Peaceful Anarchy

The Cages

Chapter 17

     I sat in my own corner of my cell staring at the dried blood on my shirt. The two others in the cell with me had been gone for a while, no doubt fighting in the ring. From the matched I've fought, I've mostly figured out the ranks. My first fight was Shadow, an E-Rank but the second and third fight they pushed me in were C-Ranks and in my most recent battles, I barely won against men with ranks of B. I shook my head trying not to think about it. 

     "I'll slaughter all of you!" I moved back knowing my roommates were back. The gate rattled open and about half a dozen guards walked in, each with their own chains linked to a thrashing animal. "You'll look so much better in red!" He grinned trying to reach around to bite down on an unsuspecting guard. Things went down hill when the attack was successful.

     "Son of a bitch!" The guard dropped his chain- much to the protest of the other guards- to strike the boy's face. Now that he had enough slack, the feral boy gripped on to the man with both arms and legs, his teeth sinking deeper into the man's neck. I watched as the blood started to seep into the man's clothing and in an instant I was back facing against Shadow.

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     I managed to pin the elusive girl to the ground but she still fought against my hold. The fear in her eyes had almost been enough to make me release her. Almost. I brought my arm up to her neck restricting her airways in an attempt to still her movements. She freed her arm from underneath my foot and pushed against my arm on her throat but she wasn't strong enough.

     "I give!" She cried out with a gasp. I pulled back and jumping away to put some distance between us. "I give...." She rolled over onto her hands and knees as her body shook in fear. "I'm sorry." I tilted my head trying to hear her low mutterings but the roar of the crowd quickly drowned her out.

     "Kill her! Kill her! Kill her!" I looked around the arena, sickened by their desire for this sort of entertainment. 

     "Please." The girl looked around with the same fear in her eyes as earlier. Was that why she was so afraid? Did she really think I was going to kill her for these people's game? "I know it's my 15th but..." I didn't understand. What did the number 15 have to do with anything?

     "I won't." My voice echoed in the arena but no one paid me any attention. Their chant picked up again only this time it was louder as their excitement peaked. The girl stood up on trembling legs and started running for me; on instinct, I prepared myself to fend off an attack. It wasn't until a gun fired and blood sprayed on my shirt that I understood. 

     "Shadow sadly lost 15 consecutive battles and had to be put down." My stomach turned at the sight of the girl's blood splattered across the floor. "But don't sorry ladies and gentlemen, new fighters are on their way." The female announcer laughed gaining shouts of approval from the crowd. "That concludes the match!" 

     I was still standing in the same position, unable to look away from the blood soaking into my shirt. She wasn't running to attack me again, she was running from what she knew was coming. I know this isn't the first time I've seen murder but this was the first time I've seen it for entertainment. Not even I was that cruel.

     A man dressed in a marine uniform stood behind where the girl had been standing with a gun in his hands and a malicious smile on his face. " "Back to your cage little bird." I didn't even blink as my hands were bound again.

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     "Hey." I gasped as the memory faded. I looked around noticing the guards were gone and the feral boy was chained to the wall with a muzzle in place. "You okay?" The girl I now knew as Riya, stared at me with her hood up.