The Animal Inside

The Hunger

cold and corroded iron rests heavy on my wrists.

massive shackles weigh me down, pulling me toward the earth.

my body is drenched in pungent liquid, they had roused me by pouring a bucket of stagnant water on me.

it was fridged to begin with, but with the icy and unforgiving stone floor underfoot, i shook violently from the cold.

my chains dragged heavily on the floor as i fumbled forward, feet numb and all but useless, i nearly trip more then once as i stumble into the arena.

to my surprise im met by cheers.

loud and exuberent cheers of approval.

it seemed i was no longer merely fodder to them, to be thrown around uselessly as a precursor to a main event, i must actually be the main event i deduced.

 well after all i had beaten the previous victor the week before, or had it been the day before? i couldn't tell anymore.

having no light and no food available to me i had lost all baring on the passage of time.

i can feel the transition from the stone of my room to the ancient blood stained wood floor of the cage.

it was now that for the first time i notice mine is not the only door, there are a dozen of them all identical.

and one that was different, it was this door that was made of iron bars and went out to the seats where the crowds resided.

this was how the guards entered after every fight to move me back to my room.

it made me wonder, "what other freaks did they have hulled up in here besides me?"

no sooner had i thought this then the announcer began to speak, almost as if he heard my thoughts and decided to reply.

"IF YOU WOULD PLEASE MOVE YOUR ATTENTION TO THE NORTH SIDE OF THE ARENA!"

his commanding and sinister voice echoed in the massive hall.

'OUR NEW CHAMPION! THE GREAT NUMBER SEVEN! FROM THE PURE LINE OF SILVER!"

the yells and ruckus fill the huge room, people are whistling and cheering in many tongues.

i cant pick any one voice out of the crowd, but i can feel the mood as clearly as you can feel the sun when its at your back.

its excited, with a clear underlying tension.

the sharp scent of animal meets my nostrils unpleasantly.

it reminded me of the zoo i visited as a child.

the ammonia and stale bodily excretions that make such a distinctive odor.

i look around, waiting for my opponent to show himself.

 

 

"IT IS ONLY FITTING THAT OUR CHAMPION TRY HIS SKILL AT BRINGING DOWN A MORE EVENLY MATCHED OPPONENT, WHAT SAY YOU? WHAT SHALL BE THE FIRST BEAST HE MUST VANQUISH??"

many words can be heard being yelled from eager patrons.

few can be understood.

but one rang clear as a bell.

"MINOTAUR!"

 

"SO BE IT! RELEASE THE MINOTAUR!"

the south door begins to shake violently.

thrashing noises can be heard, men's yells come from behind it.