The 5

Chapter Five: Blessed Be the Snow

WARNING:

THIS BOOK CONTAINS EXTREME VIOLENCE, GORE, SEXUAL CONTENT, DRUG ABUSE, AND LANGUAGE. READER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Tyson and Ryan faced each other in the gulag, the tips of their weapons touching. The crowd urged them to fight. They both hesitated to move. "If you don't fight, you will both be shot!" Jessusa told them. They took a step back from each other. Then, Tyson swung his sword at Ryan. He swung it slow enough that Ryan could easily duck underneath it. Ryan shoved his spear forward but Tyson swiftly dodged to the side and smacked the side of it with his sword. That sent Ryan a little off balance but he found his way back to his feet. The crowd got louder and louder as the fight went on. Jessusa looked displeased, she was hoping to see much more carnage. Tyson sliced his sword vertically, Ryan just barely moved out of the way in time. "Sorry!" Tyson said, realizing he didn't give Ryan enough time to react. They didn't even know why they were trying to fake this fight. At the end of the day, there had to be a winner. They both knew that but they couldn't bring themselves to kill the other. Ryan swung his spear sideways. Tyson slashed his sword down onto it, knocking Ryan backwards. Ryan was now laying on his back. Quickly, Tyson stepped forward and brought his sword down. Ryan rolled out of the way and instinctively poked Tyson in the leg with his spear. He let out a groan of pain as he collapsed to his knees, a gash in his thigh. Ryan stood up while Tyson was holding his injured leg. The crowd roared with excitement. Tyson tried to stand up but Ryan smacked him in the face with the handle of his spear. Blood flew from his nose as his head flung backwards. "Ryan, what the fuck!" He shouted, holding his bleeding nose. Ryan didn't respond. He kicked the sword out of Tyson's hand, it skidded across the concrete floor. The crowd continued to scream even louder, seeing who the clear victor was. Ryan pressed the tip of the spear against Tyson's throat. "Any last words?" Ryan asked. Tyson looked up at him with hatred in his eyes. "Finish him!" Jessusa commanded, standing up from her throne in excitement. Suddenly, Ryan turned toward Jessusa and pointed the spear upwards. He pulled back his arm and threw the spear directly into Jessusa's chest. She sprung backwards into her throne, blood leaking from her rib cage and the spear sticking out of her. The crowd gasped and looked around in shock. Ryan just stood there breathing heavily. Tyson's eyes of hatred quickly turned to pure astonishment. The soldiers standing next to Jessusa tried to help her and stop the bleeding, but it was too late. She was already dead. More soldiers hurriedly rushed into the arena and forcefully grabbed Ryan and Tyson and escorted them out.

Clayton stood on the steps in front of the golden skyscraper. Tyson and Ryan were on their knees in front of him. There were a few soldiers standing next to them and a large crowd of citizens gathered at the bottom of the stairs. Sasha watched nervously from below, standing next to Kennedy. "Please tell me this is gonna work." Sasha whispered. Clayton was pacing back and forth and rambling. Nobody had ever seen him like this. His balding blonde hair was messy, his collar was undone, his face was red and sweaty, and he appeared to be quite drunk. "These... traitors! They killed my daughter and my wife!" He shouted, partially slurring his words. The crowd looked solemn and also surprised at their usually well spoken and calm leader. "For that- for that they need to fucking die!" Clayton continued yelling. Two soldiers stepped behind Ryan and Tyson, pistols pressed against the backs of their heads. "What are you waiting for?! Kill these fucking cunts!" Clayton commanded them. There was a moment of silence as the soldiers didn't move. Suddenly, they both turned and pointed their guns at Clayton. The other soldiers surrounding them did the same. Clayton looked around, confused. "What the fuck is this?" He asked angrily. Tyson smirked a little. "We paid off over half of your soldiers. They work for us now." Tyson explained. Other soldiers standing among the crowd were pointing their guns at the traitor soldiers. But some changed their minds and decided to take Tyson and Ryan's side. Most of them felt exhausted of Clayton's leadership and were also ready for a change. Tyson and Ryan stood up and faced Clayton. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?! I am your leader! I built this place! Shoot them right now!" Clayton shouted. Tyson looked him dead in the eyes. "Like I said before, they don't work for you anymore. Devin is currently showing images of the gulag to everyone in the city. So soon your citizens won't follow you either. The bottom line is, we own you now. And we own The New Society." Tyson told him.