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I am covered in my own blood. Bruises and cuts ruin my face. I stand, but my ribs feel like they're broken. I tongue at a loose tooth, prying it free. I spit it onto the concrete and watch it roll into a small drain. I'm still hanging on, but I'm not sure how much longer I can last. Still, I’ll play their stupid game if it ensures my freedom.
The intercom blares: "Please stand. I introduce to you a new beast, brought all the way in from the White Sands. The Death Crawler."
My arrogant smile drops from my face. "The what?"
The crowd goes even crazier this time as aliens stand to watch and see what happens next. Though my pain is excruciating, I do my best to stand.
The Death Crawler...
"The fight begins now."
I yank against my chains. "Wait," I shout. "Let me out of my chains!"
The crowd laughs. When I look around the arena, I don't see my challenger. The arena is empty, spare the dead soldier's body.
I am without mate, without weapon, and without hope. I look around the arena at the faces that all despise me. They throw hate in every direction. They hurl insults and cackle with manic laughter. They wish me to die, but I will not satisfy their twisted urges. Anna would want better.
I snap out of my fear and stand against the wall. I raise my fist into the air and howl. "For my mate."
The room goes berserk.
The ground rumbles. The particles of dirt spread apart as the center of the earth collapses inward. A worm-like creature rocks its body free of rocks and dirt, and when it opens its mouth, I can see layers of giant, oozing pokers waiting to pierce me.
"Great," I hiss to no one and everyone at the same time barely able to hide my sarcasm. "A giant sand worm named Death Crawler is going to eat me for dinner."
I jerk against my chains, unable to move. "Come on, you son of a bitch. What are you going to do?"
The worm rises from the ground and closes its mouth. Slowly, a giant stinger comes out of the center.
"Oh, shit," I mutter.
The monster whips its stinger at me, and the crowd hollers as I nearly get pierced. I feel the wind of its attack across my face as a warning. It lunges forward and opens its mouth, biting through the chains.
I fall to the ground and roll out of the way before it can impale me.
It swings back, stinger headed for the space between my legs.
Oh, God. Please don’t let the worm pierce my cock!
One more roll before I’m back on my feet and sliding across the arena. I jump over its body and narrowly dodge a second attack.
"Fuck," I mutter, out of breath. I need a weapon.
I sidestep toward my dagger. Little by little, I get closer to the shimmering blade.
I scrape my hands in the pale dirt and watch the worm carefully. Wherever I go, the stinger follows. I have to make a move. The beast can sense me, but it does not have eyes. It cannot understand my movements. It can only react.
I dive and try to grab the dagger, but it widens its terrible mouth and swallows the blade whole. Quickly after, it ingests the dead halfling soldier, spitting out his bones.
"Okay..."
I roll to the other side, and I'm not shocked when it repeats my motions. Every move made by the worm is a mirror of mine. The Death Crawler is not only a deadly creature. It is also a stupid creature. I can beat it.
I dive back. It follows, piercing into the earth. As it loosens the ground, I’m forced to my knees. The ground shifts and builds around me as the Death Crawler eats its way in my direction.
I start to sink, but I quickly grab my chains. As the worm makes its way to inhale my bones, I whip and coil my bindings around a pipe near the ceiling. I pull myself up, grab a guard’s blade, and swing away from the barrier.
I drive that blade through its body, slicing him in half.
