Chapter 11: High Stakes Survival
"What the fuck!" This fighter said to Lucian having grabbed him. He flexed his hand and wrist where he'd been grabbed. "The lesson was for her, but if you want to start something, I'm happy to do it." Lucian just stared at him.
"It'll be the last thing you do." Lucian told him. It wasn't a warning just a fact. The man had been intent on going after Dawn. He'd simply stopped him from hitting her, he guessed it was interfering but he didn't care. Let Debutant come in and reprimand him. He had his own idea of things he wanted to do, besides when unexpected things happened, it made the others happier. More to bet on.
"Yeah? And what do you care? Got a hard on for the little bitch?" He said clearly taking his statement as something else.
"Maybe I do, can't really do much about it if you kill her." Lucian watched him, the other two were backing up a bit. Lucian's look wasn't friendly and kind of intimidating.
"If what you say is true, looks like only one person is walking out of here. I'll make sure it's me with the money to boot." Dawn didn't know how he got that idea in his head. Lucian hadn't said a single thing like that, but Rick had known about this ITB. She hated that she'd gone out with them. Here was her life lesson that she learned a bit too late.
"He never said that." Mitch told him from where he was. He seemed to think along the same lines.
"He pretty much said only one is leaving. I'm not one to wait around." There was always one in every group. One that figured they knew what was going on. Either after they figured a bit out, or Lucian told them. This one already knew about these games, but he had no idea how they were really played.
"And you're going first." He said moving and ripping the tool from Dawn and shoving her. Lucian brought an arm up to stop the blow from connecting with his head. His forearm took the blow and the stick cracked snapping in half. Lucian had been right, five minutes. This one was eager.
"You first then." Lucian said and before anyone could blink he was no longer there. Jackie screamed and Mitch ran backward trying to get away from the huge animal that just appeared. Dawn was knocked sideways into the plants and scampered up on the other side backing toward the bedroom that was behind her.
"Holy fuck!" Mitch shouted turning to run. Jackie was already gone. Dawn couldn't believe what she had just seen. There was no way that he'd just turned into that thing. It wasn't possible, yet the proof was right in front of her eyes. They had to of pumped her full of hallucinogens.
The fighter gave a cry of pain as sharp claws dug into his side. The only thing that saved him was the part of the tool that he was still holding. He used it to stop the wide powerful jaws from closing around his throat. He managed to give a hard enough shove and got out from under the animal, but was clobbered in the side by the thick muscled tail and sent flying.
Dawn darted into the bedroom and ran through it when the fighter did as well. She ran to the room with the cells and she ran toward the stairs. She heard clanking and looked to find the fighter grabbing a chain that had been wrapped around the bars.
She was going to go down when she heard a sharp and deadly growl behind her. In the doorway it was crouched there poised to strike. Her heart was beating very rapidly, hard against her chest. She heard the fighter behind her.
"Stop." She said in a breathless way, "No sudden moves." She was holding the edge of the rail and she was closer to it then he was. However she could see it in the grayish silver eyes, he was watching the fighter and she was just in the way.
Dawn looked at it, or what had been Lucian. He had a wolfish head with ears that pointed back. The muzzle was more tapered like a lizards. Muscle ran through the entire body and she didn't doubt that he was fast and powerful.
"Yeah? I doubt that will work." He said and she gave a sound of pain when he kicked her hard in the back. She went down before the stairs and he jumped the rail and ran down. She was shaking more from fear than pain when she pushed herself up slowly and glanced up. She'd rather see her death coming then cower from it.
She felt his breath on her ear and the tip of his muzzle was just a couple inches from her. She got a strong scent of berries which was odd. Part of her hair was in her face when she looked at him. She saw the tips of his canines were extremely sharp and pointed.
"God please be quick." That was her hope, and personally she thought that was a damn good request. She flinched when she felt something smooth, warm and slightly wet slide against her neck. When it brushed her cheek in the opposite way it felt rather rough. She knew it was his tongue and hoped he didn't have an affinity for pain.
'Being nice to a stranger can sometimes save your life.' She heard the voice in her head. Loud and clear and it stunned her. The strength and confidence that was in the voice and tone, and it was Lucian's. Just slightly different then when he spoke.
He slid by her and his skin felt smooth yet tough at the same time. She simply couldn't speak nor stop shaking completely when he disappeared down the stairs. His tail was the last thing that she saw and she sat back. She wasn't sure if she should be happy or terrified. She'd just been let go right? Or was he simply just not interested in killing her at this time because that fighter pissed him off more?
There was crashing down below somewhere and she heard Jackie shouting, getting up she ran down the stairs and through the bathroom. She moved forward and found a dining area, and was completely perplexed by this fun house. She jumped as she watched the fighter go flying across the table there and into the wall. He made a sound of pain, and she saw Lucian walk in.
He wasn't the creature, and on the floor she saw Jackie who looked to be unconscious. Dawn moved forward grabbing her by the arm and she started to wake. Lucian had a rather nasty looking gash long his side. Red welts which had to be from the chain. He only had eyes for the fighter, and she didn't think he was going to be alive much longer.
When Lucian reached the edge of the table he shifted and launched himself over it. The scream from the fighter was horrible to hear. She didn't look, just hauled Jackie up and ran through the bathroom and then Jackie shoved her. She was panicked and ran up the stairs. Dawn ran into what seemed to be like a garage with building tables. She found a place to crawl into and sat there for a bit trying to get her bearings. What was she going to do? She put her head in her hands. This was insane, where had she been taken? Was she even in her right mind? Could she just hide here until it was over? No, no she couldn't let herself fall apart.
If what Lucian said was true others would come. Others would be like that fighter and she was going to have to protect herself. Jesus, what if they didn't let anyone live? No, she needed to figure out the best way to survive. What game she needed to play to get through this. Dawn knew that if this was truly real, she was going to have to do things she normally wouldn't. She could not hold back, but it was hard to realize this. She wasn't even sure she could do it, even knowing she had too.
"As you might have figured out by now, this is a game of life or death." She jumped at the voice that came from some speaker system. Then she knew that they had to of been being watched. Were people just sitting there watching them like some movie? She hoped they all burned in hell.
"The first of you is dead, and the one left to the end will be rewarded." She remembered Lucian talking about a reward. Was that when he was rewarded for living through this sick twisted game? How often did they do this? How often had he been doing this? Though her brain was putting evidence together. He was part of it somehow. Obviously a control factor, they couldn't just let them run around unchecked.
"More will be entering in a controlled fashion, and have been watching your progress over the past two hours. It's kill or be killed, refuse to do so and you've already lost. You will participate or you will be terminated." After the last sentence there was no more and she put her face in her hands again.
"This can't be real." She said but it was very real. She heard something locking and then a whoosh. Too afraid to go out and see what it was she just waited. Then she heard arguing and decided that she was going to sneak out and see what was going on. Knowledge was always power, and Dawn needed to decide on the people forced into this situation with her. Could she even trust anyone?
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone