The Arena was even scarier up close. The big imposing rock walls that loomed over you at all points in the circular field ensured that no one could escape. Only one survived. Only one lived. And they got to go free. Or so we've been told. Each time someone gets close to winning though, a batch of newcomers arrive and you have to get through them first. Killing isn't so bad. Not really. Not when you don't have a conscience anymore. Or rather you can't. If you still have your conscience when you enter The Arena, you will die. No that has a conscience has lived so far. So do yourself a favor, shut down your brain and let instinct take over. That's what they advise you when you first get here. The Arena is their play pen. We're the animals. Some people watch dog fights. Others watch death matches. But when the spectators aren't human, you can't really say they lack humanity. They lack a lot more. They lack understanding. Caring. Love. Wisdom. And apparently their sense of humor consists of blood and death and the screams of the defeated as they die. Some kill mercilessly. They make you suffer. Others get it over with quick. The ones that make you suffer never last long either, if that makes you feel any better. They usually break at some point. They just can't do anything anymore. They scream. And fight. And cry. And talk. A lot. Mostly about what they've done wrong and their past lives. But that's something we try not to talk about. Our past lives. Before we were brought here. To The Arena.
I guess you're wondering what exactly The Arena is. Or at least where it's at. The Arena is the entertainment here. Wherever here is. I couldn't tell you where it is since I've never been outside. None of us have. They don't tell us either. A majority of us come from Earth. We've been taken. I remember back on Earth, when this first started happening. People were going missing. It wasn't that big of a deal at first. People go missing all the time. But there were strange clues. Craters left in the ground. The surrounding areas were missing ten to thirty of their people. And no one could find where they went. Or what caused the craters. The first was in London. Panic arose when it happened a second time in France. A third time happened in Spain. Then Mexico. And then it hit New York City. At first, it only happened at night. Once every two weeks, a crater would appear and people would go missing. The government scoured the country. Talked with allies. Talked with enemies. But people were missing from everywhere. Old and young. Mostly young. People all over the world were advised to stay indoors at night, trying to prevent more incidents. But then they began during the day.
No one could remember what happened when they happened. Sharp blasts of light. Explosions. And then silence. And a flock of people were missing. Others were dazed, laying on the ground, propped against buildings. Confused. Hurt. Angry. Unaware. And then the panic arose. Riots started. Soon chaos began and nothing could stop it. I was at the mall when they got me. I was alone. Yet I wasn't. People were all around me. I heard the explosion before I felt it. I remember getting knocked to the ground. Someone nudged me with their foot, turned my body over so I was on my back. I couldn't see anything but my eyes were open. I couldn't move. And then I woke up in a cold cell. It was dark. It was humid. It felt wrong. I looked around, I could see again. I looked across the small hallway to the cell next to me. It was empty. But the cells stretched down the hallway on both sides, leading to two doors. One larger than the other. One bolted, the other untouched. I curiously stretched my hand between the bars and tried to find the lock on the cell door.
"Don't bother." I started and looked for the source of the voice, the rough scratchy voice. I found myself looking at a creature, definitely not human in the cell next to the one across from me. The creature's eyes were yellow, and faintly glowed. Its skin was dark and looked dirty, but then again so were the cells. The creature shifted away from my gaze, turning its back to me, covered in what looked like a brown sack for a shirt. "Don't bother. You won't get out."
"Where am I? What's your name? Why can't I get out?" I asked quickly, panic setting in as I realized my situation. It seemed to crash into my like a tidal wave. I wasn't where I was supposed to be. I felt wrong. Weird. Foreign.
"You're at The Arena. They call me Domen. And nobody gets out. Only the winner gets out." Domen shifted further into his cell. I determined Domen must be male from his voice.
"Where's The Arena? What is it? And what do you mean they call you Domen? Is that not your name?" Domen gave a sharp, short laugh.
"You can tell you are new. You ask too many questions." There was a pause as footsteps echoed through the hall. Domen shifted further, silently, back into his cell. I did the same slowly. Soon someone walked by, polished boots, dragging another creature by its hair as it screeched. The unlocked door was opened and a loud thundering sound came through the hall before it was silent again. Domen shifted forward slightly. "The Arena is out that door. It's where we fight. The winner lives. The loser dies. You have to win to live. No exceptions. And if you win enough fights, you are gifted with a name." Domen was silent again. "I can't remember my real name."
I was silent and watched as the boots came back by the cell, taking time to silently observe the person who walked by. It looked like a man. Tall, imposing, if he'd been on Earth, I would have thought he was military. He walked in short steps, each step echoed menacingly in the dark hallway. I heard a door open and saw the boots in front of my eyes. I was grabbed by my hair and I cried out. I dug my heels into the ground as he dragged me from my cell and through the hallway. I saw Domen peek out of his cell to look at me. I saw him mouth one word before I was pulled out of the door.
Fight.
I took in a breath as I was hurled out of the door. I landed in the dirt. I spit sound out and rubbed my mouth with the back of my hand. I looked around and was shocked. Hundreds of people were sitting in this stadium. I turned as I looked at all of them.
"Aw look, our newcomers curious about us," a loud booming voice spoke. I turned faster, trying to find the source. "Too bad her first match is against Unith. Poor girl doesn't stand a chance." And then I heard her. The creature I'd seen that had been dragged out by her hair much like me. Only she was nothing like me. Wild in the eyes, darting back and forth. She screamed, a horrible guttural gurgling sound from deep in her throat and launched herself at me. I screamed and ducked, rolling away, narrowly avoiding her sharp nails. I scrambled to get away from the creature, her back bent in an awkward hump, her skin a dirty brownish gray. Her bones seemed to stick out at odd angles making her look even more grotesque. The only sounds she could make were hissing noises that were nowhere close to words as she circled me. I backed away trying to find an out.
There was none. Unith, the creature, lunged at me again, this time managing to grab my ankle with her hand, her grip strong but not crushing. I brought on foot up on instinct and kicked out, my foot slamming harshly on her face, blood spitting from her mouth and onto my sneakers. I scooted backwards when she lunged again, this time grabbing my shirt. I grabbed her face, pushing as she pulled. We rolled in the dirt. I was dimly aware of the screaming crowd. Unith made more hissing noises as her hands sought my neck. I smacked them away as I tried to shove her off of me. For being so bony she was surprisingly heavy. I struggled. At some point the tables turned, I'd gotten my hands around her neck, holding her in a choke hold with my right arm as my left arm stayed on her head to keep her mouth shut so she could not bite me. The crowd seemed to scream in outrage as Unith writhed in my grip and screeched more. I struggled to hold her, wrapping my legs around her waist to pin her legs down as well. I felt her hands dig into my sides, blood trickling from the scratch marks. She gripped harder and I hissed in pain. I tried to think of a way out as she gripped my skin harder, blood now welling around her fingers that were trying to bury themselves in my sides. The winner lives. I blinked.
No.
I could not kill another. Not anyone. But as Unith tightened her grip. I began to think. Way out. I need a way out. But as I was thinking I was barely aware of my left hand, sliding down on her cheek. I brought my right hand up to her left cheek in one swift movement and twisted. A sickening crack sounded through The Arena. The crowd went silent. I shoved Unith's unmoving body from me, scrambling away as I looked at her glossy black eyes. Her mouth was open in a silent screech. I began to tremble.
"And the newcomer wins! Give her a round of applause!" and The Arena exploded with thundering applause as tears dripped down my face.