It's Not Fair

[Skraal]

(Josephine Luu continued from See the World Spinning ‘Round)

Josie ran for what seemed like hours, the sound of Carlyle’s gunshot ringing in her ears. Her lungs burned as she continued, her arms and legs scraping against branches and brambles. Her vision began to blur as she became painfully aware of the weight of her fire axe and daypack.  She grasped blindly to shift the daypack to her other arm, but as she did so, her foot caught on a root and she fell, spilling the contents of her daypack all over the forest floor.

She groaned she struggled to push herself upward, pine needles and prickles scratching at her hands and face. Her brief attempt at standing ended with a blast of pain coursing through her leg. She feebly attempted to stand again, putting all of her weight on the other foot. She surveyed the area. The contents of her daypack lay strewn over the forest floor, and her axe had fallen just a little further, by the nearby tree. Her heart sank as she realized that there was no way in hell that she’d ever be able to gather all of that up and carry it in her condition. She limped up to her axe, cradling it in her arms. She’d never be able to fight with it, but just holding it in her arms gave her a sense of security.

After resting against a tree for a few minutes, Josie set off again. After a few more painful minutes of limping, she finally reached a clearing in the centre which contained a small dilapidated shack. After a moment of hesitation, she limped toward the door and opened it. It wasn’t very large, but the darkness inside seemed safe, almost…inviting. She went in and sat down at the workbench inside, her head in her arms. Strangely enough, she didn't notice the dead body slumped in the corner.

It just wasn’t fair. Why did her class have to be chosen? She was a good person, had a nice family, and maybe even a future. And now she had lost all of it, and was likely going to die painfully, if the girl from the slope was any indication. At the thought of that incident, all the emotions that she had been pushing away came flooding back to her in an instant. Her shoulders heaved as tears began to stream down her cheeks. In fact, she was sobbing so hard that she almost didn’t notice the crackle of a loudspeaker outside the shed.

More names were announced. Most of them were people she hadn’t known to well, and now she would never get to know them. She tensed at the mention of Carlyle’s name. The girl that he killed was named Gwen. Josie had never even taken the time to speak with her before and now she was dead. Gone forever.

After the names were finished, the dangerzones were read out. One of them was the woodman’s shack. This didn’t really seem like a woodman’s shack, but it didn’t really seem like there were any other alternatives to what it could be. As if to confirm her suspicions, the collar around her neck began to pulse with a glowing red light, emitting a beeping noise. Josie’s heart raced as she realized what was happening. The words of the Brigadier-General rang in her head.

You stay in a place that we tell you not to stay for too long, and they explode...

Josie pushed herself awkwardly to her feet as she limped to the door of the shack. The beeping began to increase in pitch and frequency as the frantically pulled herself toward the edge of the clearing, falling several times and picking her self back up. She looked down at her axe, knowing that it was slowing her down, but at the same time, unable to get rid of it. She felt a brief burst of hope as she finally reached the edge of the clearing.

The blast of the explosion managed to push her the remaining distance.

F005: JOSEPHINE “JOSIE” LUU: DECEASED