S.M. owns all characters.
All mistakes are my own.
White Knuckles – Alter Bridge
Hold on for your life
All we feel is far from alive
The damned are done believing
The cursed can dream no more
So hold on for your life
Because only the strong survive
She sits with her back hunched and arms around her knees, the bones in her spine straining against the fabric of her tunic as she stares at the pillar in front of her.
"Ali" says Rose from her bed, her body facing away from us and head buried against the wilting coils of her mattress. "Tell me a story?" her shoulders shiver as she whispers "please?"
Beside me, Alice tightens her fingers against her legs, the dirty half-moons biting into the pale skin of her calves.
"It won't have a happy ending, Rose" she mutters.
"Tell me" she whimpers and presses her face tighter against the mattress.
Alice's face tightens before she shakes her head and looks down.
"Once, not very long ago, there was a girl and she was afraid."
"Why?" mumbles Rose.
"Because she was going to die" says Alice.
I can hear as Rose sniffles and nods.
"She had been taken away from her family, and all the ones she loved to live in a stone room. And every four days she would be taken up to the sun and she would choose whether to die or to live." Alice looks up at me, her white eyes hollowed against her protruding cheek bones. "And every time, though she cursed herself, she chooses to live and she would be taken back to the stone room. Knowing deep down that every time she choose to live up in the sun, she was dying in the dark."
"Like us" cries Rose, her shoulder shaking as she muffles her tears into her arms.
"Yeah" mumbles Alice "just like us."
Breathing through her nose, she exhales "One day, a day that had nothing special about it, she decided that next time she saw the sun would be the day she died. And though terror held her, she knew that it was the only escape left." Alice looks down at her scarred arms as she speaks. "It was on that day, the day she knew all the pain would finally end, that a man came."
"He wasn't a beautiful man" she tells us "and he wasn't there to save her. The girl knew he was bad. He breathed evil as he walked up to her and took her by her arms." Tears trail against her cheeks, streaking the dirt away from her porcelain skin. My stomach twists as I look at her, my throat tightening against my breathing.
"She was so weak, she had long ago lost the fight within her and she was tired. But she knew that if she didn't fight, she would never forgive herself. No one tried to save her as he pulled her against him; they laughed as he ripped at her shirt and pulled at her pants. He was a dirty man, and she knew if he touched her, she would be dirty to, so she fought. Kicking and screaming as he laughed. Heat burned her skin as he pushed her underneath one of the candles that lit her cell. Knocking her head against the iron, she felt the wax burn her skin. Dripping along her arms and scalding her flesh.
'Fight all you want' he said to her as he laughed 'I like it.'
And then she was screaming as he attached his mouth to hers. Bolts of agony consumed her as he smashed her head against the wall once more, making her world tilt around her. It was then she grabbed the metal above her" she looks down at herself "it was so hot it melted her skin and the smoke burned her eyes. Screaming against the pain she pulled it towards her and thrust the burning candle against his face, grinding the flames against his skin."
Alice meets Jaspers eyes as he leans against the wall near the door and I watch as he flexes his charred skin "Then, it was his turn to scream."
Beside me, Rose is screaming into her bed, her shoulders heaving as sobs break in her brittle chest.
"That day, she didn't get to escape" says Alice. "Nor did she get the chance the next time. Again and again as the fourth day came and went she still lay alive in her stone cell away from the sun and freedom. And to this day, she still lies there, waiting for her day when she will be taken from the darkness and given the choice whether to live or to die."
Silence fills the spaces between us before Rose sniffles against her tears and whimpers "I didn't like that story."
"No" says Alice as she stares at the pillar again. "Neither did I."
xxx
When I look at him, I want to remember his face.
His dark hair and pale skin.
And how, as the sun grips our flesh, sweat shimmers along his forehead.
When I watch him walk towards me, I want to remember the way his eyes took in mine.
His blue tints meeting my own and reflecting the harsh light that burns the arena.
And how, as we stare at each other, understanding begins to fill them.
The way they widen before they narrow and he looks up above us.
How his body tightens against the crowd's screams as they crash over us, drowning out the sounds of my breathing.
When he moves forwards, I want to remember the way he eyed me.
His movements measuring mine.
And how, as I stood still, his steps echoed through the stadium as they began to increase.
I watch as he runs towards me, his face torn with the anger that sears his brain. A snarl tearing at his lips and ripping against the stutter of my breathing.
My heart beats against my ribs, pounding at its bone confinements as I watch him curl his fist and pull back.
I hear more than see the way the curved bones break the air, the wind whistling as it rushes towards my skin.
Pain snaps against my skull as my head whips back, my jaw wrenching and ringing through my head.
Stars burst in my vision as my leaden legs stumble underneath me, my body swaying as the world tilts and colours dance against my greying eyes.
Fighting the sickness that burrows in my stomach, I breathe through the metallic tang that taints my teeth and burns my tongue.
I can hear the screams above me, like thousands of insects, their cries bite at my skin and vibrate against my skull as they watch my lips stain crimson against the blood that drips from my limp jaw.
Agony grips me as I stumble backwards, my body trembling against the urge to drop.
The man looks at me, his face pinched as he watches my movements, his lips pressed tightly together and his shoulders heaving.
We stand so close I can see the wrinkles that ghost the skin around his eyes, like in a past life; he liked to laugh a lot.
Somewhere around us I can hear the shouts of first blood and then the buzzer rings, the sound scraping against my skin as I look at the Darkie before me.
He steps forward, his eyes following as I mirror him, moving my heavy legs backwards.
My knees shake as I step, the bones in my legs crying as I press them to move.
The Darkie grunts as his eyes narrow, the whites meeting mine as we walk farther into the arena.
Glass crunches underneath us, grinding against the broken stone and piercing the leather beneath me feet. Flares of pain wash along my senses as I step across the shards.
"What are you doing?" snaps the man, his face straining against the anger that builds along the veins in his forehead. "Fight me!" his snarls flit between us, the words clipped and venomous as they swirl with the hot wind.
I shake my head, the pain clenching my throat and wheezing my breath.
His nostrils flare as I match his step towards me, his hands clenching at his sides and the cords in his neck straining against the column of his throat.
The man moves again, and I turn, forcing my legs to move as I stumble over the metal bones beneath us. My movements are jerky and I'm tripping over my feet as I force my body to move myself away from the man behind me.
His screams chase me as I run. And my heart stumbles with my legs as I try to make myself move faster.
Sickness washes over me as I remember the moments I have spent running through the metallic skeletons. The ways I stumbled and bled along the stones underneath me as my screams rang through the arena. The ways the people chasing me died above me, their blood painting my skin as I watched the light fade from their eyes.
The sun reflects against the metal around me, thousands of sharp lights bouncing around me, burning my eyes as they meet my abused pupils.
My heart smashes against my chest, tattooing my ribs in painful beats that match the slap of my feet below me.
The cheers from the crowd fill my brain as I twist my body around a metal pipe as it attempts to slice my skin with its rusting fingers.
Grunts of anger follow me as I move through the maze around us, his footsteps matching mine.
A whistle of metal slices the air as something connects with my calves, slicing at the skin near the bend in my leg.
Fire licks up my limbs and I'm falling, the world twisting around me as the ground slams up to meet my knees.
I can feel the skin as it's torn away from my bones as I skid across the broken road. The gravel digging into the bloody aftermath of my legs as I smash against a metal post that stands against the angry sun. Flames lick against my body as my breath whooshes from my lungs and I wheeze against the pain that fills my body.
Tears blur my vision and I'm crying against the pain that paralyzes my body.
I hear the clang as the man drops the metal pipe I had avoided before and runs towards me. He slides his foot under my stomach flips me onto my back before setting his foot against my throat.
His white eyes meet mine as I cough against the pressure.
He looks down at me and I know that he's thinking it was me or him and that he wanted to live.
And I want to tell him that I don't blame him for it.
That everything I have done and everything he will do, is not our fault.
That we are nothing but a game to the people who sit above us, cheering for our blood.
And demanding we die.
And I want to tell him not to haunt himself with my face.
That I will become nothing but a body among bodies in his mind.
That I wasn't the first and won't be the last.
And I want to tell him that dying doesn't hurt as much as living.
Because at least at the end I won't remember the way blood feels once it's dried on your skin.
My body screams as I try to drag air past his foot, my lungs pleading for the oxygen.
I wrap my trembling fingers around him, the digits aching as I try to push him away. My head pounding against the weight on my throat.
There is a part of me that wishes I would just let go, feed the darkness and forget the way it feel to suffocate within myself. But my lungs plead and I'm choking against the air I try to pull into my body.
Above me, I can hear the waves of cries. The Day Walkers screaming as I jerk underneath the man.
I look up at the Darkie, my eyes meeting his as he presses down harder. Tears fill my greying vision and I feel my hands as they fall limp against the leather of his foot.
My lungs attempt to cough and I wheeze as it builds in my collapsed throat. My stomach coats my inside with acid as I watch him kill me.
I look into his eyes, watching the way they fill with determination as they stare down at my twitching body before they widen and he stumbles backwards, his hands coming up to claw at his throat.
My lungs scream as air rushes past my teeth and I gasp, choking as it pushes past my bruised neck and buries itself into the burning empties of my chest.
Wheezing, I cough as I pull oxygen past the raw passage of my throat.
Blood throbs against my skull, pounding at my eardrums as I twist my body onto my side and press my head against the heated pavement. My legs slip together as my blood stains my skin.
Ragged flesh look back at me where my thighs had once and my stomach retches and I heave against the bile that fills my throat.
Tears blur my vision as I stare at the white eyes before me.
Wide and unblinking we stare at each other.
The feathers on the tip dowel flutter in the dry wind and I close my eyes against his stare.
The sound of feet pounding fills the arena as the guards come to collect the man's body and pull me from the stadium.
Hand slip under my arms as someone heaves me to my feet and pulls me away from the dead man.
I'm dragged away from the Darkie as he's heaved up and pulled over to the mouth of the arena.
My legs are heavy and my body numb as I'm moved towards the side of arena. My jaw hangs limply and my tongue is swollen against my teeth.
My guard pushes me forwards and into the tunnel, the darkness falling over us as I'm dragged through the twisting passage.
My legs shake as I stumble forwards, my hands pressing against the stone wall to hold myself up.
I can hear the roar of the crowd as they scream, the pounding of feet thundering overhead as I'm pulled towards Prep.
Trackers voice echoes after us as he declares me the winner. His disdain for me forgotten at the sight of the blood spilled across the stone.
We move through the arched mouth and I'm hauled over to the bench and tossed down. My guard bends over, snaps the heavy manacles around my wrists, before clicking them around my ankles and stepping away from me.
My bones throb and I wilt against the stone wall behind me, my head hung as I listen to the woman move around me.
Sounds clash and bang as gossip is tossed between women and giggles fill the room.
I can hear as someone approaches me, their slipper clad feet meeting the edge of my gaze and stopping.
I can feel their eyes on me as they stand, the silence filling the space between us before they pull a stool and sit it across from me.
"I'm going to fix your jaw, Bella" says Esme, her voice soft as she sits in front of me. "It's going to hurt" she says and leans forward to touch her fingers along my limp chin, her hands cupping my skin as she tilts my head up to look into her eyes. "Just try to breath, alright?" I say nothing as she looks at me before looking at my jawline. "Breathe in" she murmurs before she thrusts the bone upwards and I gasp back a scream as it builds in my throat. She twists the bone and I can feel as it grinds back into its socket. Tears blur the world before falling across my face.
Esme murmurs as she runs her fingers along my jaw, probing the swollen skin before she nods and smiles softly at me. "There" she nods, stands up and moves away from me.
I open my mouth slightly, flinching as jolts of pain lace my jawbone and linger along my hairline.
I drop my head again and watch as the crimson stones beneath me flash with the fire light and wondering if I will ever forget staring into the dead white eyes of the man you tried to kill me.
xxx
It's a long time before someone stands above me, and smooth's a salve against my shredded thighs and when they do, they don't meet my eyes.
Around me, the women talk about the fights that are still yet to happen today. They laugh with each other at stories that they tell and whisper when they speak of someone who walks the room around them.
Not long after they had brought me in they bring in the body of the Darkie man. Dumping his body on the table farthest from me, the two guards that dragged his body grimace at his slacked head and limp neck before one men jerks the man's head over the edge of the table and holds his head straight for the other guard to grasp the butt of the arrow and thrust it farther into his neck.
My stomach lurches as the tip of the arrow break through the skin of the back of his neck and the guard tugs the body through, the light wood coming out a dark brown, stained with the life it took.
They grimace and toss the arrow into a bucket beside the table and nod to their partner signalling for him to drop his head. They move away and nod to the women who sit at their table smiling as they pass and walk out the door.
The women nod towards the door and giggle, their shoulder knocking before they look at the Darkie's body and sighing.
"At least it didn't shred the armour" the larger one says, her face pinched as she moves to look over the leather that clad that corpse on the table.
"Did you even see it?" asks the other, her voice high pitched and scrapping against my nerves.
"Came out of nowhere" says the other and eyes the stained neck of the Darkie. "Better get it off."
"You do it" says the other, shuddering "I hate touching them" her delicate nose turned up in the air as she sniffs.
"Don't be such a wimp" grumbles the other and moves to the laces on the pants "he ain't gonna touch you, he's dead."
"I know he dead" she snaps and looks at his cooling skin "it's just gross, what if they have a disease" she looks over her shoulder at me before lowering her voice to her work partner "you know how they live, who knows what they carry" she trembles and steps away from the body again.
"You're not sticking me with all the work" snaps the other and moves around the table to work the other set of laces.
"I'll do the washing" says the other and moves to one of the buckets under the table.
"Leave it" snaps Esme as she moves towards the two women "both of you."
"We were—" says the first one and looks at the woman at her side.
"Yes, I know you were, which is why I told you to leave it" says Esme as she moves beside the man and pushes the hair on his forehead back "Go home, you're done for the day" she waves her hand at the two of them and turns back to the man below her.
Esme sighs and slides her fingers over his blank stare, closing his lids and mumbling into the air.
She moves to the laces that the woman had undone and continues to unlace them, peeling the leather from his pale skin and gently folding the cloth, laying it on the table behind her.
Esme dips her fingers under the man's body and tips him forwards so she can unsnap the heavy armour from his back. Gently she lays him back against the table and unclips the sleeves from his arms, tugging them down and laying them with the rest of the armour.
Finally, when he lays naked on the table, his body still and cold does Esme nod to the guards that stand on either side of the door and lays a large sheet of yellowing fabric of his body. The guards move towards her as she tucks the ends of the fabric under his body and nods at them.
The body is lifted from the table and is taken towards the door of Prep.
Esme handles the pile of leather and dumps it into the bucket closest to her.
I watch as the men carry the body, and my stomach stumbles as his limp hand falls from the confines of the fabric to bounce with the guards movements.
The door slams behind the two men and I turn away from the flickering shadows that dance underneath the wood.
Then there is nothing but the sounds of Prep as women move through their days. Their voices flitting between the laughs that bounce off the stone walls and the flickers of burning candles.
The pain in my body numbs my mind and I'm drifting through the sounds of world outside my own.
I can hear as the next person if brought into the room and pushed against the benches but I don't open my eyes even when they scream and curse at the people around us.
"You taking her?" asks Ingrid, her voice close to me, above me, like she's standing looking down at my broken body.
"Not yet" says the guard and I can hear as she huffs.
"And why not?"
"Royal business" answers the guard and I can hear as he walks away, and the way Ingrid huffs before moving away from me.
The sound of manacles clashing ringing through the room the person pulls against their cuffs.
"You dead?" they ask, their voice a snap of sound through the room.
I crack my eyes and I look at the girl down the bench, my eyes sweeping over her pale and fresh face and down her tangle free black hair.
She's new and untouched.
I wonder who she will fight, and if, like me she will survive only to have wished she hadn't.
"Unfortunately" I mumble and I grimace as the burning in my legs flares as I shift against the wood beneath me.
"What happened to you?" she asks, her brows furrowing as her eyes run across my face and down my body.
"Too much" I mumble and look away from her.
"Well, shit" she mutters and I choke of the chuckle that cracks in my throat.
Silence falls between us as I lean back against the wall and press my eyes together, fighting back the nausea that threatens to drown me.
The girl clears her throat and I open my eyes to look at the women around us "I'm Emily" she says and I cock a brow.
"That's nice" I say and roll my aching shoulders.
She grunts and tugs at the metal around her limbs, clenching her jaw as she strains against the iron.
"You're wasting your energy" I mutter as I look at the ground.
"So you're saying I shouldn't even try?" she snaps, her voice rising with her anger.
I snort and shake my head "No, I'm saying that if you use all your energy you're more likely to die out there" I nod my head towards the mouth of the tunnel.
Then she's screaming, and it's vibrating against my skull.
The women around us look at her before grimacing and turning back to their work.
Esme leans over to the woman besides her, whispers and sends her through the door and out into the hall.
My head throbs and my throat tightens as her wordless screech bounces off the walls around us.
I can hear the door crash, the wood bouncing against the stone threshold as a man rushes through the arch and towards Emily.
Her cuffs are unlocked and she's pulled towards Esme stands at her table
I turn away as her tunic is pulled off her and her armour is laced and clipped into place.
I know when Esme has finished because Emily's scream becomes fainter and hiccups as she and her guard round the corner.
Then there is nothing but the question of how she will come back.
A body to be tossed on the table.
Or a body to be tossed on the bench.
Either way, she will be dead.
xxx
I stand before Esme as she unclips the sleeves and pulls them down my arms.
Standing at my side she pulls at the laces that run along my spine, tugging at the heavy chest armour and setting it on the table beside us.
Crouching beside me, she works the knot of the shorts and lets them fall to the floor, urging my feet to lift and step out of them.
Unwrapping the leather from my thighs, she stands and unclips the piece around my throat.
I fight the urge to rub the skin, imagining the colours that paint my flesh as I watch her pull my tunic from the table and slip it over my head. Her hand knocking away the guard who stand beside me, his fingers clasping my arm in place.
Helping me into my pants, she skims her fingers over the bandages that cover the shredded skin of my thighs before she steps away and untangles the braids from my head, dropping my heavy hair against my shoulders.
"She good?" asks my guard and Esme nods, her eyes scanning my face. He pulls on my arm and we're moving away from her and towards the door.
Stepping into the shadowed hall he turns me away from the hall that leads to the Compound and walks up a slopping passage, dragging my staggering body after him.
Candles dance patterns along his stern face as we walk, sharp bones in his cheeks fighting against the confines of his skin as he works his jaw.
As we move higher we pass less people, the staff dressed in shabby rags bowing their heads become fewer as I'm pulled along behind the guard, his grunts of anger when I stumble the only sound he makes.
Our steps echo through the empty halls as he pulls me down the passage and I watch as windows begin to filter light into the dingy stone route, telling me that I am back above ground.
Screams from the arena rock through the air as we travel and I squint past the burn of the sun and out into the dusty afternoon air.
Harsh greens line the horizon as I stare out over the walls of the arena and past the city beneath the looming arches of the palace.
The sun bounces against the white stones of the citadel steps and the massive granite columns that hold the heavy ridge of the towering carved roof.
The hall's slope begins to even until we are walking on flat ground again. Tightening his hold on me we round the corner, the windows decreasing again as we head inwards.
My guard stops as we round another corner and walks me through the arching doorway at the end of the hall. His hand flexing around my arm, we walk down the dark hallway towards the heavy light the fills the world.
I stop, pulling against the guard as he moves me towards the sun just beyond the darkness. He glares at me and thrusts me forwards, his eyes narrowed.
The pain that blinds me is crippling. I twist my face away from the head and bury my face against my shoulder as tears fill my vision and a whimper presses against my throat.
Around me, I can hear thousands of voice, all moving together in a wave of screams that wash over my body.
My guard tugs me forwards and I'm stumbling blindly along the stone steps of the stadium seats.
People scream at me as I move. I can hear their voices and feel their hands as they reach out and grab at my skin.
My feet stumble as I'm shepherd through the heaving bodies, some slapping at my faces, their palms striking my flesh and causing my steps to falter and my blinded body to trip.
The guard at my side pulls me up and moves me past the Day Walkers, pushing my weakening legs to move up the steps, slowly taking me higher into the air. My legs feel made of stone when he turns me to the right, pushing me down a narrow path and under an overhanging.
Looking against my eye lids I watch as the harsh oranges that had bled through die and darken as the sun's heat releases its grip on my skin.
Stopping, he thrusts me backwards and I stumble against the stone seat, my legs crumbling beneath me as I fall against the rock.
Pain wraps my tailbone and I squint at the man before me, my eyes watering as they narrow at the man as he moves to stand at the end of the row; his hands behind his back and face towards the arena below.
Thunders of cries wrap ricochet against the air as I look out over the people.
Thousands of bodies push against each other as they jump up and scream at the action below. Following the curve of the arena I sweep my eyes over the half-moon of seating that's over following with pushing bodies.
Tracing the arc of stone, I look over the bare wall opposite me across the rounded stadium, watching as the sun lights the towering barricade and thrusting its shadow over the small metal bodies that fill the area within it.
Beyond the wall I can see the city below us. Thousands of stark white roofs reflect the sun as it bounces through the twisting streets before they break away and I can see the emptiness of the city square and the massive fountain that sprays into the air, lighting the sky like diamonds as the drops fall through the air.
"We have the best view" says a voice above me and my spine tightens. "You will see things people normally miss" they promise as they laugh and I clench my fists at my sides.
The wind whips hot through the seats and I gag at the stenches that filter through the air. Decay hangs heavy in the hot sun and I fight the bile that churns in my stomach.
"I didn't want you to miss anything" they say and laugh again, their fingers scrapping against the stone throne beneath them.
Below us, I can hear the scream that escapes the arena. The sound echoing as it's torn from her bleeding lips.
I watch as she pulls her body backwards, tugging at her limp legs as she tries to escape her tormenter. His steps match her frantic movements, his shoulders heaving as he looks down at her shaking form. His hair is long and braided down his back, a heavy black rope against the darkness of his skin.
I curl my fingers along the curve of the seat as I turn my eyes away from her face, not wanting to remember from the terror she is now.
I can hear as he snaps his fingers and someone's fingers reach out to curl under my jaw, twisting my face back to the scene below and holding my face in place.
"Now, Bella," he says, his voice closer as he leans forward and whispers his hot breath against my neck. "How are you going to make it through the main entertainment if you can't even watch the preshow?" Edward's father brushes his fingers down my spine and I jerk away from him.
The guard's fingers tighten, cutting his nails into my skin as he thrusts me back into my spot.
"Watch" he whispers against my ear before leaning back and resting against the stone behind him.
My heart wrenches in my chest as I watch Emily scream underneath the Day Walker. Her legs kicking out beneath him, trying to him purchase in his heavy thighs as she twists against his hold.
Her elbow slips free and clips his nose, the bone wrenching to the side and releasing a torrent. His scream mixes with hers as he paints her face red.
I watch as he pulls pack his hand and slaps it against her face, whipping her head to the side and breaking the skin along her eyebrow.
Emily screams again, her eyes wide as she looks up at him, her head twisting as he reaches into his pants and pulls a short blade from the leather confines.
My hands clench at my sides and I jerk against the guard who holds me.
Anger burns my stomach as I pull at the flesh restraints that keep me prisoner high up in the stands.
Her name slips from my lips as I look down at her small body.
My words are lost in the sea of screams that accompany mine in the air, swallowing my fear within their lust for her blood.
Behind me, Edward's father laughs "Oh dear, did you know her?"
I scream against my bonds, my arms throbbing as I twist against the second guard that grips my shoulders.
"Such a shame" he says as Emily's screams wane with her tears.
The Day Walker leans over her face, the hilt of the knife grasped in his hand as he sinks the tip of the blade into the soft skin of his cheek. Dragging it down, he lines her skin with a ragged red line before pulling it out and repeating until a bloody M mars the side of her face.
I can see the smile that pulls his lips as he looks down at his work, his finger running over the torn flesh of her cheek, tracing the letter across her shredded face.
Emily presses her hands against his shoulders as she cries, screams barely escaping her stuttering lips as her pain begins to paralyze her body.
Then, after looking at her face for another moment he slashes his hand across her throat, the serrated blade catching on her skin and tearing it away from her body.
I can hear the way her lungs gurgle as she drowns in her blood. Air catches in the broken skin and she coughs against the blood that fills her throat. I watch her chest as it heaves, her legs jerking underneath the heavy body of the man above her.
Then there is nothing.
And she is gone.
The man roars, his hands thrust above his head as he stands and turns to the look at the crowd above him.
Cries fill the air, screams ricocheting through my brain as I look at the small body of the girl.
Tracker announces him the winner and he walks out of the arena, passing the guards that run through the mouth of the tunnel and grab the broken body that lies on the concrete.
"Well" says Edward's father behind me "That was a tad disappointing, don't you think?"
I clench my jaw against the urge to rip away from the hands that hold me and wrap my fingers around his throat.
"Nowhere near as beautiful as your fights, my dear" he says and leans forward. "You are a true sight to behold."
"You're sick" I whisper and the guard who holds my face releases me to slap his open palm against my cheek. My head whips to the side and I gasp as the pain works its way through my jaw.
"Watch your mouth little girl" snaps the guard at my side.
I can taste the metallic taint that stains my mouth as my teeth release my tongue.
Edward's father chuckles "That's quite alright Sam" I can hear as he opens his mouth to protest but Edward's father snaps his fingers and says "Leave us; I have much to discuss with our guest."
Sam and the other guard stand and move to stand at the stairs, their backs to us and their eyes watching the people that scream around us.
I can hear the rustle of fabric as Edward's father shifts in his seat "Come here" he says.
I want to ignore him.
To forget he sits behind me, high upon his throne looking down at the massacres below him but I know that if I do not move myself, someone will do it for me.
My bones creak as I stand, my knees weak under my body as I turn and step up onto my seat and over to the one that sits beside him.
Setting myself as far away from him as I can, I sit on the edge, my eyes staring down at the arena below us.
I can smell the stench of rotting fruit from the folds of his robes as he rearranges himself in his seat.
"Watching you this morning, I must say, I was disappointed with the outcome."
I clench my hands to my sides as I stare out away from him, saying nothing.
"You see my dear, my gift to you was for you to test your limits, not to have someone execute the man while you lay there letting him kill you."
Edward's father traces the side of my face with his eyes "I had hoped you would come to understand your place today" he sighs. "But it seems you have instead lost sight of why you are here."
I twist my palms against the stone beneath me. "Perhaps, you need a reminder?" he asks and I look at him, my eyes narrowing as he smiles.
He nods towards the stadium below us and his grin widens as the screams fill the space around us.
The dread that curls through my system as I turn my head is something I will never forget. It twists my stomach and warps my lungs as I look down at the tiny woman who walks across the arena.
"I want you to remember this moment" he whispers to me, his sick breath washing over my face "because this is the moment I break you" he laughs as he pulls away and flicks his hand in the air.
Looking down at Alice as she moves towards the man who stands in the middle of the stadium a part of me knows what will happen.
I watch the dying sun as it reflects against the thousands of tiny glass shards that light the ground, filling the area with tiny tinkles of daytime stars.
The man across from her stands with his hands at his side, his face blank as he watches her move. Hulking shoulders wrapped in coils of leather stand tightened against the heat of the fading day.
Stopping, she looks at the man in front of her, her hands clenched at her sides as her eyes sweep over the glints of metal that line the cuffs around his wrists.
Like every Day Walker that enters that arena the small blades that line the inside of the wrist bands gleam in the setting sun and reflect back at their opponent.
Running his fingers along the blades a smile curls his thin lips, pulling them up like scars marring his stone face.
It happens to fast for my eyes to catch it.
One moment they stand facing each other, the next Alice lies on the ground, her back towards the crowd and the Day Walker is lowering his hand as he moves towards her.
I watch as she thrusts her hands under her body and pushes herself up. Launching to the side, her knees knock against the stones beneath her before she's on her feet and running towards the side of arena.
Behind her, the man growls and his feet match the pounding of hers, his fingers slipping the second blade from the sheath along his palm.
Dodging to the right, Alice lunges forwards, his fingers wrapping around the thin hilt of the blade that protrudes from the ground and turns on the balls of her feet to face the man who smashes his body into hers.
They fall hard.
Skidding backwards, Alice's head connects with the ground with a sharp crack, the back of her skull ricocheting back against the air and falling again.
The man lifts his head to look down at her eyes, a smile breaking across his face again as he twists the hilt of the blade deeper into her chest.
Alice looks back at him, her cracked lips spreading as she meets his eyes, her torso heaving against the metal that protrudes from between the bones in her ribcage.
Screams mirror mine as they flow over the man below us.
My throat clenches and I'm choking against the pain that lines my chest.
The man screams, his arm thrown towards the air like the man before him, his head thrown back against the last of the days heat.
I can hear as she begins to laugh, the sound broken between her gasps as the man's eyes widen, the roar of his victory stuttering in his lungs. Thrusting her hand forwards, she twists her arm against his body.
The man stops, his brow pulled together in confusion as he pushes his body up to look at down at his stomach.
As he inhales the tip of the handle moves within his skin, the pressure of breathing forcing the end out from his flesh.
Slowly he reaches across his stomach and grips the end of the handle and pulls it from his body. A screams leaking from his lips as the blade follows the bone handle. Dropping it, it clangs against the stones of the ground as he look at the gaping wound in his abdomen, his blood staining the leather around his body black.
He looks back at Alice as she laughs, her white teeth stained pink in the dying light.
"If I go" she wheezes, her voice echoing through the stadium "you're going with me."
Around me, I can hear the crowds breathing, the sounds of their confusion ringing through the arena as they look down at the fight below.
The man clutches his stomach as he stumbles off of her body, his legs crumbling under his weight and he slumps against a ragged cut of boulders, his heavy body leaning against the heated surfaces.
Gasping, he stares up at the sun, his hands pressed against the hole in his skin, the blood weaving between his fingers as his heart pumps it from his body.
Gasps of laughter slip past her lips, gurgling as it passes her tongue and fading in the air above her. I watch as the light in her eyes slowly fades as her white eyes stare up at the blood orange of the dying day.
I can hear as he chokes, his body heaving against the torn skin of his body.
I can hear as she coughs, the blood escaping her lips and painting her pale skin.
Then silence.
And I can't hear anything at all.
Beside me, Edward's father's hands slap together, the sound echoing over the hushed viewers below us and vibrating within my head.
My stomach heaves as I look down at the bodies, their unseeing eyes watching as the sun slips away and darkness begins to cloud over us.
xxx
I'm not walking on my own.
His hands wrap under my arms as I'm towed through the gloomy halls towards the Compound.
My brain is fogged as I watch the candles flicker terror filled faces against the stone walls.
Sam knocks on the door and I can hear the locks as they snap and the door creaks open.
Forcing me through, he nods to Emmett as he drags me past the haunted white eyes that follow our movements.
Slamming his fist against Doc's door, he twists the knob and thrusts me through before him and walks me over to the exam table.
"And what can I do for you on this fine evening?" he asks, his back to us as he leans over his desk.
"Check her" grunts Sam as he moves away from me to lean against the wall beside the door.
Doc lifts his head and looks from me to the guard and nods.
"You may leave" he waves his hand as he moves towards me.
"I don't think that's a good idea" he says as he eyes the doc.
"I didn't ask if you thought it was good idea" says Doc, his eyes running over the supplies that line the cart beside him "I told you to leave."
Sam's eyes narrow as he watches Doc move through the room.
"If you must, you can wait outside the door" sighs Doc as he looks up at the guard.
Their eyes hold before Sam nods and moves to the door "I'll be just outside" he says and Doc nods as he turns away from him.
"Very well."
I watch the door clang against its frame as Doc moves through the room, his head bowed as he collects the large bottle of disinfectant, setting it on the tray beside the exam table.
Above me, wind whistles through the open window, filling the room with the scent of decaying flesh and dust.
I turn my head to look up at it and back to the Doc.
"Sit" he tells me, nodding towards the table as he pulls the stool in front of me "What happened?"
I pull myself up onto the wood and look down at his head, the candles flashing through the blonde strands.
"I fell" I mutter as he pulls up the loose fabric of my pants to expose the bandaged flesh.
"I can see that" he says as he unwraps the dressings to look at the torn skin beneath.
Muttering to himself he turns and grabs a small jar of clear jell. Twisting the cap, he dips his fingers in and smooth's the salve against my raw skin before cutting new bindings and rewrapping my skin, repeating the process on my other leg.
Finishing, he whips his hands on a towel that lays across his lap and looks at my face. Running his fingers over the discolouration, he probes the tender skin causing tears the prickle in my eyes.
"And this?"
I shrug "I fell against a fist."
Doc sighs but nods as he tells me to breathe in as his fingers run along my ribs.
Nodding to himself he looks at me "Nothing seems to be broken."
He pushes himself up and moves towards his desk, flipping through the papers on the top of it.
"You're all set."
I curl my fingers around the heavy neck of the bottle at my side.
"Thank you Doctor" I murmur as I push myself off the table and move towards him.
"Of course, Bella" he says his back to me "Perhaps the next time I see you, it won't be to patch you up" he chuckles.
"Perhaps" I muse and step behind him.
I raise the bottle to the side as he turns to look at me.
His eyes follow my arm up before they widen.
"I'm afraid I have to leave now, Doctor" I mutter as his eyes meet mine.
His mouth opens as the bottle connects with the side of his head, his eyes rolling up into his skull as he sways before dropping to the floor in a heap.
Quickly, I set the bottle onto the desk and tug the heavy wood across the floor, the legs scrapping across the stones as I shove it against the door.
Stepping away, I move over to the exam table and grab the stool, propping it on top against the wall underneath the window.
Climbing up, I step onto the wrong that holds the four legs of the chair together, digging my fingers into the grooves of the wall as I press my knee against the seat of the stool.
Pulling myself up, I ease my body so I'm standing, the wood beneath me shaking with my legs.
Looking up, I wrap my fingers around the ledge of the window, the bones in my hands aching as I heave myself up.
Behind me I can hear Sam as he calls out to Doc and his grunt as he pushes against the door.
Biting back the scream that fills my throat, I dig my toes into the wall and wrench my body over the ledge, the stone cutting against my stomach.
Looking down at the small drop outside, I twist my body so I'm sitting in the window, pulling my legs up against my body and crouching as I turn my body outwards.
I can hear as the door whines against the shoves of the men behind it, the hinges screaming as they force it against the heavy desk.
Breathing through my nose, I look down below me, counting in my head before curling my fingers around the edge and thrusting my body into the night sky.
For a moment, I'm airborne, my stomach flipping as my body cuts the air before my feet slam against the stone road below, the impact vibrating through the soles of my feet and numbing the bones in my legs.
I stumble as I land and my knees protest against movements as I push my body to move.
I can hear the shouts from the window above me as I veer to the left and fling my body into the empty streets of the Day Walkers city.
My feet slap the stones beneath me, my heart pounding with my pulse as my lungs scream for me to breathe.
Following the twisting roads between the homes, I press my body to the shadows that fill the passages.
Somewhere through the city I can hear the shouts of the guards as I weave past the fading candle light that fills the windows of the people above me.
Turning I enter the city square, my feet echoing through the empty space as I run past the towering fountain. Water mists the air and clings to my skin as I move away from the open area and back into the shadows of the cities back alleys.
A siren wails through the air as I break through the last of the houses.
The sound echoing against the stone buildings and following me as I push past the thick reeds that block my path, their sharp bodies whipping against my skin as I thrust my body through their maze.
I can hear the harsh slap of feet behind me, their shouts of order chasing me as I move.
Pushing past, I force my legs to run against the thicket, my chest aching as I try to drag air into my aching lungs.
The lights of torches bleed through the darkness as I break through and stumble into the forest.
Catching my feet on the roots of a tree my legs crumble and I crash against the ground.
Shaking out the stinging in my palms I look over my shoulder at the bodies that move through the stalks behind me. Forcing myself up I push my body deeper into the darkness around me.
Running, I turn my head to watch the men as they make their way into the forest, their lights thrust into the air as they squint into the blackness.
Breathing against the cramps that line my stomach I turn and run into a thick wall of heated flesh.
The scream that builds in my throat muffled against the hand that's placed across my mouth.
I struggle, my arms smacking against the body in front of me.
"Stop" they whisper, their breathe dancing against my neck.
My legs kick against my captors and he grunts.
Growling, he slips an arm around my waist and hauls me behind a thick tree, resting his back against the rigged bark.
"You need to stop or they're going to hear you" he hisses as he leans close to my ear, his lips brushing my hair.
My heart stutters against my ribs, beating at the bones that hold it in place and I struggle to breathe against Edward's hand, my arms dropping to my sides and my body sags.
Beyond us, I can hear the shouts of the guards and the flicker of their flames as they move away from us.
"If I remove my hand, are you going to scream?" he whispers and I shake my head.
Sighing, he drops it away from my mouth and I gasp at the air around us.
Silence falls around us as the guards move farther away from us. Clamping my mouth shut against the thundering of my breaths, I drag air through my nose. Finally, when I no longer see the weaving lights, I turn to look at him, my eyes narrowing at his face. "What is with you and manhandling me?" I snap as I jerk away from him.
Edward looks down at me, his brow furrowed "You're welcome."
"I didn't say thank you" I mutter.
"I know" he says and I frown.
I glare at him, my eyes taking in the little details I don't see in the light, I fold my arms over my chest and say "What are you doing here?" Edward opens his mouth to speak but I hold up my hand. "Never mind, don't answer that, just go back to where you came and leave me alone."
"I can't do that" he says and I narrow my eyes at him.
"If you think for a second I'm gonna go back without a fight you are sadly mistaken."
Edward looks at me before shaking his head "I'm not going to take you back."
I narrow my eyes at him "And why would I believe anything you say?"
He shrugs and crosses his arms over his chest "If I wanted to take you back, I would have done it already."
I growl under my breath before turning on my heels and stomping through the forest. "So what, you wanted to say goodbye?" I wave my hand over my shoulder "Bye."
Edward's steps mirror mine as he pushes off the tree to move beside me "I'm going with you."
I snort "So you can take more of my people and murder them? I don't think so."
A hand wraps around my wrist and jerks me around to stare at him. "I'm serious" he says.
"So am I" I pull away from him "why on this green earth would I willingly agree to travel with you after you kidnapped me and murdered my people?"
My throat tightens as memories of the ruins fill me. "I don't have an answer to that" he says and I look up at him.
"No" I say "you wouldn't." I turn away from him and continue walking "Leave me alone, Edward."
I step over the roots that line the floor beneath my feet, the silence eating at my nerves.
"Did you want to die?" he asks his voice soft through the dense woods.
I stop and look over my shoulder "What?"
"In the arena" he says, stepping towards me "did you want to die? Is that why you just laid there?"
A part of me wants to lie and say that I didn't.
That I'm strong and that I was bidding my time.
I want lie and tell him that I not broken.
That I haven't crumbled under the deaths and lost myself somewhere in my head.
But as I look at him, his eyes so unlike his fathers I find myself nodding.
His lips press together as he hoists the quiver on his back higher.
"I told you not to die" he says, his eyes finding mine in the dark. "I couldn't just let you die."
A/N: thank you so much for reading.
please, please, review! As you can see, I am not above begging!
Massive hugs and peace to all.
Find the Day Walkers playlist on: /greentreetall/day-walkers