The Interstellar Slave

Chapter 10: Hexagonal Ring

The green guard followed the long narrow hallway. It was quiet and odorless. Even the ET was odorless, Bituin discovered. But except for the green blood on her. It smelled like intense raw meat, which was offending to her nose.

As the reptilian emerged from the hall into a wide open space that was like a vast stadium, she swept the surroundings with her gaze. Her eyes went wide as she was horrified to see different alien species sitting on the gray bleachers. There were reptilian humanoids but with yellow or red skin color and with different facial structures, such as elongated faces or diamond shape like snakes. Others had squid-like body and protruding eyes. There were those that she recognized as well, which were the Grays with huge head and eyes and thin bodies. Some others had rotund bodies and spiky head with only one big eye.

Bituin could take in all these creatures she just saw for the first time. She blinked numerous times while she was in an upside down position.

At the center of the bright stadium in a triangular formation were three hexagonal closed rings. They were made of intertwined huge metal bars that ensured no escape at all.

Bituin saw Shanice and Chao in each of the two, fighting for their lives. Meanwhile, the third cage was empty. Now she knew it was for her. She began to fight the alien, squirming and thrashing. Her fists connected to his back and the side of his neck and head.

The green reptilian humanoid growled at her and carelessly deposited her inside the hexagonal ring that rose up to five feet. He pressed the small orange button of her neckband, and her robe was changed into a fresh one, a white robe with one green stripe and with no more blood. She didn’t know if she would thank this evil creature or not because of it, since the stench now went away.

The reptilian jumped down and disappeared from where they came from.

“Level A, sublevel one match begins.”

Bituin heard a male AI’s voice, and her small orbs grew round when she saw another human being that suddenly appeared in the middle of the cage. She thought it was a hologram at first, but as soon as the reptilian stepped out and the gate automatically locked with a soft clang, she knew this person was flesh, bones and blood. Just like the ones that Chow and Shanice were up against in the other two cages.

The newly arrived human being had fair skin that was like any other Caucasian people she always met while on Earth. The woman was a bit taller than her, with dark straight her that was pulled into a high ponytail. She had a muscled body of a wrestler, which alarmed the Filipino-Korean. It was not that she was afraid to fight this person, but she didn’t want to fight for the aliens’ entertainment. Fighting underground back on Earth was way different from this.

She backed off from her opponent inside the spacious ring, glancing at their surroundings. The cage had perhaps twenty to thirty meters in diameter. The ceiling of the cage was so high up, about fifteen meters in her calculation. She climbed up to see if she could escape from there. Nevertheless, her opponent was quick get to her and pulled her foot, slamming her on the hard floor that was also made of metal, creating a loud thump. She groaned in pain as her face and body connected to it, momentarily knocking the air out of her lungs. In the corner of her eye, she noticed the aliens open their mouths. She thought they gasped inaudibly.

The woman kicked her side. It was so powerful that she slid across the other side of the ring. Meanwhile, the aliens’ mouths closed only to open once more. She thought that was a little bit weird.

What are they really doing here?

The stadium remained quiet, except for the fighters’ groans and moans, as well as their heavy breathing. There was no such scene that would give Bituin a hint that these aliens were into gambling. There were no excited whistles or hoots. They were just like a huge bunch of family that didn’t want to do with anybody else in the room but to just have dinner in silence, minus the food though.

Wait, dinner?

Realization struck her like lightning.

Of course! she thought as though having a eureka moment.

“Wait! Don’t!” she said to opponent, who stopped a few paces away from her.

Bituin pushed herself up, feeling better. The nanobots must have done fixing her.

“I’m not going to fight you, all right?” she told the brunette opposition. One hand was in front of her, and she took a deep breath. Her eyes went to the alien audience. “Do you know what’s happening here?”

The brunette briefly gazed at their surroundings. However, she didn’t speak.

“We can’t let these creatures feed on us! They feed on our fear, anger, frustration, pain and suffering! They feed on every negative feeling we have!”

Her opponent smirked, telling her that the latter already knew about it all along.

Or does she not care at all?

“What? Aren’t you going to do something about this? Like escaping from here?” She tried to convince the other woman in the ring.

Instead of answering her, the muscled lady attacked her with a combination of punches and kicks. Luckily, her reflexes were rapidly taking over her body. She blocked them with her elbows, knees and feet. She pushed the woman away.

“I told you I won’t fight you!” she said in a firmer tone, giving the other woman a fiery look of warning.

The woman still came onto her fast and strong. She was caught between the opponent’s legs in a scissor kick. Bituin fell to the floor with a harsh thud. She suppressed a groan, holding her breath and grinding her teeth.

Geez! She’s really provoking me!

Nonetheless, she refused to fight her adversary. Bituin only blocked her every attack, making the woman grow angry.

“Do you think you won’t be feeding them if you don’t fight me?” The brunette finally asked in a cold voice that Bituin wanted to shudder.

There was something in that voice that told her this woman appeared soulless.

Is she even a real person?