"Serpentine, this is what you've been waiting for! The climax of an entire year's worth of preparation!"
If possible, the crowds cheer amplified seemingly tenfold. Almost bloodthirsty, even.
"Here and now, the remaining contestants who've battled their way through the maze will duke it out. As an added bonus, this courageous Lupine has volunteered from the stands to mix into the fray! Give it up for the final eight!"
You've got to be kidding me.
"Mel, what's the announcer talking about," Ash questioned, his voice cutting through everyone else's. He sounded dangerously calm.
Dakota looked more annoyed than usual, crossing his arms though he looked exhausted. Not that I cared. "What did you do this time? Messing it up for everyone else, are we now?"
"Hey!" I yelled, my voice drowned out by the noise. "I did not volunteer! This was not a part of the plan!"
Quickly glancing around me, I saw four others that I didn't recognize. They looked vicious, already looking like they wanted to murder the opposition.
Maybe they were just really patriotic. This was the Serpentine's competition, after all, we didn't really have a right -- or choice -- to spoil it.
Wishful thinking.
"Let's see who the crowd roots for more in this final battle!" The announcer cut in on our conversation, and we all glared at him though he sat a safe distance away. "At out signal, you may begin. Any move -- accidental or not -- before that will result in disqualification."
"You can't do that," Ash shouted. "Can you not see the bandages on her? She's injured!"
"Any move will result in disqualification."
I froze, not daring to twitch a muscle.
"Three!"
The crowd chanted along with the announcer.
"Two!"
My heart seemed to beat faster, my vision tunneling.
"One!"
Everyone tensed.
"Begin!"
And all heck broke loose.
"Watch your backs," Ash called, ever the strategist. "Take out the others first, then we'll see what to --"
"Less talking, more fighting!" Dakota cut him off, drawing the attention of one Serpentine. The two then proceeded to carry out their own battle.
The rest of us also got separated, each holding their own against a Serpentine. My own opponent nearly blocked my field of vision.
She hissed at me wearily, tired but not willing to give up yet. Her loose Serpentine garbs fluttered slightly as we circled each other. The boa constrictor tensed ever so slightly in the split second before she struck.
But I saw it and dodged as she swung her dagger in an arc. I dropped my satchel and drew my knives in defense.
Finish this fast, you don't have the energy to spare.
I winced a bit as I drew back to deflect another strike, my wounds surely opening. A shame, after all the work Ash had gone through to bandage them.
Wait, why was I thinking about him right now?
Not the time, you need to focus.
Right. Focus.
Locking blades with the boa, I struggled to find leverage against my opponent's longer weapon. Dimly, I was aware of the crowd going nuts, perhaps over my fight or another.
Suddenly, the boa lifted a booted foot and kicked out hard, catching me right in the stomach.
I went sprawling.
Feeling like I wanted to hurl, I clutched my abdomen and shakily stood. I raised my blade right as the boa came at me full force, dropping my shorter hunting knife in exchange for the longer one.
Wrapping both hands around the hilt, I risked a quick glance up but didn't manage to see anything before I refocused on the fight.
"Just. Give. Up!" She ground out, clearly tiring. "Give up!"
"No," I said lowly, though my own strength was sapping. Pain lanced through my body.
No, the instinct agreed. I'd come too far just to give up now.
Let's finish this.
The boa was slowly forcing me to the ground, using her weight to her advantage. I felt something drip from my arm down to the floor. My blood. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted my other knife, lying abandoned in the sand.
It's not too far away. Good.
In a quick burst, I snatched it, flipping the blade and driving it towards her head.
My hand changed directions just before I made contact. Instead, the handle hit the Serpentine's temple, just hard enough to knock her out for a good while.
Breathing heavily, I caught the unfortunate Serpentine as she fell, easing her onto the ground.
She'd have a heck of a headache when she woke up, but she was still alive.
I staggered to my feet, looking around. My hands were shaking.
Dakota was just about done with his spar. The Serpentine didn't stand a chance against him. Sora was already standing next to her unconscious opponent, waiting idly. Ash was still in fierce competition with another Serpentine. He'd be done soon enough.
So I just stood with the others, not really knowing what to do.
The crowd seemed pretty displeased that nearly -- soon to be -- all the Serpentine were being defeated by other pesky tribespeople. The announcer was scrambling to hype them back up, without much success. You could hear his reluctance when he spoke his next directions after Ash and Dakota had finished.
"Alright, the winners have narrowed down to four," the Serpentine said, his hands strangling the conch shell. "As you know, only one will conquer all and be able to meet with our esteemed leader -- "
Sheesh, this guy was taking his time. I wanted to be out of here already. I wanted to get away from bad memories.
" -- So to spice things up a bit, we have a special surprise in store for the audience -- "
The poor announcer got cut off again, this time verbally.
"Hurry up," a sinister sounding voice hissed. "Hurry up and get this over with. You all are taxing my patience."
The crowd shifted around uneasily. The voice was coming from everywhere, echoing off of the stadium's walls. There was a dark undertone to the words and a shiver ran down my spine.
"What's --?" the announcer said weakly, looking more than slightly confused.
Then something changed in his demeanor.
He stood more rigidly than usual, and exclaimed in an overly excited voice, "This is our special surprise for you all! The contestants will now use any methods available in the maze to defeat their opponents, whatever they may be. Now, the deathmatch begins. Only the sole survivor will become the winner!"
Deathmatch?
Something's definitely wrong.
Unaware that anything was amiss, the crowd started to cheer once more, roaring for blood. Particularly for ours, though I'd prefer not to lose any more than I had to today.
I refocused on the others, looking at Ash, Sora, and --
Dakota.
I reacted instinctively, throwing myself out of the way. A dark, smokey substance shot past me, exploding against the maze wall.
What the --
"Dakota what the heck!" Ash shouted a little ways off. He too was evading a trindle of shadow, desperate not to let it touch him.
That strange matter reminded me of something. It reminded me of those creepy monsters. The ones hunting us down.
Predators.
I looked over at Dakota and my heart seemed to stop beating for a second.
His features were even paler than usual, his startling emerald green eyes contrasting even more. The rims of his eyes were a deep red, too dark to be caused by crying. His nails had sharpened into claws, the faint outline of his white ears and tail visible. He was in his semi-form, something I seldom saw.
But that wasn't the most shocking part of his that'd changed.
Surrounding Dakota was a shadowy aura, things like tentacles swarming the area closest to him. Things like claws or inhuman eyes could briefly be seen in the darkness. In his hands, he held black fire, the flames seeming not to affect him in the slightest.
He was harnessing the Predators. And their power.
"What are you doing!?" I yelled, narrowly missing another strike. His power easily reached us though he was in the center of the maze, we pressed to the walls. "What happened to -- "
I raised my blade to deflect a ball of black fire thrown my way.
A blonde streak rushed from the corner of my vision, charging straight at Dakota.
"How could you?!" Sora screamed, her pupils mere slits in her fury. "How could you turn yourself over to them?! I trusted you, you lying son of a -- "
"Not another word out of you," the eerie voice spoke and I realized it was coming from Dakota. "You've been a fool, but one that will serve my purpose."
A shadow had her by the throat, effectively silencing her. Her anger was definitely in the air, as well as the sickening stench of Predators. She clawed at the shadow while Ash and I tried to dodge oncoming blows.
Dakota turned his attention to Ash and me, stopping his attack long enough for us to catch our breath.
"If you do not reveal your true identities, I will take your souls where you stand." It struck me that Dakota was enjoying this. Enjoying watching us struggle. "So hurry along before things have to get messy. Amuse me and I might spare you."
Sora had broken free, her throat raw. With a guttural scream, she threw herself at him again, mercilessly clawing at the shadows. I'd never seen her lose her composure like this before.
I shook off my trance and shifted, keeping tabs on the others while fighting to get closer to Dakota. It hadn't hit me yet, the anger that Sora clearly felt at the moment. I was still disbelieving.
Another question probed my mind in the midst of the confusion.
Why does he want us to use our powers?
If he wanted to take us down faster, he'd try to keep us from using them. But instead, he was encouraging us, which made me suspicious.
"Don't do it," Ash ordered in the short break where we were back to back. His sword flashed as he dispatched another Predator that had spawned in Dakota's wake. "Whatever happens, don't use your power. He's up to something."
"You don't say," I responded wearily, trying to minimize the exertion I put on my injuries. "I hadn't figured that out already."
"Just don't, we can beat him without using them. Right now we have to protect -- "
I never found out what we had to protect because, in the next moment, he was wrenched from my side.
"Ash!" I managed to get out before I was surrounded.
The Predators oozed and hissed from all sides, reaching out with mismatched hands. The darkness was suffocating, the sunlight barely reaching the ground though the skies were clear.
One crawled too close for comfort and I slashed at it, cursing the short range of my hunting knives. Knives that Dakota had given to me.
I shuddered at the thought, slicing through another Predator.
Then they suddenly retreated slightly, ceasing their barrage. A pale figure stepped through their freezing cold ranks.
"Dakota," I spat out.
"Melody," he growled back. "It's nice to talk to you again."
Gripping my knives, I edged farther away from him. "I'm sorry can't say the same."
"That's too bad. I was hoping we could've worked together."
Silence.
Then, "Why?"
My voice sounded ragged and broken. "Why?" I repeated. "Why did you..."
Dakota scoffed, his otherworldly voice cold. "I don't need to explain my motives to you. I'm only here to finish things, once and for all."
Finish...things? My brain was working slower than usual, and time seemed to flow like molasses. I tried to lift my arm but it stubbornly refused to budge. The Predators' vile auras combined with the injures that I'd sustained for so long were weakening me.
He started to walk away, calling over his shoulder with a wicked look, "Predators, kill her. Leave nothing behind."
They closed in on me. I fought for breath. We were separated, outnumbered, outmatched, and exhausted.
All the while, the crowds cheered on.
(Side Note: That chapter was kinda long, I gotta admit. Who's your least favorite character now? It's kind of a rhetorical question, I know.)