Death Battle

Trigger warning: There are some intense violent moments in this story. Including violence with a child. Not a very nice child but a child nonetheless. Please avoid it if you need to.

I was holding a knife in my hand. It was dripping with something that looked suspiciously of blood. Trying to think of why I would be holding a knife covered in blood I came up with nothing. I had been at home going to the bathroom last I could remember. Now I didn't know where I was outside of I was in a room. A simple room if a little small. Nothing in here except a cot that looked unused. My clothes had no blood on them but the hand holding the knife did. From that alone I had to assume it had been placed there at some point.

As I continued thinking suddenly a voice came through a speaker that I couldn't see, "Well you finally woke up. You're the last one awake and as such you are at a severe disadvantage. First of all I would like to congratulate you on your first murder. Too bad you don't remember any of it but congrats are in order nonetheless. Though be aware now if you want to go back home it will not be your last."

I interrupted the speaker, "I didn't kill anyone. If I had, there would be blood on my clothes. Someone else hurt someone with this knife and then it was planted in my hand. Dude I watch way too many crime investigation shows to be fooled by something dumb like this."

After that I heard a loud clunk of a lock coming undone. The speaker came back to life, "Oh I promise you did kill someone. You were very efficient Nate. Now I'd suggest you to get out there and do it again before someone gets you."

I took a seat on the bed keeping the knife close, "And let's say I don't play your ridiculous game or whatever this is, what then? Someone will come in and try to kill me? Or will you flood the room with gas to force me out?"

The voice laughed maliciously, "You're right. You have watched way too many crime shows. You can stay there if you want. That isn't against any rules I know about. However, three to five days without water and you'll die. It's already been one day since you were brought here. You'll want to leave eventually for food and water. I'm content to wait." With that the door relocked, "You just let me know when you're ready to play Nate. I'll be waiting."

I closed my eyes and sighed, "Alright. I'll let you know." I sat there for a few moments trying to see if I remembered anything. I had been walking to the bathroom and now I was here. I really didn't remember anything beyond that. I opened my eyes wondering if I was wearing the same clothes from before I was abducted. Before I hadn't really paid attention, I had only been looking for any blood. I was even in different clothes now. An all white ensemble that was annoyingly offset with the cream white coloration of the room I was in. I decided that I was done being bored. If I wanted to learn anything I would have to play whatever this game was.

I stood up from the bed and the speaker crackled back to life, "Oh please tell me you're ready to play? I know I said I was content to wait but really I'm not. You're my dark horse in this game and I need you Nate. There I even said that for you. I need you. So come on please play!"

I groaned, already becoming beyond annoyed with this person whoever they were, "Yes I'll play your game. Are there any rules I should know? Or do I get to find out as I play?"

I could hear clapping coming through the speaker, "Oh my god yes! Thank you thank you thank you Nate! You have no clue what this means to me! Rules? Hmm I don't think so. You just need to kill the other people here before they kill you. It's pretty simple. The more imagination the better. Oh but wait there is one other way. I can't believe I almost forgot about it. Man that would have been bad. You do have one way to kill people without actually killing them."

I blinked trying to make sense of the statement, "Wait what? How can I kill people without killing them? Seems a bit of an impossibility to be."

The voice now took a sinister deeper tone, almost seductive if it wasn't for the crackle of the speaker, "For every major body part you take from yourself I'll kill a person for you. You can do this until only one person is left and then you two can have a showdown. No fingers or toes. I need hands, feet, whole appendages, eyes, and ears count too. By the way, your genitalia don't count in this instance because they aren't important to combat."

I stared up to the ceiling now, "Is anyone else allowed to do this? What would stop them from doing it to me?"

The voice laughed again back to the almost childlike sound, "No one else, only you Nate. You were the lucky winner of the lottery for this round. Can you imagine the odds? And before you ask how many people there are, give me just a moment to answer that soon to be question." I hear offkey humming for a moment before the voice comes back, "Ah even more luck for you. There are only thirteen people left. Also if you decide to kill yourself out of depression or something then everyone dies there are no winners and I'm sad. Don't leave me sad." The door lock clunks open again, "Now go Nate go! I believe in you with all of my liver. It's more trusty than my heart."

I opened the door and walked out of the room sighing once again, "Alright. Kill thirteen people with a knife that's been planted in my hand. Normal day. Just a regular day." I can go either left or right from my room. I listen to see if I can hear anyone nearby. Just as I'm about to give up I jumped from hearing a bloodcurdling scream come from my right. Without thinking anything through whatsoever I take off down the hallway. After fifty feet there is a turn in the hallway to the right.

I stop for a moment and take a peek down the hallway I'm about to turn down and see two men struggling against one another. One has a bat and the other has a rope. The one with the rope has wrapped the arms of the other and is beating him senseless. I pull myself back around the corner. Dear god, the voice wasn't messing with me. These people really are beating each other to death and I'm expected to participate. I'm not sure if I can do this. I don't want to do this. But if I want to survive I have to. I've never killed anyone before though according to the voice I had.

I took a deep breath and listened, realizing I couldn't hear the sound of flesh hitting flesh anymore. I looked around the corner again to see the man with the rope had won. He was untying his now dead opponent with his back to me. It was now or never. I wouldn't stand a chance in an actual fight. I slowly and quietly walked up behind the man, finding myself suddenly calm. I knew what I had to do and that I could do it. Once I got close enough I plunged the blade directly down into the base of the spinal cord at the nape of the neck. The man collapsed immediately but I could still hear ragged breathing. Apparently I hadn't been as spot on as I thought. The sound of his breathing was too much to listen to. I already felt sick to my stomach. So I grabbed the bat and with one swing finished the job.

I stood there panting at the dead body below me. I had just killed this man. All because a voice through a speaker told me I had to. This was becoming more and more of a bad dream with every passing second. I couldn't believe all of this was happening but my thoughts were interrupted by a sudden blinding headache. I fell to the ground trying not to scream as flashes of memory came back to me. I had been on the way to the bathroom when someone kicked open my door and ran in. I took off towards the kitchen.

Just as suddenly as it came on it was gone. I was back in the hallway panting and sweating. I hear speakers crackle "Oh my! We're down to eleven now folks. The competition is heating up now. The dark horse has made his first kill in our game! Exciting times!"

I looked up to the ceiling, "I would just like you to know you can go to hell. If I win this I'm going to kill you too. Already a murderer right? What would one more mean?"

The speaker crackles and I can tell the person is talking only to me now, "Already there Nate. I like the spirit though. Keep going! Ooh send another kill elsewhere and we're at ten! I should let everyone know. Keep on Nate keep on."

Growling up at the ceiling I look at my shirt realizing I've got blood on me now. Smashing that guy's head with a bat painted me. Though I kind of liked it since the walls outside of my room were that same terrible cream white color. The red in my clothes was a good contrast. With bat in one hand and blade in the other I started walking again. After a few turns the speakers crackled again, "Double kill! Final eight folks! Now it's time to get really going. We've separated out the punks from the real killers in the group. You'll hear from me again when we hit the semi finals."

I didn't even glance up this time. I'm trying my best to ignore this person no matter how much they annoy me. As I come up on another turn I hear footsteps pounding towards me. I place the knife down and ready myself with the bat to take a downward swing as soon as they come around the corner. A bloodied man comes tearing around the corner and immediately takes the bat to the head crumpling under it. I hear a second set of footsteps approaching much slower than the first. I ready myself again, choosing not to think about how easy that second kill was. As the second person comes around the corner I start to swing but stop in the middle of it. It's a child maybe ten years old.

I quickly take two steps back, "What are you doing here? This is no place for a child. I almost killed you."

The child grins from ear to ear and I feel a sense of uneasiness permeate me. He slowly pulls his hand from behind his back showing that he has a pistol, "You really should have done it while you could. But I'll tell you what since you stole my kill I'm not going to kill you outright. Instead I'll make you suffer." He fires once hitting me through the thigh though no major arteries. I cry out falling to my knees. The child starts to level the gun at me again when I swim the bat at him. Not enough force to really hurt him but I knocked the gun from his hand. All he does is laugh as he leans down and picks up my knife now, "Again you should have killed me when you could have. I'm going to punish you severely for what you've done."

He started to run at me when a shot rang out again but this time the bullet hit the child. He stumbled forward looking down at his chest as blood began to flow out. I looked past him to see another man, this one looks like a terrified and overly worked office worker. You know the type when you see them. He held the kid's gun and was trembling, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I didn't know what else to do! I've killed a child! God what have I done?!" With that he looked at me, "I'm so so sorry!" With that he shot himself.

The child was crumpled on his knees gasping for breath. He couldn't move at this point but he was dying slowly. I slowly forced myself up and looked at him, "Do you want me to put you out of your misery?"

The child shook his head, "Nah honestly I deserved it. I just wish I hadn't been killed by such a coward. Enjoy the rest of this game. It's really a lot of fun if you just let go." I started to reach for the knife and the child took a swipe at me, "Screw you! You've got a gun now and that bat. You don't need a knife. Get out of here."

I walked past the child picking up the gun from the man who had killed himself. As I picked it up my head lit up with another blinding headache. I collapsed to the ground groaning as more of my memory came back. I'm running for the kitchen. I make it in and grab a pot off the stove. The man who broke into my house comes in waving a gun but I bash him over the head knocking him out.

The sound of the speakers crackling brought me back to the present. That annoying voice came through again. The childlike delight in their voice at the highest point it had been during this game, "Wow wow wowee!!! Five kills in around five minutes! And my favorite is still alive even after encountering little Jack! We're down to three everybody. Let's shrink the playing field a little. Would hate to get bored while you look for each other." With that I can hear walls shifting and moving around. The floor moves as well. I have to steady myself against the closest wall to keep myself standing upright.

After everything stops moving the speakers come back, "Now three are left in this fight to the death. Good luck or whatever you believe in I guess!" With that the speaker cut off to the sound of the person cackling. I groaned, walking forward step by step slowly. My leg was on fire and I wouldn't be running anywhere but I had a gun so I should be okay. I pulled up as I heard, measured heavy footsteps coming up from behind me. I turned around just in time to catch a fist the size of my face to my face. I went flying backwards from the punch dropping the bat while in flight but I held tight to the gun.

I looked up through bleary eyes watering from the punch. All I could see was a giant walking towards me. I gripped the gun tight praying he didn't see it in my hand. He picked me up first by the shirt and then readjusted his hands around my throat. Squeezing with all his might I could already feel my conciseness starting to fade. With every ounce of my strength I had left I brought the gun up and shoved it into his right eye before firing. The gun fel dropped out of my hand. Instantly his muscles relaxed and I dropped to the ground. Through my blurry vision I saw him sway a little and then he fell backwards. As he fell I heard someone say, "Oh you've got to be kidding me."

As the large man hit the ground I could hear the other man grunting underneath him, "This is so stupid. I'm going to die because a giant fell on me. That's my luck I guess. Hey there favorite could you do something here? Put me out of my misery or something. I saw a bat back there. Go and get it."

I finally could see again and feel my body. I pushed myself up and started walking past the large man taking a moment to look at the man under him. I made it to the bat and grabbed it. Limping back I say, "I really am sorry for all this. Never wanted to be here. Never wanted to participate in this game. I'll put you out of your misery and then I'm killing the psycho who did all this."

I get back to the man and raise the bat up. The man suddenly brings my gun up from hiding with his one arm that was free. He pulled the trigger and nothing happened. He pulled twice more and then started laughing, "My damn luck!" I swing the bat down now without any remorse. As soon as I did, the last bit of my memory came back. I was standing over the robber pot in one hand and my cell phone in the other. I started to dial nine one one and then stopped. I put the pot down and walked over to my kitchen knives grabbing my best one. I walked back to the robber and leaned down sliding the knife through his throat. As I did he woke up and with his last act fired into me five times and I died.

I'm now in an office filled with televisions all showing the various dead bodies. A squat little man is sitting in an oversized chair. He looked at me licking his lips, "Do you remember now Nate? I told you that you had killed someone didn't I? Anyways you've won!" He jumped up running over to hug me. I tried to strike at him but my hand bounced away from him. He grabbed me cackling, "You did it! You did it! You won Nate! Now you get to spend the rest of your afterlife here in Hell with me. You see, Nate I didn't tell you the whole truth. This whole little game was between me and the big man upstairs.

Any time we get a soul like you who doesn't go bad till the very end we make a bet. If I can convince you to kill a whole bunch of other people to try and save yourself then obviously you probably belong in Hell. If you were willing to sacrifice any body parts to win it would only prove my point more. But if you died or at any point showed true mercy to any of your opponents besides mercy killing then you got to go to Heaven.

But you won and now you're all mine. Walk out the door behind you and we'll start your processing. If you had been a bit more imaginative I maybe could justify moving you to the penthouse but unfortunately you weren't. So regular Hell for you Nate. Now go on. The game is going to start again at any moment."

He spun the chair around watching the screens again. Now that I had won he didn't care about me anymore. I thought about trying to attack him again but realized how pointless it would be. I turned and walked through the door. The brief exhilaration I had felt during the game is now gone. As I stepped out of the door I found myself in a new hallway but still with that awful cream white coloration.

So this piece was a bit heavier than my normal. A mood struck me and I went with it. For those of you who read it and enjoyed it please leave a like, subscribe, and feel free to leave a tip. Till next time.