Underland(28)

The slight sound of metal scraping across the floor was all the notice Kira had. On instinct, she rolled off her bunk and landed on the floor, missing the knife that sunk into her mattress by mere inches. Her room was pitch black, so she had to rely on her hearing.

Someone swore quietly and pulled the knife out of the mattress. Her only advantage was that they couldn’t see in her darkened room either. Probably. She lifted her mattress, knocked it over, shoved it into her attacker, and ran for the door. Her feet sounded loud even to her own ears, the thud thud thud of her boots as she darted toward freedom. Clawed hands raked across her shoulder. She cried out at the stinging pain, but she spun and flung her body at the door and it burst open into the hallway.

Too close. Too similar. Tears fell down her cheeks as she fled the attacker. She was running just as hard from her memory.

She had just turned fifteen, when Bernie really started to notice her. She installed a lock on her bedroom door and slept with her dad’s combat knife under her pillow, but it wasn’t long before Bernie broke through her bedroom door while her mom was passed out downstairs on the couch.

When her dad had taught Kira how to defend herself as a child, she never imagined she would be using those techniques to defend herself from her own stepfather. It was over with quickly. Bernie was drunk and stumbling into the dresser when he came for her. She tried to threaten him, but he charged.

She stabbed him in the shoulder. His howl of pain rang in her ears as she pushed him away, grabbed her backpack, and jumped out the window. She didn’t care if he died, but she knew, more than likely he would survive.

Thankfully, Kira had been prepared. She’d filled her pack with cash she had stolen in small increments from their savings jar, a change of clothes, trail mix, and a jacket. She was still in her pajamas when she shimmied down the drain pipe and ran down the street barefoot. She never looked back, not for one moment. Not even to turn back for her mom.

And here she was all over again, running, not looking back. She ran down the hallway, down the stairs, and away from whatever was in her room. She was looking up the stairwell as she ran down, trying to see if someone or something was still in pursuit.

That’s how she crashed into the person coming up the stairs.

“Kira. What’s wrong?” Zeke’s arms flew up to catch her as she started to tumble to the ground.

“S-someone tried to kill me...in my room…while I was s-sleeping.”

Zeke’s eyes darkened as he studied the stairwell. A barely discernable shadow two floors up moved, and all that followed was the soft click of a metal door closing. Her pursuer had retreated. Zeke pulled his hand away from Kira’s shoulder. Blood coated his palm. His eyes went wide with hunger.

The double doors beside them opened, and Den rushed in from outside. Zeke quickly handed Kira over and took off—after her attacker or away from her. She wasn’t sure.

“Are you okay?” Den eyed her bleeding shoulder.

She pulled away from him and watched him warily. “Yes, it’s just a cut. Someone tried to attack me. Zeke, he went after them.” She pointed up the stairwell. “I think—”

“He’ll be fine. He can handle himself.” He spun her around and inspected her wound more carefully. “For now you have a bigger problem.”

“What?”

“It’s time.”

“What do you mean?”

“The truck is here. It’s time to send our champions and the chosen.”





Chapter 12

“Don’t show fear. Don’t make yourself a target. If you present yourself as weak, the bigger mobs will try to kill you during the race, purely to up their kill tally. It’s all about the numbers.” Den tried to coach her as they walked toward a large truck sent by the Underlords to collect the competitors. He had given her a rag, and she shoved it in her jacket over her shoulder to staunch the blood flow. It sure didn’t help the pain, but there wouldn’t be time to see Warrick.

Two guards stood on each side of the truck with a tablet that told them who to collect from the facility.

“There’s two that have been selected from this gym.” The guard on the left called out to the crowd. “You must present yourself. Now!”

“I can’t do it.” Heat flooded Kira. She saw the armed guards and stopped, tried to pull away out of Den’s grasp, but it was too strong. “I don’t want to die.”

“You have to go. I’ve sent you help. You just have to trust me,” Den growled into her ear. “Now stand up and make me proud. Show them, Kira, what you’re made of.”

“Uh, meat and witty sarcasm.” There it went, her odd humor that popped up whenever she was scared, her crazy defense mechanism.

“Well, I think most would like at least one of those attributes.” At least he was trying to help ease the tension.

“The chosen will present themselves now!” The guard took out his gun and was about to fire it into the crowd when Kira separated herself from the monsters.

“I’m here.” She walked forward, shoulders back, head lifted high. She held up her white blinking band, and they scanned it before nodding for her to get into the truck bed. She looked back to her trainer out of the corner of her eyes. A sad sigh escaped his thin lips. His body language said he didn’t think she was going to come back alive.