The Ring of Rebirth

With a flick of her wrist, a dart between Tiff’s two fingers speeded out and stabbed into the foam man’s shoulder blade.

“7!” The robotic women’s voice announced in her earphones.

She reached for more darts from the basket and flicked them all out.

“8! 7.5! 6.5! 9! 8! 7! 9.5!” The voice kept declaring every time a dart sink into the faceless man.

“Halt!” T3 shouted, voice penetrating straight through Tiff’s earphones.

Everyone ceased attacking and waited for her to speak.

“You kids come out with me.” T3 led the children out onto the training ground, “Today is your lucky day. Some stupid police attempted to invade this base and were captured by several outstanding trainers here. See what happens when you stand against the Organisation? Don’t even consider betraying us, I assure you it’ll not resolve pleasantly. If one day you really want to leave, go and talk to the Commander, alright? He might let you go judging by your performance. Though if you ever leave without informing him, then you’ll be treated the same as a traitor.”

The police officers were lined up at the edge of the space, each with their hands tied behind their back, feet chained to heavy, metal balls, and their clothes dusted and tattered.

The children looked at them calmly, already used to the scene.

“Anyway, the police are for you to practice your concealed weaponry.” T3 declared and distributed them each a basket full of darts, “You have seen people slaughtered before, though has never tried it yet. Now that you are ten, I reckon it’s time for you to take your first kill.”

“You can make poisons, it’s an option, but that’ll take a long time. I suspect they would be starved to death before you could finish. So, the better choice is to just finish them off with darts.”

Half of kids were thrilled. They’ve seen older kids do stuff like this and they craved to try it out. Some kids were impassive. To them, this was just a normal task, simply part of their training. A few kids were a little nervous. The time for their first kill finally came and they were not exactly sure how to start. A few kids were uncertain. Is this the right thing to do? They peeked at their peers. Well, they seem to be sure enough. Plus, T3 told us to do it, so it must be right.

“Jess, I remember that my mom told me the police are good. I don’t know her original words, but I think that is what she meant.” Tiff poked a girl besides her and whispered into her ears.

“I can’t remember anyone telling me this, though it…” She didn’t finish her sentence before T3 bellowed at both of them.

“What! Did! You! Say! How could you say that? Haven’t I told you kids before? There are no right or wrong in this world, power determines everything. If the police caught you, they would do the exact same thing to you, only worse! Now, tell me, what keeps you safe and sound?”

“Strength! Force! Power!” They roared.

“I can’t hear you. Again!”

“Strength! Force! Power!” The children’s holler echoed in the metal fort.

“Good.” T3 nodded, then squinted menacingly at Tiff and Jess, “Don’t you dare to let me hear those words again. That was the most irrational and irresponsible words I’ve ever heard! You know the rule of deposition…”

“Sorry, T3. We promise that you’ll never hear it again.” They swore in unity.

“Good.” She nodded, “Now, all of you may begin.”

They walked in front of a police officer each, holding their darts. The chained young men raised his head, stared into Tiff’s eyes blankly for a few seconds before bowing his head again. She couldn’t read his expression at all. She fiddled a dart between her fingers, twirling it around.

The other kids were already beginning the festival of torment. Darts sunk into people’s flesh and the training ground was full of moans and cries of pain. Beside Tiff, a dart from that girl cut into a man’s collarbones. It crunched and he grunted loudly.

Tiff gulped while the dart slipped from her fingers. She picked it up as slow as possible, dragging the procedure. No matter how she wished she could do it forever, it still ended. She sighed and swung her arm, sending it deep into the man’s thigh. His face was silently contorted in pain as he gritted his teeth to prevent any appearance of weaknesses.

A woman fell to the ground with a thump at the end of the line. Her hair was sticking to her pale and damp face, while nearly half of her body covered by darts. Tiff shuddered as a chill went up from the bottom of her spine.

“Tiffany,” T3’s voice boomed behind and startled her, “if you don’t have him killed before I come back, then you’ll be the one standing there. How would you like that, huh?”

T3 then left, leaving Tiff in distress. She flicked another dart at the lad and sent him kneeling in front of her. She bit her lips while sweat emerged from her forehead.

“Tiff, do it.” Jess muttered beside her, “I know how you feel. I don’t want to do it either, but we don’t have a choice. He’s going to die anyway. So, you must choose between him dying alone or you die with him. Make the right choice.”

Tiff’s fists tightened beside her as she battled with herself.

She was surprised as she found the young man staring at her behind his messy fringe. When he saw her meeting his gaze, he mouthed, “Kill. Me. Fast.”

Tiff’s breath got stuck in her throat. She paused a second before nodding solemnly. She then took a handful of darts and flicked them at him, aiming only at his heart and main organs. She thought she saw a trace of appreciation flickering across his eyes before blood started to pour, and he fell to the ground. She blinked back the moist in her eyes.

There were only two police officers remaining. A man with darts all over his limbs was still half kneeling in front of a boy who was sneering maliciously. Tiff could see his satisfaction as every dart sunk into the man. She realized in distaste that the boy was torturing him on purpose. She told herself to never go near that boy.

The man finally became lifeless, and the boy rolled his eyes in disappointment. The woman remaining, interestingly, wasn’t harmed at all. The small girl in front of her paced in a circle, still unable to make the first stab. She stared at the ground with panic-filled in her eyes, chest heaving and blinking rapidly, looking like she was about to burst into tears.

“Just flick a dart, you idiot!” T3 hollered. She was back without anyone noticing.

“I can’t…” The girl became teary and choked, “She didn’t do me any harm.”

“Alright.” T3 frowned, then shouted to the others, “Who wants this woman?”

A few kids shot their arms into the sky, malice glinting in their eyes. The cruel boy Tiff saw was the first to raise his hand.

“She’s all yours.” T3’s jaw tilted toward him.

He grinned in exhilaration, grabbed a bucket of darts and stabbed them one by one into the woman’s every finger as she screamed and wriggled.

Tiff craved to escape the scene that will surely haunt her for nights, but she can’t desert, express weaknesses, or show the slightest compassion. If her behaviour got caught, then she’d suffer, too. She averted her eyes with her fists gripped tight in her pockets, but she could still hear the woman’s every wail until the sound finally became feeble.

“Good job. Double bread and water for you, boy.” T3 then seized the girl by the collar and dragged her to the front, “Everybody takes a dart! I want each of you to at least shoot her once!”

The girl struggled in T3’s stubby fingers, biting and kicking in every direction with tears streaming, but it was no use. Her clothes were ragged, and her skin scratched by stones.

“Please, T3! I’m sorry!” Her face was pale and sweaty as she stood there, legs shaking.

“Too late, girl! Kids, start shooting from my side of the line.”

The boy at the end of the line hesitated, but he then flicked his dart anyway. The girl’s pupil dilated as the dart flew nearer and nearer. It pierced her shirt easily and sank into her shoulder. She started to hyperventilate as the agony spasmed through her arm.

The next one took her whole ear away, spewing blood everywhere while she shrieked. Another one rushed into her thigh and away, tearing a piece of flesh with it. She stumbled and fell into the puddle of blood.

Then, it was Tiff’s turn. She tried her best not to show any expression while she aimed the dart at her. Blood dripped out of the girl’s mouth as she twitched feebly on the ground. Tiff did it. The dart stabbed her right in the heart and the life in her eyes finally dimmed.

“Pity how she didn’t last as long as I expected.” T3 eyed Tiff suspiciously but decided to let her go this time, “Anyways, did you kids have fun?”

“Yes, T3.”

“Now, to end this lesson… What is priceless?”

“Strength! Force! Power!” They shouted together.

“What is forever?”

“Strength! Force! Power!”