Chapter Six

'The crowd roared like thunder in the sky before a particularly nasty storm. Voices cheered shouted and screamed in pleasure of other's pain. These games could be described as nothing less than Spartan.

And we have to listen to it. All of it. From the cries of pure agony to the cries of mercy. Worst of all... this isn't even the main event. It's like a little start up to get the crowd roaring and alive.

From down here in the dark, damned damp cells we were bequeathed the honour to hear all of this. We were given the oh so noble tribute to know what was awaiting us.

For a deathly long time no screams came from above our heads (None but for the crowd). It is in these moments that we're able to hear our own hearts throbbing and the noise of our quickened breath.

Absolute peace of mind was nothing but a myth in the time between the silence and the slaughter. The only thing on your mind before the guard came in was: 'Am I next'. Or 'What exactly happened to the person before me?'

Thoughts like that haunted you 'til the very moment you were dragged from your cage, nails bloodied in your attempt to grasp the ground and resist the murderous fate that awaited you beyond those damned darkening stairs...'

Soul Eater Evans looked up, the sound of a heavy metal door being swung open striking him out of his depressed thoughts. Two fat men came clomping down the metal flight of steps. Soul noted their forms. Nothing had changed from the last time they had came it here: they were still bloodied... even more so now.

It had progressed like that since this morning when they had been ruthlessly awoken with ice cold water: Their crisp white shirts had progressively became more crimson. And the demented look in their eyes had grown passed to point of insanity- now it only held the stare of a cruel monster that bathed in the scent of blood.

They moved down the row. They pulled open a cage door. And the screams of pleas began. Their laughter sounded demonic against the honest pleas of mercy. "No no no no, please! I'm sorry! I'll do anything! Just don't do this to me!"

Soul watched as they dragged the impossibly gaunt frame of a female away from her prison. Her pleas fell on deaf ears, so she turned to him. "Help me! Help me please! I didn't do anything wrong! HELP!"

He turned his head away in shame. Earlier in the day he would have stood up and shouted at the guards. But his spirit was broken. The finality of the heavy door slamming shut brought horror to the silence.

Soul pulled his sleeve over the black bruise on his arm and looked down. Nobody said anything for fear of them being next.

'The sick psycho's beat the shit out of anyone who dares call them fat. And they don't seem to give us, or anyone, any food. Who knows how long the other's have been down here with no food, fearing for their lives?!

I think that even the gladiators lived under better circumstances than us... Kid looks terrible. Not in a sense of physical appearance, but rather in the way he is acting. We had been looking for him for days but none of us had expected to see him here.

I can't put my finger on it, but he's changed somehow. Maybe it's that tattoo... or the way he had that crazed look in his eye. Or maybe it is that he's losing himself. He's losing his humanity and forgetting who he was.

I know he needs us, but I don't think he's going to admit it. I don't even know if we'll survive and be able to help him.'

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It was extremely dark, but Kid knew he was not alone. The crowd around him screamed and shouted and roared for more blood. But he wasn't doing this for them. He was doing this for himself. He needed to survive and he needed to stay in this gang.

Growling to his left. Kid turned in time to miss getting bitten in the arm. He stumbled over himself and almost crashed to the dark water below. The audience cheered. He couldn't see a damn thing... but his opponent could.

His golden eyes tried in vain to adjust to the darkness. He gripped his weapon tighter. His bloodied hands hurt and the warm blood was slickening the sword in his hand. If he loosed his grip on his only lifeline that damn monster will tear him to pieces...

Screeeech. Clank. ThUmp. SPLASH!

Kid knew that sound. Excellent. The growling faded away. And splashing signalled the beast's retreat. Kid started running and took another right turn. He was met with a dead end. 'Damnit'. He backtracked and took a left instead. As long as he didn't go back there... again...

"AAAHHHHHHHH!"

Kid pressed himself against the wall. The screams got louder and the growling grew more pronounced. 'Damnit! I had hoped the new guy would at least last longer.' Kid needed time to find the exit.

The maze didn't make it easy.

The cheering grew to a deafening roar. Above him. They must be above him. Kid listened closely. He could hear the faint thumping of metal and shoes. Somehow the gang members were able to see them from above, but the 'contestants' were unable to see a damn thing.

Kid already knew he was in an arena with water that ran ankle deep. He knew that it was a maze of some sort. And he knew that there were flesh eating things looking for their next victim to tear apart like a Mc Donald's happy meal. Oh... and that there were no more than two victims in the- maze-cage? - At a time.

The shouting didn't let up. The sickening sound of tearing flesh turned Kid's stomach. 'That could've been me just a second ago! I need to focus!' A drop of blood plopped into the water.

Kid pressed his hands into the water to wash them again. The black substance burned and stung, but he took the pain like a business man would take money. It was refreshing to let the sticky life essence wash away... and not just his life essence.

What happens in the arena stays in the arena.

Kid moved again, as silently as possible in the streets of water. Various turns were taken, but most of them were dead ends. "FUCK!" Kid slammed his sword against the wall, causing a small spark.

He slammed his fists into the wall and leaned his sweaty forehead against the cool concrete. His headache was considerably worse. From above the waist he was burning up. And below he was freezing. The water soaked through his shoes and made him sick.

Water ripples hit against his pants. Kid hadn't even fully turned around before he was knocked into the water. The sword slipped out of his hand and disappeared into the dark depths of the murky water.

Water splashed into his eyes. He struggled to keep his head above water, but the more he struggled the more water filled his lungs. His chest was burning and begging for oxygen. The animal above him snapped its sharp teeth at him, aiming for his throat. Kid hit at it and evaded the deadly fangs by mere inches every time the muzzle came too close for comfort.

The cheering of the crowd above was muffled by the water now seeping into his ears. Kid kept the animal's neck from lowering with his forearm while his other hand was probing the wetness, looking for his lifeline.

He was slowly drowning and the beast above him was awaiting its feast. Breathing became near impossible. Kid's scuffling became weaker and he struggled to keep his eyes open underwater.

The thing bit into his arm. "FUCK!" its teeth sunk into his flesh and held on tightly. Adrenaline flushed through Kid's body. His fingers connected with the animal's jaw. HARD. Forgetting about his weapon momentarily he kicked and hit the furry fuck standing on top of him.

The creature didn't relent its attack. Another hit to the jaw and a kick to the gut. Kid's shouting was gargled and obscured by the water, but the message was clear: "Get off me, bitch!" Blood gushed into the water and the cold was slowly replaced with lukewarm. Death the Kid felt light headed. The animal howled. More splashing was heard. More howling. The crowd roared. Kid gasped for air. Short intervals allowed him to get precious amounts of lifesaving H2O.

Fangs bit into his legs. Teeth delved into his shoulder- his bad shoulder. Assaults from all three sides. "AAAAAHHHH!" More red spilled into the dark. Kid's screams echoed off the maze walls. Gang members above cheered and laughed. Their eyes pierced into the darkness with ease.

Kid knew he was giving them enough entertainment to last them... a few days... but he won't allow them to enjoy it for long! His hand searched with new vigour. His fingers graced the hardened ground beneath the wet pool. He would get out! He would-

"AH!" The animal on his arm started pulling its head from side to side, trying to get the chunk of flesh free. Copper filled Kid's senses. His eyes widened. Before darkening.

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Below the arena everyone could hear their friend's cries of anguish. They could hear his spluttering and struggles of survival. They heard him, and they could do nothing about it. They sat there, hearing the crowd's muffled cheering and the horrifying howls of the monsters they would soon face as well.

"Come on, Kid. If you dare die on us now I'm going to kill you in the afterlife." Liz muttered to herself and tried to block out the shouts of pain. She didn't want to hear them. "But if he's already dead in the afterlife wouldn't that mean that he would be double dead? Hey, big sis, is there an afterlife for the afterlife? What would happen if you die when you're already dead? I wonder if-"

"Shut up! Nobody cares about you and your stupid musings! Will you just shut up! We're all about to die and all you can go on about is stupid afterlife! When we die, we're dead! There's nothing waiting for us! Just stop being stupid!"

"Liz, just chill, okay? It won't help anything if you scream at her, just ignore her."

"What would you know?! We weren't the ones who got beat up! It's because of your big mouth that you got beat to a pulp and now you want to get into another one! Are you just so stupid that you don't even learn out of your mistakes?! I think it's high time that you and Patty grow up and stop being so childish!" Liz crumbled to the floor, sobbing softly, covering her face with her hands, ashamed and scared.

Soul looked away and pulled his sleeve down again. He pulled his legs into himself and stayed quietly in his corner, averting his eyes completely. Patty looked at them both in turn, still standing in the middle of her cage.

Her eyes were wide and her mind was confused. Had she just caused that? "Guys-"

"We'll all be better off if you just vanished, Patty." Liz whispered almost to herself after her crying had calmed down a little. Patty took a hurt step back. "You don't mean that, big sis! You're just sad that Kid is getting hurt and that we aren't there to help him."

Liz stood up suddenly and charged at her sister, who stood her ground.

"Kid was hurt before all of this began! He was hurt since the day he got expelled. We weren't there for him then! He was hurt even when we were there and we still couldn't do anything to help him! Kid was hurt since before we met him! We weren't there to help him then! What are we supposed to do?! This didn't just happen over night!'

"This happened to Kid as a result of years of abuse! Not physical, but emotional and mental abuse! His father ignored him! He treated Kid like he was an accident! Like he wasn't meant to be born! Physical abuse has scars that heal, but metal abuse- that pain you will forever feel, because emotional hurt cuts you where no salve or Band-Aid can be placed and fixed with a kiss!"

Liz moved back to her seat on the wooden bench. Patty stared. Water dripped down the stone walls. That was the only sound they heard. Even the crowd seemed to be silent. "Guys, I think something's wrong. It's been quiet up there for a while now." Maka put in timidly from the side.

Soul lifted his head. Together they listened. Stillness...

Screeuch... clank... clunk...clank... clunk... thunk

Soul whipped his head to the side. The two guards were back. They were laughing and nudging each other. They saw Soul looking. The one male jabbed the other with his elbow. Now they both stared at him. They grinned and stepped closer.

Soul tried not looking frightened, but his tightening muscles probably gave him away. They started laughing again. They unlocked his cage and the fatter of the two stepped in. Maka, Liz and patty stared in horror and held their breath. Maka resisted the urge to shout, but that was slowly failing her.

A fatty fist lifted Soul off the floor by the collar of his dirtied and torn shirt. He closed his eyes and turned his head away. The man's fist lifted heavily. Soul pulled in on himself.

"Leave him alone!"

Soul's eyes snapped open. The man's head whizzed around. Maka stood her ground, fists at her side, and an angry red on her cheeks. The fat man snarled, the second man then started laughing. Enraged the larger man punched Soul in the gut and let him fall to the floor.

"Who are you laughing at?!" The man all but yelled and stepped up to his comrade. Soul grunted on the floor and gripped his sore abdomen while curling in on himself. Maka's hands covered her mouth and she fell to her knees against the bars of her cell across from them.

"Nothing, just get them."

Grudgingly they slapped hand cuffs on all of them and pushed them up the stairs. Soul gave no fight. Liz was tight lipped. Maka was shocked, angry and near hysterics. As for Patty... let's just say that she wasn't her usual happy self. They were lead along a short corridor before they were shoved down two small steps.

They landed in wetness. It was dark all around. The door behind then slammed shut. And they were stuck, struggling in a pile of bodies and broken spirits, with their wrists being chaffed by the cuffs. Soul was the first to notice the low hum of chatter above their head. And Patty was the one to proclaim that she heard feet above her head.

They struggled out of the small pile, legs untangling painfully and hair being pulled occasionally like they were in a preschool playground pulverisation session. They stood in the darkness, completely immobilized and disoriented. They couldn't see, their hands were tied and Soul could swear he heard soft shouting in the distance.

All their clothes were slightly wet and chilling them. Involuntarily they huddled together for warmth- their backs pressing together in a miniature back-to-back shield. Their feet, bare and hurting, were bruised and undeniably freezing. After a moment of terrifying silence Maka took charge and spoke; slightly frightened.

"I say we choose a direction and go that way... do any of you know how to remove cuffs?"

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Death the Kid felt sick. He felt sick that he hadn't done this before. He felt sick of all the stuff he had to put up with. And he felt sick in a sense of wickedness. His gloved hand tightened around the hilt. His shoulders rose and fell heavily as he slowly regained his breathing. Blood splotches dotted his face, like a benevolent painter who finally finished with his final art.

The water that swallowed at his ankles was lukewarm and thicker than H2O was supposed to be. The mutilated remains of mutts lay at his feet, as still as a grave. Lifeless animal eyes gleamed at him. Kid merely snarled. Those stupid things had ripped into his flesh and had nearly caused him to drown, so screw the people who believe these animals didn't deserve death.

Because heaven alone knows they did!

These beasts from hell deserved a much slower and much more painful death than he had handed them. They should be grateful he didn't prolong their suffering... In his view these monsters had gotten a much more merciful death than they would have gotten at the hands of Asura.

The sword in his hand trembled under the pressure; blood dripped down from his wound and joined the vermillion of his foes. Small scarlet drops dripped into the darkness with a near silent plop. The scent of crimson wallowed in the air and was dampened by the water path. One problem was removed, but many still remained. The maze. The gang. His friends...

His father...

The weapon nearly slipped from his hand, not from the slippery blood soaked gloves, but from pure misery and loss of what to do...

The scar...

Kid's knees felt weak. And he was exhausted. Physically, mentally and emotionally. The only thing he desired the most in the world right now... would be to take it all back and start again. To get a second chance. And to do it all. Over. Again.

He dropped to his knees, letting the water soak his pants completely. Arms, emaciated and bloodied, dangled to his sides, sword still griped between his bony fingers. Lungs struggled to get in the needed amount of air and his mouth hung open lazily as he attempted to pull in the much needed oxygen.

Kid was faintly aware of water shifting around him and ripples hitting his lower back. Something must be heading his way. Tired eyes turned ever so slowly in his skull to inspect the approaching danger. Slim black brows knotted together.

It was too dark to see anything. Kid heard the clinking and rattling of chains. Were they sending in different animals? Was Asura sending in a new wave of monsters with sharper teeth, faster legs and madder eyes? Were these dead creatures at his feet just the beginning of a monstrous death?

When would it end? When will this madness stop and just leave him be? Kid snarled. He was sick of all this bullshit! His fingers tightened and he shot up. His weak legs rushed forward. His tired lungs and battered arms tightened for the strike. Red eyes flashed in Kid's mind.

Monsters. Animals. Creatures. Beasts. Must kill.

Blind fury caused Kid to fall to his knees and hack away at the figure in front of him. He stroke and chopped and cut and stabbed until the familiar tang of blood could be tasted on his tongue. Even after the figure's thrashing had long gone silent along with its screams of horror, pain and agony did Kid still not stop.

Blinded, was he, with his inner turmoil and utter need to survive that he took no notice of the crowd cheering above or the crying below. Hot salt dripped from his eyes. Fear consumed him. He wasn't crying out of any particular emotion. Actually, Kid really had no idea why the warm water chose to walk trails down his smooth skin.

He had no idea why his hand wouldn't stop swinging and he had absolutely no idea why he was enjoying the sucking noise the body below him made every time the steel was removed from the mashed-turned body.

A warm hand was placed on his shoulder. Kid jerked, the weapon disappearing into the water. Arms captured him and restrained him. Kid thrashed wildly. Screaming escaped his mouth. "No! Don't touch me! Don't touch me! Get off me you monsters! NO!" His arms were pinned to his side and his feet were denied of their need to push up.

Kid threw his head back. "NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

His mind was clouded, confused and cornered. He was trapped and he had nowhere to go. There was no one to help him and he was scarred. Scarred and all alone in a dark place with no light to guide him. His shoulders slumped and all the fight left his body. His lungs were tired of crying. They were tired of falling on deaf ears and receiving no answer.

Kid's body was beaten, bruised and broken. And his soul was completely consumed with inner turmoil. He was tired of resisting...so he just- gave up. Wheezing sobs rattled his thin frame. 'Why am I crying?!'

Sudden light flooded his pupils and made Kid cringe back. Eyes closing and head thrashing to the side to shield the beams from his eyes. Noise pooled all around him and made his ears ring. The pressure on his shoulders intensified and made him cry out. His golden eyes fluttered timidly and were greeted with light that was slightly less attacking.

Oh no.

Kid's gaze rested on the body laying in the water, slowly soaking it a red darker than black. Red lifeless eyes stared up at him. Death the Kid threw his head to the side and heaved. His stomach had no contents. He dry heaved until he was sure he would barf out his lungs.

The hands around his shoulders held him up and were practically the only thing keeping him from tumbling into the water. His body felt limp and boneless. Those steadying hands roughly pulled him up. He heard voices entering his ear, but the words didn't register.

He couldn't stop staring at the viciously mutilated body. Those warm warm hands shook his shoulders and tried to ground him. Tried to bring him back. Kid couldn't find it in himself to let them.

Suddenly those comforting hands were ripped from his shoulders. Shouts followed. Kid fell to his knees. Water rocketed up. Blood, black and transparent spilled onto his face. His hand fell at his sides. Rushing to him were masses of people who clapped him on the shoulder with shouts of glee and congratulations.

He only stared with dull, glassy eyes at what he had done.

Feeling sick and wanting to heave again Kid closed his eyes. Then opened them. He had to face what he had done. He can't avoid it and he can't ignore it. He did this. He caused this and he was the reason for all this blood. So much blood.

No. No no no! Oh g**.

Hands gripped him under his armpits. Kid stared at the mutilated corpse as he was slowly lifted and removed from the arena by the cheering men and women. Slowly dispersing and slowly vanishing. Kid saw the glimpse of those bloody beasts with he fangs and claws crawl around the corner and close in on the corpse.

They were still present. And they were still hungry.

Rage filled Kid, but couldn't work its way past his frozen shock. Tendrils of ice, so cold and paralyzing, seeped into his soiled veins. He had murdered his friend. And they congratulated him for doing so.

Soul Eater Evans, with those monster-resembling red eyes, was ripped to pieces by his friend. And it was all his monstrous maddening fault. Kid was pulled through huge stone pillars and shoulder carried by the crowd up the stairs. Shitehawk stood with his arms crossed and leaning against a pillar and stared at the cheering crowd. Forlorn was etched onto his face.

Step one to breaking Kid's spirit was complete. And he knew that this was only the beginning. He knew what would happen to his remaining friends. It wasn't a burden that he wanted to carry. Shitehawk shook his head and pushed off; stepping up the cold stairs. The look Kid's friends had when those lights turned on and they saw who it was who slaughtered their friend...

The forgiveness they had in their eyes and the helping hands they had reached out to him... None of this was seen by Kid. And he didn't have the chance to see them either. Damn Asura and his demonic, monstrous ways of mind- f****** with everyone.

They were all so young... and now they were going to land in the hands of Medusa. These steps seemed to weigh more on his lean legs. They all went through it. Every gang member. Some were changed permanently. Some so broken they had lost the will to live... others had given themselves up to madness.

Some were even driven to suicide.

Shitehawk hoped Kid wasn't one of them. He hoped that Kid was stronger. And, despite himself, he hoped Kid would take over leadership of this gang. Hopefully then... things would change.

For better, or for worse.

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Frozen to the spot and staring at the floor. Filth and disgusting stuff stuck there like a fan girl on Justin Bieber's ass. Dark eyes blinked. Then shifted. It now stared to the object lying on the table and found an internal struggle whether or not to do it.

Eyes shifted again over to the fridge. "To be or not to be." Black Star's stomach growled. "To be." He decided. He bounced up and ran over to the ice box. Only to be grabbed by the shirt and be pulled down onto his bum harshly. "OW!"

"Not to be." Ox said frustrated, and clamped his hand around his pen. "This is the seventh time you tried the same trick and I am still not falling for it. It's already bad enough that I have to work in your apartment-" Ox looked around at the abandoned take out trays and scattered pieces of food and... other things...

"-But now I have to put up with your laziness as well."

"The GREAT BLACK STAR is NEVER lazy! He just needs fuel to continue with his awesomeness!" Ox picked up the paper the other male has been working on for over an hour and found himself growing an angry tic on his forehead. In the corner there was a crudely drawn picture of him with an arrow pointing the words 'StUPid dumb dumb'.

For the sake of both their survival Ox ignored it and moved on to what Black Star had written. He felt his eye twitch annoyingly. "You call this awesomeness: 'Since the beginning of the planet and maybe the universe as well, everyone was useless and didn't know what to do. But then came THE GREAT BLACK STAR to save them from stupidness. So when they saw him they all died, because his awesomeness was too much for them to take. Then THE GREAT BLACKSTAR went on a mission to save them.

But there were zombies who wanted to stop him. And there were also stupid scientists who don't know what's best for THE GREAT BLACK STAR. But THE GREAT BLACK STAR stopped the dumb professor with his MIGHTY POWERS OF AWESOMENESS and they all lived happily ever after. HASHTAG the end.'"

Black Star had his chest puffed up and looked mighty proud of himself. Ox wanted to slap his forehead. "Do you even remember what professor Stein told us to write the essay about?"

"Nope. But that doesn't matter! When he sees this essay he'll be shocked by the beauty of it and let me sleep in the class for the rest of the year!" Ox face palmed.

'He'll be shocked alright.'

"Maybe you do need food to get your brain working again." Black Star was up and gone in a second with a loud proclamation of 'YAHOO!'. "Just make sure you eat a lot." Ox shook his head and went back to work. He still had a lot of words to finish before he could recheck his work.

He needed this to be flawless. He didn't want to fail the course and he didn't want to come in second- right behind Maka. The pen froze mid-scribble. He just realized something. Ox's face paled. "Black Star!"He shouted and stood up- dropping the pen to the table and sending the chair to the floor. "If you eat the last pudding cup you're dead!"

By the time he got in the kitchen Black Star already had a spoon in his mouth and a half eaten chocolate cup in his hand. They stood frozen. The spoon dangled on Black Star's lip, fell out and clattered to the ground.

Ox jumped into action and tackled the blue haired boy to the floor.

Pudding splashed onto the wall, joining the various other stains that had been accumulated there over the course of their working session...

Tsubaki would be having a hard time cleaning that out of the wall.

"I told you that was my pudding cup!"

"Someone as great as I don't have to listen to ANYONE!"

"Listen to my fist!"

"Fists can't talk, STUPID! I, THE GREAT BLACK-"

WHACK!

That had been a long time coming. Now the great Black Star, had a great black eye. Ox stood victoriously above the boy with a flashing smile. Black Star lifted his foot. Ox went crossed-eye. He doubled over- hands covering his tools. He crumbled to the floor. "NOBODY HITS THE GREAT BLACK STAR AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"

So now the pair lay on the kitchen floor, covering an eye ball... and another type of ball... tending to the pain of their less than friendly scuttle. "You should put some ice onto that." Came a female voice, sometime later.

Tsubaki shook her head in disapproval. She had been gone for less than ten minutes to run to the grocery store and back. Ox looked up at her pleadingly. She couldn't help but smile. She reached into the plastic bag and removed a carton of pudding cups.

"There are only four in a box and there are three of us." The two boys looked at each other again and a new fire lit in their eyes.

Damn it.

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'Visions born of fear give birth to our failing. Visions born of hope give birth to our success. What is possible lives within us, and it only remains for us to discover it.'

-Terry Brooks

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