Slain

Cut my hair

Gag and bore me

Pull this pin

Let this world explode

-Na Na Na, My Chemical Romance

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to mentally prepare for what I’m about to do. Hayes shivers in my arms reminding me that this is an innocent boy that I’m about to kill. How can I do that? He hasn’t done anything to deserve death.

My hand shakes as I grip the blade tighter. I try to rationalize that he’s better off with me killing him, but everything in me screams not to do it. The warmth from his small, frail body sinks into my skin and regret settles in my chest.

I can’t take his life away.

“I can’t do it.” I drop my hand with the knife, hanging my head as I try to regain control over my emotions. “Give him another chance. Please,” I plead, looking up to meet Demon’s eyes.

Hayes slumps forward in my arms, though I can’t tell if it’s from relief or fear. Demon takes slow steps towards us, his expression unreadable.

“Are you that stupid?” He asks, crouching in front of us. Hayes leans back into me, trying to keep as much distance as possible between him and Demon.

I swallow the lump in my throat before responding. “I just don’t see how killing him benefits anyone.” My voice sounds thin and unsure.

Demon chuckles, reaching a hand out and placing it on mine that’s still clutching the dagger. “Killing isn’t always about benefiting anyone.” My skin crawls beneath his; his touch feels cold and sinister. “Sometimes it’s best used to teach a lesson.” He rips the blade from my fist and plunges it deep into Hayes stomach before I realize what’s happened.

My heart stops as Hayes’ head drops back against me. His mouth flaps open and closed in a silent scream while his hands dig into the dirt. Panic floods my body and I don’t know what to do.

I look to Demon. He’s watching me with a grin. Hayes begins to writhe in my arms. I look down to see that Demon is slowly twisting the blade in his stomach.

“Stop!” I demand, lunging for the knife. Someone catches my arms and drags me backward. I kick and scream, trying to break loose so I can help Hayes, but the hands hold tight. I’m jerked to my feet and my arms are forced behind my back, but all I can focus on is Hayes.

Soft gasps and cries of pain escape his mouth. His hands now reaching for the blade but Demon easily fights them off. “If you had killed him yourself, you would have saved him all this pain.”

“Stop hurting him, please!” I plead, tears dripping down my face.

Demon suddenly rips the blade from Hayes’ body and blood begins to gush from the wound. He stands and stares down at Hayes with empty eyes, not a bit of remorse or pity in him. “I guess we’re finished here.” He steps right over Hayes and starts off back where we came. The wolf restraining me forces me to follow.

“No,” I grunt, struggling against the wolfs grip. The wolf jerks me around anyways, dragging me away from Hayes' near lifeless body. “You’re disgusting,” I shout, turning my pain into anger.

Demon’s hands clench at his sides, but he doesn’t give any other response. This only fuels my anger.

“I’m going to kill you,” I spit. “Mark my words, one day your life will be mine.” This gets his attention. He spins on his heel and grabs my shirt in his fist, pulling me inches from his face.

“You need to learn to control your nasty little mouth, cat.” I hold his gaze with burning eyes. My anger has erased all fear of this man. I only want blood.

“At least I’m not a mutt who’s not dominant enough to kill another Alpha,” I sneer. He begins to shake with rage. “I bet you aren’t even dominant enough to be an Alpha. How’d you get this pack? Was it given to you by dear old dad?”

He snarls, swinging me down to the ground. The impact with the hard ground knocks the air from my lungs. Demon puts a knee in my chest and yells over his shoulder for someone. He then turns his black eyes back on me. “I’m going to teach you to hold your tongue.” He pulls out the knife he used to kill Hayes, the blade still wet with blood.

A wolf rushes to his side, a bowl in his hands. “Hold her still,” Demon demands. The wolf kneels, pulling my left arm out from where it was trapped beneath me and straightens it. Demon grabs my elbow, putting the blade against my forearm. I twist beneath him, trying to wriggle out from under his weight, but he simply pushes down harder on my chest.

Slowly, he presses the knife into my skin and slices, creating a long cut in my arm. Removing the knife, he pushes the bowl the other wolf brought under my arm to catch the blood.

“What are you doing?” I demand, still trying to pull my arm free. I’m beginning to panic. What if he’s going to make me bleed out?

Demon looks down at me with his cold black eyes. “Teaching you a lesson.” He looks back to the bowl, then to the other wolf. “Alright.”

The wolf releases my arm and grabs the bowl, now full of blood, and stands. He hands Demon a cloth which Demon roughly pushes onto my wound, tying it tightly.

He gets off of me, reaching down and pulling me to my feet a second later. “That’s enough teaching for now,” he mutters before pushing me back toward the pack house.

I roll my head back on my chair, staring at the dark ceiling. My stomach growls angrily, hunger pains shooting through me.

Three days. It’s been three days since I’ve eaten. At least I assume it’s been three days.

If only there were a clock. A woman comes in and gives me water at what I assume to be about noon each day. It’s the only thing I have to look forward to while stuck in this room.

I pull against the ropes restraining my hands for probably the thousandth time now. But, like the other nine hundred and ninety-nine times I tried it, they stay wrapped tightly around my wrists.

“Damn wolves,” I croak.

The door rattles, startling me into attention. After a few seconds, the door swings open and the woman walks in with the bowl of precious water in her hands. Behind her walk two other wolves, but I’m too interested in the water to be concerned about the others.

When the woman reaches me, she places the bowl against my lips and slowly tips up. I hungrily gulp down the water, but she stops too soon. She pulls the bowl back and waits for a few seconds. “Not too fast,” she says softly.

I nod, eager for another drink. She places the bowl back to my mouth and tips it, but this time, I take slow sips. The bowl is empty much too soon. The woman steps back and the men come to stand on either side of me. One of them cuts the ropes tieing me to the chair as the other grabs my arm to keep me in place.

It’s not like I’m going anywhere on my own any time soon, I’ve been stuck to this chair for three days. My legs are weak, my arms ache and my back feels as if it might never bend again.

The two wolves pull me to my feet. Immediately, my vision blacks and I become dizzy, my knees nearly buckling under my weight. One holds me upright while the other ties new ropes to my raw wrists.

Once I’m effectively bound, the wolves drag me from the room and out of the pack house.

“Where are you taking me?” I question. The wolves remain silent.

Deciding they aren’t worth the energy, I take in my surroundings instead. The sun is setting to my left, casting long shadows on the ground. We pass a few wolves as we walk, but the pack land seems rather lifeless otherwise. The homes and buildings we pass are rather run down, making me wonder if he even has much of a pack.

The stadium from my first night here rises in front of us and fear rises in my throat. Not again.

I dig my heels into the dirt, pulling against the wolves. “No,” I grunt, trying with what little strength I have to break free.

The wolves drag me forward with little difficulty, shortly reaching the entrance of the stadium. They force me inside, but instead of taking me back to a room, they lead me up the stone stairs. We climb flight after flight until we finally reach an opening. They push me inside and I immediately spot Demon standing to the right.

“Finally,” he snaps. He reaches in front of the wolf and grabs my arm, tugging me to stand beside him. “I want you to see how this is supposed to go.”

He leads me to the railing where we look down on the dirt arena. A wolf strolls out to the center and the crowd cheers.

“Gooooood evening!” The wolf shouts, encouraging the crowd to cheer again. “Starting off tonight’s entertainment we have two new fighters. Put your hands together for two of our very own, Rhett and Bran!”

The crowd boo’s so loudly the stadium seems to shake.

Two of the gates slide open and a man stumbles from each. The crowd surges in excitement as the gates slam shut. The two men look around the arena grimly, their eyes running over the raging crowd before landing on each other.

I can see it in their eyes the moment they realize they’re going o have to kill the other to survive.

“You may recognize one of those men down there,” Demon says without taking his eyes off of them.

Looking closer at the two, I realize I do recognize one. The wolf on the right is the wolf I tricked into coming into my cell. He begins to circle, crouched low anticipating an attack.

“Why is he in there?” I ask though I think I already know the answer.

Demon lifts his lip in a sneer. “He let you escape. I don’t tolerate idiots or weaklings and he’s proven himself to be both.”

I turn my focus back on the men. They’ve both shifted: one into a black wolf and the other into a smokey grey. They dart towards one another, snapping their teeth before jumping back out of reach. The crowd collectively growls in irritation, eager for the first bloodshed.

The black wolf finally sinks his teeth into the other. He jerks his head to the side, tearing a chunk of flesh from the wolfs hind leg before jumping back. The grey wolfs yelps of pain are lost in the cheering of the crowd.

The black wolf lunges again, this time aiming for his other back leg, but the grey wolf dodges his attack. They slide across the floor, kicking up a wall of dust between them. The black wolf snarls, bearing yellow teeth. The grey wolf returns it, but he is much less fierce. It seems that he knows he’s going to die.

With blinding speed the black wolf lunges again, this time for the grey wolfs throat. The grey wolf attempts to dart out of the way, but the black wolf is too fast. He latches onto the grey wolfs jugular and tears. Blood sprays the dirt and coats the black wolf's fur. The grey wolf collapses and the black wolf stands over the fallen wolf, tilting his head back and letting out a victorious howl.

The crowd returns his howl before stomping their feet and chanting something. It takes me a moment to understand their words. "Eat him! Eat him! Eat him!"

My stomach turns and I feel sick.

The black wolf turns back to the fallen wolf and tears open his stomach with a swipe of his claws. He buries his snout into the dead wolfs stomach, pulling out a mouth full organs. I turn away, unable to stomach it.

"Watch," Demon demands, jerking me back to face the arena. By now, the wolf has devoured most of the organs he tore out. Blood soaks his snout, matting the fur around his face and dripping to the ground. He bares his bloodstained teeth to the audience again, rewarded by deafening applause and cheers.

The gate he came in from opens once more and another wolf enters the arena. This one is slightly smaller than the black wolf with a white and black coat. His hair stands on end as he creeps into the arena. The black wolf watches him with a deadly stare, his ears pricked and his body tense.

"Okay, I get it," I snap, not wanting to watch another wolf be cannibalized, even if they are my enemies.

"I don't think you do," Demon says, turning to me. "I want you to sit when I say sit. To stand when I say stand and to kill when I say kill. I don't think that's quite gotten into your head yet, so you're going to stay here and watch the next two fights." A sickening smile twists his face. "And let me tell you, they get more brutal as they go."