Tested

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

The next few days were spent wondering what would happen next. We tried to talk to the women in the cages around us, but none of them seemed to care to talk at all. The girls and I stretched as much as possible and talked constantly about our fight against the beast until we were taken out of the cage again.

“Clean them, feed them, and get them ready for the team match,” the Boss directed the others. His eyes were full red, and he seemed more agitated than usual. This was big.

The vampires took us upstairs and brought us into a shower room. They forced us to strip so they could shower us down with a hose. Shivering and naked, we were bustled to another room where we were given towels, dressing gowns, and food. The vampires left us alone.

“Is this it?” Beth asked. “The big fight?”

“Seems like it,” Pria said. “Don’t eat too much. You don’t want to be sick out there.”

I couldn’t eat anyway. There were too many variables. Too many ways everything could go wrong. We had to put on a show, but then what? I doubted we would be allowed to leave the football pitch after the big fight.

“How many do you think we’ll be fighting?” Denise asked.

“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “We’ll have weapons this time. That means we’re unstoppable, right?”

The others joked for a while, but I couldn’t relax. I wondered if Dad always felt that unsettling pressure of trying to keep people alive. I missed him so badly it hurt, but I couldn’t think about him or I would choke.

A vampire brought us clothes a while later. He dumped them in a corner and stared us down, never fully entering the room. “Get dressed,” he snapped. “You’re up soon.”

When he left, I shared out the clothes. I stared at the skimpy items in disgust.

“What the hell is this?” Pria said when we dressed.

“I look like Xena,” Beth said, laughing uncontrollably.

I glanced at her worriedly. If she fell apart now…

“Are vampires perverts?” Denise asked, adjusting her clothes.

“I feel absolutely ridiculous,” I said. “I don’t get it. Do they want to embarrass us or something?”

“It’s very gladiator porn star,” Beth said, her face a little red.

Pria stared at her in surprise. “It’s not a football pitch. It’s an arena.”

“Very good,” the Boss said, opening the door. “You’re about to take part in our own version of the games. Bloodsport. Just like the good old days. Try not to die too quickly. Your opponents are worthy, but we’d like some entertainment first.”

That shut us all up. My fears pricked at me as the Boss gestured for some vampires to come into the room and lead us outside. Worthy opponents. What did that mean?

As we stepped through the tunnel, Pria squeezed my hand. There was a table with all sorts of weapons: bows and arrows, daggers, swords.

“Take whatever you can handle,” I said. “We can drop them, but it’s better to have too much than too little.”

“I’m scared,” Denise whispered.

“You killed a monster, something the vampires are scared of. Nothing can stop you now,” I said, trying to sound convincing.

But as we stepped out onto the grass and the cheers of evil creatures echoed, my own misgivings multiplied. The place was packed out. There was no escape, no matter what we might have thought. The sky was dark, and spotlights lit up every part of the field. The winter air made me shiver, but the adrenaline pumping through my system made it easier to bear. We gazed at the opposite tunnel, ready for what might come next.