is there light at the end of the tunnel?

The Awakening of Maggie.

Warning: Inspiration for this book is from White Wolf's game system known as "World of Darkness." This system is as dark as the gamer's brain can be. Death of Character is possible. Blood, Gore, and Cussing emanate. Only those with a strong constitution should read this.

I wake to the most disgusting smell in the world. Rotting flesh, fecal matter, fear, salty tears and vomit. It is a challenge to keep my own stomach.

I guess I need to back up. All I remember from last night is going to The Lodge last night. I was there because a friend wanted to go. She said that it would be fun and it gets a little wild. I remember a wolf the size that was about the size of a large Saint Barnard. It bit me in the leg and I passed out. Welcome to the morning after.

As I try to remember I look at my ripped jeans. Yep it happened. I groan and touch it. It is tender but doesn't look infected. Well I have that for me.

The room is more of a cave with a grate on one end. There is a large pile of gore off to one side. A pile of death scraps of fabric and body parts. There are some destroyed cell phones and teddy bears. I guess small children are not safe either. I only have one question.

"What the hell?"

"Good morning." A girl next to me says.

"Good? Seems relative." I deadpan causing her to laugh.

"Well, any day you wake up in this place is a day you might get out….I'm Lucy by the way. You won't have to fight me. My stepdad is one of the leading wolves. He wasn't happy that my mom cheated on him and got me. So I am down here to help the newbies." She says with a sad smile.

"Werewolves are a topic for fantasy novels. Right?" I question.

She doesn't say anything, just looks at me.

A bell rings near the gate. And people head that way.

"We better get food or we won't have any for the day. You will need strength." Lucy heads towards the gate and I follow. I get my ration and find it is grewal. A gray muck like food.

"Trainers advised your trainee. The fight is in two hours. This one is for the sponsors." calls out a deep male voice.

"Hurry up and eat. We need to see what you got. See what weapon might suit you...until you shift. Guess I am lucky you got marked most down here aren't. You are only marked if they think you will change."

"I'm human. My parents are human. There is no way I will shift."

"We will see. Let's spar. "

We head to the back of the cave. There are smaller caves off to the sides and we pick one. Lucy pulls a makeshift curtain across. We light a few lanterns.

As I am lighting my last one, she attacks with a combo. Luckily I had some training in defensive fighting. So I am able to block most of her strikes.

"You need to attack if you want to live. Defense is good but you are dealing with life AND death. This fight, luckily you won't die. Maybe K.O.ed but not killed." The whole time she is talking she is attacking.

When does she breathe? She is good. She is always backing me into a corner. Pushing with her movements.

"Attack me, damn it. You are lazy and sloppy. " She finally stops "Punch at me."

I punch with my right. The way I thought I was meant to.

"No." She moves my hand into the correct position. "Your punch needs to be straight. It needs to be strong and use your body. Tour hips and torso follow your fist. Through your shoulder." She shows me how. "Now you."

We work through other strikes, punches and kicks. Until the bell rings three gongs. She leads me to the gate. She waves goodbye and stays behind.

I follow the others out. We are all led to a waiting area and decided into groups. There is a mix of male and female fighters. Looks like we are arranged by age. We are allowed to look on as other groups fight. The arena looks like something out of Gladiator. The one with Russell Crowe playing Maximus. Minus the lions and beast.

It is not as rustic as the Gladiator arena. I think they took the High school's bleachers. The portable kind. They make up two sides. A big plasma screen acts like the jumbotron, like at the big sports stadiums,on the far end.

There are mostly men on the bleachers. Dressed to the hilt. Rich men in silk, pinstripes, and Three pieces.

The other fighters are doing mostly hand to hand. Some are showing off other skills like parkour, and weapons martial arts. They seem really good. They seem to pair off with who will show off their skills the best.

As I am standing there watching, I get a double vision of sorts. It looks like ghosts are walking among them. Whispering things. I turn a little and there is one at my shoulder. It is a fox.

" I am sly like you. Be sly and stay alive. My friends and I will help you along."

"What about them?" I ask "the other fighters."

"We have chosen to help you. You are the one."

"Fighter group two you are up. Show them what you have. Remember a sponsor means training and food."

The gates open and some run out pumped up. My vision goes back to normal as I am shoved out the gate.

As people try to attack I remember the training I have and what the fox said. Every hit that comes at me is dodged. When I am chased I run them into a hit that was meant for another. A few hits I have had to block mostly I am able to pass them to another fighter. This goes on for several minutes before a bell rings and we are shuttled off the field.

We are made to go back to the cave. Lucy meets me at the gate and we head straight for the room we used for training.

"Tell me everything." She says, as she lights a lantern and warms up some of the gruel.

"Lucy. Where the hell are you girl? You and your trainee need to get ready."

Lucy grabs my hand and pulls me to find out what is going on. We head to the front were there is a man holding two gown bags and cuffs.

"Seems your trainee did good. She got a sponsor, dinner time girls." He passes Lucy the bags. "I need your hight, weight, age and name?" Looking at me.

"Maggie Winters 18, 5'7", 150 Lbs?"

"Thank you. Aaand noted. See you in a few" he says handing the cuffs to lucy.

Lucy pulled me back to our space so we can get changed. Lucy's dress hits her knees like a cocktail dress of glittery green complementary to her green eyes and blond hair.

Mine might as well be a bathing suit with skirt bottoms. Mine is a rose gold, complimentary to my strawberry blond shoulder length hair. Luckily my tanned skin doesn't get washed out.

"I hate to do this to you, buuuut." She holds up the cuffs.

I just nod and hold out my hands to her.

"The more you play along the better off you will be. Just remember the other fighters are your enemy not your friend...including me. In case you come up against them in the arena. Come on, let's eat. Remember to eat small amounts your body will thank you."

We head back to the gate to meet up with our escorts to dinner. We are each taken by the elbow by a different guard.

Upstairs to a huge dining room. The tables line three sides. The one on the far, the head table, end is on a raised platform. I am led to a spot close to the head table. A gentleman stands and pulls a chair for me to sit. I take a seat and thank him.

It seems odd that I would be playing along however the fox did say to be sly. You have to learn the players and the game before you can make a move. This seems like an in depth game of chess.

It ends up being a four course meal. Of course when they bring out the appetizer it is escargot and It goes double vision aaand a snail starts talking to me.

"I must be going nuts." I slam back in my chair.

"What?" My sponsor asks.

"No, but if you listen to us then you might just survive. The fox maybe sly but the hare didn't win the race." The snake says and the vision goes away and the snail is no more.

"What was that Maggie?" He asks again

"Oh, I… I just said I don't think I can eat snails." picking one out of the shell and giving it a squeeze. "They seem rubbery." I look at him.

The rest of the night is uneventful, thankfully. We talk about my skills and what we both think I need to get better at. The idea of Lucy moving with me to the sponsor's training house. As well as a few other things. Until a guard comes to get me again and take me back to the cave.

Lucy and I make beds in the training room we took over and snuggle down for the night.

"They will make final choices by morning and if we have a sponsor by then we won't be here. So rest up." And that is Lucy's way of saying good night.