We sat on the bed, shock on both of our faces. Fear gripped my mind tightly, not letting go. I got up and had my hand on the door handle when Liam stopped me.
"Danielle?" I took a deep breath and turned.
"Ye-" My answer was stopped midway as Liam crushed his lips to mine, pushing my body against the door. It was an intense kiss full if frustration and fear. I drew my hands into my hair, knotting it around my fingers.
His hands trailed their way around my back lightly, drawing circles and spirals. I kissed Liam harder pouring all of my love for him into it. The kiss was like our goodbye, a testament for our love for each other. He broke the kiss and leaned back a little, his face still close to mine.
"So you'll have something to remember me by, if I-" I quickly kissed him again, effectively stopping him from finishing his sentence.
"But you won't," I replied.
Liam sighed and moved away. I opened the door and we walked through. As soon as I left the relative safety of my room, fear attacked me, causing silent tears to creep slowly down my cheeks. My mind had gone completely blank and I was shaking uncontrollably, tremors going through my body every few seconds.
Liam was in no better shape as his face was completed drained of colour, he looked as pale as a ghost. My heart started pounding like a drum, it was so loud, it blocked all other noise out. Four people were going to die today. Most of us would survive.
But some would not.
I felt angry at the thought of these people, innocent, harmless people dying at the whim of one man. Being shot or killed otherwise by monster, the quick, easy death of a bomb or caught in the barrage of gun fire. There were many different ways in which Liam and I could die, today. We were two people out of sixteen determined people. Things were not looking good.
We entered the Starting Room five minutes later, and immediately spotted the huddle of Competitors. Renae was standing on the edge, her face an ashen colour. You could see her hands were shaking. I walked up to her and placed an arm around her.
"What if we don't make it through?" she asked me, shaking. Tears were trailing down her face- much the same way I wanted to act. But I had to be strong for her- hide the fact that my heart was beating fast, that my hands were shaking as well and that I was one step away from losing all control.
"What if we die?"
"We won't," I told her, because that was what she needed to hear. "We'll make it through- we always have." Lies, because that's what calmed her. Lies, because the truth was too damaging. Lies, because I needed it too. I felt Liam's hand on mine and he squeezed mine tightly before letting go.
A man interrupted my train of thought as the same man who introduced us to the Labyrinth walked to the head of the group. Oily black hair, self-satisfied expression and still the same urge to punch him in the face. I ignored that, brushed that away- I couldn't have that right now.
He cleared his throat and presented a small scroll of paper. Reading from it he proclaimed,
"By the order of my most glorious master, Raxis. I am permitted to inform you on the upcoming stage, The life of a soldier. The life of a soldier is an open area filled with monster, various modes of aircraft, gunfire and bombs. Four people will die today, in this Stage and as the last person dies, the siren will be sounded and the monsters will be called off. Now, please listen to the loudspeaker." The man then hurried off, wiping his brow with a handkerchief, into an adjoining room.
"Testing, testing, one, two, three," a droning voice boomed. I wondered where the nasal like sounding guy from the previous stage was, I thought vaguely.
"All Competitors, please move towards the gateway entrance," ordered the voice. "All Competitors, please move towards the gateway entrance." I walked slowly towards the gateway entrance, my legs feeling like they were stuffed with wool.
"Countdown, starting!" barked the voice.
"Ten!" What if I die? Renae's words flashed back in my mind.
"Nine!" What happens if Liam or Renae die?
"Eight!" Bile rose in my throat at the thought of the coming ordeal.
"Seven!" My palms started to feel clammy and I brushed them blankly, on the back of my jeans.
"Six!" My heart pounded faster and faster, like a helicopter.
"Five!" I started feeling dizzy, like the world was spinning. I pinched myself, I couldn't faint or I would have lost already.
"Four!" I wished I could see my parents once more, and tell their loving faces that I loved them.
"Three!" I thought of the girl with the brown hair. You can do this, she would tell me.
"Two!" I held Renae's hand and squeezed it gently and tried to give her a brave smile. Tear stains now present on her face, she gave me a weak smile back.
"One!" It was about to start.
"Zero!" Now.
The gateway entrance slowly crept open, revealing a massive landscape of luscious, towering trees, numerous rock formations and tens of helicopters, planes and hovercrafts, in wait, in the air. We all stepped out onto a thick layer of pebbles and small rocks which made a crunching noise under our shoes. We stood there, too dazed and confused to continue.
That is, until the shooting started. We were being peppered with a near constant barrage of gun fire, shells flying everywhere. We ran for cover, dodging and diving in the tumult of warfare.
Boom! A sound crashed in my ear drums, causing everyone to stop and stare at the noise's benefactor. The gray haired woman was cowering under the gaze of a massive monster, which was an angry red in colour, it's shape closest to a man. The woman trembled and shook and then tried to make a run for it. The monster grabbed her so swiftly, its arm blurred.
She dangled in the air, the monster using one clawed hand to hold her, pinning her hands to her sides. Before the monster could do anything further, the woman revealed a sharp and wicked looking dagger from beneath her clothes and plunged it into her heart. She cried out in pain, but in a few more seconds, she was gone. The monster threw her limp body away in disgust and the body landed with a thump! face down.
The monster, now in need of a new victim, turned and when seeing all the Competitors staring back at it in utter shock and horror, it smiled, reveling long, pointy teeth which was already streaked with blood. It started running full pelt at us which made me and many others snap back to attention and scatter like pigeons in the presence of a cat. I ran off towards the dense forests, my feet practically flying off the ground as the adrenaline coursed through my blood.
But not fast enough.
I could hear the steady, pounding footfalls of the monster behind me, getting closer and closer. I increased my speed in a fit of panic which was when disaster struck. I tripped over a large rock and rolled onto my head and then landed on my back. I groaned as the pebbles an rocks dug into my back and a jabbing pain made itself known in my ankle.
I tried desperately to drag myself up to standing position, but my ankle collapsed on me, causing me to fall back again. The monster had now reached me, and it was leaning over me, a look of hunger displayed plainly on its face. Panic seared through and I struggled to get up, to escape, but to no avail. The monster picked me up, raising me further upwards into the air. I closed my eyes and prepared for death.
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Toys of a Dangerous Mind-{Winner of Undiscovered, Watty Awards 2011} Under Edit
Romance"You will never escape, Danielle. Never." The world is tainted. The world is shadowed. The world is cursed. A demon presides over everyone, ruling with power and fear. Every few months, the Games of Hell are held, twenty people culled from the mass...
