direction.
“I don’t want…”
“You don’t want to eat people?”
She shook her head quickly and sadly.
“You will,” the one-eyed woman laughed. “Oh trust me, child, you will.” She laughed again. “Hell, child, it ain’t bad once you get used to it.”
She held up a wooden bowl of the watery soup, a finger bobbing near the surface. “Now, I’m not so partial to fingers, but you take what you can get, you know?”
Amanda ran away from the woman, who laughed hysterically. She bumped into people who, without acknowledging her, pushed her away. She asked for help, begged for someone to give her something to eat, but no one would listen to her. She finally found herself at Block’s camp where the last of the line of Cave dwellers were being fed the remaining few scraps from the cauldrons. Amanda gawked at the liquid remains, her stomach screaming.
Block looked at her and said, “There is no more. You should have been quicker.”
She noticed that behind the cauldrons, near where his wood and bamboo throne was, there were piles of semi-rotted fruit and vegetables. “Please may I have some of that?” she asked, pointing.
“No,” he said simply without anger or malice.
“But why not? I’m starving.”
“Because the food is for three- and four-timers, me being the only four-timer, of course.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, though she wasn’t looking directly at him. Her eyes darted about like a nervous junkie.
“Of course you don’t,” he replied. “But you will.”
“Please,” she said, sliding her arms out of her sleeves and letting her blue jumpsuit fall to her waist. “I’ll do anything.”
“I’m sure you would,” Block said. “But so would most of the people in here. No, honey, I’m not going to take you for an apple. If I took you for an apple and sapped my strength, what would I do if I had to fuck someone in the show?”
She tried to look exotic, alluring, but wasn’t feeling it. “Please, Block. I’d fuck you better than anyone.”
He stepped up and took one of her pert breasts in his calloused hand, squeezing it gently like it was a tomato at the market. “And you might well do that, but not here, not now. Save it for the Game, girl.”
She pulled her jumpsuit back up, feeling humiliated by his rejection on top of everything else, and darted for the pile of food, hoping to snatch something and get away before he could move. He was lightning quick, though, and grabbed her by her blonde hair, causing her feet to fly out from under her. He held her down on the ground by her throat and leaned in very close.
“You don’t want to be labeled a thief here, girl. You really, really don’t. Now get out of here. You’re testing my patience.
She scrambled away from him, and then turned, crouching like a feral cat. “I’m going to kill you,” she told him, rage replacing her fear and hunger. “I’m going to kill everyone responsible for me being here.”
Block didn’t laugh at the threat and only nodded solemnly. “Good. Keep that,” he told her. “That’s what you’ll survive the Cave with. Now go on before I find a rule you’ve broken.”
Amanda backed away into the darkness, never taking her eyes from the man. He’d pay, along with Darius. They’d all pay.
* * *
“It’s not nearly as bad as you’d think it would be,” John said, licking the remnants of the bowl he’d found. “It tastes a bit like pork boiled for a long time. It could use some salt, if anything.”
Darius looked on curiously. He wasn’t as opposed to eating human flesh as he’d made out, and certainly not as freaked out about it as Steven. His biggest problem at the moment, staring at the people soup, was he didn’t particularly want that piece of human flesh. He looked down at his own bowl and tried to determine what portion of the poor fool from the Game he was looking at. It was a chunk of skin, with soft blonde hair and the edge of a
“I don’t want…”
“You don’t want to eat people?”
She shook her head quickly and sadly.
“You will,” the one-eyed woman laughed. “Oh trust me, child, you will.” She laughed again. “Hell, child, it ain’t bad once you get used to it.”
She held up a wooden bowl of the watery soup, a finger bobbing near the surface. “Now, I’m not so partial to fingers, but you take what you can get, you know?”
Amanda ran away from the woman, who laughed hysterically. She bumped into people who, without acknowledging her, pushed her away. She asked for help, begged for someone to give her something to eat, but no one would listen to her. She finally found herself at Block’s camp where the last of the line of Cave dwellers were being fed the remaining few scraps from the cauldrons. Amanda gawked at the liquid remains, her stomach screaming.
Block looked at her and said, “There is no more. You should have been quicker.”
She noticed that behind the cauldrons, near where his wood and bamboo throne was, there were piles of semi-rotted fruit and vegetables. “Please may I have some of that?” she asked, pointing.
“No,” he said simply without anger or malice.
“But why not? I’m starving.”
“Because the food is for three- and four-timers, me being the only four-timer, of course.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, though she wasn’t looking directly at him. Her eyes darted about like a nervous junkie.
“Of course you don’t,” he replied. “But you will.”
“Please,” she said, sliding her arms out of her sleeves and letting her blue jumpsuit fall to her waist. “I’ll do anything.”
“I’m sure you would,” Block said. “But so would most of the people in here. No, honey, I’m not going to take you for an apple. If I took you for an apple and sapped my strength, what would I do if I had to fuck someone in the show?”
She tried to look exotic, alluring, but wasn’t feeling it. “Please, Block. I’d fuck you better than anyone.”
He stepped up and took one of her pert breasts in his calloused hand, squeezing it gently like it was a tomato at the market. “And you might well do that, but not here, not now. Save it for the Game, girl.”
She pulled her jumpsuit back up, feeling humiliated by his rejection on top of everything else, and darted for the pile of food, hoping to snatch something and get away before he could move. He was lightning quick, though, and grabbed her by her blonde hair, causing her feet to fly out from under her. He held her down on the ground by her throat and leaned in very close.
“You don’t want to be labeled a thief here, girl. You really, really don’t. Now get out of here. You’re testing my patience.
She scrambled away from him, and then turned, crouching like a feral cat. “I’m going to kill you,” she told him, rage replacing her fear and hunger. “I’m going to kill everyone responsible for me being here.”
Block didn’t laugh at the threat and only nodded solemnly. “Good. Keep that,” he told her. “That’s what you’ll survive the Cave with. Now go on before I find a rule you’ve broken.”
Amanda backed away into the darkness, never taking her eyes from the man. He’d pay, along with Darius. They’d all pay.
* * *
“It’s not nearly as bad as you’d think it would be,” John said, licking the remnants of the bowl he’d found. “It tastes a bit like pork boiled for a long time. It could use some salt, if anything.”
Darius looked on curiously. He wasn’t as opposed to eating human flesh as he’d made out, and certainly not as freaked out about it as Steven. His biggest problem at the moment, staring at the people soup, was he didn’t particularly want that piece of human flesh. He looked down at his own bowl and tried to determine what portion of the poor fool from the Game he was looking at. It was a chunk of skin, with soft blonde hair and the edge of a
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