by Gavin Magson
A ragged cheer gave out from the crowd, which was soon picked up by those slow on the uptake as Ajax triumphed in his signature brutal style. Ajax let go of the man's lifeless head, which bounced once on the compacted ground underfoot.
He collected his food tokens and walked out of the ring without a backwards glance; since Ira he had never looked back. Mel followed him at a distance as they left the cavern, starting the long trek back to their cave. The cheers could be heard even as they turned out of the tunnel leading into the cavern. She had learnt from his past fights that Ajax liked to be alone with his thoughts afterwards, and that he would talk only when he was ready.
Everything he had intended had slipped so quickly Ajax was unprepared to cope with it. The original plan to try and go unnoticed through the prison and quickly locate Joel had long since been abandoned. The fights were his only way to earn enough food to survive, and keep those dependent on him alive. The cave had already lost one man to exhaustion so far, brought on by starvation. Occasionally some idiot would approach their cave and challenge Ajax, no doubt in a bid to try and become a formidable force in the prison. No one had lasted against the Blood Shadow.
Ajax was beginning to lose count of the amount of men, and women, he had ushered on to the afterlife. He had not entered prison with any belief in a life after death, but the Lifers around him had adopted these beliefs; it seemed to help them forget that this prison would be their final resting place. At first the others had pointed out how stupid this was, that they risked further punishment or even death should a guard overhear their heresy. The words had not made a difference on them and, slowly, Ajax had started to question whether there might be some truth in what they believed.
When they were almost back at the cave Ajax suddenly stopped in his tracks. He turned to face Mel who still shadowed him a few paces back.
“I want to ask you a question, Mel, and I would appreciate it if your answer was truthful. Don't worry about how I will react, no matter your answer I won't hold it against you; I just need to know what you truly think.” said Ajax.
Mel looked up into his eyes. She could see the pain behind them, his eyes echoed the inner torment she had suspected for weeks. In the pit of her stomach she knew what the question would be. “I trust you not to react angrily, Ajax. What would you like to ask me?”
“Do you think that I am a monster for all the things I have done?”
The question seemed to weigh above them for some time, not aided by the unusually eerie silence of the expansive tunnel. He could see in her expression that the answer was something she found hard to articulate. Prisoners walked past and still Mel did not answer; Ajax soon realised that he did not need to hear the words, he already knew her answer.
“I'm not sure a simple yes or no would suffice in answering that, Ajax,” said Mel at last, breaking her silence. “I have seen you kill men and women, I have not seen you hesitate even once. Your actions are that of a man trying to survive in a hostile world, and you have protected so many from the atrocities you commit in their name. Many would brand you a monster for what you have done, but those people would not know you for the man that you really are.
“Without you I would be dead, killed on the first day as we entered the prisons gates. You did not have to fight off those men, you could have just left us to die and protected yourself. The important thing is that there is a reason behind the killing, it is not mindless and unjust, you do it to protect and survive. I see a lot of good in you, Ajax, but it is hidden behind the man you are through necessity. Promise me you will never let the good within you die, because on that day you would truly become the monster you fear.”
Her words cut through his cold exterior, an icy lance straight to the core. He had expected to hear an ugly truth, but was still unprepared for her brutal honesty. Yet there were words of praise mixed into her answer, from which he could, perhaps, build upon. Ajax felt that perhaps his actions could be redeemed, as long as he only killed to survive.
“Thank you for your honesty, Mel, it is what I needed to hear all this time. I see too much fear in those I meet to think I would get a truthful answer out of them. I'm sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances; I'd like to think that we could have been good friends in another life. Come on, I need something solid in my stomach.”
Ajax held the door open for Mel, waiting for her to enter the cave first. The smell of soup was a welcome one, the perks of being a new crowd favourite in the arena. His food tokens were used to keep the entire group going, never hoarded for himself. They still had to work in the mines, on the looms and tend the crops grown in the factories, but the paltry offering their work awarded still made a difference when combined with Ajax's increasing winnings.
Rough stone bowls were being handed out as he stepped inside, real meat visibly bobbed around the broth Peter, their resident chef, ladled out. A large chunk of bread was torn off a loaf and handed to Ajax, his share the biggest of the group. It had long since been decided that he needed to eat the most, to keep his strength up to defend their cave and fight for more food. No one went wanting with their portions, Ajax made sure that was adhered to.
He took a seat by the cave's wall and leant against a cushion one of the women had fashioned him as a gift. He saw Peter whisper something to Mel whilst handing over some bread, her serious expression did not go unnoticed. Mel joined him with her food in hand, the smaller portion still tantalising to her.
“Any news whilst I was gone?” asked Ajax as the woman sat down next to him.
The hesitation was barely noticeable. “There was some trouble while you were at the fight. Ehren was mouthing off about you again, it's the third time this week.”
“Well that is hardly something to worry about. We are all stressed here, a bit of venting is natural to cope with these stresses.”
“It wasn’t just venting though, that is the issue. He's not happy about your leadership, the fact you get more food rations than everyone else. Chef seems to think it's to do with Mary, Ehren doesn't like how she throws herself at you. I think they were a couple back in the city, when their lives were their own.”
“I thought we were doing so well too,” said Ajax, dunking his bread into the soup and enjoying its rich taste. “It's really incredible what Peter can do with such basic ingredients, I can't believe he used to be a gardener by trade; he could have been so much more.”
“Aren't you at least concerned about this?” asked Mel.
“Of course I am, once I have finished my meal I will have to address the problem. For now let's just enjoy our food, all the killing makes me hungry.”
Mel had to admit to herself that, despite the atrocities, she still had a lot of respect for Ajax. He just seem so composed, calm and calculated when everything around him was turning to shit. Trent's death a week ago had been the first time she saw him unnerved, even if it was only for a short time. He had worked so hard to keep everyone fed that he failed to see the warning signs; Trent had been working himself to the bone without eating his share.
Ajax had taken the body and left the cave alone, only Mel had been told where he buried Trent's corpse. Above all else Ajax wanted to make sure the body would not be stripped down and consumed.
The rest of their meals were finished in a comfortable silence. Mel occasionally glanced over to Ajax to study his expression, watching out for the thoughts going on behind his steely exterior. She enjoyed her time in his company, even when no words were exchanged.
He liked to watch people, study how they interacted with each other and how individuals dealt with this shared situation. Peter had managed to bring back some lichen from the mines walls, which now mixed its green glow with the orange light of the fire. At first Ajax had thought to remove the strange growth, its constant light irritated him, but he eventually saw it for it's worth. Combustibles were a rare commodity in the mine, yet the lichen flourished in the dark, damp caves. Its light allowed them to let fires burn out, once the cave was war
m, and have the soft green light take over.
Ehren was sat on his own in a corner of the cave, a bowl in one hand and his bread in the other. Ajax knew that Peter would still have fed the young man, because those were the rules Ajax had laid down to everyone in the group. No one went hungry, everyone had their fair share. How Trent had gone amiss he could still not understand.
Ajax had not even pushed to have the largest portion, despite the thought crossing his mind. It was a collective vote held by the group in his absence that had decided so, a surprise on his return from a gruelling fight. If anything their generosity had spurred him to fight harder and more often, which meant more food to feed the surviving inhabitants of their cave.
Ajax focused on his remaining food, the constant glances from Ehren weren't registered. Even when looking down into his bowl Ajax could see the boy out of the corner of his eye. Ehren was just some cocksure child who thought he could best a killer in a fight, Ajax knew the boy could not protect this group like he could; which is why he needed to make an example now to stop this kind of challenge from happening again.
With his meal finished Ajax took the bowl back to Peter, who stacked it with the rest next to his makeshift stove. Ajax walked over to the sulking boy, who stood up to meet him.
“I heard you have been challenging my authority whilst I was away. Whilst I risked my life for the food that feeds each and every one of you I hear you had the audacity to question my position.” stated Ajax.
He was impressed that the shorter Ehren managed to keep his expression set, no flicker of fear in his eyes. Perhaps he had dismissed him harshly, for Ajax saw the stubble that now grew on a strong jaw; working in the mines had fast made the boy into a man.
“You heard correct: I don't think you deserve to be leader of this cave. No one chose you, so on what authority do you reward yourself with the largest meal and shirk working in the mines?” asked the boy. “We are slaving, even dying, down there to survive, whilst you relax in the cave and eat into our share of the food.”
The large grin finally unnerved Ehren, the laugh that followed it suggested Ajax was on the edge of madness. Ehren tried to look into the man's eye, all he saw was death, no hint of compassion.
“If you want to challenge my leadership that is fine by me, child. If you best me in a fight I will concede that you are the stronger man and your skills would better lead and defend this group. You can even take my place in the arena and face death on a daily basis. If you lose to me, well let's just say you don't want to lose.”
No one in the cave had failed to hear their exchange, given its close quarters and unforgiving acoustics. They swiftly cleared the caves centre of the stove, several threadbare sheets and all belongings until a large area free of clutter was formed.
Ajax was still wearing the shorts he had fought in. He removed his boots and tossed them over to Mel, who caught them deftly. Ehren followed suit, stripping down until he wore only his stained and half rotten underwear. They stood facing each other, bare feet on the uneven and compacted ground.
“Would someone like to count us down?” asked Ajax to the spectators.
He kept his eyes focused on Ehren, who let his own wander to the woman who stepped forward. Ajax could not remember her name, he had not bothered committing everyone to memory. She locked eyes with Ehren briefly, a gesture Ajax did not even register. The woman counted down from three and the fight began.
Ehren charged, just as Ajax had predicted. The boy threw a telegraphed left hook that missed Ajax as he sidestepped the attack. By the time Ehren had spun around Ajax had already stepped in to hammer a punch under the boys ribcage. He was impressed that Ehren did not hit the floor, he had not pulled the blow.
Ehren struggled to suck in air, but recovered swiftly to block Ajax's next punch; just not enough to stop the kick to his knee. His left leg buckled, dropping Ehren to the damaged knee and causing him to scream out. Ajax took the advantage to land a punch to the boy’s temple, spinning his body and dumping him unceremoniously on the floor. Ajax stood over the downed opponent and yanked back his head by his thick brown hair.
Blood was dribbling down Ehren's forehead, it had bounced off the ground on impact and split the skin. He grabbed Ajax's arm with both hands and tried to prise him off, hair ripping out of his scalp as he struggled. Blood bubbled from his mouth as Ehren thrashed in his attackers grip.
“What is wrong, boy? Do you not like being hurt? This is what a leader has to deal with, the pain of defending others at his own risk. I've hardly touched you and yet there are tears in your eyes; how do you think you would cope gutting a man whilst he tries to do the same to you? Answer me, child!” spittle flew out of Ajax's gritted mouth spraying Ehren’s face. He was enraged by how soft Ehren truly was. His challenge was nothing less than an insult to Ajax.
Ehren kicked out at Ajax, the blow catching him square in the groin. Wincing in pain he managed to grab Ehren by both shoulders and strike him with a head-butt that shook his own teeth and further opened the wound on the boy’s forehead. Ehren struggled to get back to his feet as Ajax was left bent double, sucking in breaths to stop himself voiding his stomachs contents.
“Can you not concede defeat? Do you not understand that you have lost?” asked Ajax, his words screamed at the injured boy.
After a second’s pause Ehren lifted his head to look at Ajax, yet his eyes were blinded by blood. He could not verbalise his response, all that came from his mouth was a gurgle of crimson bubbles. Ehren shook his head in answer and Ajax sent him back down to the floor with a right cross, following it with a kick to the face. Ehren stayed down this time, his breathing laboured whilst his hand lazily tried to clear the blood from his eyes.
Ajax walked around his prey and slid an arm around Ehren's neck. He pulled the boys head up and began to squeeze, hearing the soft choking as the airway was closed. Ajax was surprised that no struggle came; the boy had no fight left in him.
“I have no use for someone who can't follow my orders. Do you admit defeat or would you rather die?” asked Ajax. He loosened his grip just enough so that, once he coughed up the blood blocking his throat, Ehren could speak.
“Kill me already! I have nothing left to live for.”
The words reminded Ajax of Ira, the man he had killed in his first death match. This time the words did not shock him.
Ajax bunched the muscles in his arm, twisting the boy’s neck until the strain almost brought it to the point of snapping. Despite his best efforts Ehren cried out in pain as the agony became unbearable. As Ajax prepared to sever Ehren's life a woman ran into the cleared area, landing on her knees next to him.
“Please, don't kill him, I beg you! Ehren is a good guy at heart. Don't kill him,” she pleaded, tears running freely down her face and onto her quivering lips.
Ajax felt a renewed energy from the boy in his grasps, he no longer seemed so accepting of his execution. When the figure started to struggle in his grasp Ajax released the pressure on Ehren's throat once more, but kept him held down.
“Mary? Why are you sticking up for me?” asked Ehren.
“Because I still love you, Ehren, I know you for who you truly are. This isn't you, picking fights with a man who could kill you on a whim and not even notice. What are you doing all this for?”
“I had nothing left, you had disowned me and I didn't have a place within this group. I needed something in my life; I thought being the leader would bring me respect again.”
“You can still have me, if that would be enough for you.” said Mary. She planted a soft kiss on the small patch of unbloodied face before her.
He doubted himself for showing mercy but Ajax released his hold on Ehren; he knew his fight was finished. To finish the boy off would only leave the group hostile and in fear of him, neither of which would help Ajax survive.
Mary helped Ehren to his feet whilst Ajax wore his cold expression once more. “I hope you have learnt a lesson here, Ehren, because the love of a good woman is all a
man truly needs. I have risked everything to provide and protect for the men and women of this group, something you may never understand. Mary is right, I could have killed you at any time and I would not have lost sleep over it. Nurse your wounds, let your pride heal and we can turn you into a man. Just remember, if you cross me again no one will be able to save you.”
Mel brought the rest of his clothes over to Ajax, who finally changed into the warmer garments. Wearing only shorts made him aware that the heat of the stove had died down and the cave was rapidly cooling. Their lookout on the door signalled to Ajax, beckoning him over. As he took a step forward a gentle hand gripped at his elbow, Ajax turned to meet Mel's gaze.
“I thought you were going to kill Ehren then, I am proud of you for letting him live. Perhaps your intention was for him to learn that lesson and have Mary step up for her man?” He left the question hanging in the air, unanswered. Ajax gave Mel a rare smile and headed for the door.
Outside of the cave waited three prison guards, it took Ajax a few moments to recognise them in the tunnels gloom. This could only mean one thing, the warden wanted to see him again. He did not wait for an explanation, Ajax started walking towards the staircase and stealthily turned on his tablet.
As he stepped out onto the factory floor Ajax sucked in the fresh air, it's very taste so different to the humid, foul air they breathed underground. This was only the second time he had stepped out of the prison since his sentence was passed; the air tasted sweeter than the finest wine as he filled his lungs. The guards were marching him towards the warden’s office once more when he felt a vibration come from his jacket
The guards waited at the bottom of the staircase and turned away as he ascended towards the office. It gave him just enough time to fumble through his pockets and quickly read the message before entering the warden’s office.
Camouflage is a no go, we lost the only lead for a power source. Ilya has arranged another way out of the prison for you; she's called in a favour. I know it sounds crazy, but it is your only hope. When you are offered a way out, take it – Greg