The Last Red

Chapter 19: Last Man Standing

"Aaaargh!" Patrick grunts forcefully as he lunges forward onto Koben, something resembling a spear lifted above his head.

My heart's beating so hard I feel pressure in my ears.

These people really don't waste any time.

Koben doesn't move instantly.

He waits for the last moment, then swiftly ducks and jumps aside to dodge the weapon.

Nice job.

The crowd cheers.

My eyes grow large as ever as I monitor the fight.

"Don't worry, only cold weapons are allowed," someone whispers into my ear.

I turn slightly back. 

It's Nancy.

Koben's feet dance lightly across the floor as he tests Patrick's speed.

That's normally a good strategy, but I feel he'll need one that's more offensive to get out of this alive.

"I thought there were no rules in here," I say almost sounding relieved.

Until she laughs.

It wasn't a cruel laughter, more like a half-irritated, half-amused chuckle. "You learn after all, little swan," she flicks my forehead, then leaves.

"Ow!" 

That b***h lied.

No, focus, Kayla. I can't get distracted right now, I rub my forehead and glue my eyes back to the dancing Koben.

I have to be ready to run any second now. If he loses, I'm definitely the next they're gonna kill.

But wait... maybe Nancy helped. If there's no rules... I can help Koben. 

I need to get my hands on a g*n.

Patrick's on the move again. He snarls, then throws the spear away as if it was worthless, his blood-thirsty eyes never leaving Koben's.

He subtly shakes his arm and a knife falls out of his sleeve into his hand.

The asshole came prepared.

He sprints to Koben's left then quickly switches sides, jabbing his knife in an attempt to stab him.

Koben doesn't back down this time. He dashes forward, grabbing his wrist, the two growling as they test forces. Koben pushes back, but Patrick kicks him in the knees, sending him down to the ground.

He takes Patrick with him, though.

The crowd cheers as they now wrestle.

Shut up! I need to  focus!

OK, I need to do something to help. Anything. I scan my surroundings like a maniac, looking for an impossible way out.

I didn't have enough time to think this through.

Koben's loud grunt takes my attention back to him.

Is he hurt?

Koben's teeth are sunk into Patrick's checkered shirt and he rips it off him as he growls in pain.

And now I see it.

There's blood on Patrick's white undershirt. But it ain't his.

It's Koben's.

He's bleeding from his ribs.

"You better start running," someone whispers to my ear again. "While they're still distracted."

It's the bald girl.

I ignore her and glue my eyes back to the fight. 

She might be right, but there's no way I'm leaving.

I hear her breathing down my neck as we watch Patrick taking punches across his face now.

Koben's seated over his abdomen, throwing punches so hard that his knuckles are bleeding.

But Patrick doesn't seem to be much affected.

Someone from the crowd throws something in and it flies in the air until it hits the back of Koben's head, knocking him down.

"Hey!" I shout uncontrollably. No rules... Nancy was right. 

Patrick jumps up, recovering as a heavy metal rod rolls away from Koben.

Those damned bastards...

Koben's now feeling dizzy. I can tell. He staggers as he gets up, at the same time, someone from the crowd tucks something into Patrick's hands.

Oh my God...

It's a g*n.

"Turn around!" I yell at Koben. "He's got a g*n!"

I'm maniacally sweating now even though I feel cold. I'm shivering all over my body.

Koben turns just in time as Patrick points a g*n at his head.

People standing behind him clear as fast as they can.

Of course... He could shoot anyone if he were to miss.

"Follow the crowd!" I yell, doubting he can ever hear me from all the excited cheers.

Koben must think the same, because he now runs in a circle, doing swift ducks and approaching him in a zig zag manner.

He really is agile.

Patrick pulls the trigger and the sound sends my heart to my heels.

I swallow hard as a curly-haired woman collapses onto the ground.

He missed.

Koben's now reached Patrick and he grips his hand as if his life depended on it.

Only, it actually does.

The g*n flies out of his hand and Patrick kicks Koben in the stomach, making him whimper in pain. He crouches but his body weight sends both of them back down.

"Your boyfriend ain't bad," the bald girl comments vaguely. "He's still gonna die, though," she clicks her tongue. "Too many people are against him in this fight." And then she's gone.

I know she's right. Koben isn't fighting just Patrick. He's fighting all of his allies, too.

Patrick's  under him again, biting his arm to let loose, but Koben is taking the pain as a champ that he is. I guess I should expect nothing less from a block's number 1.

Nicky walks up to me, then just stands beside me. "You're at the wrong place," he says plainly.

I manage to sigh with irritation even with all the stress and fear I'm handling right now. "Would everyone stop telling me the obvious?"

Someone from the crowd kicks Koben with his leg, which gives Patrick just enough time to come on top and put Koben in a deadlock. His arms are holding his legs down, and his legs are wrapped around his neck.

"That's not what I mean," Nicky whispers, placing something into my hand, then gracefully walks away.

I look down.

It's a rope.

Why is he giving me a rope? To hang myself before they kill me mercilessly?

I look back at Koben. 

Ooh.

I run maniacally. "Move! Make way!" I push through all the crowd and commotion, towards the other end of the circle. I need to reach closer.

"Out of my way!" the words come out on their own.

As I reach a mid-point, there's a dead-end. 

Five or six men are standing in front of me as a human shield, not bulging. 

"Let me pass!" I demand.

But they simply cross their arms, looking at me mercilessly, savagely, checking me from head to toe.

Oh, no you won't.

"Koben!" I yell, "Koben!" I shout from the top of my lungs until I see his eyes look into my direction.

And then I throw him the rope.

I notice a glimpse of a smile, shortly, because he seizes the rope in an instant and wraps it around Patrick's neck.

The crowd lets an exhilarating sigh. The fight has just changed its course.

Patrick lets go of Koben and grabs the rope with his fingers, trying to let loose.

Something's wrong.

His eyes are swelling up, his fingers going red.

It's like... an allergic reaction.

But to what?!

Someone laughs next to me. "How did you know?"

"Knew what?" I demand as I turn to find the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. She looks just over 50, but her bone structure is impeccable. High cheekbones, sharp jawline, big almond-shaped eyes... and those lips are just hypnotizing.

"Patrick's allergic to vaseline," she states just as he collapses onto the ground, his throat bulged, his swollen fingers still tense around the rope.

Of course I didn't. 

But Nicky did. He must've soaked the rope in it.

That sneaky old man.

And then it all happens at once.

Everyone's panicking.

Their leader's just died. 

Some people scream, running away to their cells, as other cheer in joy.

I try to push my way in to Koben, but there's just too many people inside the circle now.

I-- can't ... push.

"Settle down, everyone."

I then hear Nicky's authoritative voice.

"You did this!" another man's angry voice cuts through the room.

I hear an attack happening, punches being thrown, and then finally a g*n blast.

But I can't see anything.

People are now screaming desperately. Panic rules all over.

The crowd clears a little and I see Patrick's guard lying dead on the ground, with Nicky standing beside him - a hot g*n in his hand.

He killed him.

Nicky's claiming the throne. 

He did as he said. He said he'd help me if I supported him after in claiming his long lost throne.

"I don't think so, Nicky," Norton, one of Patrick's guards leers over him. "We don't follow losers."

"He is no loser!" Nicky's guard yells.

"Yeah?" Norton's mouth sneers. "He'd be dead if Patrick didn't save his life when back when."

What?

"And we don't follow dead people," a woman viciously says, her eyes popped out like a crazy person.

"That's right!" the crowd cheers, male rough voices silencing those weaker ones.

"We don't follow the weak!"

"You killed Patrick!"

People start throwing stuff at Nicky.

"Enough!" the sound echoes over the vast hall. "The fight was won, fair and square," a tall bulky man stands in the middle, taking Koben's hand into his and lifting it up in the air. "Ladies and gentlemen..." he announces loudly, "We have a winner!"

And just like that, the crowd cheers again.

Oh my God, I swallow hard, my mouth going dry all of a sudden.

Koben's the new ruler.