Dead Or Alive

Chapter Four: Peyton

My partner and I are VERY sorry for the extremely long wait, but we've had SO much homework, and so many tests, the stress has been way too much to handle for a long time. But I finally got this chapter done. I know it's really short but I promise the next chapter or two will be uploaded ASAP. I really hate apologizing every time I write a chapter, so next time, I won't have a reason to. It'll be uploaded faster, and it'll be longer.

Chapter Four

Peyton

Another dread materialized behind Loki and she whirled, knife at the ready. The Dread released a malicious scream and stumbled towards her. It had grey chalky skin and it's eyes were as yellow as mustard. This was an old one.

Loki swung her arm, fast and strong, and cleanly separated its head from its body with her knife. The body crumpled to the ground, and the head went flying. It landed in the far left corner, facing her. The yellow eyes watched her, waiting for her to make a mistake.

Two more Dreads appeared in front of Loki, and she attacked them both viciously, savagely, the way we'd learned to over the years of running. The actions of a person desperate to live.

I pounded on the glass, determined to break through so I could get to Loki. I had to get to Loki. Suddenly, my mind cleared, and I turned away from her fight. All the people that had been training when we walked in had dropped their weapons on the mats and were now standing at the window, eagerly watching Loki fight to survive, probably thinking it was just part of the test. I pushed through the throng of people and dashed to one of the mats, grabbing the first thing I saw: a machete.

I ran as fast as I could back to the glass, but there were too many spectators. I couldn't get through. I pushed and shoved my way through the crowd of people, not caring if I hurt anybody. My only goal was to save Loki. Finally, with one great shove, I got to the window. Without hesitation, I stabbed the machete straight into the glass. The glass cracked around the blade in a spider web pattern and I struggled to pull the blade out. Finally managing to free it, I kicked the window with every ounce of force that I could muster. The glass shattered and deadly pieces scattered through the shocked crowd. I paid no attention. I threw myself through the window and landed on shards of broken glass.

The room was smaller than it had originally looked. The steel walls were constricting, and there was only enough room for me, Loki, and the Dreads. There were more than two now. While I was getting a weapon, more Dreads had gotten in. I could just barely see Loki in a corner, surrounded by them, but she was defending herself well. There was a pile of defeated Dreads at her feet. Although, she had blood on her face, neck and arms.

I screamed in rage and jumped into the army of Dreads.

I lost myself. In all the hacking and bloodshed, I forgot who I was, I forgot where I was. I remembered only one thing. Loki. I turned into a savage, wild with rage. I killed anything that dared to try to keep me from Loki, not even really seeing through the red haze that was clouding my vision.

A Dread with long, stringy hair turned toward me, it's lips curled back in a snarl that couldn't be heard through the sounds of death and fighting going on around me. It looked like it had once been a girl, a pretty one at that. The life she most likely used to live quickly flashed through my mind. She probably used to have lots of friends who she would go to school with everyday. They would sit at their lunch table, laughing at a private joke that only they understood. She probably had a family with many brothers and sisters that cherished her, wishing they could grow up to be like her.

Maybe I once knew her.

I put the machete through her heart, and moved on to the next Dread.

It continued like this for what felt like hours, but was probably only a couple minutes. When nothing moved to attack me again, I paused to look around, panting. Every single Dread was killed, laying scattered on the floor, on top of each other.

I finally calmed down enough to see Loki standing in the corner, staring at me with her mouth wide open. Then, as I watched, the expression slowly slid from her face, and she started to sway. I ran to her, and caught her before she landed on the piles of the bodies. She was pale as death, with deep cuts all over her body and I knew that if she had fallen, she would have looked dead, lifeless, and no different than the Dreads she would have landed on. It didn't look like she was breathing, and for a second, I thought she actually was dead. And then she took a small, shuddering breath, and I was almost reassured.

Suddenly, everybody rushed in through the hole I had made in the glass. They gently took Loki from my arms screaming something about blood loss and a hospital. My ears were ringing, and I couldn't hear right. I stood up and looked around. Now that I wasn't fighting, I could see that there were about thirty dead Dreads on the floor, all killed by Loki and I. Stabbed through the heart or be-headed cleanly. Too cleanly. They didn't suffer, they weren't beat up like Loki, who was on the brink of death.

All of the gatherers who had been watching the battle had left, probably to help with Loki, so I was on my own. I grabbed an axe from one of the mats in the practice room and immediately started hacking at the dead bodies, wild and feral screams resonating from my chest. I hit them over and over, wanting them to shatter into pieces like I had. When I thought Loki was dead, my whole world collapsed in on itself, and I wanted revenge.

Eventually, the pile of bodies was reduced to masses of limbs and guts, and I was too exhausted to move anymore. I dropped the axe on the ground, quickly following it. I sat on the ground, and for the first time in over thirteen years, I cried. Only two tears, one for me, and one for Loki. Then I just sat there, silently praying that she would be alright.

And the whole time, the haunting yellow eyes watched me.

A/N: I would have made it longer but I couldn't stand to not use that as an ending. Hope ya'll don't hate me :)