Short Stories: 10-31-18

Persian Demons

Amir woke up in a cold sweat, taking a moment to search the room around him. Or what he thought was a regular room.
The area was dark, and he couldn't see anything. He began to hear cheering...
   A door opened, and the light blinded Amir. When he could see again, he looked up to see a tall figure in the door way. The cheers were amplified now.
   The figure walked up to Amir and grabbed him roughly by the arm. Amir was covered in hay. He was dragged out of the room, and he tried to fight back.
   "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen!"
   The cheers grew louder. Amir took the time to look around, and he realized he was in a stadium. The seats were full with thousands of people. Men, women, and children were everywhere.
   Amir looked forward at a black sheet covering a cage. Around him were five other men, all of different sizes. They were all standing as still as they could. Amir was placed in a spot, but he still didn't understand why he was here.
   "Welcome to our annual Survival Battle! On our quaint island, we're considered fools and unworthy to live amongst normal people. No more of that! If we can't go to them, they can come to us!"
   The crowd kept cheering. Island? What was he talking about?
   "Here we have six capable young men, about to compete for their lives."
   Amir began to panic, but before he could move a guard held onto him.
   "Now, this island is known for its many creatures, but today's challenge will include fighting the king of beasts-" the announcer snapped into the mic. Everybody was silent as the black sheet was removed. Inside the cage was a large beast. Amir thought he remembered it; a manticore. The beast had the face of a human, the body of a lion, the wings of a dragon, and the tail of a scorpion. The manticore was only a fairy tale back then to Amir.
   Now he's staring it in the face.
   "Begin!"
   Wait, wait-
   The beast was released from the cage, and the men picked up their weapons. Amir quickly grabbed a spear and ran from the beast.
   The manticore attempted to fly, but it was chained to the ground. One man ran towards the manticore, but the beast was ready. He aimed his tail, and he shot venom. The man instantly fell, dropping his weapon. He choked on his own blood.
   The other men looked in horror. Everyone but Amir jumped in to kill that thing. Every single one was poisoned, tossed, squished, or bitten. Amir couldn't help but vomit.
   The manticore lunges at him, but Amir dodged the attack and rolled on the ground. The crowd was wild. Amir ran as fast as he could. He hid behind a chariot, trying to think of a plan.
   Maybe...
   Amir was startled when the beast hit the chariot and roared at him.
   "You can't escape."
    Amir dodged him, and he went straight for the chain. With his spear, he let the monster free.
   Everyone was stunned silent.
   The beast roared again, and everyone ran as it flew above the stadium. Amir narrowly could escape, he could have run.
   If only the monster forgot about it.
   In an instant, the beast took Amir's head in his mouth. Amir's face was in shock, before being eaten by the manticore.