Cataclysm

0.7

"Get Braken to come over to my window," I said, rushing to the cell door. There it was, just where they'd left it.

"What? Why?" Leo asked.

"Just do it," I snapped, reaching my arm through the bars. I could almost reach the hilt of my sword. It was still covered in Laszlo's blood, and seeing it made me sick to my stomach. I ignored it the best I could and stretched until I could just barely grasp it.

Leo was on his toes, poking his arm out of the barred window into the arena. He was speaking softly, coaxing Braken toward him. The younger Unnatural was frantic and wild, making soft, inhuman sounds of pain as he pushed himself closer to Leo. I couldn't see him or the screens from here, but I hoped he was close enough.

I could hear the announcer mocking them, and my heart burned with anger. "Aww, the poor thing needs someone to hold his hand. How sweet." The crowd burst into laughing and taunting, and my anger grew hotter. They didn't know a thing about these games. They had no right to laugh.

Slowly, I pulled my sword through the bars of door, and then ran over to the window. "Braken," I said quickly. "Braken, get him close. I'll -" My voice faltered, but I pushed through it. "I'll stab him."

Braken just glanced at me and pressed himself harder against the wall, his eyes filled with terror. I couldn't tell if he'd even heard me.

Mike prowled toward him, grinning like a maniac. "I can't kill Tristam, but I can kill you. I can kill the only thing he cares about. I can take everything away from him, just like he took everything from me!" he screamed.

I started to poke the sword point through the bars, shoving it awkwardly out into the light. He wasn't close enough. I couldn't reach him. The announcer noticed and quickly alerted the Refs.

I could see the screens now as Mike formed another energy grenade in his hand and knelt down next to Braken. Braken lifted his hand weakly to finish him, but the other grabbed both of his wrists with one hand, preventing him from touching him. He flinched when he'd done so, as if he'd half expected to disintegrate on contract, but then smiled grimly as Braken tried to pull away, his childish eyes wide in terror and filled with tears. "Let's go out together, shall we?" Mike said softly, still grinning.

Braken's eyes flickered to my sword sticking out of the window and he suddenly lashed out, kicking Mike hard in the stomach. The other Unnatural yelped and released him, and Braken grabbed the blade of my sword, yanking it out of my hands and into the arena. He cut himself pretty badly on the edge, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Braken, what are you doing?" Leo shrieked. "Just grab him!"

The Refs were readying their darts, the ones used to knock the contestants out if they didn't do what they wanted. One of the guns, I noticed, was loaded with bullets - to kill him.

I looked up at the screen - everything was happening so fast - and saw something in Braken's eyes that drove a blade of ice into my soul. He wanted to use my sword because he'd seen how much pain Laszlo had been in. He wanted Mike to suffer.

Tristam didn't enjoy killing.

Braken did.

Before Mike could recover and throw the bomb, Braken stepped forward, stumbled, and thrust the sword into his chest, and the crowd went silent. They had wanted to watch him disintegrate, not be impaled.

Mike let out a gasp of pain and dropped to his knees, grasping his chest as the energy bomb vanished. The Refs were screaming for Braken to stand down, to back up and put his hands in the air. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Braken didn't listen. He just glanced up at them and his eyes hardened like diamonds. He tightened his grip on my sword and slowly began to pull it out, twisting it as he went. Mike let out a silent scream and doubled over, desperate to protect himself. There was blood all over, and a sick feeling entered my stomach.