Reanimated as Death's Bane

The price of anger

The Inmates moved out of their tents and resting spots towards a long, low building a distance from the housing area. He joined the crowd, following at the edges behind.

The building had cracks and holes in almost every spot, with its roof barely holding on. Inside, inmates lined up at a counter where guards handed out trays.

“I guess it's food time.” His stomach rumbled, but he had no idea how it worked here. After taking their trays the Inmates moved to a more decent looking building, opposite them.

The building had no doors, only a large window with a little slot at the bottom for trays to slide through. He watched as the others slid their trays in, and what they got varied. Some got slabs of steaming meat, others got slimy glowing worms. Starving was bad, but eating that? Might be worse.

He kept his expression plain but his heart was thumping hard, hoping he wouldn't get worms.

When he reached the counter, he pushed his tray through the slot. A woman’s face appeared behind the glass, she was human, the first he had encountered since his arrival, with tired eyes and a mouth set like stone. “Ticket,” she said.

Dave froze, he had a lot of questions to throw at her, but he was confused when she asked for a ticket. “I… didn't get one.”

“No ticket, no food.” She snapped, about to turn away, but something about him, maybe the fact he was a human, or a teenager with the look of defeat in his eyes, made her stop.

She leaned closer, dropping her voice lower. “Look, kid. You want to eat, you need a ticket. Win three fights in the arena, and you get one. Or challenge someone who’s got one, but they have to accept it. Tickets got ranks, the higher you rank, the better food, the better tents. That’s how it works here. It’s a mean game, you gotta play hard to survive kid.”

Dave’s mouth dropped open, his brows scrunched. Politics? In this hellhole? It hit him hard. The brick house for the big boss, the wooden buildings for the top dogs, the tents getting crappier the lower you rank, all the way to the ones lying in the dirt.

He was disgusted by it. “So I just have to fight?”

She nodded, glancing at the line behind him. “Find the weaker ones, you'll get a better shot. I don't know what got you here, just stay alive kid.

She waved him off, already dealing with the next freak. Dave stepped back with an empty tray, with one word stuck to him ‘Survive.’ He leaned against a wall, watching the others eat. Some sat on metal stumps, with trays on their knees or claws, others spread out on the ground, ripping into their food.

Most sat in groups, laughing, chatting, swapping bits of meat or worms. A few sat alone, completely relaxed, like they weren't part of this world.

His stomach didn't seem to comply with him as another hunger pang hit him, making him clutch his sides. He looked around, hoping to find something, maybe a fruit tree, but all he saw were dried twisted trees that looked like they would stab you before they fed you.

Then he looked over to the inmates, the ones who had their trays loaded with food. Could he snatch one? Just grab it and run away?

But the thought left as quickly as it came, their structure and looks were enough to convince him not to try.

“I just have to wait till he's out of sight then I can have him.” The creature smiled with its eyes locked on Dave. The smallest, the human, the new blood among them, he was easy prey.

Most of the inmates had already finished their meals, so they headed back to the housing area. Dave waited a while, then trailed a group of three.

He couldn't trace his way back, the paths were confusing even in plain sight, barely any buildings around, just the deserted land with multiple paths, lined with gravel stones and cracked skulls, reflecting under the night light.

He kept his distance, his blades tucked to his sides, ready if things went bad. But he was too focused ahead to notice the figure stalking him from the shadows.

A lanky fox like creature, standing on two legs, with long limbs and sharp fur, its mouth full of needle teeth and yellow glowing eyes in the dark. It had marked him from the moment he stepped into the mess hall, to pick a tray as a weak human, easy to eat.

It leaped from behind, using its bony claw to slash his side, tearing his shirt and drawing a hot streak of blood. Dave caught himself before falling, and swung his fist at it, but the thing was fast, it dodged using its other hand to smack his jaw.

Dropping him into the dirt hard, blood dripped from his head as it collided with a sharp stone, warping his consciousness, he lay there wincing in pain.

The creature stood over him, bringing its needle teeth closer to his face, “Momma ain’t here to save you, boy.” It raised its claws for another hit, aiming for his throat.

Something broke inside Dave. The pain, the hunger, the constant kicks to his pride, it all boiled up. Now, this freak dragged his mom into this. It was unacceptable. “You want meat?” he roared furiously, rolling to his feet and pulling out his blades. “I’ll turn you to mine!”

He charged at it without caution. The creature saw an opening and swung its claw, but Dave was faster. Something within fueled him, making him move like a blur in the night.

He struck the hand of the creature with his blade, but he wasn't satisfied with the cut it formed. Slowly, flames engulfed him and his weapon, then he struck the monster's other arm, and it cut it off smoothly, leaving black blood spraying out.

The thing screeched, leaping forward with its teeth, but Dave ducked with a roll, and slashed its legs off mid air, the thing rolled on the floor, trying to escape the monster before it.

But Dave didn't let that happen, he blocked its path, stabbing his blade into its other arm. “Your kind made me suffer,” he said, pulling out the blade and thrusting it into its side. The creature groaned helplessly.

“Your kind tormented me,” he said, pulling out his blade, reducing the amount of flames he exerted to a glow. The creature noticed this and felt relief, but the damage was already done.

“I’m starving. And you bastard. Will you be my meal?” After that statement, he felt more enraged, his flames burnt his surroundings, including the creatures spiky furs to crisp, his face emotionless, like a demon, his teeth grinning against each other, his eyes dark from the flames he was emitting as though he was a demon from hell."

He slashed at it, carving into its chest, the flames burned its wound as it screamed. He didn’t stop, his blades struck again and again, each hit was slow and mean, he wanted it to hurt.

The creature collapsed, a roasted mess of bone and flesh, it was barely recognizable.

Dave stood there panting, but it was worth it, black blood and ash stained him. His blades dripped, and his flames were out.

Then the hunger hit again, harder now, and he looked at the body. His hands shook as he dragged it to an isolated corner away from the path to the tents,

He built a small fire, sparking in the quiet night, and he roasted a chunk of the creature’s skinny arm, the meat was tough and ropy.

He feasted on it, ignoring the bitter taste it had, like burnt leather, but it satisfied his hunger, which was all that mattered. “You all treat me like a monster,” he muttered, with his voice low, “so I’ll be one.”

He enjoyed his meal in the dark. For a moment, he felt strong, like he could take on this place as his fires glow stood out, illuminating the shadows in the tents, and no one approached him. That didn't mean they didn't notice.

From a shadowed corner, behind one of the shacks, five figures watched, all identical. Tall, humanoid with pale skin stretched over large bones, their fingers were long and shaped like knives, with a face like a skull and eyes like burning coal, whispered.

“Kid thinks he’s hot cake now, huh? Roasted that fool like it’s nothing.”

One of them, tapping his foot, hissed, “We tell the boss? Or take him out ourselves?”

The leader’s grin split wide. “We handle it. He’s just a human with an ability. Weak. Let’s show him who owns these Grounds.” He said, licking his sharp teeth, uneven like broken glass, causing blood to drip down his chin.

They slipped into the darkness, approaching their tents, already planning how to break him.

Dave had finished his meal, he put out the fire and rested on his back, watching the night sky. This was going to be his first night, everything felt uncomfortable, the eerily quiet air, the heavy shadows illuminated by the moonlight.

Something felt wrong, like eyes were watching him. He gripped his blades tighter and kept watch through the night. This place was about to hit him with something worse than hunger, and it was creeping closer, ready to pounce.