Underland(33)

The liquid pooled under his boot. Kira tried to reach for it but was cut off by more guards.

The Taser stick came into view, and the other side of the room erupted into flashing blue and white light as they continually Tasered the beast. A beast who was probably just as scared as Kira, trying to run away from the doctors and this nightmare. At the rate the soldiers were attacking, they were going to Taser it to death.

Another shock seared her body and she clenched her teeth in pain. She realized in that moment, she was more saddened at the unnamed beast’s imminent death than the doctor’s.





Chapter 14

Someone was nudging her head—and they weren’t letting up.

Kira looked out through half-lowered lids to see Chaz’s feline eyes studying her with curiosity. He was too close for comfort, and his whiskers brushed her cheeks. This time he poked her in the in stomach. Her muscles were sore and felt lax, but she had enough control to fling an arm straight into his smug face.

He jumped back at the slap. “This one’s not dead yet,” he yelled. Kira could have sworn he seemed almost relieved.

Specters floated into the room. Those who weren’t wounded were hauled into another room. Those who couldn’t move were left for dead. Kira was surprised when Chaz picked her up and moved her to the main room. She found herself in a prime position on a couch.

“What happened?” she asked, looking around at the mellowed and somber faces of the group of competitors.

“You tell me. You were the one in there.”

“I’m not sure. Someone was scared and threw a table, and then it got bad really fast.”

“Half of the room didn’t make it out, as you can see.” He nodded as more and more specters floated out without a person accompanying them. The room filled with more competitors, and Chaz stepped back. He wore a black uniform. “And half more will never cross the finish line.” His grim expression confused her as he looked at her and then away. “I don’t think you’ll get lucky twice.”

She wanted to shout at him, but he disappeared into the throng of red and black-garbed competitors coming out of their rooms.

By now, everyone had heard what had happened. An added tension filled the air. She quickly got off the couch and moved to a wall where she could observe the group.

There must have been at least sixty—that she could see—inside the building. From the way the room numbers constantly changed, it seemed as if a lot more waited outside. Kira tried to stay away from the black and red groups and found herself sticking among the other white uniformed runners. It didn’t help. The small pack of white runners found themselves the scrutiny of many hungry and dangerous beasts. She probably should have tried to make friends with the other first time racers, but she didn’t. There was too much she wanted to see. It did seem that most of them were there because the lottery had chosen them.

Kira felt a moment’s jealousy. Even the Amazonian woman had on a gray uniform. The color made her skin look sickly, but it at least proved she had survived a few events. Kira craned her head and tried to find Zeke among the white uniforms, but she couldn’t see him.

They all watched the screen as bets came in. Kira had 50-1 odds of surviving. Her picture was dead last on the ranks. A heavy feeling of dread sank into her stomach. She could chose to let it bother her, could cry over it. Or she could go to that dark place, the place where she let her mind go when she didn’t want to feel anymore. The place she’d retreated every time she was sick of hunger, or cold, or hurt. It was safe there.

Someone bumped Kira and she ignored it.

The noise in the waiting room died down, and she knew it was time to go. Staff directed them down a hallway and separated them by color into different elevators. Kira moved into her glass elevator and the large group of newbies came in with her. When the glass door closed, the small space filled with the scents of institutional soap and something else—fear.

She could smell their fear. She closed her eyes and tried to not look at the others. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—make eye contact. The eyes were the window to the soul. If she looked, it would knock her out of her small safe zone.

The doors to the second elevator opened, and she watched it fill with the gray champions. The third was filling with red, and then black competitors moved into their elevator. She turned to face the back of the elevator and looked out over the underground gorge. The building they were in was hundreds of feet up in the air, and the event starting line was down below them. All along the gorge, rows of seats carved out of stone were packed with thousands of fans gathered to watch the event.

“Look there,” a large man said with distaste. “The Underlords.”

Where he pointed, Kira saw a long coach pulled by black horses edging the top of the gorge. It kept going until it was out of sight. Did they have a separate viewing area? Probably. An owners’ box or something. When she looked back down, her stomach dropped at the height.

She kept doubting herself, doubting everything, and yet there was a thrill of adrenaline that rushed through her. She clung to that feeling—she needed to ride that wave—so she focused on it.

Listening to the event organizer and the talk among the other champions, she’d learned that the elevator would drop, and the white gate would open. They’d all have to run like rabbits with greyhounds chasing them down. Shortly after, the gray car would drop and release the next group of champions, and so on and so on.