The cage door creaked open on its rusty hinges and I was dragged out by my collar. A large firm hand shoved me along the corridor, dingy light bulbs sputtering dimly in the dark casting a faint orange circle in the hall. The musty smell of blood and mold filled my lungs with each breath I took. Pleas for mercy and for death echoed all around me. The corridor opened up to a hall, one side made of cement with the white tile gray from mold, on the other side was a row of pillars also covered with white tile, though stained pink. The screams of pain, the crying, and the sound of flesh hitting flesh, and flesh hitting cement grew louder, as the smell of blood and urine grew stronger. The feeling of death and pain was strong; I could smell the fear and the sadness as easily as I could smell the blood and grime.
My heart thudded in my chest as I was shoved into a pit. It looked like I was in an empty pool house, or a bath house of some sort. The artificial light was bright and hummed high above me casting a pool of florescent light over me. Through the darkness beyond the light I could see the faint yellow glow, and more rusty red cages deep inside the darkness. I could see the eyes of other children, their eyes sad and empty. I could never imagine what would cause such pain.
In the distance I heard the sound of a skull cracking open against something hard, the steps to the empty pool most likely. There was a high pitched scream and then sobbing, uncontrollable sobbing. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I listened. I heard the sound of a gun and then shaky breathing, pained breathing as a body fell to the ground. There was a few seconds of complete silence where all I heard was the hum of the lights, and the drip, drip, drip, of water hitting metal and then a puddle. Then the horrid sounds of fighting sounded again.
In front of me stood a boy, he wasn’t so much a boy rather than a boney young man who looked about eighteen. His eyes were dead and cold, but as he looked me up and down a tiny ghost of a smile came to his lips. He took two long strides toward me and I stumbled back. “I want you to kill me… I can’t take any more of this…” His voice was low, very low and soft, full of bottled up sorrow. “Please… I’ll teach you everything I can… but I can’t take this anymore… I’ve been here for too long.”
“I-I don’t want to kill you,” my voice shook with tears as my vision blurred. “I don’t, I don’t…”
“Please… you have to… just make it fast… and I’ll teach you everything… how to kill… how to stay alive…” He put a hand on my cheek, whipping the tears away. Such gentle hands for someone who’s known nothing but pain. I had to help him… I had to… I nodded quickly sniffling. “First… you always have to fight… or else he’ll shoot you both in the stomach… you die painfully slowly that way… so hit me… give me your best.”
I shook my head and heard the click of a gun being ready to fire. Then I felt the sting of a fist in my stomach. I fell on my back sobbing. “Get up… hit me…” I slowly got to my feet and looked at him, his eyes were pained; they were gentle eyes. “I can tell you have strength and a merciful soul… you’re a clever girl… you can get everyone out of here… hit me.” I nodded and then swung. “Harder,” I hit him again. “Again… harder! Harder god dammit!” I shuddered as I hit him over and over again. Finally he fell back blood on his face. “Good… better… work on that…”
My whole body was shaking, I could feel the other eyes on me, calculating, judging me. “Next thing to know… death is better than a life like this… so always kill them… but make sure they’re asleep before you do, no one sleeps well around here… if ever. They relive everything they’ve done… so make sure they’re asleep before you kill them. Make it quick and painless.” He nodded toward the stairs; the corner of each stair was caked with dried blood, which had puddle there. “Always use the stairs if you can. That will make them unconscious… then finish them… it doesn’t hurt anymore.
“When you can’t use the stairs you can strangle them… though you’re awfully tiny.” He looked at me again and then looked up. “Keep hitting me… go for my neck…” I did as I was told. Though I moved and hit him, I wasn’t in the fight; I was looking on as if watching it from above. “When your opponent is bigger than you, like I am, be quick, they can’t hit you if they can’t catch you. Always be quick…” He hit me and I went flying backward. Then he made me move quickly, back and forth and around. “If your opponent is quicker than you and seems to only be running… they’re waiting you out… trying to make you tired… so always use two thirds of your energy… seem weaker than you are.” He nodded as I began to catch on.
“If you’re fighting a child… someone much younger than you… do not hesitate in killing them… do not let them grow up only knowing this life… it is up to you to make sure that they are happy… always happy… that means you have to kill them. Let them die with their good memories… not the painful ones brought on by this place. And one more thing… when someone no longer wishes to fight… they’ll look down and then look up at you… as if nodding or bowing their heads. Always abide by their choice. If you refuse them they will not move and you will both be shot. Remember… always let them sleep before you kill them, be quick, use two thirds of your energy, let the children live happy, and show mercy to those who can no longer take this life.”
More tears flowed down my cheeks. I knew what would be next. “W-what’s your name?” I asked, through my sobs.
He looked startled at my question, but then he actually smiled. He knew that was my way of saying I’d do it… I’d show mercy to him who could no longer take this life. “Matt… Matt Springfield…”
“I’m Lailie Jackson,” I said with a shaky breath.
“Lailie… that’s a pretty name… Lailie… Lailie… make sure you get them out… think of a way to save us all…” I cried and nodded promising him that I would try. Then his head bowed low and he looked me in the eyes, he had pretty green eyes… even if they were dead eyes.
Matt was the first friend I made in that nightmare, the first person I ever saw dead… the first person I ever killed… But he had been dead the first time he killed someone, and now I too was dead.
Everyone grew silent as I shut his eyes, his pretty green eyes, no longer burdened by pain and sorrow, no longer chained to this place. The fights in the next empty pool went quiet as they too, took a moment to show their respect to the dead warrior. They all envied him; he was free of this place, free and at peace. Happy once again.
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