Chapter 75
Unknown date +21
It’s been eight days by my count since that initial fight with the feral, seven times watching the glimpses of sunlight fade into darkness, seven executions masquerading as gladiatorial fights for the sake of entertainment. Each time, the man I’ve come to refer to simply as “Leader” comes to my cell to talk, attempting to wear me down. Each time, he digs just a little deeper into my subconscious, bringing up questions of my will and reminding me that I’m fighting the monster inside me.
“Why do you still fight, Eric? Your humanity was the one thing you clung to for survival, a part of you that I believe has been erased with anger and primal brutality. You’ve become the very thing you hate!” It’s always the same conversation and I always tell him where to shove it, refusing to accept any of his points.
Like clockwork, though, he always comes after the fight to sand me down another inch, reminding me what I have to look forward to in the arena. Of course, like the roman coliseums, they have other fights before mine. I can see the blood glisten on the concrete when my cell opens, practically taste the copper in the air. The smell floods my senses and I lose my mind in short flashes of my past, a torture like no physical pain I could endure. Sometimes the flashes occur when I strike the final blow, seeing Anthony or someone else as I strangle the last breath out of my enemy.
Last night was different, though. Leader came to twist his screws further and I didn’t have an answer, didn’t say a word. I just sat against the wall and stared into the blackness, breathing in the cold air, taking the blood-soaked atmosphere into my lungs until they burned. My knuckles were bloody, my muscles are exhausted, and I was bleeding from several cuts and scrapes sustained in the arena.
A fight was taking place outside my cell and, while I was so close to it, the sounds of flesh being pounded were so distant. It was over before long and I heard the audience cheer, a sickening roar of approval. Minutes later, I heard the screams start as the loser’s mouth was being sewn shut, a fate left to the victims who retained consciousness. I closed my eyes and fought back all thoughts, forcing myself to be apathetic.
Each time I fight and kill someone, a little more of my humanity dies with them and I honestly don’t know if I have any left to lose at this point.
“Finally, you see how much you’ve changed.”
“Please, not now, Samantha.” I could see her in my mind, staring through the curtain at the torture taking place outside. Barely holding it together, I couldn’t argue with a figment of my imagination on top of everything.
“Are you scared that you’ll end up like that?” I leaned my head back against the bars of the cell and exhaled.
“That’s not how I’ll go out. I’m sure Leader has some grand spectacle to make of me, as one of his shining examples. Until then, I just have to survive and come up with a plan.”
“You keep killing, though, even when you try not to. Why is that?” She slid closer to me, placing her hand on mine. I know I was alone in the cell, but even the hallucinated contact felt nice. “You’ve lost yourself, Eric, the part of you that I fell in love with all those years ago. After everything that you’ve been through, after fighting so hard for so long, you’re just lost. It kills me to see you like this, exhausted, alone, full of sadness, so why do you keep going? What’s it all for?”
“I’m just tired. Tired of fighting, tired of killing…tired of the only conversations I have being with my dead ex-wife and a guy that sews mouths shut.”
“Then why not just give up, Eric? You deserve to sleep and relax, don’t you? Besides, how long can you keep trying to convince yourself that you’re still a good man?”
“I don’t know, Samantha. Okay? I don’t know!” I slammed my fist against the wall and stopped, confused by my reaction. I’ve never lost my temper like that, not to the point of physical violence.
“That’s right, Eric, you haven’t. Maybe your guilt and everything you’ve done is finally catching up with you. That anger, that hatred, that’s who you are now, so stop fighting yourself!”
“Just leave me alone, Samantha,” I whispered into the darkness, easing my head back against the wall. Strangely, being alone in the cell was more inviting at that particular moment.
“I’m sure that was a lovely conversation, but I assure you Samantha is not in there with you.” Leader had started coming before the arena opened a few nights before, maximizing the time he had to, as he put it, better understand the most dangerous of men. Apparently, it was that time again. “I don’t mean to overstep here, but I don’t think you’re quite right in the head, Eric.”
“No shit,” I grunted. “Let me guess, you’re going to ask me why I’m clutching to life so tightly, even now. Or maybe you’d like to tell me that I’m lying to myself about being a good man, too?” He laughed through the curtain.
“Actually, I’m afraid I was going to tell you that it’s over. There are no more games between us, mostly because I’m out of people to punish, and tonight is the last time you have to struggle in this life.” Honestly, hearing those words brought a small sense of relief, but curiosity got the better of me.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve seen you fight a feral, I’ve seen you beaten and bleeding and still manage victory. Eric, I see what my group doesn’t. I see a man torn, a man facing two paths and unsure of which to go down. One path leads back to humanity, the other to embracing the darkness within. You don’t know if you could come back from the latter, but you don’t know if you belong down the former, so you just stand at the fork, fighting yourself. It really saddens me to see this internal struggle, because I truly believe you were a hero, so I’m going to help you. I underestimated you before, but tonight you will die with honor. When you step into the arena, you will face the three best men on my personal task force. For what it’s worth, your death should be quick.”
“Wow, you’re such a nice guy.” Sarcasm dripped from that statement and he definitely caught it.
“I would like to think I am, Eric. Maybe you’ll see that in the end.” He paused. “It’s been interesting to learn your story over the last week, to understand why you continue to fight no matter the odds. Your ability to survive is truly incredible, but I’m afraid this ending was inevitable, as you and I were destined to be enemies.” The lights came on at the base of the curtain and he paused, sounding genuinely sorry that our fates were coming to a close. “Goodbye, Eric.”
Leader stepped away, ascending to his pulpit on the second floor. Allowing the audience to enter the cell block, he gave his speech, the same bullshit rhetoric he always spewed, and the crowd ate it up with a spoon. Interestingly, he did give it a unique finish this time.
“Because tonight is unprecedented, I thought it prudent to allow our other entertainers to watch from behind their bars.” Intriguing, but not enough to make me put on a show. I refused to dance for someone’s amusement.
The cell door opened and I just sat there, not even bothering to stand or approach the curtain. While I may have come to hate the guy, Leader wasn’t wrong, and Samantha, though in my subconscious, had started to really make sense. Physically, I could keep fighting, but to what end? It wasn’t like the world would suddenly be better if I managed to make it out of the arena.
Apparently, my “me time” caused some impatience, because a pair of heavy hands reached into my cell and pulled me into the light, unceremoniously rolling me onto the concrete. Immediately, I was under attack, set upon by fists, boots, and batons. I drew myself into a protective ball, trying to roll away. When I found an opening and tried to stand, one lucky shot connected with my exposed back and sent me back to the ground.
Again, I rolled away and jumped to my feet. I blocked the first blow, countering with a right hook that caught my attacker in the throat, but his friends came at me from both sides. I stayed up for another few seconds, even fighting from my knees, but I ended up making friends with the concrete once more. A baton caught the
side of my head and I rolled onto my back, kicking at them to drive them back.
As I pulled myself away with my arms, my head swam and silence drowned out the crowd. I looked around at the people on the second floor, cheering, excited by my blood. My eyes came to focus on a face in the crowd above to see Samantha, smirking. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the end of my story, if I should just accept my fate in this prison and let Leader’s men kill me.
My gaze continued to drift and I found myself looking across the faces of the prisoners through the bars, the ones that separated my block from the next one over. My eyes came to focus on one face in particular and everything changed.
“Jessica?”
Chapter 76
I wasn’t sure if I was hallucinating or not, but it didn’t really matter either way. For the first time in a very long time, thinking that maybe I wasn’t alone in this hellish place, I had hope. Jessica was toward the back of the prisoners, her eyes down, her face swollen and bruised. Seeing her like that, beaten and broken, I felt a fire ignite somewhere deep inside me.
A baton struck the back of my leg again and I yelled, rolling onto my back and snapping a kick to the inside of his knee. Guard One fell to the ground on his injured knee, but the other two were already moving in to keep me down. I rolled into a ball and absorbed some punches, focusing on the time between strikes, until I found an opening to move.
I threw my forearm up to block the incoming punch from Guard Two and grabbed the back of his neck with my other hand, pushing off with opposite leg to propel us both through the air. I put my blocking hand on the underside of Guard Two’s jaw, twisting hard as we landed on the ground. I heard the bones in his neck snap, but his head kept going until it was almost sideways. Every second counted, so I couldn’t afford to take my time narrowing the odds.
Someone cursed and I heard screams from above, but I wasn’t about to stop. I stood and stepped over Guard Two’s limp corpse, adrenaline pumping so hard I could barely hear anything over my own heartbeat.
Guard One was having trouble standing on that knee, and I knew I needed to keep him out of the mix as long as possible. The third guard threw his baton at me and sent a right hook my way, trying to distract me. I smacked the baton aside and jerked back to avoid the hit. Noting that his back heel wasn’t set right, I countered by pushing him back. He caught himself after stumbling only a few feet, but it was enough space for me to even things up again.
I used the brief pause to lash out with another kick to Guard One’s knee, cocking the joint at an awkward angle and putting him back on the ground with a cry of pain. I was no doctor, but the very audible snap told me his knee was broken, so I turned quickly back to the third guard and took a moment to breathe.
Rather than panicking about his friends or looking for a way out, Guard Three stared me down, his jaw clenched. Being off-balance was a costly mistake, but it didn’t seem like he would be making another one. Stepping forward, we met in the middle of the floor and he instantly charged at me.
I met him head on, running into him, grinding my feet against the ground as I tried to throw him over. He tried to catch me with another hook, but I slapped down his fist and stepped in to use my momentum while his balance was off. True to my assessment, Guard Three had anticipated this.
With my leg inside and my right arm over his head, he found an opening to uppercut my jaw, bringing stars to my vision momentarily. Using the opportunity, he pulled my head down toward his incoming knee. I was able to react quickly enough to block down with my free arm against his knee, but he was faster as he pushed me backward.
I stumbled a few feet, my leg coming free from behind his, and he ran forward, jumping knee-first at my head. I threw my arms up, catching the brunt of his hit, but I still was thrown to the concrete. Blood spattered the ground and I tasted copper, but I fought to stay conscious. I was exhausted from the previous fights, and the guard was half my age, so I needed to end this fast.
Hearing him closing in, I rolled to the side and jumped to my feet before he was on top of me again. Our eyes met and I saw nothing but hate looking back at me, wondering if this guy was possibly more dangerous than the feral. Yeah, I needed to finish this.
He went on the offensive again, throwing a flurry of punches my way. He went for my head, making me block high, and followed that up with a hook to my ribs. I jerked back from the force and doubled over, tasting bile as the shots began to take a toll on my insides. Nine fights in a row might have been a little much, but I had to keep going. For Jessica, for Katherine, for everyone that had been subjected to Leader’s bullshit power trip.
Looking up in time to see another fist coming my way, I moved to stand and threw my forearm against it, his knuckles colliding with my elbow. Bones cracked and I definitely felt the impact, but the cry of pain he let out told me I was onto something. I didn’t hesitate, grabbing his fist in my hand and pushing his index finger in, pinching the nerves in his finger.
He pounded at my hand, the pain reducing his punches to those of a child, and I didn’t let up. I pushed him back and shoved my foot against his face, crushing him into the concrete without emotion. Glancing up to the audience, my face bleeding from several injuries over the last few days, I looked dead at Leader with as much malice as I could muster. I was about to choose my path, and he wasn’t going to like what happened next.
While I didn’t know for sure, I could assume that these men were Leader’s main enforcers, responsible for murdering anyone that got to this point. Since Leader was such a big fan of making examples, I was about to give him one. Watching closely, I saw a flicker of fear in his expression as I took hold of Guard Three’s wrist and twisted, breaking bones and bringing another wave of screams.
I let his hand go and he tried to hit me with his left hand, aiming for my knee. Even in extreme pain, Guard Three still managed to think like a fighter, but it didn’t matter. I let myself fall forward, pinning his arm down with my knees, and he fell to the ground writhing in pain. Staring down at my opponent, sinister thoughts racing through my mind, a horrific realization hit me.
I could let him get up, make a show of his death, but then Leader would win. After all of his talks and breaking down my will, I would be just as bad as him. I was ready to choose a path, but I wasn’t ready to become a sick bastard like him. I stood and took a step back, looking up to see a smirk on Leader’s face.
With my attention elsewhere, Guard Three turned around and slashed at me with a knife. I jerked back, managing to avoid any major damage, but the blade drew blood along my stomach. A grin played across his face and I snapped. I was ready to walk away and let him live, taking a step back toward humanity, and this man took advantage of my hesitation. Overwhelmed with fury and pushed to my breaking point, I erupted in a primal roar.
Kicking him to the ground, I brought both fists down on Guard Three’s skull, breaking his nose and spurting blood. I was relentless as I brutalized his face, shattering his eye sockets, breaking his jaw until he choked on his own teeth. I heard someone gasp from my left and I turned to see Jessica, her hands over her mouth in shock and disgust. The look in her eyes was heartbreaking, a combination of pity and fear, like she didn’t recognize me either.
Looking down, I couldn’t blame her. It was a sickening sight that felt surreal, and as his chest heaved for breath, I knew what I had to do. Yelling for so many reasons, I grabbed the guard’s head on both sides and twisted, bringing his pain to an end.
Covered in blood, I pushed myself to my feet unsteadily and stared up at the crowd, awaiting Leader’s speech. He only paused for a beat, unsure of what to say at the gruesome scene, before bringing his hands up and clapping. A moment later, the rest of the crowd joined in, a disturbing display of how brainwashed they were.
“Once again, he does the unexpected, surviving even the toughest of fights. I must say,” he locked eyes with me, “I thought you were done, but you once again find a way to cheat death.” His voice cracked and I could
see the seams in his façade beginning to tear. “You infuriate me with your refusal to just…die. Damn it, why won’t you just die?”
“Wouldn’t that be nice? You’d think no one would interfere with your sadistic fuckery, and then I come along and throw a giant wrench in it.” His face was so mad, even his group was edging away from him. Catching himself before he showed too much of his psychotic side, he tried to calm down. “All good things come to an end, and I’ve got someone to save, so it’s time to wash away your little sand castle. After all, like you said, I’m the hero of someone’s story.”
“Ah, yes, but this is my story, my world. I am the hero to these people.” His eye twitched and he gripped the bars along the walkway for stability. I looked to Jessica and felt ashamed, but she nodded to me in understanding and I managed a half-smile in return. Out of my peripheral vision, I noticed that Guard One had dragged himself over to the wall.
“I guess that makes me the villain here, right? Well, then, if this is your world, I’m about to bring it crashing down on top of you.”
Chapter 77
I ran at the guard sitting against the wall, forming a plan as I went. I needed to get to Jessica, but I had no idea if the rest of Leader’s men were armed, and I needed my weapons to ensure our safety. I also had no idea where my weapons were, so that became priority one.
Seriously, I’m starting to see why some of you might be frustrated at my lack of planning.
Guard One’s eyes flashed with panic as I closed in, but I jumped at the last second, using his shoulder and head to kick off from to propel myself as high as I could. Extending my hands, I caught the second rail from the top and my hands slid down. I could feel myself falling and knew that if I didn’t hang on to something, Leader would probably shoot me with my own gun, and I’d be damned before I let that happen.
I slammed my hands down on the last bar, clamping my fingers down against the metal, and began climbing. Leader’s group was screaming in terror, seeing this man covered in blood and scars climbing up to get them, but I only had eyes for one man.
A Broken World (Book 2): Shattered Paradise Page 11