Plutonian

Chapter 41

Everything drowns out around me, the gasps, the voices, the blaring of speakers, all sucked up in a vacuum like bubble that envelops me completely. The rest of the world blurrs and all I hear is the thumping of blood in my ears. It feels surreal as I sway on my feet and stare at the audience around me. 

I see their mouths hanging open, their eyes wide with worry and shock. They don't look so happy with this announcement and somewhere deep down I feel a twinge of hope that someone, anyone will stand up and revolt against this new murderous rule but they remain silent and seated. 

The invisible barrier between us seems to grow thicker and thicker as I feel them drifting further away. Even though the audience outnumbers the officials by the hundreds they're hopelessness gives them no courage. They have no voice here and it only reinforces how alone I am and that I will have to fight this battle on my own. 

My movements seem reluctant and sluggish, it feels like I am moving in slow motion as I finally turn back to face Rosie. 

For someone who has been fighting in the pits four years longer than I have, she looks just as flabbergasted. Her face is equally conflicted and it takes three long blares of the speakers to get us to our senses. 

"Get started before we punish you both!" A Plutonian adjudicator shouts in frustration and his voice jolts me out of my trance like state, bursting the bubble around me. 

Rosie and I finally walk to the wall with the weapons in synchronicity. I take an electro pole just as she does and then our dance begins. 

We don't move like two fighters trying to kill each other, instead we attack and deflect repeatedly like two people buying borrowed time. The repetition soon becomes apparent after a few minutes and we hear the speakers boom again. 

"Time extended. No weapons allowed!" Someone announces and I stare into Rosie's eyes. 

Her expression is angry but her shoulders slump in defeat and acceptance.

"I'm sorry, Aria. I  have too much to lose." She finally says.

I swallow hard and nod my head. My tongue turns into cotton and I am unable to speak as I realize what this has come to. She's not the only person who has something to lose.

I've survived every single day of being on this planet by promising myself that I will escape and now I am so close. I've won my first three matches in a row, Lucian's going to nominate me to the army and then I will be able to travel the universe, fly in spacecrafts and finally, finally go back to Earth. 

It feels like I am about to cross the finish line only to have a chain wrapped around my neck, pulling me back and choking me just before I reach. 

My gut twists painfully as I drop my weapon to the floor and face her with my hands up in defense. She drops her pole, the thin piece of metal hits the floor with a loud thump and then she charges at me. 

There is no more inhibition, no more doubt. We both fight each other like we are complete strangers fighting for our lives. Rosie throws a punch my way and I duck just in time, hearing the swish of air as her hand glides past my ear.

I slide my leg out and kick her making her lose balance and fall to the floor. I jump on top of her and tackle her before she is able to get up but she is quick to catch me. She grabs my wrist and her other hand squeezes my throat making me choke at the impact. 

She then throws me off her and I land on my back, coughing fervently as I hold on to my sore neck. I see her approaching me from the corner of my eye and quickly roll over to push myself up.

I am barely standing when she kicks me in the side hard. It is the same side Michael kicked in my first match and the same one Leslie struck with an electro pole. Her affliction causes me to fall over and clutch my ribs as the pain cascades like boiling water, burning every inch of my skin in its wake.