Game of Life

Chapter 25

The beast was fast, and this time, the Fallen weren't far behind, chasing it around the arena as it hunted out new prey. Most of our classmates had made some rough attempt at scaling the wall to stay out of its sights as it searched for them. Shooting the occasional weak blast to draw its attention if it got too close to someone else. Effectively protecting each other from becoming the beasts new prey.

With this tactic they were safe. As safe as they could be at least. And they were slowly wearing the beast out, evident by the ever gradual decrease in its pace. It wasn't much, but even a slight advantage could help us win this thing.

I whistled loudly, drawing the attention of the beast and signalling the others to attack for real as I made my approach, the boys at my sides. A cascade of energy was launched at the beast and the Fallen hissed, coverging around it protectively. They took the brunt of the hit but the spider still felt some of the damage and lurched to the side.

"Let's go," I ordered, lightning crackling from my fingertips. I was sick of being afraid, sick of cowering, sick of being weak. I had the power to end this and I would. Nothing held back. 

I picked up one of the discarded swords on the way, tossing the other one back to Darren as the Fallen attacked. We cut them down, one by one, the others backing us up by keeping the spider occupied until none of the Fallen remained and the ground was covered in dust.

Within range now, I tossed my sword, propelling it forward with wind so it buried itself into the spider's flesh. It screamed and twisted around, snarling in frustration at its inability to remove the blade. Darren passed me his and I repeated the process, this time hitting it smack dab in the center of the eye and grinning with satisfaction. Warm sticky blood dripped down its body, pooling on the ground. The beast was salivating, drool and venom sliding down its face, its chest heaving with every gasping breath.

 One last earsplitting screech that made my ears ring and it slammed its feet into the ground. The earth rumbled, crumpling and breaking into pieces around the beast. We dove to the side, covering our heads with our hands as it pounded away. Waves of elemental energy pulsed from the beast and I created a protective barrier to cover the three of us, watching it curve and curl, spreading out around us like a thick paste. I tried not the let the screams of my classmates faze me. We were so close, we couldn't give up now, couldn't risk dying in a weak attempt to protect them.

Eventually it stopped. The beast must have run out of energy and I didn't hesitate any longer, diving out the side of my cover and whipping a ball of fire at the beast. It brushed away the fire like it was nothing and I stepped back in surprise. What the... 

With overwhelming speed it lunged forward and I panicked, unsure of what to do. That single second of hesitation cost me and I felt its fangs sink into my shoulder, felt the world explode in agony, felt every muscle in my body seize at once as the paralyzing poison sunk into my blood stream.

Everything hurt. I felt like my whole body was on fire as venom from the spider's fangs worked its way through the channels of my heart. Agony left me weak and one pressing thought pushed its way to the surface of my mind. I'm going to die. After all of this, surviving the battles against eight other opponents, this bite would be my end.

It was disappointing to say the least.

I was dimly aware of hands reaching under my body, lifting, carrying. Gentle breaths brushed across my face and I allowed myself to relax against the firmness of their chest. I didn't know how long we stayed like this, the occasional jolt told me we were still moving and no words were spoken as they carried me..somewhere.

"Where are we going?" I murmured, barely managing to get the words out.

"Shh, don't worry about that Calla." That voice.

Oh god.

Blinking open my eyes as fear slowly wove into my chest. No! I struggled weakly against him. "Stop! Let me go!" I hissed. To no avail. I was too weak to do anything against him, the words no more than breathless gasps and even slight movements made my want to double over in agony.

"Now, now Calla, just relax, we're almost there."

"Please just let me go, let me die," I pleaded.

"That's not how the game works, little one." A soft hand slid across my forehead and I could no longer keep my eyes open. All my resistance ceased as I drifted into unconsciousness.

We were..so..close.