Olympia

• Nabid Rahman, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2015

I can’t think. I can’t breathe. There is nothing but the bitter tang of fear in my throat and the ruthless ticking of the clock. Five seconds to go. Four. Three. Two…
The clock stopped ticking, the last second never came. A feeling of relief swept over me, but the fear washed back like a river during the monsoon season. What now? I'm confined to a tiny, steel room with a clock on the wall and an old, noxious blanket for bedding. Did I sit by myself for minutes? Hours? Seconds? Who knows, the clock didn’t move an inch and then a thunderous voice came from an unseen microphone.
"Start Phase 2, release the predator and prey.”
The clock ticked once more.

A deafening scream of rusty iron ravaged my ears, I fell to my knees and begged for them to stop. The walls began to sink into the floor and the outside world become apparent. The rusty iron screams were replaced by an eruption of screaming people, their screams incoherent in the middle of the arena. I was holding a blade, I don’t know how or when I took it, I twisted the blade and studied it closely, the dark steel was absorbing the sun’s light, almost like a black hole, the leather on the hilt was unlike any other, almost exotic and the gems the lined the pommel. The blade itself was sharper than any obsidian knife. My armour was mere rags and a chest plate, A large door from the other end of the arena opened with a thunder-like boom and another person stood, it was girl, her curvy physique was well defined, She was in leather armour with some steel plates over her shoulders, shins and chest, A menacing helmet sat on her head. She didn’t even flinch at the noise. Had she done this before? Was she the Predator? Was I the prey?

The thunderous voice took me by surprise again.
“Fight!”

She charged at me with surprising swiftness. I raised my sword and braced myself for the incoming attack. My opponent attacked, but I dodged. I realised that I have no experience in fighting. Not only was I ill prepared but outmatched. Panic drove over me I held my surprisingly light weapon tightly as I blocked another attack. Another flurry of attacks made my arm sore, she was getting tired too, I saw my chance and swung my weapon at her like a drunkard. her helmet flew off as a result of my attack, I was about to attack once more, but I stood there like an inept fool, never have I ever seen someone of striking beauty, her hair dark and silky, shining the sunlight like the starry night and her eyes and her eyes were a vivid emerald green. I stood there, dumbfounded by her beauty. She stabbed her blade into my stomach and blood oozed out of my wound, she leaned over and whispered into my ear,
“I know it hurts now, but it's for the better. I’ll get us out of here, I promise.”
I passed out into the darkness as the crowds screamed louder than ever before.