The Test (1)

For me, running is a bad idea on the best of days. In the middle of a foggy graveyard under heavy rain while terrified? Guaranteed disaster.

I was able to run maybe 8 or 10 meters before slamming my right knee against a tombstone as I fell to the floor, having the air knocked out of me and the palm of my hands scraping as I slid a few centimeters.

The taste of blood and mud filled my mouth as I groaned in pain. I looked back, thankful for the creature being so slow due to bumping into every single tombstone that was in its path and tried getting up, just to have my whole left leg protest in pain. I gritted my teeth and crawled to the closest tombstone, using it as support so I could get up.

I scanned the cemetery around me, desperation filled my mind as the creature was closing the distance, and felt a small glimpse of hope as what appeared to be small dots of light were visible in the distance. I started my desperate pursuit of the lights, dragging my left leg and using the tombstones around me as support.

The lights were getting closer, and I looked back to make sure I would be able to reach them before the creature got to me, just to be greeted by the thing's right arm being raised in the air and swinging in my direction.

"Shit!" - I grunted, dodging to the side, losing my balance, and falling on my ass.

I groped the floor around me while keeping my eyes glued to the creature, and closed my hand against the first solid thing it found.

"Just fuck off!" - I roared, throwing whatever I had in my hand against the creature's head, hitting it square in the forehead and regretting my choice as its mockery of a face locked on me, letting out a furious growl.

It lunged at me, missing my face with a bite by the skin of my teeth as I rolled to the side. Desperation filled my mind as I saw the creature so close to me, roaring in frustration as it twitched its ears and moved its head around. I scanned my surroundings, trying to find another rock, and luck seemed to smile at me as one was not that far.

Grabbing it with my right hand I quickly threw it in the direction of a tombstone behind the creature, and its head turned in that direction as soon as the rock made contact with it. I held my breath as It fast crawled in the direction of the sound, and I forced myself to get up, limping away as fast as I could as the creature started screaming behind me.

I searched for the lights and grabbed any close tombstone for support as I refused to fall again. As I got closer to the lights, I started opening my mouth to scream "Hey!" or "Help me!", but quickly closed it while gritting my teeth. Screaming right now would only make it easier for the creature to pinpoint me and probably pounce at me again.

As the figures holding the lights finally came into view I noticed it was two groups of people, and by the looks of it, they were arguing. Three on both sides, all with a club and lantern in hand, screaming at each other.

I couldn't figure out the reason for the bickering, but after looking back and noticing the creature gaining speed as the tombstones became scarcer, I started screaming trying to get their attention.

"HEY! HHHEEYYY! PLEASE HELP ME!" - I screamed at the top of my lungs as I got closer, my left leg hurting so much I was afraid to slip and fall at any second.

They couldn't hear me over their own voices, and out of pure desperation, I moved in their direction, hoping our combined numbers would be enough to subdue the creature following me.

"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PL…" - I started screaming, and the scream from the creature completely overpowered my pleas for help.

I glanced over my shoulder, refusing to stop moving, and felt my blood run cold as the creature was now in full sprint in my direction. Looking back at the group I felt relief as they finally noticed me, and when they started running in my direction I dared to hope I was saved.

My relief turned into confusion as the first to reach me, a teenager with blonde hair, shoved me to the side while screaming "Out of the way fatass! The badge is mine!". The shove was enough to make me kiss the floor again, and I raised my head baffled as all six were now surrounding the creature.

'Do they think they can kill that thing?' I thought, trying to get up but failing.

The six surrounded the creature but kept their distance as it swiped at them with its claws. To my surprise, I could see some of them smiling, and was genuinely impressed when the blonde kid stepped forward and slammed his club against the creature's head, after dodging one of its swipes. The others saw this as their chance to attack, and in a second they were all atop the creature, raising and bringing down their clubs as they screamed and cackled in primal glee.

I looked around, not wanting to stick around and be their next target, and focused my sight on what seemed to be a Mausoleum not too far away. Maybe the reason they were fighting was to see who would enter it? Well, I was sure they were too busy with the creature to notice me slipping inside.

I crawled in the Mausoleum direction, my left leg refusing to work, and as I reached its stone doors a scream caught my attention. I looked in the group's direction, and dread enveloped me as I could see the creature raising the blonde in the air with its right hand, the attacks of the others meant nothing as they tried to free him.

The beast opened its mouth, and the blonde started screaming, we both knew what was about to happen. I should have looked away, but couldn't, be it out of morbid curiosity or shock I watched as the monster bit the blonde, taking away the front half of his head in a quick and mortal chomp.

The survivors seemed to finally realize the danger the creature in front of them represented and started to back away as it threw the blonde body to the floor, blood dripping out of its enormous teeth and being washed away by the rain.

A triumphant and excited scream came out of the beast as it tackled one of the closest victims, and I finally turned my head away from the carnage, grunting in pain as I propped myself up using the massive circular door handle as support.

I grabbed the handle of the right door with both handles and started pulling it as hard as I could, to the point of bending my body back as the big stone door proved to be a challenge in itself.

"Please don't be closed! PLEASE!" - I begged, as the door remained immobile no matter how much I pulled. I looked over my shoulder, noticing that the people that were fighting the creature had all scattered, and to my despair, the monster was chasing the unlucky one that decided to run in my direction.

"RRRAAARRRRR!" - I roared, my arms shaking and hands in pain as the old rusted iron of the knob dug into my flesh, but the door finally started to move.

I kept pulling until I had a crack big enough to squeeze through. I quickly squeezed myself inside and turned back.

"COME ON KID!" - I screamed to the teenager running in my direction, and he was able to reach the door. Unfortunately, the creature also reached the mausoleum and slammed its body against the teen, digging its fangs into his shoulder as he let out a wail of pain.

"HE-" - The teenager started mouthing as I grabbed his hand, trying to pull him out of the creature's grasp, but it was futile. With a violent jerk of its head, the creature tore most of the teen's shoulder off, splashing my face with blood. And with a violent pull, the teen's hand left mine.

I started pushing the door, trying to ignore the cries of pain and gurgles of death of the teenager as the creature feasted on him and fell to my knees as I closed it. Hot tears came out of my eyes as I held back my sobs, afraid the creature would hear me and try to open the door.

Time lost any meaning as I curled up, back pressed against the door, fighting against guild and painful old memories as the sounds of the creature outside faded away. When they finally did I had to give myself a moment, wiping the tears and blood away from my face while trembling due to the cold.

Maybe they would have survived if I didn't run in their direction, who knows? They could even have passed the exam. But maybes and buts meant nothing in the face of reality. And the reality was that I got them killed, and now I had to live with it… Easier said than done.

As my body was finally cold I could feel wounds on my arms and face, probably from when the creature swiped at me and I wrongly believed to have perfectly dodged. I touched them hoping it was nothing serious, and to my relief, that seemed to be the case.

I looked around the mausoleum, still seated on the floor, and reached inside my pocket looking for the lighter since I couldn't see anything in the darkness. I tried lightening it up once, twice, three times, and an annoyed sigh escaped my lips as I shook it, praying that the rain hadn't made it completely useless.

Two more flicks and a small flame finally were produced, one that would bring me a tinge of comfort with its brightness and warmth had I not heard a surprised "GASP!" sounding inside the mausoleum as the flame manifested.

"Who's there?!" - I whispered, trying to see someone in the darkness, but still afraid my voice would attract the thing outside.

Silence.

"I heard you" - I said getting up, and now my vision caught some movement in the deepest parts of the mausoleum.

I stood in place, looking around afraid that whatever was in the back of the mausoleum could be hostile, and I groaned frustrated as the lighter went off.

I flicked it another three times before it produced a flame again, and this time what came from the darkness was an amused "Look he did it again!" followed by an annoyed "Shiiiii!"

The first voice sounded like a kid's voice to me, and I started moving in the direction of the back of the mausoleum with cautious steps. When I reached what seemed to be the middle of the mausoleum a black stone coffin stood before me, flanked on both sides by wooden ones. While the middle one was tightly shut, the side ones had their lids pushed to the side.

"Did you guys open the coffins?" - I asked in the darkness, not really expecting a reply - "Are you, grave robbers?"

I kept walking, and now the movement became more apparent, they seemed to be trying to blend into the shadows on the far right corner of the mausoleum.

"Hey, I will not hurt you, I just wanna talk" - I said without thinking and immediately regretted what I said, had someone ever not sounded creepy while saying those words?

"S-stay back or I will hurt you!" - A boy's trembling voice demanded after I got a little closer to where I could make their figures out, but darkness still kept them hidden from me.

"Ok, ok, I won't get closer" - I said stopping all my movements - "Not moving, ok?"

The two voices seemed to be whispering something to each other, and after some time they broke the silence.

"L-eave your fire thingie there and go away!" - The boy demanded, trying to sound authoritarian.

"No way, chief" - I chuckled.

"I will stab you if you don't!"

"Well I don't wanna be stabbed, but I also don't want to leave my lighter behind" - I said looking in their direction - "Why don't you two come closer and we try to reach a deal?"

"Wh-what do you want for it?" - A timid girly voice asked, and the boy reprimanded her in a whisper.

I looked back at the open coffins, and back to the figures in the dark.

"What did you guys find in the coffins?"

"Nothing." - The boy briskly replied.

"Ari, mom says we shouldn't lie!" - The girl moaned in a reproaching tone

"Shut up, Tove!" - The boy groaned, and I found myself chucking again.

"And you, don't laugh!"

"Kinda hard not to"

"Just don't!" - He demanded, and I could hear a stomp on the ground.

"Ok, ok, I'll try" - I said, holding back my laughter.

"So your names are Ari and Tove. Mine's Vladimir, nice to meet you" - I said smiling.

"Nice to meet you too" - Tove said in a shy tone

"Don't talk to him!"

"But I'm cold! And he can make fire!" - She whined - "Why can't you just be nice?!"

"By the gods, Tove, he's one of them!"

"But I'm cooooold" - Tove whined, and the two started bickering.

"Would you two feel better if I made a fire for us? I am also cold" - I said looking around for anything I could burn, and the best option so far was the open coffins.

"Yes please!" - Tove said hopefully, followed by an annoyed "No" from Ari.

I walked back to the coffins. Choosing the left one I grabbed its lid, noticing that it was pretty damaged by time and rot, it would be easy to break it apart. I pulled it and peered into the coffin, being greeted by a decomposing skeleton whose bones seemed to have been disturbed. Sometime later and a lot of exercise with my hand resulted in a nice pile of semi-usable dry wood.

I pulled as much of the decomposed linen from inside the coffin as I could, made a pile with the wood away from the coffins, rolled the linen into a ball and pushed it under the pile of wood, and burned the linen using my lighter, praying that there was some way for the smoke to get out or we would all eventually suffocate as the fire grew stronger and stronger in front of my eyes.

I seated by the fire, opposite the corner the two were still hiding, and let out a sigh of relief as the warmth of the fire enveloped me. My clothes were still completely soaked, but heck it felt good to be close to the fire.

"Why don't you two come out and sit by the fire too?" - I said, looking in their direction - "It's nice and warm over here"

It was easier to see their figures now that my improvised campfire was illuminating the mausoleum, and I saw one of the figures trying to walk toward the fire while the other quickly pulled her back.

"We don't need it!" - Ari stated, and I could hear a little whimper coming from Tove.

"Come on Ari, do you really want to make your sister suffer?" - I said, shaking my head.

"Look, I have no weapons' - I said, raising my hands and waving them around - "You have one, don't you? You said you'd stab me. There's no need for you to be afraid"

"Ariiiiiiii" - I heard Tove whining, and Ari seemed to finally relent, starting to walk to the fire with cautious steps.

"If you try anything funny" - He said as they approached

"I won't" - I say, trying to smile, but failing to as they came into view.

'What the hell am I looking at?' - I thought as Tove and Ari were finally seated by the fire.