Stabbed

Chapter Two

Tori’s POV

My eyes slowly opened, darting around the room. My entire body felt bound, sore in a way that made every breath hurt. My vision was blurry, my head pounding like it had been split open.

Tears, whimpers, and low murmurs filled my ears. Where the fuck was I? Was this the afterlife?

Girls were scattered all around the room. It took a moment for my mind to process what I was seeing, but when it did, my heart dropped. They were tied up. All of them.

Some were crying quietly. Some whispered to each other in fear. Two heavily armored men stood by the entrance, swords at their sides, eyes cold and watchful.

Panic surged through me. I tried to stand, only for a sharp pull around my wrists to stop me. That was when reality hit and I was also tied up too.

“Where the fuck is this place?” I shouted, struggling against the ropes digging into my skin. “Why am I tied up? I am not a criminal!”

“Don’t bother,” a woman beside me said calmly. “No matter what you do, you are stuck here with us.”

My head snapped toward her.

“We are all stuck here, yes,” I snapped back. “But they do not have to tie us like animals. We are dead already. Why do they think we are trying to escape? And where the fuck is this place?”

The room grew quieter. Several girls turned to stare at me like I had said something forbidden.

The woman leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. “What do you think you are? Some kind of royalty? Of course we are slaves.”

My mouth trembled. She doesn't look scared like other girls in the room. She looked too peaceful for someone who was tied up this way.

“Besides,” she continued coldly, “you are not dead yet. The performance will determine your fate.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips before I could stop it. How could you be saying something like that and you are still calm?

“What do you mean we are not dead?” I asked, my voice lowering. “Isn’t this the afterlife?”

She looked at me with pure disdain, like I was saying something stupid.

“You should stop talking and get a grip,” she said. “Our lives are on the line here.”

Her words stirred something deep inside me.

I remembered the sharp pain in my belly when Sophia stabbed me. I remembered the truck rushing toward me as I knelt on the road, praying for a miracle.

This did not feel like heaven.

The swords. The guards. The clothes we were all dressed in. Everything felt like it belonged to another century.

Panic wrapped around my chest, squeezing tight as my heartbeat quickened. Afterlife or not. I needed to escape.

Survival instincts. My survival instincts isn't like that of a potato brain.

“I should not be here,” I whispered, tears spilling down my cheeks as I struggled again. “Let me out of here.”

“Shut up, woman.”

Cold metal pressed against my neck and I froze instantly.

A sword glinted under the dim light, its edge so close I could feel it against my skin. My breath hitched. Sweat rolled down my face as my body went completely still.

“Can you not behave like the other ladies?” the guard said sharply. “Save your strength for the—”

“I don’t know what—”

Pain stung my neck as I gasped on seeing thin line of blood appeared.

“That woman,” he said coldly, pointing to the corner of the room, “could be you in a few minutes if you do not shut the fuck up.”

My eyes followed his finger. A body was laying there and it was so obvious she was dead.

My stomach twisted violently. How had I not noticed it before?

The guard stepped back when I remained silent.

It felt like I had been thrown into a different lifetime altogether.

I had written stories like this. I had watched movies about time travel and alternate worlds. I never imagined it could be real.

No. This could not be real.

I needed to understand where I was. Understanding this place was the only way I would survive.

“Can you tell me what this place is?” I asked the woman beside me quietly. “Please. I truly have no idea.”

She studied me for a moment before sighing.

“Every year, ladies are gathered and forced to compete,” she said. “We fight each other and participate in deadly trials. The winners are chosen to serve the Alphas. More like sex slaves.”

My breath caught.

“What?” I whispered.

“Out of fifty women,” she continued, “forty will die. The rest will be selected. We will serve the Alphas for a year, then be sent away.”

I did not need further explanation.

Animals.

“Why do they make us compete?” I asked bitterly. “Why not just select and let the rest go?”

“For their satisfaction,” she replied simply. “It will be bloody. Just make sure you survive. I don't actually care if I live or not.”

Her gaze shifted away from me. I could see the sorrow in her eyes even though she tried to hide it with a smile.

When I had prayed for a second chance, this was not what I meant. This was worse than anything I could have imagined.

“Get ready for the first competition,” one of the guards announced. “We move soon.”

Fear-filled murmurs spread through the room.

The doors opened and they pulled us up roughly.

No one spoke.

We were dragged through a long hallway and taken outside. The ground was wide and dirty. Weapons were scattered everywhere. Blood stains covered the floor.

This was where they wanted us to fight.

The guards loosened some of the ropes and stepped back. Fear filled the place immediately. Some girls cried. Some shook.

I stayed quiet.

One of the guards stood close to me. His attention was on the others. I leaned slightly and saw the knife at his waist.

I did not think before grabbing the knife.

My hands shook as I hid the blade between my tied wrists. Slowly, carefully, I cut the rope. My heart was pounding so loud I thought they would hear it.

The rope snapped, I waited a little. My hands were still together trying to make sure I wasn't suspected.

When the others started moving and drawing attention, I stepped back. Then I slipped toward a dark opening at the side.

No one noticed.

I ran quietly through the corridor, my feet light against the floor. I did not stop. I did not look back.

Then I hit someone on the spot whole my entire body froze. It seemed like he had just appeared out of nowhere.

He was tall. He was not dressed like the guards. He did not look surprised.

“When I was told someone tried escaping,” he said calmly, “I thought I heard wrong.”

My stomach dropped.

He was important and I could feel it.

I did not wait. There was only one thing on my mind at that moment. I needed to run away as fast as I could.

I raised the knife and stabbed his shoulder. He grunted and stepped back. Blood stained his clothes.

Oh my God! What the hell did i do?

"There she is! Catch her.” Boots thundered behind me.

Fuck.