Page 9 of Shattered Sinner
“Welcome to your first challenge, Easton Beaumont. Your objective is simple. You must pass through the gates of darkness and emerge into the light by completing your tasks. We’ve hidden an item important to our organization in this warehouse. There are a series of obstacles standing in the way of you getting close to and then finding it. Find the item and make it out.”
“What is this, some sort of competition from a reality television show?”
No one responded to my inquiry, and I was left in silence. Instead of waiting for something else to happen, I walked further into the warehouse, and that’s when the lights in the warehouse were turned on, but not to their full potential. While I wished the lights were turned on to their full capacity, any source of light would be helpful when it came to getting through this.
The first obstacle looked to be a bunch of pipes and beams suspended over a pit of who knows what. It looked to be some type of liquid, but what exactly it was, I didn’t have the slightest clue. Next to a ladder, which I assumed I was supposed to climb up to start the course, was a set of gloves. Were these pipes even sturdy enough to hold my weight?
Fine. If that’s how they wanted to play it, then so be it. I stuffed my hands in the gloves and sighed. I reached out to grab the ladder rung and started my ascension. When I made it to the top, I looked down, and that was probably the dumbest thing I could have done. With a deep breath, I reached for the first beam, and I swung my body to gain momentum so that I could make it to the next one.
My muscles ached as my body stretched into movements it shouldn’t be, especially after the adventure it had been put through the previous evening. I could hear nothing due to my heart pounding in my ears, further forcing me to focus on what I needed to do to get through this hellhole.
Every swing was a battle, and nothing mattered but making it to the end without falling. When I emerged on the other side of this, my entire body was angry with me, and I couldn’t blame it one bit. However, being able to achieve such a feat was pushing the adrenaline through me. Waiting for me was a key, and I wondered what it would open. As I took a moment to catch my breath, the fact that I still had more hurdles to face hit home.
I wouldn’t be leaving here until I completed every challenge they set forth and beat this task. It took some time for me to complete every obstacle, but when I reached the end of the warehouse, I found a small box sitting on a pedestal. I used the key that I found and stuck it into the box and turned.
I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but when I found a gold coin in the box, I couldn’t lie and say I wasn’t surprised. It was then that the lights were turned up, and I covered my eyes as I felt almost blinded by the brightness.
Clapping erupted from all corners of the warehouse as I glanced around, taking everything in. Guys that I recognized, and some that I didn’t, came out of the shadows. I didn’t realize how many people I knew were members of the organization.
I mouthed the word thank you and then grabbed my knees and looked down at the ground once more, until a pair of shoes came into my view.
"Congratulations, Easton," the voice said. "You have passed the first task, but now we must step things up a notch.”
“What do you mean?”
“Why don’t you climb down and find out? Walk over to the spot on the wall marked with an X.”
I stood motionless for a moment before I did as I was told. I climbed down the metal ladder, and once I was on the ground, I walked over to the gold X on the wall. I found a bat leaning on the wall and I grabbed it, assuming it would come in handy. The open space I was now in made me wonder what was coming next. “What now?”
"Dodge the drones."
There was silence for a second before I heard a grinding sound. Dozens of drones whirred into view, and they looked like something out of a movie. They came in an assortment of shapes and sizes, and I wasn’t sure which one to focus on first.
My heart pounded as they flew around the room. This was impossible. There was no way to get past them. To make matters worse, I couldn’t tell what type of weapons they had, so I didn’t know what their capabilities were when it came to hurting me.
But I couldn't back down. I steeled myself and took a deep breath. It was go time.
The drones descended in a flurry of movement and noise. I swung with the bat, grateful that before I focused on football, I'd played baseball too. I easily knocked away the smaller drones, but a larger one slammed into my side. I grunted in pain and shoved it out of the way, but I could hear that more were coming.
Fuck.
I needed to think because I had to outsmart them. Ducking under one drone, I managed to hit two of the others at the same time. Having a small break, I caught my breath and swung again and again. When I’d reached the final drone, I hit it with that bat and watched as it landed on the ground. I then stepped on the drone, enjoying the feeling of squishing it beneath my boot.
The voice spoke again and said, "Well done. Now it is time for round three. Walk through that door to the left."
I steadied my breathing before walking over and through the door. For a split second I could see before everything descended into pure darkness. The door slammed behind me, sealing me in.
Assholes.I strained my eyes but couldn't see anything, not even my hand in front of my face.
"The Dark Obstacle Course will test your senses and reflexes," the voice said. “You have ten minutes to reach the exit. If you do not make it in time… well, we wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise. Begin.”
Ten minutes. I gritted my teeth. I could do anything for ten minutes. Using my hands, I felt along the wall, slowly moving forward step by step. I tried to ignore the aching of my body, but it wasn’t going well.
I cursed as I nearly fell headfirst into what seemed to be a pit. I walked around the edge of it. What other traps did they have planned?
Suddenly something hit me in the gut out of nowhere, and it took me a moment to recover in order to keep from crashing to the ground. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew it was swinging back and forth. I needed to figure out its timing so that I could avoid getting hit again.
It took a little longer than planned, but soon I was on the other side of whatever was swinging toward me, and it had only clipped my leg.
