Page 102 of Darkness

Cain lets out a sigh as he looks over to Yang and his son. They’re talking to Rowan who is looking over with a fucked up stupid smile on his face.

“Yang’s changed the rules-”

“What?”

“Can he even do that?”

“I don't understand how he can do that. You own this place.”

“Shouldn't he have discussed it?”

Questions are being thrown towards Cain and Lincoln from all of his family, apart from me. I don’t know what to say, and I don’t want him to be stressed out because of us. So, I’m hoping they all shut up and let him focus on the fight.

“He came to me last night. I didn’t want to tell anybody.” Everyone turns to Lincoln, but no one is saying anything to him, I can hear a few sighs, but. I don't know if it's out of irritation or Lincoln not trusting them. “He wants the fight to be two on one-”

“What?” Logan and Hayden ask at the same time, and my body tenses up, how the hell can this be happening?

“He wants a two on one fight? I think it's going to be more with Rowan and Yang's going to help him wherever-” Cain starts but is cut off.

“I thought you were the owner of this place down here, so why can't you tell him to fuck off,” Miles asks the question I think we are all asking ourselves.

“I can tell him to fuck off, and I can say no, but if I'm honest, I just want the fight to be over with.” Cain stops, which worries me? Why does he sound so defeated? Why is he not trying to fight this? “I know if I fight one at a time, I don't know whatenergy strength I'm going to have at the end, because I don't know who I'm fighting first. If I fight both-”

“Cain, you already said Yang’s a good fighter. So you know what he can do, how he moves-” David adds his thoughts, but this time Cain is the one to cut him off.

“I know. I know.” He stops and presses his palms into his eyes. “Just trust me.” The three words come out in a whisper, as if he’s asking us not to say anything to piss him off.

Everybody is silent, and my silence has shut off everything around me, the voices in the cages, the sounds the people are making with their cages, it sounds like metal on metal, but I can’t see them behind the metal doors, everything is silent. All except the sound of my heart pounding against my rib cage as it’s fighting to escape, just like I need Cain to fight now.

“I didn't want to kill Rowan. I wanted to keep him down here. That was my plan, but now I’m hoping I'm faster than him, if I can just do a quick slit of his throat, he's dead. Then it's just Yang.” Cain looks over at them.

Lincoln's the next one to talk. ”I've told them all, no matter what happens, they should never touch the fight zone. Even when the fight’s finished, do not set foot in there.” Everybody again nods their head to agree. We don't know what would happen if we did, but the way Lincoln is telling us once again, no one is risking it. It was the one thing Lincoln told us about five times a day, every day.

I lock eyes with Cain. “Beautiful as ever I see.” He smiles, and I’m not sure who he’s trying to fool, but it’s not me.

“Are you okay?” I ask in a small whisper,

“Yeah.” Why did that one answer not give me any relief for whats happening?

“Liar. Fight this.”

“I will.” He winks, then turns around when Rowans shouts.

“Have we come here for a tea party?”

Cain nor Lincoln reply to him, and I look back at Cain as Lincoln hands him a long blade looking thing, and he slams it into the stoned ground. Cain removes his T-shirt and lets Lincoln slap him on the chest a few times.

“Do you agree with the new rules?” Yang shouts, and I hope Cain makes his death painful, so fucking painful.

“Sure,” Cain yells at him.

I watch Cain walk to the middle of The Pit. The fight for his life is starting I have to remind myself he’s done this so many times before.

Straight away, he tears forward with his blade moving between his fingers and he's moving it fast, but Yang moves out the way. Rowan’s not as fast as Yang or Cain, which will be good for Cain.

Yang comes forward with a few kicks in the air. Cain wasn't joking with the martial arts stuff, as he hits Cain's leg, taking him down. He brings his spear up ready to hit Cain with it, but Cain brings his blade up to stop him, and he quickly gets back on his feet.

Cain lunges towards Yang and manages to knock him off his feet a little, and spins around and gets his blade and slices a small part of Rowan's chest, making him scream in agony.