by Kieran Song
“How long until I fight?” Dog asked.
“You have thirty minutes,” the guard said. “Enough time for you to stretch and get your eyes adjusted.”
“I need some water,” Dog said as they cuffed the chains around his wrists. One of the guards held a water bottle above his head and poured it into his mouth. The rest of it went on his head after Dog was finished drinking.
“Are you ready champ?” the guard asked.
“No,” Dog replied. “But what choice do I have.
“None,” the guard said. “None at all.”
“Mfffmmhmmm,” Chatterbox chimed in.
“Whatever you say,” Dog replied. “Whatever you say.”
Dog stumbled a few times as they led him down the hallways. He was so very weak.
If he were to fight Tiberius, there was no way he could win in this state. Though Dog had never witnessed the former champion fight in person, he heard countless stories from the other slaves: he was immortal, unbeatable, savage, ruthless, cunning, a legend. Dog believed every word of it.
If this was indeed Dog’s last fight he had no issues of having Tiberius being the one to end his streak, or life for that matter. For a man raised in such savagery, Tiberius had a dignity about him that was civilized. Human. Dog would fight, possibly die, and leave this world with only one regret.
“Allegra,” he whispered.
*
Allegra felt the greedy hands of Dallas scour every inch of her body and she shuddered.
She had hidden the scissor blade in her hair, one of the few places they never searched. After all, it wasn’t much fun for the guards to run their hands through her hair when they had the rest of her body to grope.
She did her best to remain composed. If she looked even slightly nervous, they would suspect something.
Finally, Dallas gave her butt a tight squeeze before letting her go. “She’s clean,” he said with a smirk on his grimy face. Allegra almost wished she had a second weapon hidden away somewhere so she could use it on Dallas.
When she entered into the room, she was surprised to see a stranger sitting on the couch next to Ryker. The man glanced over at Allegra with narrow eyes and flashed her a smile that made her shiver.
He was more distinguished than Ryker, that was certain, holding his head high like a man of great importance. He was well dressed and attractive and his fine features were ageless but his eyes and smile unmasked something cruel and frightening about his character.
“This is the girl I was telling you about Damien,” the Goblin said.
“She’s not soiled?” Damien asked.
“Pure in between the thighs,” Ryker said. “You can smell the innocence in between it.” The Goblin glanced back at her and winked. Allegra imagined the blade sticking out of the Goblin’s neck, blood spurting uncontrollably onto his face. She tried to hide a smile.
“Don’t be disgusting,” Damien said.
“I’m telling you, for the price I’m offering, it’s a bargain. You can probably take her out on the market and get twice as much,” Ryker said. “Where else can you get a combination of looks, body, and smarts? She’s the total package.”
“I’ll consider it,” Damien said. “A whore is still just a whore.”
So the Goblin intended to sell her tonight. She always knew this day would come, but if she succeeded in killing Ryker, it made no difference anyway.
Behind them stood two large men in black suits that Allegra assumed were Damien’s personal heavies. Whereas Ryker’s guards were fat, dimwitted, and lazy, Damien’s entourage looked menacing and serious — professionally trained.
Allegra was no longer sure of herself. Damien’s men factored in a variable of uncertainty that made Allegra doubt if she could even get close enough to Ryker in order to kill him.
Ryker continued on in his negotiations, unsuspecting of Allegra’s intent. “Innocence is rare these days, especially at her age. I’ve kept her pure for this long. She’s like a ripe little peach, soft flesh on the outside and juicy inside. She’s ready to be consumed.”
“Stop talking,” Damian said. “I want to watch the fight without listening to your nasally voice. As I said the first few times, I’ll think about it.”
Ryker looked like a wounded animal, but he obeyed the man. Allegra was shocked. The Goblin had never let anyone else speak to him in that way before. Ryker stared glumly into the pits. He was clearly distracted by the verbal scolding Damien just gave him.
Now was the time. She had to do it, and hope that Damien’s men were too slow to react in time.
She concealed herself in the shadowy corner of the room and ran her fingers through her hair until she felt the metal tangled in her thick locks. She pulled on it and it came loose, resting in the palm of her hand.
Its bite was sharp.
Dog’s name was announced over the speakers which sent the crowd into a frenzy.
He was fighting sooner than expected. Allegra thought she had more time. She needed to kill Ryker now and put a stop to this fight and perhaps in doing so she could save both Dog and Tiberius.
She walked over to the bottle of whisky and took it in her free hand while gripping the scissor blade with the other.
Allegra would offer Ryker a drink and then plunge the metal deep into the flesh of his throat.
No doubts. No hesitations. Only the kill.
She raised the blade and zeroed in on her target. It was time for Ryker to die.
Suddenly a hulking shadow loomed over her. A strong hand gripped the weapon and wrenched it out of her hands. She spun around. It was Tiberius.
He concealed the weapon in his pocket as she looked at him hopelessly. She wanted to scream but Tiberius held her by the shoulders and soothed her shaking.
He spoke to her with a calmness in his voice, as if nothing transpired between them. “Serve him his drink.”
Allegra was dumbfounded and stood there, her mouth agape. She had failed in the only task that truly mattered.
“I saw nothing,” Tiberius reassured her. “Now serve him his drink.”
“You’re supposed to fight Dog,” she whispered. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
“I thought so as well, but Ryker changed the plan this morning. He told me he had another opponent in store for Dog, one that guaranteed his death.”
“I’m being sold tonight Ty,” she said. “And I thought you and Dog would kill each other. I have to do this. Please, just let me do this.”
“I can’t let that happen.”
“Then kill him for me instead. Please.”
“Serve him his drink.”
“Dog will die and I’m going to be raped tonight. Is that what you want?”
She thought she saw remorse on his face, but that soon passed as Tiberius gripped her firmly and repeated himself for the third time.
“Serve him his drink. Don’t make me say it again.”
Allegra bit her lip, took the bottle in her hands and walked over to Ryker, who was sitting on the edge of his seat, smacking his lips with anticipation. She poured the liquid into Ryker’s glass.
“Took you long enough,” he spat as he reached for his glass.
“Why isn’t Tiberius fighting?” Allegra asked.
“I’ve fooled you all, didn’t I?” Ryker smirked. “Dog’s going to die tonight. There’s no mistake about that. I’m not convinced Tiberius has it in him anymore. Besides, I like having Ty around.”
“Then who is Dog fighting?”
“It’s a surprise. But I assure you, no one here will ever forget this match.”
She glanced down into the pits and saw Dog standing there, waiting. Something was different about him. He looked unfocused, as if he were lost in the clouds. His appearance had changed as well, no longer the imposing physical presence he once was. He was thinner and seemed to have trouble even standing.
Imprisonment in the hole had taken a toll on Dog, both in mind and body.
“Look at our champion now,
” Ryker sneered.
On the ground in front of Dog was a wooden bat, which he slowly bent over and grasped. His movements were slow and laboured as though he had the body of an old man.
“I’m rather disappointed,” Damien said. “I heard these wonderful things about your champion, how he was such a physical dominating force. He’s hardly what I imagined.”
“You weakened him,” Allegra blurted.
Damien raised a brow and turned to Ryker. “Is that true? Is our champion not fighting at his best?”
Ryker scowled at Allegra, before turning to Damien. “He killed a few of my guards and tried to escape. He needed to be disciplined.”
Damien laughed. “You’re an idiot. Look at the crowd. You don’t think they notice something wrong with their beloved champion?”
It was true, the crowd was in hushed whispers as they pointed at Dog and murmured amongst themselves.
“You better hope Dog can deliver a good fight — win or lose,” Damian said. “The fans aren’t stupid.”
Ryker sat there in silence, his hands gripping the sides of his chair, his face wrought with an emotion that Allegra felt all-too-often — Regret.
The gates finally opened and Dog’s mystery opponent stepped out.
Allegra screamed.
Chapter Thirty-Seven.
Its eleven-foot long body was menacing and each stride it took displayed its power and grace. Dog thought it was beautiful.
The tiger snarled and narrowed its golden eyes on Dog as it stalked him, each footstep precise and taken with a graceful caution. The silence of the crowd suggested that they were as surprised as Dog was.
Above in Ryker’s pavilion, he heard Allegra calling out to him but the sudden roar of the crowd overtook the sound of her voice. They were ready for blood, and the tiger looked ready to draw it. He glanced up at the balcony and caught a glimpse of Allegra reaching out to him in a futile effort, the space between them vast and infinite. He closed his eyes and smiled. Maybe she had forgiven him after all. When he opened his eyes again, Allegra was gone and in her place stood Ryker. He was screaming at him to fight. Dog knew he wanted a show out of this. Live or die, it didn’t matter, as long as Dog pleased the crowd. This night was one to be remembered forever.
The tiger bared its teeth, like curved ivory daggers, as it drew closer. The beast roared and Dog felt its hot breath upon his bare skin. He was entranced by the tiger’s raw strength; a magnificent creature that was haunting and beautiful.
He had seen a tiger only once before, and that was on a TV in a bus terminal. The winter storm that night was ruthless and Dog knew that staying outside would kill him so he wandered into the bus terminal, hoping to find some shelter. He was shivering and barely had energy to stand. When the fat-bellied security guard walked towards him, Dog was worried he would kick him out. The fat man looked him up and down, his eyes full of questions, and Dog stood there helplessly, delirious from the fever that took hold of him. Finally the security guard nodded and pointed to the empty seats by gate seven. “You can sit over there. I’ll get you a blanket and some hot soup and we’ll see where the morning takes us.”
Dog tried to speak but he didn’t know what to say. It had been so long since anyone showed him kindness. He was almost skeptical, but didn’t question any of it.
He drank the soup in his hands and stared at the TV, glowing above his head. He watched in fascination as the tiger moved across the screen in a reality so far away. Perhaps it was the fever taking control of his consciousness, but for those few moments, Dog lived in the tiger’s skin as it hunted, fed, mated.
And he dreamed.
When Dog woke the next morning, he found two police officers standing over him, the fat security guard behind them. Betrayed once again.
“Don’t worry,” one of the officers had said. “We’re here to help you.”
He knew what their help meant; being dragged into their system. Like the tiger he witnessed on the television, he fought them, his oppressors, and he escaped into the uncertainty of another winter’s day.
And here Dog stood now, present before the beautiful creature he once marveled on the television.
“Nostalgia,” Dog smiled as the tiger crouched in an attack position. The creature was ready to strike.
The crowd was in a frenzy and they began the usual ritual of chanting his name. They ached to see their champion fight the tiger in a glorious battle. Life and death was an afterthought. All that mattered was the fight…and the blood.
As Dog stared at the tiger, his purpose became clear. He knew what needed to be done.
From above he heard Ryker scream, “Fight damn it! Fight and kill him!” Dog was unsure of who it was intended for.
“Goodbye Allegra,” he whispered. “Maybe in another life.”
As the tiger roared, ready to pounce, Dog let the bat drop from his hand and he took a weary breath.
“I’m tired,” he said. “Let me rest.”
The tiger heard his prayers and sprung on him violently, tearing at his exposed neck. Dog closed his eyes and gave into the pain and the warmth that followed.
He fell onto his back as the tremendous weight of the animal pinned him to the ground and the curved daggers tore into the muscles of his neck.
Everything suddenly grew brighter and he saw her once again. Her beauty was ethereal. She had come to take him home so he could finally rest.
“I missed you,” he whispered.
And those were his last words.
Chapter Thirty-Eight.
Allegra fell to her knees and pounded the ground with her fists. She cursed and screamed as if she were possessed.
“You asshole,” she wept. “You ugly piece of shit.”
“You dare speak to me like that?” the Goblin hissed as he raised his backhand. It was Damien who grabbed Ryker and pulled him away.
“She’s not far from the truth,” Damien said. “You are pretty ugly. She did forget to mention stupid. So very, very stupid.”
Ryker was taken aback. “Don’t call me stupid. I built this place and made it successful.”
“You built it with my money,” Damien said. “And now you’ve thrown it all away. I’m starting to think that Edmund was the true brains behind everything, seeing as how you have none of your own. But of course, you had him killed as well.”
Ryker looked weary. “Don’t say another word about Edmund.”
“This fight was a travesty.”
“I gave the crowd what they wanted to see,” Ryker said.
“No. Listen.”
Allegra heard it as well; the crowd was turning on the Arena. They were shouting and cursing as phsyical altercations broke out between the patrons and Ryker's men. The crowd was furious.
“You conned these people out of money and their well-loved champion,” Damian sighed. “Your stupid ego just cost you everything. If Dog had fought and died while giving these people a show, then everyone would have accepted his death. But that wasn’t the case. You gave Dog an opponent who he had no hope of defeating and instead he chose to lay down and die. You took away any will of his to fight. What is the point of all this if there is no combat?”
“Dog was supposed to fight,” Ryker said. “It was supposed to be a grand spectacle.”
It was Tiberius who spoke this time. “You put Dog in a hopeless situation. This wasn’t a fight,” he said. “It was a feeding.”
Damian laughed. “Yes it was, wasn’t it? Your most profitable fighter was tossed in there like a piece of meat and fed to a tiger.”
“I had to do something,” Ryker said. “He killed four of my men. He was threatening to turn the Arena against me.”
“Congratulations. Your threat is now dead,” Damien said. “But instead of the slaves turning against you, you’ve turned the crowd instead. I might also point out that the people that frequent this place are not the most forgiving in nature. I think I saw a few members of the Defalco organization here and also three charters of the Dark R
iders motorcycle club. Good luck.” Damian picked up his coat and motioned for his security to head for the door.
“You’re leaving?” Ryker was surprised. “But what about business?”
Damian stopped in his tracks at the door. “Ah right, thank you for reminding me. I was leaning towards a venture partnership to expand your Arena but after today’s display, I decided you’re too stupid to do business with. We are officially finished, and to tell you the truth I’m actually quite relieved. It’s been a lot of hard work and quite costly using my resources to keep this place a secret from the rest of society. Paying off the right people doesn’t come cheap.”
“It’s just a minor setback,” Ryker pleaded.
“No,” Damien said. “It isn’t. You threw away this place’s financial stability. There is no more profit to be had here. You have also violated our initial agreement of revenue sharing. As per what was agreed, I want my money returned to me by the end of the week. All of it.”
“I can’t pay that all back,” Ryker stammered.
“Find a way,” Damian said. “As of today I no longer have any association with the Arena.” He turned to Tiberius and nodded at him. “You look well,” he said with a sly smile, and then he took his leave with his men following close behind.
Ryker looked at the remnants of the Arena. It was chaos.
He had filled the seats with an audience of criminals: killers, mercenaries, and thieves. And now they have all turned. His guards struggled to maintain order, but many of them were overwhelmed.
“I want this controlled,” Ryker ordered. “Drag everyone’s sorry ass into this if needed.”
Dallas nodded and followed Ryker out of the room. Only Allegra and Tiberius remained.
She went to the edge of the balcony and looked down into the pits where Dog lay motionless on the red-stained sands. A chunk of his flesh was torn from his neck and his eyes were wide, staring into nothing. The tiger lay next to the body, resting.
“I’m so sorry Dog. I’m so sorry.” She didn’t even know what she was apologizing for, but she felt like it was all her fault. Everything felt so very wrong. Tiberius walked over to her and whispered into her ear. He made her an offer.