Liz stumbled as she entered the room, the sudden, brilliant light blinding her. Stars danced across her vision as behind her, the door slammed closed. She jumped at the sound, and almost tripped, before managing to right herself. Straightening, she blinked again and finally took in her surroundings.
Overhead, fluorescent bulbs lined the ceiling, filling the room with their distant whine. Otherwise, the room was unlike anything she'd seen so far. Three walls were covered by white padding, while the third shone with silver glass, its surface reflecting her tangled hair. She shivered, seeing the exhaustion in her eyes, the bruises marking her cheeks.
For three days, the doctors had taken them to the outdoor field and driven them through an endless series of tests and exercises. Unused to the strain, Liz had quickly learned that failure meant pain. She had been forced to dig deep within herself, to stores of strength she hadn't known she possessed, in order to survive. But now things had changed again.
She took another step into the room, the soft floor yielding beneath her feet. Turning from what she guessed was a one-way mirror, she faced the boy standing in the center of the room. His long blond hair hung in dirty clumps around his face, where purple bruises matched Liz's own. He bit his lip, his eyes flickering around the room, uncertainty writ in his every gesture. Behind him was another door, its surface padded like the one through which she had entered.
Joshua, she thought, recalling his name from their first day on the training field.
He looked at her as she thought his name. "What's going on?" he croaked.
Liz shrugged and shook her head. "I don't know, Joshua."
They had not spoken since that first day. Ashley and Sam had been insistent, refusing to even acknowledge the other group of inmates. Somehow, Liz did not think their rule applied now.
Before either of them could speak further, a loud squeal interrupted them. Liz winced, the hairs on her neck standing up as a crackling voice followed.
"Welcome," the voice began, coming from somewhere in the ceiling. "Congratulations on surviving this far. As you know, only the strongest are needed for the final stages of our experiment."
Liz crossed her arms and turned to face the mirror. Raising an eyebrow, she rolled her eyes so those behind could see. She was sick of listening to these people, sick of them acting like they owned her. Collar or no, she refused to be treated like an animal any longer, to bend to their will.
The voice ignored her display of insolence and continued: "Unfortunately, time constraints require us to press on. This phase of the project must be completed by week's end. That means omitting the standard rest period for new subjects such as yourselves."
"Hardly seems fair," Liz muttered under her breath, flashing a quick grin at Joshua.
Joshua shrugged and cast another uncertain look at the glass. They stood in silence, waiting for the voice to continue. "Regretfully, we must cull our population of candidates for our next phase. Only the strongest would survive the final process regardless, and we do not have the resources to waste on failed specimens. Thus, only the best will survive today."
Liz shuddered at the casual way the voice described ending their lives. She recalled the faces lining the corridor outside their cell. Some of them might have been as young as thirteen. Their whole lives were ahead of them. And these people wished to snuff them out, to slaughter them like they were no more than field mice beneath their boots.
Joshua seemed a little younger than her, maybe seventeen years old. He was a little taller too, and bulkier, with the broad shoulders of a swimmer. His amber eyes were watching her now, his fear shining out like a beacon.
"Only one of you will leave that room alive. You must decide for yourselves whether you possess the will to live. To the victor, goes life."
Liz glanced from the mirror to Joshua and back. She sought out some sign of the watchers beyond, but the glass showed only the horror on her face. And the boy's wide eyes, the hardening of his brow, his fists clenching as he faced her.
Whatever her own thoughts, Joshua had clearly already made up his mind.
Only if you're human. Ashley's words from their midnight conversation returned to her.
They weighed on Liz's soul as she watched Joshua, saw his muscles tensing. In that moment, she knew in her heart that she too would do whatever was necessary to survive.
The fear had already fallen from Joshua's face. His eyes weighed her up. A smile spread across his lips as he realized his chances of victory were high. There was no question who the doctors expected to survive.
He stepped towards her, and Liz quickly retreated. She studied him as they circled one another, searching for a weakness. It was easy to see she could not match his strength, but she was light on her feet and hoped he might prove overconfident. After two years on the streets, wandering between towns and cities, Liz was no stranger to a fight.
Yet with the padded walls ringing her in, there would be no room to run if she made a mistake. If he caught her in his long arms, it would all be over. Though his capacity for murder was yet to be tested, she had no desire be at his mercy.
She certainly would not be giving him any second chances.
Joshua gave a shout and leapt towards her, eating up the space between them in a single stride. Liz twisted as he came for her, jumping backwards to avoid his flailing arms, and smiled as he staggered past. Despite his greater size, the boy was no fighter.
Maybe she had a chance after all.
Joshua came to a stop near the wall and spun to face her. A wicked scowl crossed his face. Liz swallowed hard and braced herself.
Raising her fists, she nodded. "Let's get this over with then."
A low growl came from Joshua as he started forward again, his footsteps controlled now, each movement carefully measured. Liz spread her feet wide and slid one foot backwards, readying herself. She had no intention of letting him get close enough to grab her, but he needed to be a little closer yet.
As Joshua took another step, she screamed and hurled herself forward. His eyes widened, but close as they were, he had no time to react. Liz slammed her fist into the center of his chest, aiming for the solar plexus.
Air exploded between the boy's teeth and he staggered backwards, a half-choked groan rattling from his throat. The color fled his face as he clutched his chest, mouth wide and gasping.
Watching his distress, Liz hesitated, guilt welling within her. Joshua hadn't been expecting her to fight back, certainly not with such sudden violence. But as he bent in two, wheezing in the cold air, she knew she could not spare him. If he recovered, he would not fall for the same trick twice.
Doubled over, Joshua's head provided the perfect target. Liz clasped her hands together and brought them down on the back of his head.
Joshua's legs buckled and he slammed into the ground without a sound. His arms splayed out on either side of him and a muffled groan came from his mouth. Relief swept through Liz at the sound—at least she hadn't killed him. Maybe they would allow him to live. After all, they couldn't have expected her to win this matchup.
Turning to the one-way mirror, she raised an eyebrow in question. As she did, Joshua's hand shot out and grabbed her by the leg.
Liz screamed as fingers like steel closed around her ankle and yanked, sending her crashing to the ground. The shock of the fall drove the breath from her lungs, and she gasped, struggling to breathe. Pain shot through her ankle as the fingers squeezed. Cursing, she kicked out with her foot, but Joshua surged forward and caught it in his other hand.
Panic clutched Liz's stomach as she fought to break his grip. Sucking in a lungful of air, she tried to roll away, but his hands held her like iron shackles. However hard she strained, they refused to give. Joshua's teeth flashed as his lips drew back in a grin.
In a sudden rush, he dragged her across the floor, pulling himself up as he did so. He released her, but before she could squirm free, Joshua's weight crashed down on her chest, pinning her down.
Hands fumbled at her throat, fingernails tearing at her skin.
Liz lashed out with a fist, catching Joshua in the side of the head. He reeled sideways, but his weight did not shift and she failed to break free.
Recovering his balance, Joshua snarled and raised a fist. Liz raised her arm in time to deflect the blow, but a scream tore from her lips as it glanced from her shoulder. She swung at him again, but there was no strength in the blow this time and it bounced weakly off his chin.
Liz was not so lucky.
Stars exploded across her vision as Joshua's fist connected with her forehead. Her head thudded back into the soft ground. Distantly, she thought how considerate it was for the doctors to have provided a padded floor while their prisoners beat each other to death. Then another blow slammed into her jaw, and the fight went from her in a sudden rush. Darkness spun at the edges of Liz's vision.
Cold fear spread through her stomach as a tentative hand wrapped around her neck. She sucked in a breath as the pressure closed around her throat. Panicked, she stared up at Joshua, silently pleading for mercy.
Joshua stared back, his eyes hard, lips drawn back in a snarl, teeth clenched in rage. Whoever he'd been before entering this room, that Joshua was long gone. He'd been burned away, the innocence of the boy replaced by anger, by bitter hatred, by the desperation to live.
Fire grew in Liz's chest, willing her to action. She kicked feebly, trying to maneuver herself into a position to attack. But his weight was far beyond her strength to lift. Before she could struggle further, he lifted her head and slammed it back into the ground. Despite the spongy surface, Liz's vision spun.
She opened her mouth, gasping in desperation, but the pressure did not relent and she managed only a whisper of a breath. Darkness filled the edges of her vision as every muscle in her body began to scream. Bit by bit her strength slipped away, replaced by the endless burning of suffocation.
On top of her, Joshua leaned closer, eyes wide with vicious intent.
In that moment, Liz saw her opening.
He was so close, just inches away. She could not miss. With the last of her strength, she clenched her fist and drove it up into Joshua's throat. The steel rim of the collar bit into her knuckles, but behind it, she felt something give, something fracture with the force of her blow.
The pressure around her throat vanished as Joshua toppled backwards. A low gurgling echoed off the walls as he gasped, his hands going to his own neck, his legs thrashing against the soft floor.
Liz sucked in glorious breath, her throat aching from the icy air. She struggled to her hands and knees, still coughing and wheezing. Her head swirled and the room spun, but she dug her nails into the spongy floor and willed herself to remain conscious.
Get up, Liz!
Slowly, Liz pulled herself to her feet and stood swaying in the center of the room. The white lights burned her eyes, blinding her, but she clenched her fists, and by sheer will stayed upright.
She looked down at Joshua, bracing herself to continue the fight. Her stomach lurched when she saw him.
Joshua no longer moved, no longer thrashed, no longer breathed. His mouth hung open, and his eyes were wide and staring, but the boy within was gone. His face was a mottled white and purple, the veins of his neck bulging, and a black bruise was already spreading from beneath his collar.
Joshua lay dead at her feet.
Tears ran from Liz's eyes as she sank to the ground.
The darkness came rushing up to meet her.