Gladiatrix by Linda Mooney

Author:Linda Mooney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Linda Mooney

CHAPTER 20

REALIZATION

“How l-long are these fu-fucking games going to l-last?” Pettijohn asked, his voice breaking from the stress. “Don’t these assho-holes take a break?”

“I think they do,” Rylee softly replied. “Wescomti told me they’d been here three days. I should have thought to ask how they were able to mark the passage of time, and if they had to fight all three of those days. But he did say something about getting some rest. We won’t be given any food or water, but we’ll get the chance to rest.” She attempted a useless laugh. “This is just our first day.”

There were seven of them remaining: her, Beck, Harding, Pettijohn, Starcher, Silvero, and Borodingham. But Silvero and Borodingham had suffered serious injuries, and she doubted if they’d survive much longer.

All of them bore wounds and bruises of varying degrees of severity. Rylee didn’t know the extent of her own injuries until Beck pointed them out to her.

“Want me to bandage that?” He started to take off his shirt when she stopped him.

“It doesn’t hurt,” she confessed, looking down at the scratches on her left leg running from her thigh to her knee. Like his uniform and the others’, hers was shredded, and splotches of different colored blood peppered her from neck to toe.

Beck reached out and lightly touched the tip of her nose. “You got a nasty looking cut there, too.”

“I do?” Gingerly, she placed her index finger where it stung. When she drew it away, the tip was red with her blood. “How bad is it?”

He frowned. “It runs from the bridge to your cheek. If you leave it alone, it’ll probably scab over on its own. Might leave a scar, but, hey…” He smiled at her. “It can only improve your looks.”

“Oh, you think?” she teased back.

“Yeah. It’ll make you look more badass than you already are.”

If she could have kissed him for that remark, she would have. But she had to remain stoic for the sake of the remainder of her crew.

She checked her thigh again. “Think that’ll scab over?”

“The bleeding seems to have stopped. Maybe.”

“Why doesn’t it hurt? Why don’t any of these cuts and all hurt?” The question was rhetorical. She already knew why. However, Beck answered her.

“It's because your body’s in shock. It’s gone into defense mode. Survival mode. When you finally come out of it, you’re going to hurt like hell.”

“If I come out of it,” she corrected him. “Seems like it’s the only thing keeping me alive at the moment.”

“Captain?” a voice croaked.

Lifting her face, she looked over at where Borodingham lay prone on his back. His blood continued to puddle underneath him, and his face had taken on an unnaturally pasty hue. The man’s eyes were wide as he stared back at her.

“Go get those fuckers, Cap. Show them who they’re mess…messing with. Don’t let ‘em win. Don’t let…’em…” He stopped. His face went slack, his mouth left open. His eyes faded. Harding went over to double check, then swiveled the man’s

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