Another World

Light rushed into my eyes, blinding me temporarily. A voice boomed all around me. I could hear it and feel the vibrations from it but its intense volume made it almost unrecognisable. A low buzzing in my ear distracted me momentarily as my sight came back to me. I rubbed my eyes furiously, trying in desperation to somehow dispel the dizziness and nausea. I took a tentative step forward but I didn’t make it far; tripping over an invisible force.

There was a sharp, precise pain in my forehead. I forced my palm flat against it, willing all my energy to make it stop. A voice whispered in my ear. It was synthetic and computerised; large gaps between words and awkward pronunciation betrayed its cyber origin. “Ah. Ah. Ah. No moving until ow-thur-rised. Please…” There was a brief gap before the voice came back in a much sterner tone. “Desist.”

I panicked, my breathing growing rapid and my hands quickly searching my feet. I could feel large shackles bridging my legs together. My fingers fumbled with them, navigating themselves around the metallic bindings.

Silence surrounded me. I hadn’t noticed the cheering from the crowd until it was gone. The moment of tranquillity faded and I scrambled to my feet, scanning the area. A roar erupted from the far end of this circular arena. I could only make out a fuzzy blood of dark crimson. I tilted my head to the side, quizzically staring at this enraged blob. A bell chimed somewhere from outside of the arena. I took another quick scan, to find where it came from. I was in a large circle, surrounded by walls almost 30 feet high. For a moment I saw a faint shimmer of light emanate from the wall but I was soon distracted by the rows of seats up, beyond the walls. At the moment there were only a handful of spectators gazing down on me, judging me.

The same booming voice from before announced, a little quieter this time; “release the locks.” Only moments after the words were uttered, I could feel my legs taste freedom once again. “Commence” the voice commanded, the word lingering slightly in the air as the ground began to vibrate. My eyes flickered back to the opposite end again. I wondered if the red blob was getting closer or just getting bigger. Then it hit me.

I went barrelling back into the wall, my arms splayed out like the Vitruvian Man as a thousand volts of electricity coursed through my body. The shimmer of light I’d glimpsed earlier must have been a stray spark. I summoned what energy I could to push myself away from the wall. Collapsing onto the ground, my head swam against a tide of darkness. I was fighting to keep myself from fainting.

Warm breath cascaded down the back of my neck, shortly followed by a low grunt and a sniff. A white tusk poked me curiously before pushing me over onto my back. I could smell cooked flesh. It was obviously mine. My eyes gazed up at the hulking behemoth above me. His body was large and muscular with a hunched back. Well, I assumed it was male. No woman, in my eyes, could ever be this hideous. Four large white tusks emerged from the creature’s mouth; two going down, two going up. When its mouth was closed, the tusks interlocked with each other forming a sort of cage in front of its face. When opened, they looked fearsome and deadly. I certainly didn’t want to find out how they felt.

It prodded me again. I didn’t move. My body tensed completely as it drew up to its full height and turned around. It obviously thought me dead. A tremendous rush of adrenalin flowed through my veins and I got to my feet slowly, as quietly as I possibly could. I tried to think of how I could exact my revenge. One of us had to lose. He was the rabid beast. And rabid beasts had to be put down for the sake of others. Such a sappy and pointless excuse I made to myself. I just wanted revenge.

I took a few careful steps forward, approaching the beast’s back. I bent my knees and propelled myself forward onto its back, wrapping my arms around its neck and interlocking my fingers to give myself a better hold. It thrashed about wildly, trying to swing me from its back. I wouldn’t let go. I knew it would mean certain death. He wasn’t going to give me another chance to play dead. Releasing my lock around its neck, I quickly grasped the two tusks pointing upwards. I tugged the right hand tusk sharply towards me, steering my foe towards the wall. I kicked my heels into its sides, encouraging it to speed up.

A malicious and satisfied grin spread across my features and I couldn’t resist shouting “revenge is sweet, asshole!” It took a moment for me to regain my senses. Echoes of physics lessons swarmed through my head. The current would be carried through his body to mine. “Shit” I muttered to myself, fully realising my mistake. I glanced around frantically before deciding on an action. I had to time it right though. If I didn’t, I’d end up vulnerable to an assault. I waited patiently until we were seconds from the wall before kicking off from its back and rolling onto the ground, my arm taking the brunt of the impact.

I spun around quickly, wanting to watch my prey die. It collided with the electrified wall and sparks flew about violently. It let out a distressed, pained howl as all its muscles tensed and its life force was slowly sapped away. My stomach churned and I could feel my nostrils being attacked by the foul stench of roasting flesh. The feeling was bittersweet. How could I kill something in such cold blood? The adrenalin began fading from my body and I felt myself fall forward onto the dusty ground. I couldn’t fight it anymore. I let myself go, into the blackness of unconsciousness.