The Pleasures of an Eternal Nightmare

Chapter 6

K.C. fell to the floor and wiped the blood from his mouth. The other prisoners roared with excitement and kept the four guards away from the fight. K.C. looked up at his opponent. The woman had half of her head shaved with the rest of her red and orange hair covering half of her face. Her prisoner uniform was torn at the waste to expose her stomach and her sleeves were cut back above her elbows. Her silver eyes stared off into the distance but her movements communicated awareness, moving to defend herself in K.C.'s direction while also somehow telling the other prisoners to keep back.

"Kill him, Caroline!" the prisoners cheered. "Knock that kid down to Hell!"

Caroline kicked K.C. in the side and watched him curl up in pain. "Get up," she said with anger in her voice. "If you can kill a man the way you did, then you can fight me with as much hatred."

K.C. started getting up and used a chair to pick himself up. "I'm not... going to fight you..."

Caroline grabbed K.C. by his hair and slammed her knee into his nose. Blood started pouring out of his nose as she dropped him to the ground. "What are you trying to prove by playing the pacifist? We all know you aren't innocent of your crime. Why do you play the innocent little high schooler?"

K.C. held his hand up to his nose and stood up. "I don't like to fight... unless I have to."

Caroline grinned. "Then I guess I'll have to kill you."

Before K.C. could react, Caroline landed a heavy punch into his chest. K.C. stumbled backwards into the other prisoners and tried to catch his breath. The prisoners cursed at him and threw him back into the middle. Caroline caught him and held him up by his collar.

"Why do you want to fight me?" K.C. asked. "What do you have to prove?"

Caroline grinned, her eyes still off in the distance. "I don't need to prove anything. This is just my way of greeting new prisoners." She threw her fist into his stomach and K.C. coughed up blood onto her face. "Just remember that crossing me get's you killed in the future."

Caroline prepared another blow but a strong hand caught her arm. Caroline sighed and lowered K.C. to the ground gently. "Officer Cross? Is that you?"

Julie let Caroline's arm go and folded her arms as Caroline turned around. "What are you doing with my witness?"

Caroline giggled. "Witness? What is he doing in the mess hall then?"

Julie sighed. "What do you want, Caroline?"

Caroline reached out and placed her hand on Julie's shoulder. "Remember ten years ago when you and I fought each other? Y'know, just before you became an officer?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

Caroline took her free hand and dragged her index finger under both of her eyes. "That fight took my vision. I've gotten ten times tougher since then and I've beaten everyone here without my vision."

Cross removed Caroline's hand from her shoulder. "So you beat up a bunch of boys. What about it?"

"I want a rematch, right here, right now."

Julie sighed. "You know I cannot do that."

"Not without a reason for self defense, right?"

Caroline threw a fist and Julie caught it. "Alright, Caroline. Let me educate you one more time on why I'm the better woman."

Caroline grinned as she removed her fist and stood tall. "And let me educate you on what six years in this Hell hole does for you."

Caroline spun around and sent a kick forward, Julie side stepped the kick and landed a solid punch to Caroline's chest. Caroline stumbled back but quickly jumped forward, starting a furious series of punches aimed at Julie's face. Julie blocked most of the punches but several hit her chin and more hit her cheeks. Julie finally deflected one of the punches and grabbed Caroline's throat. Before Caroline could begin struggling to break free, Julie slammed Caroline into the ground and punched her in the jaw. Caroline went motionless and her breathing became shallow.