Chapter 29 Examination Part 7

After their introduction, Zack made his way to the severed arm of the machine. "Both he and Jake defeated. It took him awhile; I mean the thing's grip was strong. But he managed to pry the sword out of its grasp. He examined it, then smirked, swinging it around his back. Alright, let's get going, Jake!"

He took off from his possession fast, going into a full sprint. "Jake wasn't ready for him, but he ran behind. 'Hey, wait! What about everyone else?'"

Zack glanced behind him, and he understood what Jake meant by everyone else laying on the ground just like the defeated machine were the other applicants that the machine mercilessly defeated earlier before Zack's own arrival.

Zack turned his head back forward as he spoke, "It'll be alright. The examiners will scoop up all those that won't make it to the next round. No need to worry. Besides, we don't have time for everyone else. I mean, you want to pass, right, Jake?"

Jake hesitated before he answered, "Yeah, I do."

Zack smiled, "Then get your bony ass in gear and let's go." Jake's small smirk from earlier had grown a little, and trying his best, he picked up the pace. The two ran at full speed then made a right at the corner before them.

Now were other applicants down for the count, but that was all they saw. Other applicants laying on the ground defeated, but they saw nothing else. There didn't seem to be any obstacles like the robot, but they were soon to see what happened to these poor exam takers as they ran closer to the applicants.

Zack's keen eyes caught something; all the applicants had something similar about them. There were these small things sticking from out of them, but he couldn't get a good look at them as he squinted, trying to take a look but not slow down his pace. He stepped down with his left foot, and when he did, he could feel that something wasn't right. His foot sunk into the floor, then stopped; it was a switch. "Dammit," he thought. "Not again."

In the briefest of moments, Zack understood what was about to happen to him and Jake, and he understood what happened to the others. He spun and kicked Jake, who hadn't noticed a thing yet; the force of the kick shot him backward. Then Zack jumped, and as he did, on both sides of the maze wall shot out what seemed like hundreds of darts. But this time, they missed their mark.

Jake laid on the ground, groaning, "The hell did you do that for?"

But his question was answered as he sat up and saw the sight before him. "Oh, that's why," he said out loud to no one in particular. He saw all the darts that were shot out were now sticking out of each wall. Zack was safe though; he plunged his blade into the wall and was now sitting on the rental sword's hilt as he looked at Jake from up high. "Hello down there," he said in a joking manner. "Seems they're tranquilizer darts."

"Yeah, no shit, I can see," Jake responded. "You know, a thank you for saving your life would be very appreciated."

Jake scoffed, "Saving my life? You just said they're just tranquilizers. What life is there to save?"

Zack rubbed his chin as if he was in thought, "Huh, well, I guess you're right. But you could thank me for saving your ass twice this exam already. Without me, you'd be down and out."

Zack flashed Jake a big toothy smile as he laughed at him, and Jake didn't have any type of reply because… well, Zack was 100% correct. Without the spiky-haired young man, Jake would have already failed. He swallowed any comment he did have and just said a quick thanks to his savior.

"Aww, don't mention it," he laughed again. "Make sure you watch your step; this part of the maze is obviously booby-trapped."

Jake heeded his warning; he made sure to take slow and measured steps, not wanting to activate another switch. As he was watching his every move, he heard something, a voice. "You are such a fool," he heard clear as day. He nearly confronted Zack, but the tone of the voice was different than the spiky-haired young man; the voice wasn't male. It sounded more like it was female.

As Jake took his next step, he stopped, froze in place. Noticing this, Zack was confused, "Hey, you alright down there? Did you find another trap or something?"

Jake didn't respond to Zack's question immediately, and when he eventually answered him, he didn't answer the young man's question. As a matter of fact, he answered his question with one of his own, "Did… did you hear that?" Jake asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Zack's face nearly mirrored his, "Hear what? That voice? What voice? Is it one of the guys laying down there? They shouldn't be talking; they should be out like a light."

Jake nearly responded, "No, not them," but then he heard the voice again, "Moron, there it is again." He said that woman's voice. "Don't you hear it?"

Even though Jake heard it as clear as day, Zack heard not a single thing. All he could hear was Jake speaking now like a lunatic. He almost laughed the whole thing off as a joke. Then the wheels in Zack's head started to turn; he'd forgotten what the Jake was holding. He forgot the last name Jake had. It began to dawn on him that maybe Jake wasn't crazy at all.

"Hey, Jake, are you hearing the voice of." a loud blaring noise was heard cutting Zack off? Loud static was heard, then it cleared up, and the voice of the exam's announcer, Moon D, was heard throughout the entire gymnasium.

"Alright, alright, ladies and gentlemen, it seems we have a few little mice that have found the cheese that is the goal. To all you slowpokes, better shake a leg because if you fail once, you fail for life," announced Moon D.

"Shit," announced Zack, "we've got to get a move on."

Zack, who I stated before was no amateur, kicked himself off the wall while grasping his sword to the opposite wall. Then when his feet landed on that wall, he kicked off it back to the wall he had just kicked off, but not at the same spot; it was a little ways up. Then he repeated this action, bouncing off each wall while making his way forward without having to touch the ground. As he was a good ways away from Jake and he thought he was able to avoid any potential traps that were laid down, so he landed feet firmly back on solid ground.

"Hurry up, Jake! Let's go," he yelled.

Jake was still cautious about triggering any potential booby traps, but he was increasing his cautious pace. But even while trying to hurry up, the woman's voice never left his thoughts. There was something about it that unsettled him, and the fact that the fact that he couldn't locate the voice's origin made him even more uneasy. But he didn't feel dread, nor did he feel in danger because the voice didn't sound new to Jake. He wasn't sure when or where, but he was almost positive he had heard that woman's voice before.