The Anthem Force Chronicles

Chapter 11- Tournament of Heroes

It’s like looking in a mirror, well a warped, deranged mirror.

            The figure is definitely me, yet at the same time it’s so different. Her skin is pasty white and her eyes dark pools of black. When she grins her teeth are sharp and jagged.

            I involuntarily take a step a back. I can’t fight myself.

            The creature however lunges at me and I have to roll to the ground to avoid it’s attack. Apparently she has no problem fighting me.

            Okay then, it’s on. I take a fighting stance and pull a crowbar out of my pocket. Imagine my surprise when the creature pulls out an identical one.

            I lunge first this time and the creature meets my blow with her own crowbar. We keep going after each other but it’s as if she knows all my moves. Every attack I send her way she meets with a perfectly timed defense.

Finally she’s able to land a lucky blow to my side and I’m propelled backward and lose my footing. Dang she’s strong.

            The creature comes at me and I roll to the side. The creature slams her bar right where my head had been. She glares at me and lets out an animalistic shriek right before coming at me again. This time she’s able to slam the metal bar right in my stomach. It feels like someone knocked the wind out of me. I let out a gasp as I struggle to regain my breath. The creature just laughs but I take advantage of her lax stance and swing my feet around, knocking out her own. The creature lands with a heavy thud on the ground and I jump on top of her.

            We roll around for a moment but I’m able to press down on her leg with my foot and it cracks. The creature screams out in pain and I’m able to turn her around so I’m on top.

            I press down and she presses back. It’s not real. It’s not you. I tell myself.

            I muster up all my strength and am able grab a hold of her head and twist it to the side. It goes with a sickening crack and the creature’s body goes limp.

            I stand up and a shiver goes down my spine. It’s not real.

            I’m about to walk away, holding my aching stomach, when I hear a sound behind me.

            I slowly turn around only to see the creature rising up, its head drooping at an unnatural angle and its leg dragging behind her. The creature saunters toward me like some deranged zombie. Suddenly it’s head snaps up and I’m staring right into the creature’s black eyes. Her leg follows suit as she kicks it stiff again.

            I can’t help myself and I let out a scream.

            That officially takes things too far. I’m done. Instead of fighting I start sprinting as fast as I can away from that thing.

            I think I’m in the clear when I feel a hand grab my neck and slam me into a wall. A wave of pain goes down my back. “Now it’s time to finish you, you insignificant being,” she says. Oddly enough her voice sounds just like mine.

            “Haven’t you heard,” I cough out through her chokehold, “A copy is never as good as the original.” I reach my leg back to kick her but the creature raises me higher against the wall.

            “We’ll see about that,” she says. She reaches her other hand back and suddenly it’s not a hand, it’s a long razor blade. Woah, I can’t do that.