The Eternal Flame

Chapter 8 - The Club

I could hear breathing close to me. I just assumed it was just Drew. I stretched my arms out on the forest floor, my bandage chafed against my burn. I quickly recoiled my arm and held it up with my hand. "Shit," I sighed. I needed to clean it.

"Lou," Drew's voice called out. "Mmm?" I groaned, my eyes still closed. "Lou!" he repeated. "What?" I sat up and rubbed my face.

I gasped. Layla's face was right in front of me. She had the same outfit as me, except her pants had blood stains on them and she pulled her top down so her small boobs peaked out over the top, trying to accentuate them. Her hair was plaited into a braid down her back and her face had dirt marks across them.

"You're a pretty thing aren't you?" she smiled sweetly. I tried to get up but she held a knife in front of my face. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. If only you stayed asleep, it would be so much easier to kill you," she tilted her head, still smiling. I looked over at Drew who was pinned against a tree by Harp, holding his club against his neck.

I tried to get up again but she pushed me down, shaking her head. "You don't have to kill us," I said, staring at her big, blue eyes. "Actually, we do. That's the whole point of the tournament, dummy," she scoffed. I shook my head. "No you don't, it's just what the government wants you to think," I pleaded. She squinted her eyes at me, almost looking like she believed me for a moment.

"You're just trying to find a way out of this," she hissed. "Maybe, but it doesn't mean I'm not telling the truth," I sighed. She looked down, like she was thinking.

"Don't listen to her babe, she's just tryna get in your head," Harp's deep voice called out. She shook her head and grabbed me by the arm. "You're right, babe," she grinned at him.

She pulled me up and pushed me against a tree. Then she turned to Harp. "How should we kill 'em?" she asked innocently. Harp still had his club pressed against Drew's neck. "Just do it in the back like the others," he whispered, sounding frustrated. The others. Evan and Bailee. I saw red.

I kicked Layla in the side of her rib, sending her to the ground with a pained cry. I ran at Harp and tried to get him off Drew, but he threw me away like a piece of paper. "Lou!" Drew yelled, trying to get away. Harp rammed him against the tree and swung his club into his stomach. Drew dropped to the floor, clutching at his stomach. "No!" I cried, scrambling up.

Harp ran at me, swinging his club towards me. I ducked and spun around, sweeping him off his feet. He hit the ground with a thud, grunting in pain. Layla got up and tried to hit me, but I just pushed her away, sending her to the ground again.

Then, I snatched the club from Harp's hands and pressed it against his neck. "Do you like how this feels?" I spat. He was huffing and puffing angrily, trying to hide the pain of the pressure on his neck. "Do you?!" I demanded. He shook his head. I stood up, still holding the club to his neck. "Turn over," I said. "What?" he mumbled. "Turn over!" I repeated. He slowly turned over onto his stomach. I dropped his weapon beside him and took the rope off his belt, bounding his hands and legs tightly.

Layla crawled towards the club, trying to grab it. I stomped on her foot, making her scream. "Don't try it," I hissed.

She looked like she was about to cry, but then she grabbed my ankle with her other hand, dragging me down. She climbed on top of me and started scratching my face. I slapped her in the face and pushed her off. I pinned her down with my knee and unclipped her rope off her belt, then tied her hands behind her back and her legs together.

"I don't want to hurt you, so you'll get off this time." I panted. "But if you come after us again," I paused. "I won't hesitate to kill you," I snarled.

I scooped up my bow and ran over to Drew, who was holding onto his stomach. "Drew?" I put my hand on his shoulder. "Agh, ow," he groaned. "Come on, let's get you up," I said, gently helping him up. A whimper escaped from his lips. I put his arm over my shoulder and held him up as he limped.