Backstage Pass to Mortal Kombat

Chapter 26 - Outworld

[[After spilling coffee on my laptop - now it's all sticky - I finished the chapter. Don't worry, laptop is fine, so I'll be able to keep writing....but do you know how annoying a sticky trackpad is?!?!?!]]

“Oi, didn’t we say lie down and shut up!” A guard, leading this cage through crowds of guards that looked just like him; all dressed in black leather, maroon cloth, and anything metal they could find, it looked.

He had caught me sitting up, looking around, which apparently was against the rules. As I looked around, I saw I was the only one awake from our group. With another look, I saw a man and a woman, both sitting in the corner, hugging their knees to their chests, watching us with worried eyes. I waved sheepishly, but they just flinched, looking away quickly. I rolled my eyes and looked down at Johnny, who was lying next to me. His face still had dried blood all over it, but he was at least sleeping, not effect by the pain yet.

Cory, Walter, and a couple other people I recognized were lying still as well, both sleeping. To my horror, however, I realized at least three fighters were missing. Flashes of them graduating with us, training with us, and eating in the dining tent with us swarmed my brain as I thought of possibilities. Were they dead? Did they get away? Part of me wanted to demand of this guard where they were, demanding to be released this minute, but the other part of me overpowered that one quickly when a hammer hit a bar of the cage behind me, causing me to jump.

“I said get down!” The guard spat at me, drops landing on my face.

I made it a point for his wild eyes to watch me wipe them away, smoldering stares aiming towards each other on both of our ends. “What do you care?” I snapped. “I’m obviously a damsel in distress, here. You’re afraid of a little damsel, meathead?”

He grumbled and turned away, allowing me to sit up. With a roll of my eyes, I looked down at Johnny. Alright, time to snap out of this and help me get us out of here, Cage. I gently shook him, feeling bad that I had to wake him up. “Johnny… Johnny…” I whispered into his ear. When that did nothing, I roughly smacked him on the chest, which I regretted as he began coughing and spluttering, clutching at his chest. They obviously kicked him and broke a rib or something.

“Wh-what the hell was that for, Zak?” He groaned, glaring up at me.

“If you’ll kindly take a look around and see the pickle we’re in, I think you’ll find my reaction quite mandatory – maybe you’ll even find it rather calm.” He stared at me for a moment, confused as to why I was talking like a flight attendant, before he finally hoisted himself up into a sitting position.

“Shit…” He muttered as he looked around. “Shit, shit, shit – how did we get here, what happened?!” He turned to me, wildly demanding an explanation.

“Well, while you guys were planning my birthday party, I was coming up with ways for that not to happen. So, I got us kidnapped – what do you think happened?!” I screamed, earning us a glare from the guard. Seeing Johnny awake, he decided it was better to be nagging a man to lay back down, not a girl.

“Oi, I said–”

I lurched to the bars, reaching between them to scratch his face, break his nose, chip a tooth; something, but missed him by an inch. “And I said leave us the hell alone!” I snapped.

A smirk covered his face, “Oh, they’ll like you, alright. Maybe I can even convince them to let me keep you…” His eyes looked over me hungrily and I suddenly wished I wasn’t wearing flannel shorts and a thin tank top.

Johnny reached out and pulled me back by the ankle, sitting me back down next to him. His eyes shot toward the guard, “Leave her alone.” He growled, in a voice I hardly recognized.