"Kill the boy," Vivian commanded before flipping her phone shut.

Impulsively, my hands reached to wrap around her throat but I was stopped short when I didn't budge. I looked down at my body and saw that I had been restrained. Vivan had heard my fighting and glanced down at me, lying on the floor of the hellicopter. A smile spread across her lips. I locked my deadly gaze onto her and screamed in fury.

A scowl deepened on Vivan's face as my scream droned on and on. I could feel my face turning red and my throat began to burn. Vivian snapped her fingers at the soldiers behind her and their shadows filled my peripherals, but my eyes never left the evil woman in front of me. She gave a flick of her fingers and I felt a sharp prick in my arm for the third time that day. My eyelids began to shut and I fought to keep them open as I burned my hatred for Vivian through our locked gaze. The frantic beating of my heart began to slow as my eyes finally closed. This can't be good, I thought to myself right before I blacked out.

Cody

My eyes slowly opened to the sound of yells and scuffling of feet around me. My temple throbbed from the blow I had taken. The mud from the rain stuck to my face as I lifted my head off of ground. Soldiers were pushing back an angry crowd that was trying to make their way towards me.

"You can't do this!" I heard a man shout as he shoved a soldier with both of his hands.

"He hasn't done anything wrong!" A woman yelled.

"Let him go!"

"Where did they take that girl?!"

"We've been given orders to do this!" A soldier raised his voice over the crowd.

The yelling began to swell even louder as I was lifted to my feet by a pair of soldiers. When I felt the hostility in their touch I began to struggle. I popped my elbow up into the nose of the soldier to my right and I heard the crack before he let go of me. The other soldier immediately wrapped his arm around my throat putting me in a chokehold.

As my face began to turn red and the pressure on my throat began to be intolerable, I searched the mob for my dad but he was nowhere to be seen. Just as my vision started to spot the man who had been pushing finally broke through the line of soldiers and ran towards the one choking me. The man brought his fist up and slammed it into the soldier's face. A moan escaped from his lips before he let go of me and fell down to the ground in pain.

I gasped for air and my hands wrapped around my neck trying to ease the throbbing ache. While I was on my knees trying to catch my breath, all chaos erupted around me.

Bodies scrambled around me, my vision still blurred from my near death. My eyes flicked side to side trying to understand what was going on. As my eyes cleared everything seemed to run in slow motion.

The black uniformed soldiers fired their guns as people from the crowd attacked them. Blood sprayed and bodies fell twitching to the ground. Blood seeped through the mud soaked ground casting a deep scarlet across the grass. Some men crept up behind the soldiers and managed to steal their guns, returning their bullets into their chests. Some women screamed trying to huddle their crying children away from the massacre, but some strong women stayed to fight.

I stood up from the ground and ran to the first soldier I saw. His left side was to me and I watched him spray rounds into the line of men in front of him. Before he could kill them all I hurled myself into him and slammed his body into the ground. The gun fell from his grasp as his head knocked against the ground. Flailing his arms, he reached for the automatic but I was too quick for him. I snatched it off of the ground and pointed it at his face, tearing the flesh away as bullets racked into his head.

I stood up swiftly off of my victim and turned my head side to side trying to find Dad. Surely he's gotten Aundrea safe, I thought to myself considering he was with her the last time I saw him. A stampede of feet behind me dragged me out of my search and made me look over my shoulder.

A larger troupe of soldiers ran our way with their guns at the ready. There's too many of them, my mind calculated, I have to get out of here before it's too late. Desi had been taken by Vivian Hoff and I had to find her. This might be the one time that she might not be able to protect herself. She needs me. I need her, I thought before tucking my new gun and running for the gates.

Desi

I was abnormally comfortable. I hadn't felt this relaxed since before the infection broke out. I inhaled the scent of lavender on the soft cotton sheets that lay around my body. I turned my head and snuggled my face in the lush pillow beneath me. Then I realized I was lying in a bed.

My body shot up straight, my messy blonde hair whipping into my face. My eyes widened as I took in the room around me. I was in a large bedroom with cappuccino walls and rich wood floors. An arched doorway stood in front of me and I could see a peek of an expansive suite, as colorful as the day is new. All relaxation swept away from me when I saw Vivian sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed.

"You've finally woke up," Vivian said as she crossed her legs.

"You did drug me three different times," I said through my teeth. "There was sure to be some effects from it."

"You do have a point," Vivian laughed as if we were having a regular conversation.

"Why am I here?" I said cutting off her cackle.

"I've already told you," She said like she was reminding a child. "You're services are needed here in Vegas."

"What kind of services are we talkin' here?" I asked.

"You, my feisty young beauty, are going to be a participant in my cage," A new voice rang from the doorway. A tall man walked into the bedroom wearing a burgundy suit. His graying hair was slicked back away from his face and his face was so shiny it seemed to be polished.

"And who the hell are you?" I raised my eyebrows at him. "And what is your cage?"

The man walked closer to the bed and I could smell the musky scent of his cologne as it stung my nose. "I am Griffin Turner, but you can call me Turner," His deep voice said as his hand reached out to shake mine.

I stared at his hand distastefully before looking back up at him. When he realized I wasn't going to touch him he placed his arm behind his back and continued. "My cage is the talk of all of Vegas, and apparently word of it has even reached other camps." He gestured towards Vivian but I didn't grace her with my acknowledgment. Turner cleared his throat. "It's turned into quite the money making business, even in these times."

"You're telling me nothing," I said shocking him. "Are you dumb? I asked what your cage was. Not what you think of it. As if I care about your opinion."

"Don't be so rude," Vivian snapped as I heard her stand up from her chair and step towards the side of my bed.

Turner held his hand out to her stopping her mid-stride. "It's okay Vivian. She's angry. I don't take it to heart." Vivian stalked back to her chair disgruntled.

I looked back to Turner. I spoke lowly and menacingly. "Break it down for me."

I could tell he had a speech rehearsed and he was disappointed that I wouldn't let him preach it. "My cage is our entertainment in this luxurious camp. You see, when the infection first broke out, this section was immediately closed off. Wealthy people from all over the country bought their way into our camp, so we have to give them what they paid for right?" He waited for me to agree, but I stayed silent. "You will be fighting in my cage with an infected on scheduled nights. Think of it as a show."

I opened my mouth to protest angrily but Turner held his finger up hushing me. "You must follow the rules. You will fight but not kill and you will let yourself be defeated to cure." A sudden sick smile spread across his lips. "But try not to die of course."

"Don't I have a choice in this?!" I screamed at him, raising myself onto my knees.

"No," Turner answered and turned to leave the room. "You don't."