The Sphere

Chapter 18

With a quick tug, Melinda hoisted Kelly back to her feet by her shirt. The strength that these twins had was completely unimaginable to Kelly. As she was physically dragged, groggy and knocked out of space and time itself, she compared Melinda's strength to Mary's speed. Although Mary was a more balanced fighter than Melinda was, Kelly could still use this comparison to her advantage.

Melinda pulled her fist back and brought it hard against Kelly's jaw, knocking her back into reality. But not without being knocked off her feet again. Before she could even hit the floor Melinda caught her shirt again and dragged her back into another fist. Kelly tried to put her hands up but she was simply too late. She was over thinking, she was never usually a bad fighter. In fact she had never lost a fight until this entire nightmare started. Now she was trying too hard to analyze her opponent, and forgot to act or move in any way, on multiple occasions, because Melinda continued to drag Kelly's almost lifeless body, and connect punch after punch across her face and against her rib cage. She hit even harder when Mary started speaking.

"Melinda! Stop! This is so unnecessary, what if she's our way out and you're abusing her?!" Her voice slowly became more and more frightened as she watched her sister work.

Kelly's lip was busted, mouth dripping with blood, which splattered every time she was hit again. A deep cut along her eyebrow left her seeing red as blood dripped over her shut eyelid. One punch had broken Kelly's nose, leaving it cracked and leaning to the side of her face and leaking. There was no way her ribs were intact seeing how badly Melinda had tormented her face. Kelly's arms went limp. She hadn't given in mentally, because in her mind, she was fighting back. She was really giving it to Melinda, a dodge here, a quick jab there, she was all over the place. As if she had been birthed by Muhammad Ali himself, she was a real competitor. But in reality her body had given in a long time ago. There was very little Kelly was doing at this point besides bleeding and breathing.

Mary couldn't take screaming behind her sister anymore. In one quick movement she lifted her foot and connected it with the side of Melinda's neck. Melinda felt it way before she realized it happened. Her hand released Kelly, letting her body flop down hard on top of an overturned log. Melinda collapsed and her head hit the trunk of a tree that was beside her. If the kick didn't knock her out, then hitting the tree did, and she was out like a light. Her body slowly slid down the rough bark, scratching her face until she was on the ground and Mary was the only one standing. She looked over at Kelly and ran quickly to her aid.

Kelly was laying back over the log bleeding all over her face. If she stayed in that position the bleeding in her nose would go down her throat and choke her, she'd die without even having a chance. Mary grabbed Kelly and rolled her onto her stomach. It still wasn't the safest position given she didn't know what Melinda had done to Kelly's ribs but it would solve the problem that she did know and understand.

Melinda was an animal when it came to fighting. Mary couldn't stop remembering all the times she fought people back home. She would beat on them, even after they went unconscious, until someone ripped her from them, and then once she was ripped away, poor Melinda was already in the fighting mood, so God bless who ever had the heart to put their hands around her when she was fighting, because her endless pit of rage would then be turned toward them. The first reason why Mary was hesitant to help Kelly, the other reason was because Mary genuinely believed Kelly could've handled it. She handled herself well against Mary, so why was she such an easy meal for Melinda? It was mind boggling, was it that Mary was just getting weak? It couldn't be, because she put Melinda to sleep easier than she ever had before.

Mary's thought process was violently interrupted by a tree rumbling beside her. It was shaking, crazily, from the branches to the roots. Mary wasn't sure what to do. What was happening? If this tree exploded that would be the end of her, her sister, and Kelly. Even if she could get away from the explosion, the flying wood would most definitely impale her and her two nonsensical, unconscious companions. Why did they have to be foolish and keep fighting?

The tree shook harder, and Mary began to curse them. "What is wrong with you two? Why does everything have to be hostile? I haven't even known you for an hour and you're one of the most violent people I've ever met! Melinda, why the hell can't you just chill out? Why do you have to be such a damn catalyst all the time?! I don't understand the thrill you get from fighting people! It makes no sense how you haven't been killed yet with all the fights you pick!"

Finally the tree stopped shaking. Mary looked at it with wide eyes, and simply mouthed "Damn." before she covered her face with her arms. A defense that would barely stop a punch, but it was something. Mary waited and waited, and nothing happened. There was no explosion, the tree stood, completely still. Mary lowered her arms, and suddenly and the tree split straight down the middle. Each side moved further apart as if they were always mechanical. In the center held in between both sides of the tree was a screen. Blank and waiting. Mary shook her head and looked around. "Hello? Are you that John guy? Because if you come over here I swear on my life I'll beat your ass!" Mary said spoke. She gave one more look to the girls that were still laid out behind her. Then the screen cut on.

"Hiya! I'm glad you all could tune in to this live broadcast, of what happens when people don't know how to watch their mouths!"