Free Ascent: (Book 1) The Ladder by Anthony Thackston

faces forward again, he’s forced to stop at the sight of the Guard standing in his path. His hand is raised as a signal for Scraggle to stop.
    “No one goes up, old man. Not even you.”
                “Nonsense.” Scraggle grabs a shovel from the nearest passing teenager and swings it at the Guard, hitting him in the head. The clanging sound vibrates the shovel slightly.
    The effect is exactly as desired. The Guard hits the ground leaving only Mason and the four other newly appointed guards. Three of them look at Scraggle, shocked that he was able to put that much force into the swing. One of the girls and Mason decide to stand their ground.
                “I want to see you do that to me, old man,” Mason says as he bows up to Scraggle.
                The girl makes a move to physically stop the old man but Scraggle pushes her aside. He’s strong enough to knock her to the ground. Mason still does not back down. He raises his fist at the oncoming Scraggle who places his hand directly on Mason’s face before he can throw a punch. The forward momentum pushes Mason back and off his feet. Scraggle doesn’t miss a step as he lunges for the Ladder and makes his way up, stopping only to turn and see Joe mere yards away.
                “Come Dreamer. Your destiny awaits.”
                Mason follows Scraggle’s gaze and sees Joe making his way to the Ladder. The bully turned guard quickly gets to his feet. Scraggle watches the scene play out at the bottom of the Ladder.
                “He has it!” Scraggle points at Joe and yells down to those nearest the Ladder. “I see it in his eyes. That one carries the Sick. Save yourselves!”
                The three new guards, shocked by Scraggle’s speed with the shovel, quickly put their hands over their mouths. The girl on the ground rolls away from Joe, bringing up her own hand for cover.
                Mason doesn’t budge. He just waits for Joe. This is just the opportunity he’s been waiting for. “I knew you’d try and climb it.”
                “You heard the old man, Mason. Get out of my way before you’re infected,” Joe reiterates to Mason.
                “It’ll be worth it. I’ll just get some Remedy. But there’s no way I’m letting you up this ladder.” Mason cracks his knuckles.
                Joe runs toward him, hoping to throw his weight into the larger teen and knock him the ground. But Mason mirrors him and, with size on his side, Joe is the one who is knocked to the ground.
                “I told you, you’re staying down here.” Mason paces back and forth, waiting for Joe to get back up and try something else. “I’m not letting anyone else past me. Especially not some loser Mud Slinger.”
                Joe slowly gets back to his feet and stares at Mason. He removes his hand from his mouth. The other guards step back further. Other kids gather around them, forming a wide circle of fight spectators.
                “Slinger…right,” Joe says quietly as he drops his hand to his side and scrapes off a chunk of mud now coated with a layer of dirt from the ground. Without looking at it, Joe throws the mud at Mason, hitting him in the face.
    The new guard yells out as the mud and dirt get in his eyes and his mouth. He tries to scrape it off of himself to see but he’s not fast enough and Joe slams into him. The hit causes both of them to crash into the Ladder.
    Scraggle watches as both boys bounce off of the Ladder. But it is Mason who finds himself back on the ground.
                “Very good, Dreamer. But the symptoms of the Sick will be upon you, soon,” Scraggle calls out to Joe as he climbs higher and into the vertical tunnel.
                Joe looks around at the circle of kids surrounding him.
                A few of the kids chant, “Climb. Climb.