Spirit Hunter book one

Chapter 10

Tom

Yesterday's training wasn't exactly as good as I hoped it to be but it was good enough. If they found it hard to cope with yesterday's task, they're going to be in for a shock today. They all come out of the caravan and lined up in a single file. They know it's no longer fun and games; we are only a couple of days away from the battle. "Today is not target work, Today you will be fighting each other. This isn't about going easy on them because they're your friends. You give them all you've got and never less always more. Do you understand?" They nod and stay focused. "Let's start. I want Keyz and Trinity in the pit. Go." Trinity gets in the pit and waits. Keyz is just stood there, refusing to move. "Get in the pit Keyz, stop messing around." She glares at me but I didn't care. She stumbles into the pit. "Start the fight."

Trinity waits for Keyz to make the first move. Keyz goes in for the punch; Trinity catches it with an open palm. She twists Keyz's wrist around and folds it behind her back. Keyz screams out in pain. She kicks her legs behind her and catches Trinity's hand. Trinity yelps but let go. Keyz looks vulnerable and that's something you don't want anyone to see in battle. Trinity looks ready and furious. Keyz jumps and stretches her leg out going for Trinity's stomach. Trinity grabs the foot and flings Keyz, making her slide across the pit. Trinity lifts her up and knees her repeatedly in the stomach and punches the side of her jaw. "Enough. Trinity wins." I announce. Trinity backs away slowly allowing Keyz to stand her ground. Trinity takes Keyz out of the pit and they stand in line catching their breath. "Next, Zach and josh."

Zach looks pleased and josh looks mortified. "No I won't do this." Josh says, shaking. Zach grabs josh and throws him into the pit. He climbs in cracking his knuckles along the way. This should be interesting. Josh flings his fist around. Zach punches straight into his nose. Josh staggers about as blood pours from his nose. Josh looks pissed. Josh closes his eyes. He opens them and they are pure black, black like the darkness. He grabs Zach and lifts him up of the ground. By every second Zach looks weaker, more feebler. Zach looks like his energy is being taken out of him. Josh drops him to the ground. Zach stands up and looks confused. I know what had happened. I grab josh and punch him straight into his shoulder. He lets out a cry but I don't care.

"You do not! I repeat do not use your demonic power here. You've drained him! Decide which team you're on because I'm not afraid to kill you right now! Understand!" He nods and stands back in line. Zach gets back on his feet and stands back in line. "Now I want James and Keyz in the pit. Go."

James and Keyz enter the pit. James looks rather intimidated. Keyz is determined to win. Keyz kicks James in the back on the legs and wraps her hands around his neck. He grabs her hands. He chucks her over him, straight on to the pit floor. With his anger rising, he kicks her in the stomach, making her bend over like a little girl trying to protect herself. He picks her up by her hair and makes a clean shot into the side of her face. She staggers back. He trips her up, causing her to land face first in the centre of the pit. She twists around and catches his fist before he made another shot. So he kicks her once more. "Stop. James wins." I say, allowing them to leave the pit. "Trinity - Zach in the pit go."

Zach enters the pit first- shortly followed by Trinity. Zach goes in for the punch; Trinity ducks and elbows his ribcage. Zach grabs Trinity's hair and pulls her around. Using Zach's arm she lifts herself up, she kicks him with both feet. He lets go and falls onto the floor. She kicks his face. He gets up again, wiping the blood of his split lip. He makes on punch to the side of her face; she waves it of as if it never happened. He grabs her head. Big mistake. She twists around and japes her hand straight into the side of his throat. She grabs his arm and slams it down on her leg. He screams in pain. "Stop, Trinity wins" I said. Trinity and Zach leave the pit nudging each other and laughing. "Zach and James, go."

They enter the pit. Zach makes the first move by tripping James up and kicking him straight into the middle of his face. James gets up, not caring about the cut Zach has just made. James repeatedly punches Zach in the ribcage not allowing Zach to make a single hit. Zach gets away and jumps on James back wrapping his legs around James throat, pulling him to the ground. James clutches his throat and gets up of the ground. James grabs Zach, putting him into a sleeper hold. Zach can't move a single inch. "Enough. Draw." James lets go of Zach. Laughing their heads off, they walk back into the line. "Now that I have seen how well you can fight. I am now going to fight two of you. The strongest one, the winner of both their fights and the weakest one who lost both their fights. The weakest one was, in fact Keyz, in the pit."

Keyz doesn't want to get in the pit but she did it anyway. "You are weak. You need practise, you can't fight. You're too, what's the word, feeble. You lack strength, will." I want to get her angry rising. She is bright red and filled with furry. She runs at me and I dodged. "Is that all you got? Pathetic." She goes to punch me but I block with open palms. I snigger at her. She goes again for the punch. I dodge out the way and punch her. She lands on the floor. "Get up, you're stupid." She manages to get on her hands and knees. I kick her straight in her stomach. She cripples. Then she uses her shield on me, keeping me away from her. She takes away the shield and gives a clear punch to my face. I stagger but it doesn't affect me. "Go on out you go." She leaves the pit. Holding on to her side, she glares at me and sends me a message. I am not weak! You should do well to remember it! I grin at her and she sends me the middle finger. I turn around to see trinity already in the pit cracking her fingers. She shakes her hands. I go for the punch and she grabs my arm twisting it behind my back. The pain shoots through me. I scream in pain. She kicks my back. Causing more pain to crawl through me. She grabs my head and slams it on her leg. Blood pours out of my mouth. I spit on the ground. She punches my face, leaving me coughing blood up on the pit.

She gets me up and says "Guess I'm stronger than I thought." I raise my eyebrows and laugh.

Holly comes rushing out. "Chelsea, she's unstable- She's not breathing!" She runs back inside and the rest follow. Chelsea is pale like snow, cold to the bone. Her lips blue. The medicine we have been giving her isn't working. The bite burning through her to the bone, it's infected her blood stream causing her heart to start rotting away. We tried to fix everything up inside her but nothing worked she got here too late. Trinity and Keyz run to Chelsea's side.

"Please, if you see my parents, tell them I loved them." They nod and Chelsea smiles before taking her last breath to join the afterlife. Her body lay still with the smile imprinted on her face. I close her eyes and let Trinity and Keyz grief. Trinity lets out a sob and James takes her into his arms, just rocks her back and forth. Keyz cries her heart out and runs into Zach's arms. He looks confused but slowly adapts to it. He looks happy but also he looks as if his heart is being ripped out of his chest.

"We will give her the traditional Spirit hunter funeral." We gather wood and place in on the ground in the shape of a star and fill it. We place Chelsea's limp body in the centre and set the star alight. She looks like a shooting star. We all sit down and pay our respects. We all just sit there and realising the horrifying truth in a couple of days that could be anyone of us. Trinity and James leave first and stay in the same room. We all need to stay with our love ones for the next couple of days just in case we can never have this time again. Zach goes inside followed by Keyz. Josh has stayed in his room ever since Keyz grabbed Zach instead of him. This has proven my point all along. I go inside after everyone else did and stand just by the door. Zach and Keyz are having a personal talk.

"Why, why mess with my feelings? You know how I feel about you and first you push me away, then today you grabbed on to me when you cried and not him. You know how I feel I can never change that. But I know how you truly feel, you just can't admit it." Zach speaks. He racks his hands through his hair. "We are going to be going to war in the next seventy-two hours and all I want is just to know - and for you to admit -you feel the same way. Because I will die for you Keyz and you know it." Keyz let out a sob and tears flow down her face. Zach kisses her forehead and let go. He looks at her once and walks into his room. She has a decision to make and she must make it alone.