I stood in the line and waited to move. I hopped on the balls of my feet. Could this go any slower? I sucked in a long breath and looked up at the ceiling. I was going to be here for years.

I leaned over so that I could see the front. Two men were wearing gloves and long sleeves. They held an object between their fingers. I remembered the lines from when I was watching on the couch, but I never knew the purpose. It had to be for whatever the object was. My mind fantasized what it could be to waste time.

My heart leaped when I finally made it to the front. It had taken what seemed like hours to get there. The man that I had seen earlier stared at me, bored. He held a needle in his hand. An object that looked like a grain of rice was inside of it.

"Turn," he ordered.

I did as I was told. The man lifted my hair and applied pressure to the back of my neck. I winced at the sharp pain. The pressure released from my skin and he dropped my hair.

"What is it?" I asked.

"A tracking device," the man answered. "So that we can detect you guys in the arena."

Oh, that made sense.

The tracking devices helped the audience see where we were in the arena. It was a good way to tell how many people were dead, too. If the light blinked green on the screen, it meant that the person was alive. If it was white, then it meant that they were dead. The camera flicked to our tracking devices at least twice a day to give people an insight into how many people had died.

Once I was out of the line, I searched for where I was supposed to go next. There was supposed to be a sign with my state on it. Above every double door was the states from Alabama to Wyoming. I followed a girl through the N's. She stopped at North Carolina and stepped in. To my delight, New York was right next to it.

The doors opened automatically. I walked inside. My hands began to tremble as they closed behind me. They clicked, signaling that they were locked. I couldn't go back now.

I probably looked like a mess. My knees were shaking and my hair was frizzing from how hot it was in the room. I hoped that there weren't any cameras watching me at that moment. Actually, do they show us in these rooms at the start? I couldn't remember. I looked at the ceiling, searching for any signs of cameras. I couldn't find any. I tried to smile just in case.

I was in the dark room longer than when I was in the line. I was left alone with the sound of my breathing and my heart pounding in my ears. I couldn't believe it. The course was almost here.

For the first few days, this all felt like a dream. Now, as I stood in the dark room and waited, I was waking up. This wasn't a dream. I wouldn't wake up in my bed, listening to Caden as he put his work uniform on. Stace wouldn't come over and scare me while I was doing dishes.

The Pestilention had come without warning, and I wasn't ready.

It was too late, though. At any second, there would be a countdown, and I would be face-to-face with what would surely be my doom.

What was the audience seeing right now? Were they getting a taste of the obstacle course before we did? Were they watching us? I checked for a camera one last time. Who knew what they were seeing right now. Whatever it was, it was delaying the start of the Pestilention for much longer than my stomach could settle.

What was the course going to look like? Would it be covered with trees, like a forest or a jungle? Would water cover the surface for miles, making it so we had to swim for days without rest? Or maybe it would just be a desert. Filled with absolutely nothing but heat and dehydrated bodies.

None of those sounded pleasant.

I could imagine what the surrounding people were doing. They were probably staring straight ahead, waiting for the wall to slide up. One of them was probably clenching and unclenching her fists, jumping up and down. She was clawing at the glass, screaming and growling at it. Another guy could have been grinning, waiting patiently. He didn't feel rushed to start. He had planned everything out accordingly. I shuddered. The man was just as scary as the girl.

I waited for the signal and for the wall to lift so I could run like a blind puppy until something stopped me. My only plan right then was to run and to try to make it to the end.

Ten. The big number glowed in front of me. My eyes widened. I didn't realize that it started so soon. I knew that I had wished for the Pestilention to start already, but now that it was so close, I wanted it to go away.

Eight.

I started getting ready to run. I chewed on a fingernail. I had nearly reached the nub of all of my fingers.

Five.

I bent my knees into a lunge, preparing myself to pounce. As long as I made it to the first obstacle, then I'd probably be fine.

Four.

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to get as much air into my lungs as possible. It would be my last breath of good air. I had to enjoy it while I could.

Three.

I tried to look for a camera, anything, but they were all hidden.

Two.

"I love you, Caden," I whispered.

One.

The wall rose. There was a muddy path that slithered through trees, stretching on until I couldn't see it. There was no sign of the first obstacle, but I knew that it was only so far. I broke out into a sprint, ignoring everyone as I headed for the trail; welcoming myself to the arms of death.

And they're off! How far do you think Kat will go? Will she survive? Or fail on the first obstacle? Check out next week's chapter, for it'll definitely be an interesting one. Make sure to vote for this story with your finger (just normally). Stay awesome.

This song is Ready Aim Fire by Imagine Dragons from the movie Iron Man 3. I hope this gets everyone ready and fired up for the first course!