Snake Blood Dripping

Episode 4

Snake Blood Dripping

I sighed, staring up at the ceiling and contemplating on whether slitting Zaylee's throat would be worth the price of being drifted.

"Masha, or Mute. Open this fucking door. We all need to talk about our little debacle in the Snake gow's office." The banging on my door ceased, and forceful, muffled whispers were the only noises being heard. Daisha's voice spoke up this time. "Mute, I know you don't want to talk, but we need to. We need to plan how we are going to handle the Glacial tournament." I didn't even stir.

I just continued to stare at what I assumed was the ceiling. My room was drenched in pitch-black. Masha gave an irritated groan in the bed next to me when Zaylee's protests for me to open the door became louder. Her banging, resuming. "Girl, I ain't going away. I'm going to keep knocking until you come to the door." I sighed again. "Sweet Kings!" The bed creaked when Masha jerked from it. I heard a beeping sound before a bright white light permeated the darkroom. The light cast ominous darker shadows on the walls as the door to my room slid open. I heard Masha hiss, probably baring her fangs.

"Oh, gow, please." I turned slightly, watching as Zaylee sidestepped Masha. She walked through with her face molded into a deep frown as she glared at me. I blinked at her before turning over in the bed to face the wall. Giving her my back. "Mute. What the hell is wrong with you girl? Why didn't you leave the door open as we asked?" I heard her give a closed-lip scream when I didn't answer. "Zaylee don't. Can't you see she's upset?" "And how do you know she is upset?" Zaylee asked. "Oh, my kings. Use context clues Zaylee. She wouldn't be lying here in the dark with this sinister princess to keep her company; if she wasn't upset." Kira quipped, and I didn't have to turn around to know she had just flipped that ebony ponytail of hers. The pattering of feet filled the room as the rest of the group piled in. I sighed, trying my best not to yell from frustration. If keeping my door locked was not a clear sign to leave me alone. I really don't know what is. The only reason Masha got in, was because she speeded through before I could lock and close my door. My brow twitched when I felt a tug on the link. I slammed down, keeping anyone from crossing my link again. I felt another tug. My blood spiked. I wrenched up snarling when Zaylee reached through the bond, trying to gauge my feelings again. Zaylee's eyebrows rose high on her face as she stared wide-eyed at me. Kira raised her hands, backing up moving closer to the door like she wanted to dip out of here any minute now.

Daisha's disapproving frown was pointed toward not me but Zaylee. Zaylee glanced in between us, a muffled apology spilling from her lips. I didn't have to look in the mirror to know that my birthmark was glowing along with my brown eyes. I breathed in deeply. Then released the breath out slowly. Trying to still my emotions. Masha moved back over to her bed, shaking her head. She sat on it. She stared at me, giving me an up and down hand motion that said to calm down. I ignored it, laying back down and throwing the covers over my head to block out the light in the room.

"As much as like to see Zaylee be put in her place. We don't have time for it. Daisha's right. We have a limited amount of time before we are thrown to our deaths in the glacial tournament. We need every single minute to plan, strategize, or whatever." Masha interjected. I just rolled over. My bed creaked as some brave soul sat on the corner of it. I was irritated as hell and not in the mood to talk. I wanted to sleep, and time to lick my wounds. I was so close to being free, but to quote Zaylee, that snake bitch ruined it. I couldn't escape a hovering copter with no backup plan. I didn't know the security plans of the glacial dome. I didn't know the guards' routes, schedules, or shift breaks. I didn't possess the layout of the Glacial dome, nor did I contain the knowledge of the extension for Biotech's security measures. With all this said, I had one thing on my mind, I was screwed. I had let myself get comfortable with the idea of getting out of here without repercussions. Poison wouldn't stop Elvira. No, I would have to take more drastic measures. If… no, not if… when I succeed, I was going to use everything I had.

If I didn't I would never leave this hell. "Mute…"

I was not going to give up so easily. I just had to think… "Mute."

I peeled the covers away from my face. Staring hard at Masha, who was now sitting at the corner of my bed. "Are you listening?" I sighed sitting up. I finger-signed my words. "I'm listening." Masha inclined her head before gesturing for Daisha to continue. "All right, I went to the Tablet center, and did a thorough search on the Glacial tournament." She stood with a stack of tablets in her hand I didn't notice before. She passed out a packet to each one of us before sitting back down on Masha's bed. I scrolled through the names and gene identity info not really paying attention. "So, I looked at the teams, and they are good. Matter of fact better than good. These teams are all graduate winners from their Bio-schools. Most of them are older bio's trained just like us. Some of them have competed in Arenas around the world. Just like us. Some have not. Some of the teams, I have concluded, are only there for the thrill of the kill. All conforming for one prize. Liberation from Bio-tech." My head snapped up. My interest was officially piqued.

"By liberation I mean, We the luxury as being named champions. With offers and deals from top bio-ware manufacturing companies."

"So, basically we are prized gows." Zaylee frowned. Her sour mood reflecting my own.

"I mean look at the bright side at least we can get free of the white snake armada." Kira chirped in. Her chipper mood had my hand itching to slap her. "Yeah, and then we only get thrown into a bigger cage with more rules. Oh, my gods, that sounds so freaking spectacular!" Zaylee rolled her eyes.

Kira's eyes narrowed slightly, and she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "You are such a.... grozit, Zaylee. I swear on the kings. Every time I try looking on the bright side of things. You always come in and throw your dark ass silhouette over it." Kira's ponytail swayed side to side as she shook her head. I watched as Zaylee blink rapidly putting a hand over her heart.

"Oh, youngling. I'm sorry I can't be an ignorant happy go lucky deebra like you. I'm a realist, not an idiot." "You know what?!" Masha, and I watched. Our heads, moving back and forth as Zaylee and Kira yelled insults at each other from across the room. Out of the corner of my eye I watched as Daisha rubbed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. She sighed her hand clenching and releasing before exploding.

"For the love of the gods. Shut the hell up!" she paused to stare at us once she realized she had our attention. She proceeded. "Look, I get it this isn't the best option for either of us, but if we want to survive we need to work together. We need to be a team." She stood up and started pacing back and forth.

"So far, we have only been getting by with strategy and pure luck. Well, that is not going to cut it anymore. We all want to survive, and for us to do that; we need to become a team stronger than we have ever been before. Otherwise, we are going to die, and I'm certain… no one wants that." Daisha's words and voice a powerful mantra as she locked eyes with each one of us. An intense look making sure her message came through loud and clear. The temperature in the room seemed to take on a chilling aspect as Daisha's words reached home. This wasn't some scouting mission. If we didn't handle this more seriously, we were going to be killed.

"I, certainly, don't want to die. I want to live. I have worked, sweat, and bled my ass off far too much just to see everything I have given, perish before me. Elvira has the idea that just because she has our title, she can sell us off to the highest bidder. I'll be damned If I ever let that happen again. We are a team, and we will stay a team long after that bitch is dead. We are stronger than she knows and smarter than she thinks. She seems to think that sending us to a world-wide tournament will break us. Well, I don't plan on proving her right." Daisha paused her fists closing at her sides. She glanced at each one of us. Her aqua blue eyes blazing with a fiery determination.

"We are stronger together. We need to stop acting like a team and be a team. I'm not willing to throw everything we have worked so hard for away. I'm going to walk in that tournament dome and the only way I'm coming back out is with that damn deal or in a drifter pod. Even if it's the latter. I can still say I gave it my all because I will not go down without a fight. Are you with me on this?" Zaylee yelled a hell yea. Kira gave her head nod in answer. Her lips tight around the edges. Masha's mouth quirked.

"I think with that speech we all with you from here on out. You have my vote." Daisha gave her a nod in acknowledgment before her bright eyes landed on me. "And what do you say Mute?" All eyes in the room landed on me. I blinked at her for a second. I may have lost my opportunity for an escape, but revenge was right here for the taking. I'll make sure every single moment counted, each point was made, and make sure every second in that dome became the last moments of my enemies. I was prepared to walk through the darkness, and never reach the light. I slowly looked up from the bed connecting eyes with Daisha. Her passionate blue eyes a stark contrast to my cold brown ones. I tilted my head in answer. And I was with her, but winning the tournament was far from my mind. I wanted one thing and one thing only. Elvira's snake blood, dripping in the palm of my hands. Elvira had crossed me for the last time, and I've been thirsting for my chance to take her down. Now, I had it. I was going to take Elvira down; even that meant I had to drag my soul through the darkness to do it.