I rub my arms, already feeling goosebumps covering my skin. Seven people will die today. They will have to suffer a terrible death brought by other people who want to avoid the same exact fate.

Yesterday, I killed someone. I sent a person to a horrid fate just so I wouldn't suffer. How selfish. But my team keeps harassing me for not pulling my weight. I don't want to be a let down, but why do I have to murder people in order to not be one.

Hoots and hollers steadily rise, energy building as we get closer and closer to the arena. No one's excited though, this is fear. Fear making all of us tremble.

I look over to my team, all of them stoned faced and afraid. I have to keep them happy, it's my job. If I can't get myself to kill for my team, I can at least try and make them happy. I'm a failure at everything else anyways.

I smile wide and throw my arms up. "Come on guys, don't be so frowny! We got this in the bag!"

Two of them just sigh, and I've failed to get them happy. But one gives me a small smile, her face starring to light up.

"You really think so Nell?"

"Of course brah, the orangers are seriously down today. We can totally wipe them out."

She smiles and another one chuckles under his breath. The other glares at me though, apparently not feeling the happy vibe I'm trying to give.

"If you actually helped eliminate other teams, then we'd really have a chance." His words really, really, sting. But I can't turn sour now, or we'll all be bitter.

"Dude! Don't be such a downer! I'm, uh... the bait today. I distract, you guys take out!" I smile really wide, but somehow, I managed to terrify myself. I don't want to be bait in a death game!

But it works, the guy finally smiles. "Hey, that's actually a pretty good plan. Good thinking Nell."

I cheer my team on and soon we're yelling with excitement. Except me. I'm feeling about as good as a fish out of water. But at least they're happy; I'm not a total disappointment.

"I believe that we will win!" Immediately they all join into the chant. "I believe that we will win! I believe that we will win!"

Our chant echoes across the obsidian, and we ignore the looks we get from other groups. Perhaps if I'm just confident enough, nothing too bad will happen. It's still totally possible I won't die and neither will my teammates. But no matter what, seven people are still going to die.

We enter into the Spleef arena, our voices wither up in our throats and our empowering chant just vanishes. And yet again I'm filled with dread. I look at the floor of snow, knowing that underneath are pistons that will crush you to death and send you to the horrid mines. Seven people will have to experience that, and I might be one of them.

Oh how I wish I was back in my world! No snow, no death, no guilt. Just bright sunny days on the beach with the vibrant jungle surrounding me. I would do anything I wanted and now... now I'm lucky if I can do something if that only mildly displeases me.

"All teams, take your positions!" One of those creepy old guys calls out. I hate them almost as much as the gladiators! They just sit back and enjoy our suffering. What kind of bad dude does that?

Slowly we all make our way to our starting corner, dread crashing down with every step. I keep sending smiles though over to teammates though. Even if doesn't help me, I hope that it makes them happy.

"Remember the plan Nell." I nod at the competitor, giving one of those 'we totally got this' smiles. Reality sucks though in comparison. Reality is everyone cowering like frightened animals in the corners until we can 'play'.

"Ready." My heart pounds wildly, and the happy act falls away. I look over to the respawn center, which only sends my heart into a frenzy.

"Set." Tremors break all across my body, but I can't stop them. I just want to run, run so far away from all of this death and guilt. But I can't or the gladiators will get me.  

"GO!" For a moment, I don't move. But then one of my teammates nudges me and glares at me. I have to be bait, horrible bait. I swallow, not that it does much, and start running into the fray.

Dodging holes, purposefully drawing attention to myself, scurrying away from other competitors, always keeping an eye up at the gladiators, never stopping to catch my breath. A terrible exhausting cycle full of so much fear.

"Well, Hadrian, it looks like the green team is doing superb today. They've eliminated five people so far and haven't lost one themselves." No no NO! I didn't want to get those old guy's attention! Now the gladiators might pick on me... 

"I got you now!" Some red guy barrels towards me, this is what I get for freezing up.

I scramble to the side, desperately also trying to avoid the numerous holes. I don't want to fall, that is the one the thing I can't do. I've been doing so well, I can't mess up now!

"AAGGH!"

I quickly peek back to see the red man stumble into a hole, and then getting crushed by the pistons. A pang of guilt hits my pounding heart. I don't want to die again, it hurts so much. And I hate that I have to send others to the fate I need to avoid.

But only one more person will die again, one more person will be sent to the mines. That person can still totally be me. Plus the other teams are all really mad at us, every other team got two people eliminated. I feel so bad for the only orange guy left... and it's all my fault.

The miserable cycle starts up again, and I try to get the attention of the last few people. It looks like they've learned though, no one is coming after me. It looks like people are playing defensively now.

"Well, I'm getting bored of this." When that Hadrian guy says that, you know something bad I going to go down. "Emily, finish it."

"Haha! With pleasure boss!" I get this terribly awful feeling and look up. My fears have come true as I see a TNT coming right at me.

I try and scamper out of the way, but I trip on a hole. I freeze in dread as I watch the TNT get closer and closer to the ground. The tiny corner touches the snow and blows up only a couple blocks away from me.

The blast destroys all of the snow around me and hurtles me straight down into the pistons. Burns sizzle on my skin, and everything hurts. And because I didn't die, I get to now experience the crushing pistons again.

I crash onto the ground, the jolt shaking my bruised and sore body. I close my eyes and attempt to brace myself for the pain, but how can you brace yourself for all of your limbs getting obliterated in a second?

The world barfs up colors in my face and my mind gets stretched in all directions. I get spat out onto the ground and immediately throw some chunks. Respawning is just the second worst, I don't know how other people can stand it.

Respawning! I've respawned! No! No! NO! I bolt back up to my feet, trying my best to ignore the world spinning around me and my stomach wanting to barf again.

I stagger over to the window and look at the teams being forced to go back to the village. My team looks so happy, the green team is now the only team with three people. One of them looks back and shoots me a sad smile before disappearing.

I lean my forehead against the cage and start to sob. Tears splashing down even as a gladiator comes and drags me over to the portal. There's no point in trying to stop him, there's no point at all.

Because even if I didn't die, I would still be trapped in the village. I would still be forced to kill. Eventually I'll die and slave away in the mines. Only to get sent out again to repeat the cycle. There's no way out of it.

These games have me and everyone else chained. Unbreakable chains that will always bind us to this horrid cycle of misery no matter what we do.

Every single competitor and miner has one thing in common: we are all stuck behind bars.

****

Bet you weren't excepting Nell to get a oneshot! Or maybe you were... I'm not you. Honestly though, I wanted to give her a longer one, but didn't really know how to make it longer without making it tedious or just Nell repeating herself over and over again.

However, I really like this oneshot. It was strange to write Nell, it's not a character I usually write, but it was fun to do something different.

And Emily's gladiator position will come up again... just you wait :)

Anyway! Next up is Axel!