(7)Survival Test

The sun rose on the third day of the Hunter Exam's impromptu endurance test. For the last time, William made his way stealthily to the northern edge of the testing grounds to check on his hidden water and belongings. As he went, William noticed the massive number of injured people—as well as those who were so still he couldn't tell whether they were just unconscious or actually dead.

'Last night was nothing but brutality,' he thought to himself. 'Thank God we don't have to go through it again tonight. At least, I hope not! Who knows what the testers have in mind?'

William knelt down, hidden by a broad tree trunk that was just inside the testing area, and pulled aside the frozen clumps of dirt which filled the hole he'd made during the previous day. It had taken quite a lot of work to use a pocket knife to stab and pry apart the wintery soil, especially without anyone noticing. Moreover, the bottles that he now pulled from the hole hadn't been left out, so they hadn't accumulated any more condensation.

In short, William had given up the chance to gain a little extra water in exchange for being as sure as he could that it wouldn't be taken from him when he needed it the most. The water in the bottles had frozen in the hard ground, so William tore the bottles apart, crushed the ice to pieces on a rock, and swallowed the ice chunks whole. He winced in pain each time he swallowed one, but he knew the hydration was worth it. 'At least I won't have to drink my pee…' he thought to himself.

***

Just like the day before, Omega arrived in the early morning along with two other examiners and several medical personnel. This time, the Hunter Academy's Medical Director also showed up.

Omega turned to the Medical Director as they surveyed the scene. "No doubt your cronies have told you all about the horrors I've forced this year's candidates to endure, Elizabeth. Well, now you see it with your own eyes. What do you think? Will they last another day?"

As he spoke, Elizabeth pressed a button on her tablet. A small drone detached from it and flew into the testing zone, scanning the vitals of various candidates.

Elizabeth studied the results on her device, looking completely unamused. "A normal human can go three days without drinking a drop of water. When you consider the physical and emotional stress you've put them through… Hmm. It's difficult to say. I'm seeing several vitals readings which are higher than I anticipated. Even still, I'd say one more day is the extreme limit to which you can push anyone here."

While they talked, the rest of the medical team spread out to examine the candidates who appeared to be unconscious. Between their inspection and Elizabeth's drone scanning people, something quickly became apparent.

The loudspeaker began a long chain of announcements, one after another. "Candidate 1893 eliminated. Candidate 14789 eliminated. Candidate 1894 eliminated..."

By the time the loudspeaker finished, it had listed thirty candidates who had perished during the night. They'd lingered so close to the edge of death for long enough that the automatic system hadn't detected the fact that they'd died before that point.

When Elizabeth heard this, she looked at the reports which the medical team had sent to her tablet using their own devices. She turned to Omega and said, "According to the apparent symptoms, six candidates died from exhaustion, hypothermia, or other exposure to the elements. Twenty-four died from physical violence. Though none seem to have died from dehydration, several living candidates are in critical condition because of it."

Omega smiled. "What did I tell you? These maggots could last another week out here." He paused. "What could we do to limit any further casualties?"

Elizabeth snorted. "Lower the bar to disqualify candidates. Kick out the people who are about to fall into an irreversible coma and let my team treat them."

Omega took this advice in stride. He turned to his assistant and said, "Disqualify them immediately. I don't want to see those fragile wastes of air ever again!" Then, as he'd done the day before, he walked to the edge of the testing zone and poured out a bottle of water, letting its precious contents spill onto the frozen ground. "Come and get it, maggots!"

Before he could say another word, the loudspeaker announced, "Candidate 6999 eliminated."

The man who'd just stepped across the line in front of Omega drew a hunting knife that flashed brightly in the morning sun.