28. Twenty Eight

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Thirteen tightened the shackles around Maximus's wrists and ankles. It was now a waiting game for when the two would come around. While he waited, Thirteen walked into another room, conjoining the torture room. He wondered how many innocent people had been brought to this horrible place. Thirteen saw skeletons still hanging from the walls, bloodied drills, peoples rotten teeth, pieces of skin that had been cut straight from bodies. "I wonder how long this place has been here", Thirteen said to himself, his voice bouncing off the walls. "A hundred and eight years", a voice answered back. "And it will stand forever". Azrail had woken up. Thirteen rushed back to the other room, he saw Azrail slouched in the chair, staring at him. "I never thought you would do this to me, the people who rescued you", Azrail said, straightening up and spitting blood from his mouth. "You didn't rescue me", Thirteen said, "You took me and brainwashed me. If your meaning of rescuing is kidnapping, you are very messed up". "Where would you be now then, if you were back with your mother, tell me", Azrail said in a mocking tone. Thirteen thought before he answered. "I would be in school, getting my education. Being fed good, proper food. Hanging out with friends", Thirteen said. Azrail started laughing at his answer. "Don't kid yourself", Azrail said, his face turning evil again, "You and I both know your life would just be as bad, I tried to make it a bit better. By selecting you and trying to sell you". "Maximus said something very like that to me, now I know where he gets it from", Thirteen said. Thirteen grabbed his bat, and slammed it on the concrete floor. "Enough talk, I want answers to some questions", Thirteen said. Azrail scoffed at the boy. "I know your not human, nor is Maximus. Where do you come from?", Thirteen asked. Azrail took a deep breath, looked Thirteen straight in the eye and answered, "I am from this planet, trust me. I was in an accident that left me deformed, this is why I wear this black robe. Maximus is the result of a failed experiment to try clone Orthrus, but instead of two heads, they got three. He has condemned a failure and left to die. I found him and trained him. He was smart enough to think for himself and speak, I only taught him English and basic biology". "Who did you work for? I know you as a scientist". "A man named Professor Roy Holbert. He had this brilliant idea to try program someone's emotions. I was lucky enough to work on it with him on it. That night we tested those three subjects, was when my life changed". "What happened to you?", Thirteen asked, taking a bit of sympathy to him. "I was exposed to some of the gas we used to program the motions. I was so cold because it was gas. It got on my face and it froze half my face off". Azrail took his hood down exposed his face; he was white, middle-aged, with a crew cut, his left eye was white, where it been blinded, the whole left side of his face was covered in scars. All his teeth on his left side were missing. "Am I little more human to you now?", Azrail asked, "I am immortal, I can never leave this earth, this Arena is mine and Maximus's duty. It's only purpose was for test subjects to come to prepare. But of course, Roy went to prison, funds were cut, I had to turn it into this", Azrail said, his eyes tearing up. Thirteen put his bat down, at sat crossed legged at Azrail's feet. "This is the only way I can survive, I get people to bring the vulnerable children to me, I am chained to this place if I could leave I would", Azrail sobbed. Maximus came to, he was dazed and confused. When he saw Azrail crying, he started growling at Thirteen, "What did he do to you Azrail, I'll kill him", Maximus growled. "It's okay Maximus, lay off", Azrail said. "He has shown me the error of my ways". "You haven't done anything wrong though, he's the one who is in the wrong", Maximus said. Maximus's teeth were fully showing, he was strong and broke free from the shackles. Azrail broke free too but did not go after Thirteen. "Maximus stop! Calm down!", Azrail shouted. He couldn't hold Maximus back forever, Azrail told Thirteen to run and he knocked Maximus out. "I'm sorry", he sobbed to Maximus, he saw the beast move, he hadn't killed him. "Come with me, Thirteen, I'm doing something I should have done a long time ago", Azrail said. "What's that?", Thirteen asked. "Letting you all go".

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