The Broken Age

Repetition

Everything repeats. You wake up do something then sleep, and the lucky ones are the ones that don't wake up. It's repetitive, sad, there's nothing special about it. 'Even when you die there's the awful chance that you come back.' So why do I still cling to life? I don't want to be here. I feel embarrassed being what I am 'your too much of a coward to do it.'

I've been here for days. Every day were taken for another task in the same room. When were at the point of collapse were thrown back in our cell, until the next day.

I can't escape since the people here are stronger, and taller. I can't break out cause there's nowhere to get out from and the metal floor won't break open.

My cell mate doesn't seem to mind. I guess he's used to it.

I'm not much closer to understanding it than I was before.

It doesn't seem bothered by me, but whenever I try to talk to it, its ears twitch or flap, it never attempts to talk but makes weird grunting sounds every so often. I'm not sure what exactly it is, there's so many humanoid looking things here. And every actual human here is young like me, why?

I touch my forehead. The wound and yellow gel were gone, I couldn't even feel a scar.

"Were you human before?" I ask, its ears twitch, but it doesn't respond. "I'm assuming you're at least a boy, right?" He still doesn't answer. "Do you even understand me?" I ask as he stands still.

He looks to face the door, and a familiar heavy feeling comes over me, the doors slide open and were escorted out again.

In my test room, was a small room filled with multiple pipes in its glass walls, and other discarded pipes, on the floor.

The snakes outside my room speak to the one at the panel, and the pipes start shaking, releasing water into the room.

I grab one of the pipes, and use it like a straw, gulping large mouthfuls of the water, as the snakes watch with curiosity. Once I stopped feeling thirsty, I swing the pipe at the glass walls.

The pipe bounces off with a thud, throwing me to the floor from the force, with it. I get up looking at my soaked clothes, the water was starting to reach my knees, I look at my pipe, and the ones on the floor, all different shapes, and sizes now submerged in water and contorting in shape as the water ripples.

I grab a few of the pipes, that seemed similar to the ones releasing water, and attach them together, to connect to one of the pipes that aren't spilling water. Once the water stopped leaking into the room, the snakes look to the one at the panel again and the tiles on the floor open to show small holes, draining the remaining water.

The one that takes me to my cell heads for the door to grab me, and as he does, I grab another pipe from the ground and swing it at him as he opens the door. He catches the pipe with one hand and drags me out of the room, dropping my pipe back in the room.

They always knew how to stop me.

Always stuck to a schedule.

And always had me and my cell mate take the same test.

I saw him on the way back, he wasn't doing as well, the water in his room was too high, to the point he couldn't stand on the floor, but he didn't seem to be good at swimming either. I'm dropped back into my cell, and locked back in.

All I could do was wait.

After a bit that numb feeling came back and the door opened. I was a little more used to the feeling, so I could just about keep myself from falling over.

My cell mate was there with his escort, he was soaked, and still dripping water. He takes a step forward and does something unexpected.

He lets out a growling sound, as he showed his teeth. A deep, scary sound, you can't mistake it for anything other than anger.

He quickly turns to his escort and pushes him back, the snake grabs him, and my cell mate spins and knocks him off.

Then he pushes him again, this time into our cage, I just stare, wondering why? Why now?

He grabs me and forces my limp body to follow him.

He takes me through multiple corridors. Everywhere looked the same, rows of cells with who knows what in them.

By this time a strange vibrating alarm was going off, but I wasn't numb either so I could properly run. I didn't know where we were running to, but my cell mate seemed to. He made quick precise turns and ran like he'd done this before.

Then we reach something familiar, a golden arch at the end of a corridor, like the one that I found, but much shorter. My cell mate drops me in front of one of the panels connected to the arch, I look at the panel, but I didn't know what any of it was saying. It was filled with scrolling symbols that were moving faster than my eyes could focus on them.

A door next to the arch opens, as we both flinch facing what came out.

Another snake, with a familiar stare. She looked at my cell mate then quickly focused to me. Giving that judging stare again.

I remember her!

The one I saw on my first night, giving me the same probing look.

I back away as she walks to me keeping her gaze locked on me. My cell mate stood his ground, he was hesitant but didn't seem like he wanted to hurt her.

She faces the panel I was looking at, and presses down on the symbols that scrolled by. The arch gives off a light hum and starts lighting up. And as my cell mate grabs me and runs through the arch. By instinct I grab onto her and force her with us.