thoughts of panic and confusion ran through his mind. Suddenly, Alex's head began to ache.
He was back in the green room. The door behind him was locked this time. Alex was lying on a flat white bed. Wires and machines were attached to him. The next second he was standing with blood all over him. He killed all the people. Men in uniforms came in with guns and took him away. As they did a huge man with a stylish beard stood by. On his face was the most devilish and evil smile Alex had ever seen. The last thing he remembered saying to that man was: "I won't be like the others. I won't kill innocents." The man's only reply was: "you just did." Alex froze as the man carried him away looking once again at the people he just killed. They weren't the people who brought him up to be a lab rat. They were strangers he hadn't seen before dressed in the clothes of the people who experimented on him. Alex wanted to scream at the man. Kill him for his years of torture. But all that came out of him was silence.
Alex came to conscience with the kind old lady checking his pulse and saying: "15th has been activated." It took Alex a second to take in the situation. "Ah...you too betrayed me" he thought as he smiled at her. Having not noticed that Alex heard her, the old lady quickly assumed her role and gave the warmest smile back. Few droplets of blood passed in front of her eyes. She looked down to see a fork in her throat. Her smile turned into confusion as she looked at Alex. He was standing above her now. Watching as she struggled to breathe. As he heard her take her last suffocating breath, Alex scowled at her in disgust. Activated to kill was the organization's 15th and final experiment. Little did they know, he had other plans, to kill them. Their own assassin turned against them.
Alex sat hidden at a rooftop with wind whipping against his hair fighting to untangle the knots in his hair as he looked from his binoculars at his 15th target. He was going to count them all. Count all his kills just as they counted the number of people they killed and took joy in the large numbers. Alex stood up. He was dressed all in black like an assassin. He put his mask on and stared ahead. One of his eyes turned red as he went into stealth mode. Prepare to die my 15th target. Don't run away. You can't hide. Alex thought as he smiled and jumped from the building landing softly and silently on the ground, slicing his target in two and walking away.


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