Just A Game (SYOT CLOSED)

Chapter 25

Hey guys, I know its been a while again, I wrote it a while ago and sent it to my editor, but she hasnt gotten back to me yet and I just couldnt help but post it. So yes, I apoligize if there are any grammatical errors. This story is almost at its end, and I think there'll only be a couple more chapters. I just want to thank you all for following along and sticking with me through it all. 

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Harlow couldn’t get Ajax out of her head. She could see his face, writhing in pain, features contorted. He had looked so surprised, so betrayed. It haunted her, the whole incident. It hadn’t seemed real. His baby gray eyes had begged her not to do it, and she could see that he was so very confused.

                It was because he trusted me, she thought. Just like she had trusted him… Just like she had trusted him… Suddenly anger was boiling beneath her skin, she had known Ajax, trusted him. He couldn’t have been a part of the scheme… But that meant that… Someone had lied. And Harlow was pretty sure she knew exactly who that someone was.

                She stood up sharply from her spot, eyes finding the dark haired boy.

                “You,” she accused, kicking him in the stomach. He woke suddenly, a grimace working its way across his face.

                “What?”

                “You are a liar,” she sneered. “You told her that he was bad so I would kill him, didn’t you?”

                Cinocca didn’t answer; he just stood up stiffly, inching towards his sword.

                “Don’t you dare” she hissed, pushing him back. “He was good, he didn’t deserve to die; unlike you.”

                Cinocca refused to meet her eyes. She was right after all. 

                “You are a terrible person you know?” she said. He grinned widely.

                “I know,” he replied. “But you are just as bad as me.”

                She stiffened, jaw clenched. “Never.” she muttered.

                “You knew it befor,e” he whispered. “Deep down you knew that he was good.”

                She didn’t reply.

                “But you weren’t going to let him get in the way of winning,” he chuckled. “You are a monster just like me.”

                “Stop!” she yelled, pulling out a knife. Cinocca was still unarmed, but he didn’t seem worried, he just continued to taunt her.

                “Precious victory, more important than the precious boy,” He smiled. “But don’t worry too much, if you hadn’t murdered him, I would have.” His eyes never faltered. “But I was just going to stab him and be done with it. I suppose you always were more creative, with your little poison darts, slowly torturing your victim before they die. I must commend you for that”

                Then she lost it, lunging at him. She could see the shock on his face; he hadn’t thought she would actually do it.

                He fell backwards, the blade slashing against his shoulder. He hit the ground with a thump, noticing for a second that the blood was staining the pearly white sand. He pulled himself up, anger blinding him. Grabbing his sword, he turned towards Harlow again.

                She attacked him again, frantically throwing hits with her knife. The blade caught Cinocca across the forehead, blood dripping into his furious blue eyes. He was losing stamina, and Harlow was relentless, still slashing at him.

                He fell sideways into a tree, the stitches in his stomach coming loose. His legs were wobbly and hardly able to hold his weight; he could barely lift his sword. Harlow now had a clear shot at his chest. Hatred for him burned through her veins, she really wanted him to suffer. She pulled her hand back, ready to slit his throat, or stab him in the chest; any form of payback would do.

                Harlow lunged towards him, everything moving in chaos.  Suddenly, she was shoved off her feet, her vision filled with blonde hair. Cinocca looked down, using what little strength he had left to pull up his sword.  Then he brought it down in one swift motion. Harlow fell to the ground, a body falling on top of her. She heard the choking sound as she tried to push the girl off her. It was only when she managed to sit up that she realized that it was Mckinley.

                Cinocca tumbled to the base of the tree, clutching his stomach. He looked in horror at what he’d done. Crawling on his knees, he made it to McKinley’s side, noticing the dark cut from her right shoulder down to her left hip. His eyes blurred over as she coughed, unable to speak. Her grey eyes were filled with tears.

                “No” he whispered shakily. “No” his eyes were filled with disbelief, then anger. He grabbed his sword swiftly and plunged into Harlow’s heart. “No!” he screamed, grabbing McKinley’s hand. He couldn’t believe he cared so much, he had been planning to kill her eventually. But now, looking at her lifeless body he felt so much pain, grief, and guilt. It filled him up, threatening to explode. It was him, he’d killed her.

                “Why?!” he yelled at her still corpse. “Why did you do that? Why did you save me?!” The second cannon went off, only a painful reminder of what had just happened. He couldn’t even think straight.

                How was it that he hadn’t seen her? He hadn’t even noticed who he’d attacked; he’d been too focused on his own survival. She’d tried to save him and he’d killed her instead.

                Something inside Cinocca broke as he realized that she had gotten under his skin, and that he allowed himself to care about someone. He shouldn’t have cared. He should have killed them all right away. He shouldn’t have let a single thing get in the way of victory.  He shouldn’t have felt any remorse, it was just another kill, he shouldn’t have cared.

                But he had, and now he felt empty. Is that what love meant, to lose everything?

                He would never be so weak again. He wouldn’t allow himself to think about her, no matter the guilt that he felt. He only had one goal left: victory.