Joe landed hard on a bed of sand and straw, dust billowing up around him. He groaned, checking his body over as he levered himself up to a sitting position. Another hole he thought bitterly, thankful for the cushioned fall this time round. Without warning, he felt a rush of fetid air and purely by reflex, he flicked his torso back, narrowly dodging a dirty heel. He rolled up onto his feet using his prodigious strength to compensate for any lack of agility.
Before him in the dust laden gloom, a filthy, skeletal male stood, arms raised before him aggressively. Surrounding the pit curved walls smoky torches burned, casting flickering shadows across the open space. Joe would come to regret taking the time to observe his surroundings as his opponent took that opportunity to launch another sneak attack.
Without grace nor skill, the wide eyed figure went in for a tackle, froth gathering on his lips like some rabid dog. Despite Joe's inattention he dodged easily using a palm to push the man's head down into the sand. The man rose to his feet staring venomously back at Joe as he wiped the sand from his face.
The man blinked at Joe, and smiled a horrible smile. “Surrender or die” the man croaked, more froth erupting over his pale thin lips. Joe, quick to catch on, took up a stance of his own as an answer. The man nodded his head, placing one hand behind his back. Then he dashed again. Just as he reached Joe who was preparing to deflect him to the stand once again, his hidden hand flicked out with a shard of glass straight towards Joe’s jugular, his body twisting as he dodged Joe's hand. Joe literally had a knee jerk reaction sending his right knee straight into the man's unprotected jaw. A solid crack erupted upon connection and the man fell lifelessly to the floor, eyes wide but blank.
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Joe stared down at the corpse beneath his feet, stunned more than anything. Behind him, a section of the wall rose revealing a torch lit passage. Within the passage a table could be seen, laden with food and a bottle of water; the value of the man's life made clear. Reacting rather than thinking, Joe took to the passage and slumped by the table as the door shut noisily shut behind him.
Joe squeezed closed his eyes only to open them again as the face of the nameless man reappeared in his mind's eye as if imprinted on his cornea. He had killed a man, unknowingly, unwittingly, unceremoniously and worst of all, easily. He rubbed the place where his knee had made contact with the man's chin. Suddenly overcome with nausea he vomited the remains of his train sandwich onto his shoes, continuing to dry heave as the psychological heat rose from his knee.
A few hours passed as Joe wrestled with the moral and ethical implications of his deed and as he slowly rationalized out his actions, a sense of calm came upon him. Action, reaction. Cause and effect. Attack me and you seek your own destruction. Aid me, and be lifted up. As he reinforced this mantra upon his psyche he felt one weight lift, one of guilt, as another heavier weight settled, one of responsibility. Action, reaction. Cause and effect.
He took to his feet unsteadily, and began to devour the simple fare on the table. He was not okay by all accounts, but he felt like he had found his path. Action, reaction. Cause and effect.