Our Broken World

Chapter 28

When all of the guards are looking away, specifically at the cage because they're focused on the fight, we quietly sneak through the door and enter into a smaller hallway. It leads to another steel door, and behind it is another hallway. This one, however, looks like a prison.

There are cells on each side of it, and in every cell there are people. Some are packed with several people, while in others there is only one person. They all look tired and battered. Some men are big, way bigger than usual and even some women and kids look like they're on steroids. Like they're on drugs. Their bodies are larger, more muscular than usual, and covered in wounds, but their faces look tired and overworked.

Most of these people do not even acknowledge our presence. One skinny and small man, however, drags himself across the floor, coming close to the bars, and looks up at us. He says: ''Please, get me out of here.''

I see despair in his eyes and I hear it in his voice. It almost makes me feel despair myself.

I crouch down to his level, while the guys stand guard.

''What is going on here? Do you know?'' I ask him quietly, gently.

''They're forcing us to fight the Mixed. They're monsters,'' He says, almost crying. I have never seen a man so broken, and the sight of him is breaking me inside too.

''They're keeping us locked up like animals and then one by one we go to fight the Mixed. One by one we go to die,'' He adds.

''And those of you who survive?'' I ask him through the bars, trying to think of a way to break through them. If Mikey is in one of these cells, I'm gonna need a way to get him out of it.

''Very few do. But they just bring us back here, jack us up even more and throw us into a ring again, until we die,'' He says sadly.

''Jack you up?'' I ask.

''With the blood of the Mixed. It makes us physically stronger for some time, when we fight, but we're more exhausted and weaker afterwards. It wears us out. People are going crazy because of it. They're breaking,'' He explains.

Most of them are already broken, I think to myself, but push the thought away.

''Do you know where they keep the kids?'' I want to know. I'm desperate to get to Mikey.

''I'll tell you if you get me out of here. Please,'' He pleads. 

''We don't know how to do that,'' I say, now sounding heartbroken. I really want to help him, but there's no way we can break the locks successfully in time, and find and save Mikey. We could break the locks with a gun, but we'd attract too much attention.

''Just break the locks,'' He says.

''We can't draw too much attention, I'm sorry. We're looking for someone. A 9-year-old boy, his name's Mikey. Please, we just want to find him. If we do, we'll come back and save you,'' I reply, unsure of whether I'm lying or telling the truth. Will we come back and save him? I definitely want to do that, but I'm not sure if we can.

The man looks at me sadly and says: ''Mikey? There was a kid in here with me a few days ago. Brown, short hair. Said his name was Mikey. They took him out to fight in a ring. They never brought him back. I'm sorry.''

The man's words echo in my mind. They took him out to fight in a ring. They never brought him back. They never brought him back. Which means he's dead. Mikey is dead. 

I slowly stand up, dizzy. I have to hold onto the bars to keep standing, because my knees are weak, weaker than they've ever been. Dylan comes close to me and puts his hand on my waist. I know he heard the man. They all heard him.

''Tay, we need to go. We can't stay here for too long or they'll find us,'' He says, with hurt in his voice.

It's not worse than the hurt in my voice as I utter the fateful words: ''He's gone.''

I look at Dylan and see him on the verge of tears. It's like his eyes are a reflection of mine.

''We don't know that for sure. They could've taken him somewhere else after the fight,'' Dylan tries to reassure me, but it's not working. I don't think anything would work in this moment.

''Do you really think he could've survived a fight with a Mixed?'' I mumble. I can't speak properly; I am in too much pain.

''He was just a kid. My little brother. And I let him go. I failed him,'' I utter, tears now rolling down my cheeks. I hold onto the bars as hard as I can; I could probably break them right now. I look to the ground and shut my eyes so hard that all I can see is the darkness that is enveloping me. I can practically feel my heart ripping in half, the blood flowing out of it, through every pore on my body, dripping down to the floor. I feel excruciating pain, an almost unbearable agony I've never felt before, and I don't even know how I'll open my eyes again, much less keep going. I can't keep going. But I am forced to, because in that moment five guards enter the hallway and point their rifles at us.