Nightfire Warriors - A Space Opera

10. David and Goliath

In the end, I claim the bottom bunk next to Danny and Frankie. The one-on-ones start tomorrow and I'm in need of a good night's sleep. My sheets are made of some material I'm not used to, and they're very cozy.

The warriors start falling asleep one by one. Some are snoring loudly, someone's talking in their sleep, and another is having a nightmare. And there's Frankie, resting on his top bunk, completely turned away from me and listening to his mp3 player.

None of this is keeping me awake.

It's exceedingly difficult to fall asleep despite being in a comfortable bed like this. Stress and doom overwhelm me when I think about the outcome of what will happen to me when I get eliminated. Where will I go? How am I going to start my life over?

My eyes are open for almost the entire night. Finally, all the warriors are required to wake up, and I immediately run for the showers. Everything needs to be perfect if what Abigail said was true. That they're eliminating the weak, and I'm probably next.

One time, in eleventh grade, Frankie and the other bullies jumped me during P.E. All the boys pushed me into the dirt, and the rest is too hard for me to remember. I'm not strong. I don't know any fighting techniques, stances, or combo attacks. And these are the things the judges will be looking for.

I brush my teeth, change into my sweats, and head to the gymnasium with the other warriors. Palmer, Amanda, Kendall, and Abigail are waiting for us in the center of the room.

Palmer. I have so much support for him. He's smiling like the grandfather I've always wanted, sitting in a chair with his cane. We gather around the four judges. I'm standing near the back. As a tall person, I'm able to see them over the crowd. Cameras are filming like flies on a wall. Whatever happens today, everyone else in the universe will see.

"The time has come," Kendall announces. "For one-on ones!"

Everybody cheers.

"We will have four one-on-ones going on at once," Palmer says. "Or else we'll be here until Christmas." He finishes with a chuckle. "We should be done by the end of the day. That means this group will literally be cut in half by the end of the night."

A handful of people try to hold in their panic and worry. Then there're a handful of people, like Frankie and Danny—Cody and Tyrone also—who seem confident they are going to make it, and even beyond.

"Good luck everyone," Palmer says sincerely. "We'll split you up into four groups and go from there. We won't make any decisions until everybody fights. You'll be scored on your genetic abilities, combo attacks, and technique. Don't be nervous if you lose the one-on-one. Doesn't mean you're eliminated."

"And just because you win," Abigail adds with her threatening voice. "Doesn't mean you're safe. A lot of you warriors can blow the competition out of the water. I have to remind everyone the bar is set really high this year. Lots of potential."

I'm put in a large, holding room with about sixteen other warriors. Tyrone is with me, so we're not going to be fighting each other. Thank God. He's good. Somebody working with the crew, wearing a headset, and dressed in black, starts calling us out one by one. I'm scheduled to go sometime near lunch, so I have about three hours of waiting to do. I can hear the fighting going on in the gymnasium from where I'm sitting: people grunting, swords clinging, and shouts of anger.

Finally, the guy working with the crew calls my name out, and I follow him to the gymnasium. There are four wrestling rings set up. I'm looking at the strong ropes bordering the elevated mattresses, and my heart starts to pound a little faster. I pass a bunch of bows and arrows. They're sharp with feathers cut in flawless uniform lines. What if someone in another ring completely misses their shot and plunges an arrow right through my eye accidentally?