by Joe Fowler
“It is time!” There was another brief round of applause. “Tony, Cindy, please rise and face your opponent…Let the game begin!” The announcer, a little wormy looking male, then disappeared from the arena.
I couldn’t see them part of the time. The door was only so wide and they were circling around sizing each other up. It took a minute for one of them to be brave enough to make the first attack. Tony made a leap at Cindy but she moved in time and caught him with a good punch. This was her strategy by the looks of the next few passes. She never attacked first but she continually dodged and countered Tony’s every move. The fight lasted what seemed like a few minutes before she had him around the neck. I had a good view of her face as she hardened her heart enough to rip Tony’s head off.
As the crowd roared, I breathed a sigh of relief. Cindy survived. Now, it would be my turn.
The crowd continued to hum with their excitement as the arena was cleared. I started to mentally prepare myself. My focus earned a grunt of approval from Trog. I went through some scenarios in my head trying to get my mind straight.
“Don’t forget to drink from your opponent if you get the chance. It will add to your blood supply while weakening him.” Trog reminded me.
Something in Trog’s tone caught my attention. I was trying to put my finger on what it could be when the announcer appeared back in the arena.
“Our next fight will be between Milton and Ethan, two more first timers. Let’s hear it for our fighters!” I stood and Trog stood with me.
“Go out to one of the X marks. Stay standing until they start the betting. Then kneel down until it is time for the fight to start. Go, now.” Trog gave me my final instructions before he gave me a light push to urge me forward toward the now open door.
There was a vampire holding the door open while I walked through. Once I was in the arena, he left by a side door that I could see led to some stairs that would take him back to the crowd. I moved to the X closest to me as my opponent moved onto the other.
Milton was a large man. 6’4 and well over two hundred pounds. I reminded myself that size meant nothing in these fights.
“You will have five minutes to place your bets!”
I remembered that this was my cue to kneel on the X. I looked across as Milton did the same. I allowed myself a brief glance into the crowd. There were some returning stares but most were talking and laughing amongst themselves. Money was being flashed around as they made their wagers. I put my head down and tried to forget them.
I needed to be focused on Milton now.
The next five minutes were the longest of my life. It was a constant struggle to maintain the focus I needed. Images from my childhood began flashing across my brain. Those were not pleasant memories so I tried to banish them. I was on the verge of panic when the announcer reappeared in the arena.
“It is time! Ethan, Milton, please stand and face your opponent…Let the game begin!”
The announcer had barely disappeared when Milton leaped with great speed at me. I dodged to the side just enough to avoid his punch and hit him with a hard shot to the jaw. He fell unconscious to the floor of the arena. I took a moment to stare down at him thinking there was no way it could be this easy. When he didn’t move, I started to reach for his head to rip it off when I remembered Trog’s advice to drink from him. I pulled Milton up to his knees and sank my teeth into his neck. The crowd went wild.
My mind lit up like nothing I could have prepared myself for. I was confronted by images like I had been with the blood donor earlier. I also felt a huge surge of power. I realized that Milton’s gift was a spike that could be extended from his wrist that could be used to impale his opponent. He had been told to hold this back so no one would see it unless he needed it to beat me. He couldn’t have known I would have such a speed and strength advantage.
As I stopped drinking, I felt a twinge in my wrist and forearm. I knew without having to be told that I now had the same spike.
I ripped Milton’s head off to the delight of the bloodthirsty crowd.
“What a display! Let’s hear it for Ethan!” The announcer played me up to the crowd. As I looked around, I saw the door man return and open the door to our holding area where I had been with Trog. He motioned for me and I walked back to my place beside Trog.
“Way to go Newbie! I knew you would be tough!” Speedy shouted.
“I knew Arria would like you!” Onyx added.
Each of the others congratulated me as well. Trog was the only one who had not spoken. He appeared deep in thought as I moved to sit down beside him. He would now know that I had just ‘acquired’ Milton’s gift. I needed to speak to him to see if this was normal.
I got my answer when he looked at me with a somber expression and shook his head.
I took my seat as the next two fighters were called. I wanted to ask Trog why he looked so glum, but when I opened my mouth to speak, he put his finger to his lips and shook his head. I turned my attention back to the arena to see the two fighters in the act of kneeling down while the bets were placed.
Since I couldn’t see a problem with adding another gift, I became confused with a tinge of worry. I sat quietly while waiting for the next fight to start with my inner turmoil growing by the minute.
Once the next fight started and the crowd began cheering, Trog leaned in to whisper in my ear.
“Tell no one! Strength and speed were not your gifts. You have the ability that the old ones are constantly watching out for. If they find out you can acquire other’s abilities, you will be put to death.”
“Then where did my strength and speed come from?” I thought my question to Trog.
“You drank from Arria when she turned you. You won’t have her full strength or speed since you were becoming and your gift wasn’t fully formed, but it is why you started out so powerful. If you drank from her again, you would gain her full abilities and gifts.” He whispered.
“Why would she kill me? Isn’t this a good thing?”
“You could potentially become too powerful to control. There are legends that this has happened before and many old ones died. Whether it’s true or not, I don’t know, but don’t tell anyone.” Trog sounded worried. He looked like he wanted to say more but stopped suddenly.
Ghost was watching us closely when I looked up. Instead of looking worried, I smiled at Ghost hoping he wouldn’t think anything was wrong.
“I understand, Trog. Thanks for the warning.” I thought. Trog nodded slightly and sat back to watch the fight like nothing had happened.
The current fight wasn’t much like the first two. This one was bloody and intense. Both vampires were showing marks from the other and the crowd seemed to love it. I tried to focus on the fight as much as I could. It was hard not to dwell on what Trog had told me though.
After a few more minutes of give and take, one gained enough advantage over the other to drink. This really brought the crowd to a roar. He took the beaten vampire’s head and held it up for the crowd’s enjoyment. Looks like he will be one of the cruel ones.
“It happens more than you like to think. Once the human charade is stripped away, a person’s true nature shows. There are way more cruel ones than I would have believed.” Trog spoke in response to my thought.
“It’s a shame. Glad they didn’t turn my boss. He was a mean enough bastard when he was human.” I said, causing Trog to laugh.
I tried to pay attention to the fights. The second round fighters all passed mostly unnoticed by me though. I wondered if I was in more danger from my gift than I would be as one of the more or less average vampires.
Arria’s second rounder won as well. The congratulations being spoken by our group as he returned, brought me out of my thoughts. I smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up once he had returned to his seat. He returned the smile and nodded.
The next fight began the third round fighters. I watched this round a little closer. I knew I could dwell on my situation later. I needed to pay attention now
.
I watched as a vampire became invisible, the way Onyx had. He won easily. The next fight had a flying female vampire get killed by an incredibly strong, huge, bald male, named Hercules, who was one of Arria’s. There wasn’t a third fight in this round.
“At least two of the groups must not have had a third round fighter. Remember when I explained this?” Trog stated to help with my confusion. “Next time the fights come around, the group Milton was from won’t have a second rounder because you killed him. Like I said before, Arria has been very lucky lately. She is only missing a fourth rounder.”
“I remember now. Thanks.” I said. This brought a question to mind though. “How often do they hold these fights?”
“It varies. Sometimes we fight twice a week, sometimes once a month. It depends on how many old ones are in the area at the time. We travel to some of the fights as well. This is Arria’s home. Each of the old ones have an arena like this one.”
“If you need me to quit with the questions so you can focus, let me know.” I told him.
“I usually stay pretty even until they call my name. I can keep talking as I prepare. Don’t worry about it.” Trog sounded calm enough.
I sat back as the first fourth round fight began. These two fighters both appeared to be really fast, not like me and Speedy, but fast enough. They were an even match and this fight seemed to last much longer than the ones up to this point. I was ashamed of myself when I realized I was growing bored.
Trog’s laughter broke through my shame.
“It is alright to not care about one of the other fights. What happens between these two fighters has absolutely nothing to do with you. They aren’t human anymore so their lives don’t have the same meaning. Don’t let it bother you.” Trog said, still smiling.
“It’s just the point of not really caring whether someone lives or dies. I wasn’t Mother Theresa but I considered myself to be a good person. Now, I’m bored by a fight to the death. I can’t help but be shocked at myself.” I admitted.
“It will get worse. There is something that changes when you become a vampire, or maybe it is just part of the undead mentality, that makes you care a lot less for others. I was like you on my first night. Now, I just want them to get their fight over with so I can get out there.”
I rolled those thoughts around in my head for a while. Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to keep what good thoughts I had for others if we weren’t being thrust into this life or death situation. That led me to wonder if it was the goal of these fights in the first place. Maybe the old ones wanted us to be as heartless as they could make us.
Then again, maybe it was the undead condition in general. When our heart stopped, maybe the love we felt died with it. How much could a vampire care?
“That’s way too deep for me right now.” Trog said with a laugh. “Try me some other time when I’m not about to fight.”
I chuckled a little with him. I guess I was letting my mind get away from me.
I made myself focus on the still going fight. One of them seemed to be gaining the upper hand. He was landing more and more shots. As I watched, he went in with a hard punch and the one nearly beaten dodged and made a desperate move that won him the fight. He staggered around for a moment surprised that he had survived.
“That’s something for you to remember. It isn’t over until your opponent’s head has been taken.” Trog stated. “Even badly beaten, a vampire is fully capable of taking your head. Never get careless thinking you’ve won.”
“I understand.” I said, simply. There wasn’t need to say more with such an obvious display to drive the point home in my mind.
The next fight was over quickly. It was a little scary to watch. One woman basically made a hand gesture and the other froze in place. Trog sat up with a start. The woman calmly walked over to her frozen opponent and drank from her before ripping her head off.
“Mind control!” Trog said, astonished.
I looked back at the woman who was turning to reenter her holding area. I wondered if there could be a defense against that kind of attack.
“Only one defense.” Trog turned to me. “Don’t look her in the eyes. You won’t have to fight her but that is how you would keep from being controlled.”
“It would be too late by the time I knew not to look her in the eyes. That’s a hell of a gift.” I muttered.
“Yep. That might be the second best gift I’ve seen.” Trog replied.
“What is the first?” I asked stupidly.
“Yours, Dumbass!” Trog said with a laugh. Once his laughter was under control, he leaned in and whispered, “That woman couldn’t control an old one. Your gift is the only one feared by them. If what you can do scares an old one, then that has to be the most powerful gift of them all. Think about it.”
“To start the fifth round, we have Penny fighting Colossus! Let’s hear it for our fighters!” The wormy announcer played the crowd.
I knew not to speak to or bother Trog. His concentration was fixed on Penny as she rose from her seat and walked through the door into the arena. I felt my own concern grow. She was a friend of a friend. That was enough for me to be invested.
“You have five minutes to place your bets!”
Penny and Colossus knelt down on the marks. I could almost hear Trog’s thoughts now. I knew he wished he could take her place in this fight. The five minute betting period seemed to take forever, in some way I didn’t understand. I shook it off and watched.
“It is time! Penny, Colossus, please stand and face your opponent…Let the game begin!” The announcer disappeared but neither Penny nor the giant Colossus moved to fight.
He stared down at her for a few moments before he sighed and took a few steps toward her. With his long legs, three strides carried him across the space between them. Penny made no move to defend herself.
Trog seemed calm enough which led me to believe she knew what she was doing. I refocused on her as Colossus held out his hand to shake. Penny hesitated before reaching her hand out to him. Just as their hands were about to touch, he made a grab and she jerked her arm back. She danced back a few feet and laughed at him. Colossus smiled and took a fighter’s stance. He began attacking in different ways, only to see her move out of harm’s way at the last moment. He grew more and more frustrated as she continually evaded him. Penny took what shots she knew she could get away with. The problem she faced was his tremendous size and obvious strength. She would need to wear him down like this. I could see this fight would take some time. I settled in and watched Penny dance.
While watching her, I wondered if this would be repeated when Trog’s fight came. I remembered what he told me about fighting a mind reader. My speed might be enough to overcome their advantage. Would anything else work against them?
I didn’t get to ride that train of thought far. Penny moved in for a few good shots in succession that hurt the giant she was facing. She took out one of his knees forcing him to fight from the ground. He was still slightly taller than her even from his knees.
I began to relax too soon though. Penny moved in one too many times and Colossus did what I had done when sparring against Trog. He reacted instead of thinking. As Penny moved in, Colossus caught her with a backhand shot that sent her flying into the concrete wall. Penny landed in a heap and didn’t move for a few agonizing seconds. The damage done to Colossus’s knee was her saving grace. By the time he made his way to where she lay, Penny had recovered enough to move out of the way of his next blow. She was much more careful as she continued to wear him down. She finally beat him down enough to take his head.
Trog let out a quiet sigh of relief.
We all congratulated Penny when she returned to the holding pen. She looked worn down which surprised me. Since the moment I woke up here to this new life, I hadn’t felt anything that could be considered tiredness. I was having trouble rolling this through my mind when Trog explained it.
“We don’t tire normally. You were right about that part.
What can drain us is having to heal our wounds. The more severe the injury, the more it drains you. That shot Penny took was a costly one. Colossus may have been as strong as you are. Her jaw was broken and there was some damage in her brain. Those things needed to heal. Colossus himself was being worn down as much from the healing of his knee as he was from the shots he took from Penny. Healing uses up our blood supply. One more thing for you to think about.”
I was quiet through the next fifth round fight. It was a quick one. One of the vampires teleported to a spot behind the other and took his head. It looked impressive.
“Our next fight begins the sixth round! Let’s hear it for Trog and Casper!” The announcer announced.
I patted Trog on the back as he stood to make his way into the arena. I was caught off guard by the name Casper. It sounded like our fighter, Ghost. If Trog’s opponent could be intangible, then he would be tough to beat.
“You have five minutes to place your bets!”
I began to worry some. I knew if anyone would have a chance against such a gift it would be a mind reader. I also knew that Trog wasn’t an easy mark if he was on his sixth fight. I tried to make myself relax as the betting minutes ticked away. This time the five minute seemed like seconds to me.
“It is time! Trog, Casper, stand and face your opponent…Let the game begin!” As the announcer disappeared, Casper began smiling.
They circled some. Neither looked like he wanted to attack. Casper finally made the first move and Trog moved simultaneously to avoid him. Trog made a counterattack and sure enough, his hands went right through Casper’s body. This went on for an agonizing amount of time before Casper made a grab at Trog. I expected Trog to move out of the way but he didn’t. Casper had Trog from behind. I saw a brief flash of a smile from Trog and realized he needed Casper to be solid for him to be able to do any damage. As Casper maneuvered Trog into the position he wanted, Trog countered and snapped Casper’s neck. He wasn’t able to rip the head off from the position he was in. He couldn’t get enough power into the move. Trog then took his time in drinking from Casper before taking his head.
