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WHAT LAST FOREVER

Chapter 22- The fight

Jamez shuddered at the look hereceived from Marcus Malfoy. He had never seen anyone look so cold before but at the same time looking so very excited.

"Look and listen carefully Jade because this is sooner or going to happen to you too." Marcus grinned slightly.

Jade looked very confused.

"Look and listen to what? What's going on?" He was extremely irritated by this whole ordeal. He wanted nothing more but to lie down and sleep some more but something was obviously exciting each and every one of the prisoners so this ought to be big.

"Look." Jamez looked over to the point where Malfoy inclined his head to. He saw a few hack restraining two prisoners, each were looking extremely pissed off and where shouting at each other. He couldn't hear what they where shouting because the alarm was still on. He couldn't see any details because they were in a dim light and he didn't want to use his half-vampire powers yet. He didn't know if this strange place had any kind of magic identification spells around it and he wasn't to take the chance there wasn't. He thought everything was possible in this place.

"I see. So what? They're fighting and they're out of their pods, what's so exciting about it?" he just didn't understand any of this. Perhaps they well all mentally deranged and he was the only one still sane in this place. That would make sense, since they all appreciated a normal fight which happened a several times a day at this place. Yes, and Malfoy certainly fits in perfect; he is mental.

"This isn't just any fight or do you seriously think the hacks would have let them get this far out of their pods by accident?"

Well that made sense somehow. At least it explained why people were so deeply committed in all this.

"What is it then? And why did you say that I'm eventually going to take part of all this? I have no interest in fights."

Marcus looked at him briefly.

"Oh believe me; you will too gain a deep interest in this." Jamez sighed deeply.

"Just tell me already!"

Marcus shook his head. He looked back at the people downstairs once again and seemed to be concentrating very hard on their movements. Jamez gave up trying to get Malfoy to talk and figured that he just had to watch if he wanted his answers. He counted the hacks up to eight and the "deserters" were only the two he'd seen earlier. The hacks seemed to be speaking to each other and a several of them nodded. One of the hacks left the group and not long after the alarm quieted down and finally died away. The pounding on the glass from the prisoners soon quieted too.

"Why…" Jamez didn't have a chance to finish his question because Malfoy's hand shoot up and pressed against his lips. Jamez glared venomously. He was becoming entirely too familiar with this sort of action from Malfoys side and he didn't like it.

"You need to be quiet and listen Jade, it's important!" Marcus glared and lowered his hand. When he was sure that Jade wouldn't open his mouth anytime soon he turned back to the window. Jamez was still irritated when he went back to watching. The hack had now rejoined the group and the lights were alight on the floor underneath them. He could now see them perfectly without having to use any kind of magic. The prisoners were still shouting at each other and he could now catch some words even through they were both shouting at the same time. The hacks didn't seem concerned about that even through they normally would have told them to shut up.

"You fucking wanker when I lay my hands on you I'll…"

"Just come over here and I'll show you who's the man…"

The prisoners were led away from each other and the hacks didn't stop walking until they both were standing in each short sides of the room. The hack that had earlier disappeared went into the middle of the room and put down something that looked like a shirt stating X899 but Jamez wasn't sure. After that the same hack went over to one of the long sides and picked up a black bag. He put the bag over his shoulder and walked into the middle again. The hack stopped there and set the bag down. Jamez could feel Malfoy tense beside him. James stole a glance and saw a look of deep concentration on Malfoy's face. Jamez frowned and looked down again. He was surprised the next second when the hack in the middle picked a knife out of the bag and held it up high in the air. A few ponderings could be heard from the other prisoners. Jamez began to wonder if he was watching some strange ritual taking place but he was very unsure if that's the case. The hack lay the knife down on the floor in front of him and picked up another thing from the bag, Jamez saw him raise it in the air just like he had done with the knife, but this time it was a normal rope. At least he though it was a normal rope. Now there was silence in the room and the hack went to pick up another thing after laying the rope down beside the knife. This time he held up and broken bottle and yet again pondering could be heard, stronger this time than when he had shown them the knife. The hack went down into the bag again and fished up a steel wire and this time Malfoy went wild and hit the glass with his fists. He wasn't the only one. The other prisoners were hitting their glass too, almost as loudly as when the alarm had went off. After that the hack didn't dive down in the bag again. Instead he raised his arms up in the air. The prisoners silenced and Jamez was surprised that everyone obeyed at once. They were normally never this structured. There was defiantly something strange going on tonight. The hack went and stood in front of the knife. Again the prisoners went alive, but only a few of them. Then the hack raised his arms again and moved over to the rope. No one made a sound. The hack then again stood in front of the broken bottle and the prisoners made noises. Finally the hack stood in front of the steel wire and Malfoy once again went wild just like the rest. The hack began to put all the things down in the bag again but he left the wire lying on the floor. Another hack came and picked it up and walked over to one of the prisoners and laid it in front of his feet. The prisoner tried to get it but the hacks were holding him back. Fist then Jamez noticed that the hack was still carrying a wire. He was starting to get and uneasy feeling and it only increased when the hack walked over to the other prisoner at the other end of the room and laid it down in front of his feet. The hack in the middle had walked away. Suddenly a bell began to chime.

"Twelve strikes." Jamez raised his eyebrows at Malfoy. What had the annoying piece of shit meant with that?

"Twelve strikes and then what?" Malfoy shook his head in disbelief.

"All this and you still haven't figured it out? Since we haven't got much time I'll tell you even through I had to figure it our myself." Jamez nodded. "They're out there, about to participate in a death match. It's simple; the one who kills the other first survives and live. But to do so the one who kills the other has to go into the middle of the room and but on the shirt. If he is badly injured and doesn't manage to get the t- shirt on even if he's killed the other the hacks will kill him instead." Jamez stared.

"You're having me on!"

Malfoy put his head on the side and watched him.

"Really? Look at them and tell me, does it look like I'm joking? It's true; I've been there myself. They take prisoners as they come and these two where the ones to arrive before you. Therefore I know you'll be out there next and in order to survive you'll have to kill. I believe you're familiar with the 'neither should live if the other survive' thing."

Jamez looked horrified.

"How did you…" he was interrupted by the clock chiming eight. The clock was chiming very slowly, which increased the excitement among the prisoners.

"Why do they do this? Wait a minute; you've been into this game too? So you've killed?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"What the fuck do you think? Would I be standing here otherwise of I lost? You don't know anything about me Jade so don't assume things. I may very well be here in prison for being a serie-killer for all you know."

Jamez cursed himself for not being on his guard all the time. Malfoy was right. He shouldn't have assumed that Malfoy had never killed since he didn't know for sure. He didn't even know why he had assumed that Malfoy wasn't a killer in the first place.

Ten chimes, two left.

"Why do the hacks want us to kill each other?"

"This is the toughest prison in the world, make no mistake. Don't get blended by the fancy environment. Nothing is ever as it seems in here. I know that now." Malfoy looked coldly at him. "Everyone is here for a reason Jade. This isn't a place for normal small criminals. This is the place where the worst kind of bad guys is kept. No one had ever come out of here alive. Almost everyone has a death sentence over their head and those who don't always die in those death matches. That's what the hacks have figured. No one had ever came out of here alive." Malfoy said in a creepy voice. Jamez was actually feeling quite affected by it; he didn't like the sound of it.

Eleven chimes.

"This is a military and governmentally prison. Their secrets can't be spilled around by the wind so the government covers for these kills. I believe this is a huge secret project in order to study the criminal minds. I've heard rumours about prisoners in here being used in medical experiments and there's also an alter motive which means that they're going to clean out all criminality from the society, starting with us."

Jamez was now officially freaked out. This was like some bad kind of muggle movie or novel. This was fantasy, this couldn't be real. He was waiting for himself to wake up any moment now.

Twelve chimes.

The prisoners were released and the hacks stepped back. They both scrambled to get their own steel wire and they prepared to catch each other with it. Once they get close to each other they began to circle and Jamez was reminded of two animals about to fight over a piece of raw meat. The prisoners were equally built, big and strong. One bald and the other had short brown hair.

"This seems to be a long match." Jamez agreed with Malfoy. Indeed, it seemed that way.

He watched how they would sometimes try to kick each other in order to gain the upper hand but each time anyone of them tried anything the other always blocked. Half an hour had passed since the clock had chimed twelve. The other prisoners watching would cheer them on when they got to bored with the passive circling or when one of then would attack the other. They didn't seem to have a favourite.

"This is a boring match." Malfoy went over to the sink and drank some water before going back to his previous spot at the window. "They're very slow. The last match was much better; it was a hell lot of action in it. But then we voted for the broken glass bottle and that's naturally a chose if you want action."

So that's what they were doing when they were laying out the various things on the floor. Jamez thought that explained a lot.

"Those two are getting tired. Soon one of them will slip up and make a mistake." Jamez looked out at the prisoners fighting for their lives and noted that Malfoy was a good observer. They seemed tired.

"So it's only the new ones who has to fight in order to earn a spot in this prison?" Malfoy shook his head.

"No." When Malfoy didn't say anything more Jamez thought he would have to ask once again but before he had the chance Malfoy continued.

"Sometimes they want to test a prisoner again or sometimes they're simply too bored with the person. Then they'll make them participate again."

Jamez nodded thoughtfully when something important hit him.

"How many times have you participated?" Malfoy smirked at him.

"I knew you'd ask." Malfoy looked mischievous again and Jamez didn't like it. This Malfoy switched his mood faster than a tornado and he never knew where he had him. Perhaps it was just an act to throw him off his balance and in that case Malfoy succeeded even through he hide that fact from Malfoy. He never though he'd get used to this Malfoy, but then again he didn't want to. But perhaps he had to. Perhaps he would have no other choice if he were stuck in here and in a pod with Malfoy on top of that. He sighed.

"Just tell me."

"Alright. Since you asked so nicely Jade; I've only ever participated once. That's because I'm excellent in keeping myself interesting towards the guards. I make it their interest to keep me alive."

Jamez snorted at the obvious bragging from Malfoy's side. He couldn't help his nest retort from coming.

"Oh? And how do you do that? Offering your duties to them as the big whore you are?" he knew that hadn't been the right thing to say once he saw Malfoys face. His mask had slipped and he looked hurt for real.

"You know, that really hurt." Malfoy said in a slow kind of way and Jamez believed him. He admitted he had gone to far with that one.

"Sorry." Malfoy only nodded in acceptance. They both went back to watching the match below in silence. It seemed like the bald guy was winning and the other one loosing. By now the bald guy had pressed the other one down to the floor and was trying to put his wire around the other's neck. After a couple of minutes and after the bald guy had taken some nasty blows to the head Jamez watched the bald one finally slip his wire around the others throat and pull hard. He saw the blood spurting out and he heard the other prisoners obvious excitement and cheers but it felt like they where somewhere far away from him; in another universe or something. Jamez watched the other bleed to death on the floor while the hacks and the prisoners looked on and actually cheered.

"Die you fucker!" and "Not so though now, huh? You fucking fuck!" were heard from the hacks. Jamez couldn't believe the cruelty of it all. At the same time he wasn't as bothered by it as he would have been if he had never met Spike and been half turned, but that didn't mean he liked it. The bald man went to the middle and put the t- shirt on.

"That's it. Finally over!" Jamez nodded. Three of the hacks dragged away the body while the others led away the bald guy. One hack was left. He raised his arms and everyone quieted down.

"Normally this would be the end of the show for tonight… but we're going to have another match." Silence echoed after the announcement. Jamez watched Malfoy for a sign of what's going on but Malfoy looked confused and even a little worried.

"The new match will be between Jamez Bluemoon and Jake Blaccers." Jamez froze. He saw the hacks leading the very same man that he had had a verbal fight with the same day he had arrived at the prison.

He turned to Malfoy who looked distraught.

"Alright. Listen carefully. They're coming for you soon. I've watched enough fights to learn one thing and another about this kind of fights. Don't let him get to close and don't be the defensive one. Be the attacker and try the element of surprise. Jake is very fit and he's a sly one. Even if you think you know where you have him, think again. He's been known for using his head in those games and he's been in a several. If they choose the rope, trip him with it and then break his neck. Whatever you do, never turn your back on him, even if you think he's dead. "

With that the hacks came for him and he was taken down to the first floor. Malfoys urgent whispers were swirling around in his head. I didn't know if Malfoy was speaking the truth and if he did, he didn't know why so. But he knew that the only thing he could really trust for now was his instincts and now he would use his vampiric skills too. But he had to be careful. If the hacks found out he was a half-vampire they'd probably kill him even if he won. He took a deep breath when the two was led away towards the opposite sides of the room. And then the "voting" took place.

It was kill or be killed.

SPIKE WILL COME BACK INTO THE STORY

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