Walter, 16, Tallahassee, FL
I woke, gently shaking my head and opening my amber eyes to be greeted by the sharp shock of sunlight glinting off freshly fallen snow.
I immediately squeezed my eyes shut straight away to drive off the pain. As I lay there letting my eyes slowly adjust, I started to regain my senses and began to shiver as a bitter cold invaded my body.
I slowly rose to a sitting position, taking in the sounds of the soft crunch of snow and the howling of the icy wind. I reopened my eyes once again to be greeted by an icy barren landscape with seemingly no end. However, as I peered around, I noticed in the distance a sleet gray building only dimly lit.
I moved to stand up, immediately feeling blood rush to my head, almost causing me to black out again. As I stood, I took stock of what I was wearing, jeans and gray hoodie with a strange symbol in blue on the front, as well as a nice set of running shoes and black gloves.
A million thoughts and questions flashed through my mind, but I almost instantly realized that I needed to get out of the cold. I began setting off at a jog towards the distant building, as it seemed to be the only option for survival. I gulped down breaths of the bitter cold air but maintained a steady pace as I ran, and as time passed the building gradually came into view, as did other figures in the distance.
I slowed to a walk as I came to be within a couple of hundred feet of the building and crouched close to the ground to observe the other runners as well as the building itself.
Upon closer inspection it seemed to be a warehouse or something similar, with huge blank concrete walls and a steeply sloped roof made of some type of metal. From where I lay crouched on the ground, I could only see one other runner, a girl, jog straight up to a door and run inside.
After a couple of minutes of waiting I carefully approached. As I got close, I saw that the door the girl had run through was made of steel and had a code pad set at eye level. As I was inspecting it, I heard the crunch of snow from behind me and spun around startled. I turned to see another runner, this time a tall heavyset boy, sprinting straight for me, and I immediately dove to the side to avoid him.
He slowed to a stop a couple of feet away from me, looking confused, and said, “Jace? What’s wrong?”
I crouched there with suspicion in my eyes. My brain was whirring with confusion, as I replied, Who’s Jace?”
To be continued…
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