Read Testing Zero: a dystopian post-apocalyptic young adult novella series (Remnants of Zone Four Chronicles Book 1) for Free Online

to become part of the Elite class.”
    Zero scanned the area, making sure no one was around to hear them. “You know of a way to cheat on the test?”
    “No! It won’t matter how I do on the written test.” Lefty turned to face him, his eyes bright with excitement.
    Zero couldn’t help but feel some of the excitement too, even though he still had no idea what Lefty was talking about.
    “I’ll become a front-line scout,” Lefty said.
    “Um, I think I misheard you. What?”
    “Hear me out. They spend all day learning how to fight. When they’re not training, they’re out there in the world, scouting out places to colonize—fighting Remnants of the old world and all that dangerous stuff. Doesn’t that sound awesome? I just have to be physically and mentally tough. That’s easy.” His smile was large now.
    Zero’s heart sank again. He really had his hopes up for a split second there, but this just wasn’t a possibility. He did his best to keep a smile on his face, though.
    “It’s perfect. They’ll test me tomorrow on my physical strength, athleticism, and sheer grit. I may not be the most athletic or strong, but nobody can compare to my level of grit. There’s no way they’ll turn me down. I’m made for confronting danger. The written test will be irrelevant.”
    “Except for one thing.”
    “What’s that?”
    “The way people try out is to fight inside a cage.”
    “Yeah. What’s your point?”
    “You have to win two fights. If by a miracle you win against one of your peers, do you really think you can beat whatever opponent they assign you?” Zero couldn’t figure out how someone could be so keenly aware of his mental shortcomings while being completely clueless about his physical ones. Replacing one lost-cause test with another would never solve his problem. It could, he thought, knock a few more screws loose in his head, making it even harder for him to pass the written test. “My point is that you never win any of your fights.”
    “So what? It’s not like I have to beat everyone who has ever knocked me down. I only have to win one.”
    “You mean two. You have to win two fights, and we don’t even know what that second fight is.”
    “What do you mean we don’t know what that second fight is? A fight is a fight.”
    “Somehow I don’t think so. If you’re going to be a front line scout, you’ll have to be the best of the best. I bet that second fight is something wild—something completely out of the ordinary. Something that would qualify you for facing the dangers of the old world. Maybe you have to wrestle a jaguar or something.” Zero realized the stupidity of his comment as soon as he said it. That sort of thing would never intimidate Lefty.
    “Maybe it’s a crocodile.” Lefty grinned. “I’m not scared of wrestling any animals. That’s what I do for fun. You know that.”
    “Maybe so, but you still have to beat one of your peers, and you’re the smallest guy in our year.”
    “So I’ll just have to fight the second smallest.”
    “You mean Flea?”
    Lefty nodded.
    “And what if he doesn’t want to fight you?”
    “Oh, he will.” Lefty turned and began walking in the direction of Flea’s dorm room. “He’d love to get his hands on me—now that I’m not holding a crocodile.”

Chapter 5
    Zero sat in the hallway with his back against the wall and watched Lefty pace back and forth in front of Flea’s dorm room. He wasn’t anywhere near as confident as Lefty was in his plan. If he were to stand any chance at all in the fighting cage, he should have dedicated some time in the gym over the last few months learning some new fighting techniques with all the muscleheads.
    They heard someone approaching from around the corner, and by the sound of the uneven footsteps Zero correctly assumed it was Flea limping down the hall. When Zero saw a smile form on Lefty’s lips, he knew he was contemplating how to use Flea’s hurt foot against him in the cage.
    “Are