Backstage Pass to Mortal Kombat

Chapter 17 - Pyrotechnics 101

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Chapter 17 – Pyrotechnics 101

Training with Raiden had been the worst idea I’d ever come up with, and I was sure of it when I saw the gashes on my arms and knuckles. Thinking it was a good idea to teach me how to block any kind of attack, even a weapon attack, I was forced to dodge and block every slash he took at me with a thirteen inch machete. He bandaged my wounds for me, but no matter how tightly wound the gauze was, I could feel the irritated sting scratching at the surface, threatening to turn into full blown pain if I were to use my hands for anything.

Today I learned I wouldn’t be doing anymore chores – not that I was doing them in the first place – and that all my time, every minute of every day, would be spent training in secret with Raiden. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all I had now for free time since I hardly got to sleep anymore. Sometimes I skip lunch, like today, to power nap in my hut. Though my stomach snarled and gnashed at me, I ignored it with all my might and slept through my stomach twisting and the ripping sounds it made with every growl. My knees curled into my chest, making me look like a ball wrapped in a thin blanket on my bed.

My hands dangled on the edge of my cot, careful not to touch anything. I had been hiding them under my sleeves whenever Johnny or Hanzo came around. I was beginning to feel bad that I wasn’t able to see them at all, but I had no choice. Raiden didn’t seem to mind me not having a life; in fact, he seemed to enjoy making me train at all hours of the day. Last night when I had thought I’d be able to sleep, Raiden dragged me out of bed, to the arena, and proceeded with further training, even if my hands weren’t in any shape to be fighting. He never went easy on me, instead, his brutality and tough-love, as he liked to call it, only got worse with every passing minute.

My eyes were glued shut as I laid there, snoring gently in my deep, deep slumber. I was afraid I’d never wake up; in fact, the thought crossed my mind quite a few times in my sleep. Hours must have passed, well over lunch time, by the time I had finally awoken. As I opened my eyes I saw the sky wasn’t the bright blue I had left it, instead, it was burning orange. The air was thick with evening humidity as I sat up, careful not to irritate my arms or hands. “God, how long did I sleep?” I mumbled to myself.

“Several hours,” Someone said from my left. I snapped my head to look and saw Hanzo sitting on my dresser, leaning forward. His face was hard as he looked over me; his lips set into a firm line as he took me in. “Raiden was looking for you and I told him to let you sleep. Do you mind telling me why he’s looking for you and why you keep walking around on the brink of exhaustion?”

I scratched the back of my neck and folded my legs as I wondered what I would tell him. Seeming to have read my mind, he added, “And I want the truth, Zak. Not some bullshit lie about being a maid or whatever. They sent me a new servant since you won’t be doing that anymore. What are you doing if you’re not a servant?” Even though he asked all these questions, it really seemed to me that he knew the answer already. I sighed deeply and looked up at him, pleading with my eyes for help on how to explain this.

My stomach let out a loud growl before I could even open my mouth and he rolled his eyes, jumping down from my dresser and striding over to me. He roughly grabbed my hand, “Come on, you need to eat–”

I gasped loudly at the grip he had on my hand, yanking it back immediately and cradling it against my chest.

Hanzo watched me with horrified eyes before kneeling onto one knee to be eye level with me. Without asking what was wrong, or even for me to stick out my hand, he gently returned to my hand and pulled it to his own chest. At the mere sight of the red streaks on it, I knew it was bleeding again. Gingerly, he pulled off the gauze to look at my wounds. Once he did, he exhaled sharply before looking up at me. “What the hell happened to your hand?” He demanded.