Alpha Pride

Fight Or Die

By the fifth battle, my limbs were almost ready to give out, and what little wrappings I had around my wounds were just not doing their job. I had lost a significant amount of blood and was not going to be able to keep up fighting much longer before I needed rest.

I was so weak.

I had killed 4 people in a couple of hours, and yet I had not shed one tear. What was wrong with me? I really am a monster.

The same thought had been swimming through my mind throughout the battles like a shark circling its prey. How many more dead bodies will I have piled up after this?

So far, none of my contenders had been close to me. I was thankful that I had not been a social butterfly and made a bunch of friends. But I knew without a doubt I had killed other people's close friends. I was not looking forward to facing my peers when this was over.

I stepped into the ring once more. My opponent was a girl, maybe about 16 or 17. She was less muscular than most of the other girls in here, not a hard fight.

At the thought, my guilt began to rise in the back of my throat. I knew that if I let it topple the surface, there would be no stopping it, and it would hinder me useless. I will not let Louise see me die.

With that thought in my head, I ran towards the girl with my sword raised. But something unexpected happened, she threw down her weapons and looked at the commanders. "I don't want to fight!" She screamed, tears fell from her face like waterfalls, and her breath became uneven, evidence of a panic attack. She shook where she stood and I lowered my weapon, looking up to the General.

He looked down at her as if he was looking at an ant crossing his path. "If you refuse to fight, then you refuse to live." The girl suddenly collapsed, grasping her neck, an intense shock seemed to go through her.

Much like when we first heard about the battles, panic spread through the stadium. We all shared a collective thought, "How did that happen?"

The Major stood, "If you refuse to fight, we will terminate you. You either fight for your life, or it will be taken from you."

~~~

I sat on my bed staring at Louise, who sat with her knees pulled to her chest, her head resting on top of them. We hadn't spoken a word since we got back and the feeling was indescribable. It felt as if she was pulling back from me. I had thought she said she loved me no matter what? Did she lie to me?

I am a monster, I don't deserve her love anyways. I was a killer now, of innocent children. Even Nathan had disregarded me as such. I had to admit that it stung, a smug, cocky kid like him thinking of me like that, but I would try not to let it get to me. Though in my heart I knew it would.

I got up and walked to the door, as I made the move to turn it, I hesitated. I waited for her to stop me, to ask me not to go. But no words came. I opened the door and left.

The halls were silent, it was like a graveyard, eerie, and deserted. Not even the usual sound of feet stomping bouncing off the cement walls could be heard.

My wounds ached and throbbed, I could feel blood seeping through the thin bandages but I did nothing. It was like a reminder, that not only my blood was spilled.

I stepped into the gym and went to the punching bag, giving it a weak hit, one, two, three, four. My strikes became progressively harder and stronger as I let my anger, sadness, guilt, regret, and helplessness fuel every blow. The rough exercise made my body hurt even more than before, semi-closed wounds reopened again. With every hit, I told myself I deserved the pain.

I didn't notice that tears ran down my face, just like the blood from my open wounds ran down my body until I heard footsteps behind me. I stopped my tantrum and turned, blood dripped from my torn knuckles making pools by my feet. The room smelled of sweat and copper.