CHAPTER 5
FIGHTING FOR TOMORROW
-Complete Silence-
No sound or movement had yet been made. The arena was so quiet; I could hear the rough breathing of the man next to me. This was the most tension I have ever felt since crossing through that library door. Hell, This is the tensest moment of my entire life. No bear Grylls episode could ever prepare me for this situation. Watching the men to my left, I waited. Hoping they would guide me. Fuck that. My life was depending on them knowing what to do. But, they didn’t, No one did. We just sat there. We were Staring at each other from afar. Dozens of heartbeats later, someone from the other side took the first step. Almost immediately, as if it had signaled the beginning, men from both sides began sprinting at each other, shouting at the top of their lungs. I was petrified, not even able to take one step.
“I have to do something. I can’t just stand here doing nothing.”
-Wham…Wham-
I balled up my fist, slamming into my legs.
“Move!… Fucking Move, Damnit!!”
No luck…. I wasn’t going to be able to just overcome this stifling fear by punching my leg a few times. Part of me knew this, but I continued. Disappointed in myself, I lift my tear-stained eyes to the sharp screech of death, as clanging metal furiously bashes against each other. I…I have to help them. Even if not for them, for myself. Death is only waiting for me If I don’t.
(Slave):” Come! I know its terrifying! But we must fight!… Just standing there will do nothing for you. Make death sip the bitter taste of defeat. Together, we at least have a chance. Let us fight for tomorrow.”
The man grabbed my arm, pulling me close to him. His eyes…His eyes, they… reflected nothing but fear…Deep within that reflection, laid a small flame of hope, flickering, as it struggles to stay alive. His hands shook as he clenched with all his strength. He’s right. I have to put up a fight if we want any chance at living for tomorrow. I want to see my family, my friends. I have to find a way home. Released from my petrified state, I dug my foot into the ground, tightly gripping my blade, pushing forward with as much force as I could muster, chasing after the man’s back.
We were running as hard as we possibly could. The man from before abruptly stops to ready his bow, knocking an arrow right as I was passing next to him.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
-Fwooo-
Something flew past my face, just barely missing as it ripped through the air. Within my peripheral, the man’s body disappeared.
“No!..No!..No!…Fuck! Fucking shit!.”
I knew an incoming arrow had shotted the man.
“Fuck! Any closer, and that would have hit me instead!”
Even so, I did not look back. How could I. The sense of fear was so strong, I wanted to ignore it, act like it was all just a lie. The strength to handle that scene at this moment was non-existent. It would completely kill all momentum currently building, screeching my body to a complete halt. Instead, my mind blocked it out, pushing my body to continue forward. My heartbeat began to ring in my hear.
-Bump Bump…Bump bump-
My mind became fuzzy, a jittery feeling overwhelmed me, giving a strange burst of energy. Ah, this must be fight or flight. Movies always depicted situations such as these, sparking conversations on message boards throughout the internet, people arguing what would be possible and not possible — such a dumb waste of time for a fictional scenario. Or so I used to think. But now… Part of me wished I knew more…. Fucking hell, guess we are about to find out if those movie scenes are realistic or not. It’s just a shame we must find out using our lives.
Coming up on the backs of my group, I am blindsided as immense pain coldly slid deep into my side.
(Ezra):“AAAAAAHHHHH”
Somehow managing to stay moving, I spin Ninety degrees, thrusting my shoulder into the man’s chest, grab his arm, and throw him over my shoulder. Falling to my knees in pain as the movements put pressure on the blade, still sticking out of my side. Next to us laid a quiver with broken arrows sprawled around it. Having dropped my sword during the scuffle, I pick up the head of a fractured shaft, stabbing it into the man’s eye.
(Slave):”AAAAAAAHHHHH!!! MY EEEEEYYEEEE!!!!!”
Quickly turning my body crawling to my blade, the man grabs my leg as he holds his eye, screaming. Kicking my free leg backward managed to barely knick the arrow protruding from his sight, sending him flailing in pain once again. Finding my way to the blade, I pick it up, clutching it tell my knuckles turned white. Facing back towards the man, I launch myself off my knees, lunging with the sword pointed towards the earth, stabbing down as hard as possible. The blade falls on his throat, blood shooting into my face as the blade is pulled back. Sounds of gurgling as the man struggles on the ground echoed in my ears.
I no longer had any energy to move; pain is all I could think about as it overloaded my whole body. Flopping over on my back, laying as my consciousness fades, sounds of gurgling became fainter, eventually fading into silence. Along with it, the sound of blades clashing ceased.
Crunch…Crunch….Crunch….
The only sound left in the arena was the crunching of the ground as an unknown person walked towards my direction. Having no energy, all I could do is lay there, hoping it was an ally. His footsteps stopped, a light sound of clothes wrinkling could be heard. Once the noise stopped, I could feel the cold chill of a blade on my neck. There was a pause, for some reason he was waiting, did he stop because of guilt? Slowly lifting my eyelids to get a glimpse of the situation, I was welcomed by the sight of a blade held against my throat. Oddly enough, the man that held it there had been looking into the distance. I tried racking my brain thinking of a reason why. For all I know, the man has just lost his fucking mind, zoning out into lalaland for whatever fucking reason. To be fair, we did kind of just get thrown into a wagon brought to some city then forced to fucking slaughter each other.
From how everyone acted, in and out of the previous waiting room up until the end fight. I doubt any of us are used to these kinds of situations. Especially with the fact that he has paused, it seems like this took quite a toll on him mentally, even being in the winning corner. Suddenly his face looked down, displaying a perplexed look. Without saying anything, he stood up, leaving the arena, leaving me in complete disbelief. Without being able to comprehend what was happening, my vision turned black.