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ARGO

CHAPTER I - DAMNED

I remembered the most miserable headache of my life, and groaning all around me. I couldn't open my eyes without stabbing pain and a violent white-hot light ripping through my skull... What happened? How long had I been out? What put me out?

But then it began to come back to me, being cornered in the alleyway, mugged, the knife he pulled and the piece of shattered glass I'd so desperately plunged into his throat...

And I couldn't remember his face, the man who I killed.

I laid on the ground at least a minute, and it sifted under me like sand... Not the rough orange-brown dust from where I came from, but smooth and warm kinds I'd never felt before. My hands absently grabbed a handful of it as I slowly opened my eyes towards the ground, and the sand was pale.

I noticed shadows across it and movement, and realized I wasn't alone. Yelling, swearing, arguing... And a new sound, one that I couldn't identify.

Lifting my head, I saw something I never thought I would.

Ahead of me was a large boulder with a bit of moss growing on it, and as that wasn't much to look at, to my left was the open sea, waves caressing the wetter brown sand only a few shades lighter than my fur.

I stared at it, it was all I could do.

"Hey! You! Where the hell you going?"

Looking around to the noise, a stab of pain erupted through my still sensitive arms and I fell to my side, rolling onto my back. Someone was yelling at a shape I... No, it was gone.

"Someone just ran into the trees there!"

"Let em'! They're dead within the hour, maybe less."

A few feral birds cawed loudly and I couldn't see the canopy, just deep green and brown. I hadn't looked to my right, but the tallest building I'd ever seen would envy this forest.

Or rather, it was a jungle, in this setting.

A hand roughly grabbed my arm at the bicep from behind me, the awkward angle causing me great discomfort but encouraging me to stand.

"You alright?"

I turned to face him- no, her.

Wolf, gray fur, shocking green eyes. Still holding my bicep, and it was hurting much, I noticed her physicality was daunting, to say the least.

"Where am I?"

She frowned, deeper than had been before. Looking out towards the group further down on the beach, I got only a brief glimpse before the high noon sun clawed my eyes.

Seeing my recoil, she steadied me.

"Best shape up, or you won't last long here."

She began to walk away.

"Wait! Please..." I stumbled to catch up, but she didn't slow down walking towards the group. I kept my head down and took in the darker sand, where high tide's arms reached, for fear the sun would take my vision again.

"What do you want, kid?"

"I just want to know where I am..."

A slow grin stretched across her face. I dared to look up to speak to her.

We were the same height, almost exact, but maybe she was a bit taller, being a wolf. I was an African wild dog, so I could compare only slightly.

"You're in hell, kid."

Looking around, the jungle, the few clouds, the bright blue sky...

This was hell?

Turned her head to me and looked me up and down, as if to acknowledge my inferiority in comparison to her. She gave a huff.

"You really don't know?"

"I wouldn't be asking you if"-

"This is the Arena, dumbass. This is where we all come to die."

I stopped, a shiver running through me. Of course, this was where I was. It only made sense, I would go here or straight to the executioner's block.

Lucky me.

"Come over here, kid."

Mindlessly obliging, I dragged myself to the group, and she was the only one acknowledging I was here. My thoughts were elsewhere, maybe in the real hell.

"What's your name?"

It was offbeat from what little words passed between us and as such caught my attention.

"C-Cyrus."

"Justine."

She reached out her hand.

Reluctant to take it, I did and opted to grab the forearms, but the grip hurt anyways. Justine gave a grin at my discomfort, and it told me about her character.

"We'll do fine, kid. If we just get coordinated quick, we can last out as long as we need to."

The wolfess looked towards the jungle. "Whoever ran into there earlier's screwed on his own. Not our problem, I guess."

We went closer to the group and I noticed there were maybe 25-30 people there, a few grouped up, a few alone, and a few in the center, arguing about whatnot...

I didn't know what to expect. Back home it wasn't like I could watch the Arena's broadcasts, I don't think there was a TV in the whole biodome. Just sand and misery.

"Alright, then!"

The voice was louder than all the rest, and gruffer. An odd accent, Australian maybe, put us all to silence. Even those arguing watched as a Dingo stepped into their midst, and looked them over as if challenging them to say something, anything.

Giving him an excuse.

"I know this game, and if you want to survive, you'll all listen to me. I've been to Tier 10. This is child's play, this beach."

His gaze settled on me for a moment and then moved on.

I was nothing special. Then, at least.

Someone roughly pushed him and I flinched, the sudden violence catching me off.

"Why the hell should anyone listen to you? Anyone even recognize this bastard? If he's been to Tier 10 then you can take a fucking knife, hang me upside down, and"-

The dingo grabbed his head with both hands and snapped his neck. "A prime example of just why you lot should listen to me. I want everyone in a line, we're going to take names and then I'll tell you where to go and what I want you doing."

"Christ..."

"No, this is good," Justine said. "Someone takes charge early and there's no infighting."

I was frozen as a trickle of blood came from the corpse's mouth, and it was staring directly at me, twisted in agony and fear.

Everyone began to line up, and I was between Justine and a husky, female.

"First things first. I want your name, and what you're here for. Nothing else. I'll go first."

His chest rose and fell, and I noticed we were wearing the same thing, all of us. A black shirt with some sort of silky material, and shorts of the same make, coming down just past the knees. It hadn't occurred to me, I'd been too busy in agony and looking at corpses.

"My name's Mikael. If I listed my charges it would take too long, so let's just say I got a body count. And I'm your fucking leader."

He moved along the line, to my left, and I was near the end.

"Jerod. Theft."

"Isaac. Arson."

"Lily. Assault."

It went on, and I paid attention to who was who as best I could, trying to remember who sounded bad and who might have ended up like me.

Victimized, and then condemned for defending themselves.

A drone began to carry and I relaxed, staring out over the horizon.

I noticed another island, one with a large mountain on it, a big forest as well. A few miles out, hard to swim to, but possible.

How hadn't I caught that earlier? Only took up a huge chunk of the view, was I that dumb-

"Margaret. High treason."

Everyone went silent in puzzlement. I leaned forward to get around those who were already leaning forward to get a look.

What the hell did High Treason mean anyways...?

A short otter wearing glasses, looking up at the puzzled dingo.

"You're too young for the rebellion. Then again, they kidnap kids, don't they...?"

I couldn't judge her age from this distance, but most everyone sent into the Arena was young, between 16-35. People wanted the prime for the bloodbath...

He went back to calling names, and this time I paid attention, catching a Takeo, Tomas, Valentin... It went on and eventually we were back to the drone-

"What about you?"

I looked up and Mikael was there, towering over me, and I was fully engulfed in his shadow...

"Cyrus. Murder- in self defense"-

"Oh, you're one of those types. Better be useful, then." He glowered at me as he walked away, and it was Justine's turn.

"Justine. Armed Robbery."

He nodded. It was nothing out of the ordinary but I saw Justine in a new light. Then again, everyone here got here somehow, naturally she was a criminal.

And Justine looked intimidating enough to level a gun on you and mug you...

They moved towards the end of the line and it came to me that murder was the most common offense. Which meant most people were prepared to kill, and might be mentally unstable as well...

Was this what I deserved? Why was I here?

Mikael moved towards the last one in line, and I could just see the top of his head if I looked around Justine. Panther, nothing else was that tall with dark fur.

"Morgan. High Treason."

Mikael gave a laugh, short and brute. Margaret cast a look down the row and Morgan did the same. I caught a nod from him.

"If you must know, I was sent to kill the Chancellor."

No more laughing. I pictured this beast of a panther moving in behind the old leader's chair, intent on killing him.

I always pictured the rebellion as savage, but the confederation as insane.

There is no good in this world.

"Well, then. I want say, you over, building shelter. You guys check the jungle, I want you three finding supplies..."

He came to me and to my dismay, divided groups right between me and my immediate right, where Justine was. I'd lost my only friend just like that. Temporary, but there was no reassurance and I felt lost.

"You two are just going to search for that stray- the one that's ran off into the woods what as we woke up. Watch out for any traps, I reckon they're going to be in the sea and the jungle."

Mikael's experience was reassuring, but I'd just watched him snap a man's neck like a damn pencil stick. I looked to the husky beside me. She wasn't as tall as me but was built around the arms. I didn't catch what she'd done to get here, but I hoped it wasn't anything I needed to watch out for.

She talked with Mikael and I took her in. What scars were visible were so because of her shorter fur- anything Justine had was concealed with her longer fur, and the husky was canine, but less so.

If that made any sense.

Her eyes were like Justine's, instantly capturing and somewhat offbeat from the rest, except the husky herself was captivating, and they were a bright blue. She was what some would call beautiful, but I knew from experience beauty was only so if they weren't a total bitch either.

Pardon.

She turned to me and I offered my hand.

Looking at it, she didn't acknowledge the handshake, but any awkwardness was swept away as she was down to buisness.

"Cole."

That's a guy's name...

"Cyrus."

"Best head out."

"Yeah."

And with that, we walked into the woods. And I could only pray whatever was in there wasn't 40 eyed and green skinned and sharp clawed, my imagination screaming at me.

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