The Ladder When I was walking to my bus stop to go to school I was half asleep. I was a ways away from the bus stop when I saw a boy that looked like he was a little bigger than me. I never saw this boy before, maybe he was a new student at my school. When I was approaching the boy he looked like he was signaling like he wanted me to follow him. I always had a curious bone in my body so I thought why not, my like is pretty boring right now. The boy starting going into an alley that I have never been into. When I turned the corner it seemed like the boy disappeared.
There was just a piece of paper on the floor with a puzzle piece on it. It said E. V. I. L. and under that t said Every Villain Is Lying. At the bottom of the puzzle piece said my name, Josh McDonough. I took a step into the alley and picked up the note. I heard footsteps in the distance. I decided to follow the noise thinking it was the boy. My face hit something like an invisible glass. Red pixels formed a keyboard and above it asked for my name. I typed my name and the pixels when away and so did the invisible glass. Curiosity and adrenalin pumped through my body.
I took a step toward where the glass was and white flooded my sight. After five seconds of just white and a beeping started to ring in my ears. Then, I was in something that looked like a jungle. I stood in my new surrounding, frozen, Not know what do next. I saw smoke rising in the distance so I started towards the smoke. What a morning, all this just from following a boy that I didn’t know. When I was approaching the smoke I heard yelling and cheering. Then I saw it, in the sky, were floating boxes and stairs that connected all of them. What could that be and why is it there?
The yelling got louder and I saw people in the distance. Someone pointed at me and the cheering got louder. I started running toward them and when I got there the boy that I followed into the alley was there. “ Hey, there’s the Rook, the names Gronk. Nice to meet you, we going to spend the rest of our lives together. Unless you’re the lunking savior this place needs. ” “ Where am I, and why did you lead me here. ” “ You’re in the stinking Ladder and that will stay until you die. ” “ All you need to know is that you were recruited to be in the Ladder. People put us here for about four years to see if we could get out.
The only thing in our way is this thing up here. Seven levels and everyone the number of Reapers goes up by seven. Oh, Reaper are the things you never hope to run into. So it goes, Level one, seven, Level two, fourteen, and so on. I know you feel like a piece of trash but that what we all felt when we got here. I started to feel sick, why was I here? How could I get here from coming in an alley? I just wanted to sleep. The boys lead me to a shelter made of leaves and trees. They put me on a hammock and left me alone. I thought about my family, it seemed that I couldn’t remember anything but a picture of them.
I, somehow, fell asleep in a placed that I know nothing about. When I woke up the boy who leads the boys were standing above me. “ Wake up, time for your tour. My name is Duncan by the way. ” I fell off the hammock and stood next to Duncan. I felt like I could trust Duncan, I feel like I know him from somewhere. I followed him out of the shelter and to the open. I never got to look at this place they call the Ladder. I guess I’ll learn more about it today on the tour. Duncan lead me to the first stairwell that lead to the first level. He started up the started up the stares, but I slowed down.
I stopped at the first stair and took a deep breath. For a weird reason, I was nervous. The things called Reapers scared me. “I’m going to show you a sneak peek of what a Reaper is. That’s why I got you up early, they only come out at night. I forgot to ask you, what your name? ” “Josh. ” Thinking about the Reapers, could they be that bad? What are they, are they a kind of animal? When we got top of the stairwell they were a window under the level. Like it was put there for one reason. To show new people what Reapers look like. “ Take a look,” said Duncan. I stuck my head out to see nothing for a couple of seconds.
Then I saw eight legs covered with slime and feathers. The face of the creature popped out and scared the living daylights out of me. It had six eyes and a huge mouth. I jumped back and feel down five stairs but Duncan caught me. I felt sick and started to throw up on the stairs, I never want to see that again in my life. I couldn’t stop being sick, Duncan had a wet towel for me like he knew I was gonna get sick. I just want to lay down and wake up in my bed back at home. Duncan took me around but it was all just a blur.
The day went by so fast. One thing that broke me out of my daze was that four people ran out of the first Level. Who are those people and why are they in there? ” “Those are the Climber and they explore the Ladder. See if there is a way out. I’m one of them, took the day off because of you. “How could I become one of them. ” “Well you have to prove to me that you are up to the challenge. ” “I can show you right now if you want. ” “ You have to show me in a death threatening situation. This is not a death threatening situation right now, that is a fact. ” We started walking towards the little social place where they are always fights going on. I try to avoid getting punched in the face so I went to the place where I slept the night before.
The sun is down so I decided to fall asleep. When I woke up the Climbers were already gone to explore the Ladder. I went through the day quick, waiting for the Climbers to come back. When they came back I was the first one at the door. They cut it close today, Duncan was the last person out. Then I saw Duncan’s lucky stick on the floor right outside the door. I needed to prove to Duncan that I could become a Climber. I ran into the first Level to get Duncan’s stick. When I got in the first Level a chill went down my spine. This was a horrible idea and I knew it. I ran for the stick realizing I had little time.
I picked up the stick and started out of the Level. The door was closed. The door was closed. I stood there frozen, shocked, not knowing what to do. I heard the screams of the boys yelling for me. Then they all when away just like that. I was dead meat and I knew it. The Reapers scared the living daylights out of me. How was I supposed to survive a night will seven of them? I go to find somewhere to hide, and fast. Where was I gonna go, but what if I ran right into the home of the seven Reapers. I looked around and there was a hole on the top of the side of the Level.
Hopefully, I could fit in there. I started to climb up. The walls were very slippery. I used some leaves to get my balance and steady myself. The walls were about thirty feet high. I could probably get up there in like three or four minutes, but I needed to hurry before the Reapers come out to rip out my spine and stab me in the face with it. It took me about two minutes to get halfway up the wall. Then I heard the creams of Reapers. It sounded far away so I was safe, for now. Im started to hurry when the sounds grew louder. I got to the top just in time when I saw the first Reaper.
It was the biggest, scariest thing I had ever seen in my entire life. I tried to stay quiet but some grunts and whimpers from seeing the Reapers. I started to fade, I needed to stay awake because if I fall asleep I might fall,and then the rest is history. The seven Reapers were surrounding where I was. I had to do something and quick. I punched the top of the Level in frustration, but something popped and a tile came out. This was my way out and I needed to go now, the Reapers started to climb up. I climbed out of the Level and saw the stars and the staircase to the next Level.
I knew there were fourteen other Reapers waiting for me but I wanted to live for a couple of more seconds. I started up the stairs. One, Two, Three, I was counting the stairs like I was counting the seconds left in my life. On the seventh step I tripped. What could I have tripped on. The was a hole where the seventh step should be. I stuck my head out. What I saw was similar. White and white alone. After five second of just white the beeping started. I didn’t know to be excited or be scared. The beeping so the anticipation was killing me. Just like that I was on the bus sitting by my friend. It was a dream.
