Contest: The Vita Trials

Host: RhodaRiley

The tunnel they guide me into has four stations and the officer trailing behind me expects that I stops at each one of them. The first has a needle and the sight of it really makes me hate all of this all over again.

"It's a tracker, not a drug." The man running the station says dully. "I need your arm." I raise one eyebrow and cross my arms over my chest.

"And I need my life back, but neither one of those things are going to happen." I snap, my anger overriding my better judgement. The man scowls and rolls his eyes.

"Just give me your arm."

"So you can put a needle in it? Hell no." The officer behind me shoves my shoulder, forcing me a step closer to the man with the needle. I gasp at the sharp pain that erupts through my shoulder, glaring at the officer as I stick my arm out to the man.

There's a sharp prick of pain and then nothing, a small dribble of blood runs down my arm but the man dabs at it with a piece of gauze and tapes a bandage over the wound.

"There, now get along."

"I'll move at my own pace, thanks." I snap back, walking leisurely on my way to the next station. There was no one at this one, just a gray suit and a curtain to change behind. I roll my eyes and pull my purple and blue striped crop over my head. I wasn't really wearing much for a shirt anyways, it felt kind of useless to hide behind a curtain. Maybe if all of the idiots watching through the hidden cameras got a peak at my body then they'd think twice about forcing me into an arena to fight to the death.

The officer clears his throat and looks away, suddenly uncomfortable. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, feeling a wave of confidence wash over me. "You can look, I don't mind." I encourage, unbuttoning my jeans. The officer crosses his arms over his chest and turns his back to me. I scowl and continue to get dressed.

"Well, okay then." I finish zipping the suit up and put my hands on my hips. "I'm decent." The officer sighs and turns around, his eyes turned to the floor.

"Next station." The officer grunts, clearing his throat. I nod, walking up to a wall of weapons. There were knives and axes and arrows with bows and things I didn't even know the names of. But the thing that pulled my eye was the thin, light weight sword with a curved blade.

"What's this?" I question, pulling the sword down from the wall. It was lighter than I originally thought, I glance over my shoulder at the officer.

"A katana, good weapon." He comments, I smile and grab the sheath down from the wall too. It had an over the shoulder strap so that the blade was easily accessible from my right shoulder.

"Just call me samurai girl." The officer suppresses a chortle as I move on to the next station.

The last station held a phone and a note card and a pencil and I knew before the woman sitting on the stool said anything. I had to choose. Talk or write. "Make a final phone call or write a note. Your choice." The woman snaps, barely looking up.

I take a deep breath and glance between the phone and the paper before looking at the officer behind me. "Let's move on." He frowns and jerks his head at the phone and paper.

"You didn't write or call anyone." I shrug my shoulder and duck my head, hiding my face from view.

"I don't have anyone to call or write to, they're either dead or don't care. Let's move on." I say, feeling a prickle behind my eyes. I suck in a breath, refusing to shed a tear for that no good jerk of an uncle who took everything from me after I'd lost the only two people I could count on in the world.

The officer guides me to a metallic door, a few moments pass before it clicks and opens. The smell is the first thing I notice, it slams into my face and invades my nostrils in a way that makes me want to hurl. I turn my head away, choking on air. The officer scowls and takes several steps back.

"Good luck." He says, a disgusted look on his face. I scowl and walk through the door, hearing it close behind me.

It was silent in the darkness, nothing moved except me as I crept farther into the hole. I couldn't see for my life and the longer I walked the stronger the smell got. I couldn't tell what it was but whatever it is I wasn't a fan of it. I couldn't figure out where I was but I knew it was underground or maybe in an abandoned building or something because my shoes clicked with each step.

"Damn them, I hate the government!" I shout into the darkness, feeling my anger overpower my better judgement. I'd been deposited in the middle of a stinky hole with no way out and those idiots were enjoying cookies and tea while I wasted away.

"I hate them too, but we should really be concerned about getting out of here." I jump at the voice, reaching up to touch the handle of my katana blade.

"Who the hell are you?" I growl, my grip tightening.

"Leah, you?"

"Coraline."

"Well, nice to meet you. Come on, there should be a manhole around here somewhere. Sewers always have them." My eyebrows rise at her words.

"Sewer? The hell—we're in a damn sewer?" I snap, covering my nose now I understood what the hell it was. The girl is silent for a long moment.

"Are you joking? Did you seriously ask me if we're in a sewer? Is your nose broken?" Leah snaps, I roll my eyes and put my hands on my hips even though she can't see me.

"No, it's not. I just didn't realize—"

"Whatever, let's move." The girl and I walk for a bit in the darkness, we following her by listening to her footsteps. We continue on for a bit until a light suddenly appears in the distance. Leah stops, causing me to bump into her.

"Light, come on!" Leah grasps my wrist and takes off running, practically dragging me behind her. Leah and I arrive at the source of the light were a girl is trying to climb her way up a metal ladder to the manhole above her. She has a small fire going on the floor of the sewer made with a pile of toilet paper and sticks.

"Hey." The girl says, nodding her head in acknowledgement as she begins her climb up the ladder.

"Can we follow you?" I wonder, Leah frowns and elbows me. I shrug and point to the manhole. "We need to get aboveground." The girl glances over her shoulder and shrugs.

"Sure, why not? Just no killing, I'm not into that this early in the game." I smile cheekily at Leah and grasp ahold of the bars.

The government had forced me into an arena to fight to my death, and I was angrier than I'd ever been in my life. Even more than when my parents died. I was here to kill or be killed, but maybe just maybe the killing didn't need to start yet.