Official List of Trades with Points

Food

Baked Potato... 10
Bread... 10
Mushroom Stew... 10
Chicken... 10
Fish... 10
Rabbit... 10
Mutton... 10
Steak... 12
Pork... 12

Lifestyle

Torch... 10
Bed... 30
Coat... 10
Blanket... 5
...

I rip my eyes away after that, not wanting to read any else on that list. If you want to eat and not kill or hurt stuff in that arena, then your lifestyle will never improve. Just more and more reasons why the other people here don't really like each other. They have to hurt each other for basic necessities.

We all glance up at each other, faces of horror and fury mix together. Each of us drawing that same horrid conclusion of what people, living breathing people and not some subjects, have to do to get scrapes of what we once had every day. All of our eyes hardening as we see the massive injustice here. Injustice that cannot be allowed to survive.

Petra all but shoves the paper back towards the scientist. "One mutton."

Axel scowls, almost as if he doesn't want to give into these demons twisted system, but gives his request all the same. "One baked potato."

Olivia rubs one of his big iron arms, sending a small smile at him. "One mushroom stew."

"And one fish." I immediately look away from the others, ashamed that I wasn't able to resist the thought of having another fish.   But if I'm going to have to resist everything around me for who knows how long, I'm not also going to have the willpower to refuse such divine food.

Yet the scent of blood still clinging to me keeps killing all my appetite. Reminding me what I did, how inhuman I fought off those wolves.

"Will you be saving the last ten points?"

The others glance back each other, but I just say what we need at once. There's really no need to think about it. "One torch."

The mad scientist nods walks out, leaving us to follow him. "Very well, the items will be delivered shortly to your chamber."

My ears catch a quiet grunt from Petra, but thankfully the scientist remains oblivious to it. "Since this is your first day and we don't want to overstrain you-" I, with struggle, manage to swallow down a snort. "-you will not be having a working period. However, every day from now on, you will."

The scientist stays silent long enough for me to think that's the end of that conversation, more a statement than anything. The thought of having to do work every day for these demons so they can hurt more people makes me sick though, and my muscles shake. That stupid blood smell making me so tense and I really want to tear into this scientist.

But I already know-

"You will be sorted into your jobs by how well you performed today and pervious tests. And keep in mind that points will mainly be earned in the gym." A quiet strangled noise escapes me as I try to swallow sarcastic grunts. "While you can earn points during work, don't count on it."

The mad, and crazy, scientist falls silent again. This time though I wonder if he's going to say something again in another few minutes. Even if he says something, the dark thoughts are burbling back up again. Blood swirling around these thoughts all the while.

I'm going to hate this job, whatever it is, I'm going to hate it. It could be building or writing, two things I'm normally quite happy to do, and I'll bitterly hate every moment of it. Knowing I'm helping these demons rip more people away from good lives and completely ruin theirs.

Not too mention that I'll be away from my friends. If there was a choice, I would rather have us all suffer together than alone. Because even in pain, it's encouraging to know that your friends are right there with and aren't giving up so neither should you. But now we'll be ripped away from each other, to suffer alone.

I growl at myself, I have to be positive. Anger, depression, despair, go away. I have to still think logically here.

It could be a good opportunity to make an ally, and moving to another area of this prison might help us one day escape. And with the four of us all getting other areas, we'll be able to make a mental map of this place. Which will be invaluable when we do make our big break.

Plus, we need to find Jesse. Having a job might better help with that, maybe hear gossip about where he is or actually find him. The latter would be more preferable, but I don't care how we do it, we just need to leave with Jesse. That's the main focus, how to get Jesse and then how to get out of this

We walk up to our cell, the scientist opening it just a crack and turning to us. "After the work period, which will last ten hours,-" My heart drops and my blood runs cold, frozen dread ensnaring me. "-there'll be three hours of medical examinations and tests. You'll then have nine hours to yourselves in here, before the exercise period which generally lasts two hours with the games in the ring."

The scientist opens the door all the way, and with a numb shock all over my body, I shamble in with the others. At once, we all go onto separate beds. No questions, no comments, no anger, just laying down now. My goodness, if Olivia or the others weren't able to handle today then they're going to have a ruff patch tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll do this and the next day and the next day and the next and the next....

But even if I did want to strike up a conversation, I'm really tried. Maybe not too much physically, but there's still blood all over my body. The scent permanently etched into my nose and the fish might not even be able to get rid of the taste.

Really my entire being is filled with such a dread about tomorrow. Already. Since I have about... twenty two hours to sit and ponder over that. Twenty two hours to just stew in dread and hopelessness. Twenty two hours to know I'm crawling towards a light that's so bleak and dreary but I'm forced to nonetheless.

And since I've only been awake less than a few hours, despite those hours being life draining, I'm not tired enough to fall asleep. In fact, if all I do is just sit here and do nothing, I'm not going to get tired enough to sleep.

"Um... guys?" I sigh, rolling my head over to look at Olivia even though I can't see in this light. "Should we talk about this or...?"

A spark of anger suddenly lights, and I narrow my eyes at her. "What do you want to talk about? How freakin' terrible are chances are at getting out of here? How in just a mere twenty two hours you'll get to know the joys of what it was like to be a part of PAMA? Forced to do whatever we're told with no energy left to think anymore."

Part of me gasps, horrified. But my anger just keeps boiling, and suddenly the blood smells fresh to me. The taste sharp and vivid as my heart begins to pound harder. Breaths coming in stronger and stronger as the need to do something, release this rage somehow, anyhow, sharply increases.

"Come on dude, don't be like that." My eyes snap over to Axel, already my eyes straining in the almost pitch darkness. "We'll get out, they can't hold us down forever."

"What makes you think we're different?" I stagger to my feet, pacing as my arms shake with infuriated energy. "They've been holding down people in here for who knows how long, what makes us think we can bust out of here? We don't even know where Jesse is!"

My legs begin to shake as well, everything shaking, everything wildly spinning out of control. I screech and yowl, the inhuman cries burning my ears. I breathe harder, trying to support both my raging heart and crumbling thoughts. But all I smell is blood, so much blood. Everywhere. Filling up my mind and pushing out everything else.

Someone gets up, Olivia's scent piecing my nose, and before she can take another step closer I hiss at her. The blood in my nose driving my mind delirious. My claws burst out as I hiss at her again, scowling and stalking closer to her.

"L-Lukas?" Blood and fear swirl in my nose, and I hiss at both Axel and Petra. Both of them getting up as well. I hiss at them all, taking a slight step back and crouching lower. Flexing my tail as rage and heat and energy and need viciously attack all my thoughts.

"Lukas." Petra growls at me, my ears flatting and I snarl back at her. "Stand down."

Metallic sweat comes from Axel, his own scent of fear coming off him. "You're making my instincts go wild, don't do that. I don't want to hurt you."

Are they threatening me?

I bare my fangs and screech at all of them, the blood driving me crazy. I just can't think, and I want to protect myself. I'm so mad and scared, I have to protect myself. I have so much energy, it has to be released. I can't stop this, but it shouldn't be.

Heavy footsteps rush towards the door, many people running. My heart bursts even faster, blood on the inside and on the outside, my head snapping between the door and the others. Limbs trembling as I begin to panic, not knowing what to do anymore. Not knowing how to react. Not knowing the first thing to do in this wild mess that I'm in. Protect myself. Kill the threats.

The door bangs open, eyes snapping back into the flood of light, and I screech at the demons rushing in. My rage ignites, louder than ever, and I launch myself at one of them before they attack me. I have to hurt them before they hurt me again.

I begin to tear at one of their clothes, my claws tearing though it. I hear and smell another moving against me, and I quickly spring out of the way. I glance around, hissing at them and at myself for letting them surround me.

They all slowly draw in closer, together as one. I screech at them and then jump at one, clawing for his eyes as my tail wraps around him. Squeezing the air out of the accursed demon.

One of them grabs my arm, but before I can use my other to rip it off, the other arm is taken. Then my legs as they rip me off of that man. All the while I'm screeching my heart out, furious with that insane smell of blood driving me to continue to attack. Threats, kill the threats!

Then the needle prick enters in my shoulder. Panic and fury driving into my limbs, as I desperately yowl and try to throw them off of me. Blood roaring through my body as I continue to fight back, even trying to bite at whatever closest to me.

But that stuff must have been strong, as everything is already starting to dull out. I can barely even feel my legs, the heavy dull sensation crawling its way to the rest of my body. The rage inside of me panting, trying to hold itself together despite the bricks that have been tied to my mind.

I stop struggling, my priorities focus on keeping myself breathing, breathing in the blood. Already my rapid heartbeat as faded into steady resting pulse. All the energy I have going into fighting this unwanted drug.

"Are we going to be, uhh, p-punished?" Olivia's scared shaky voice, jolts part of mind up. The anger and rage dying down as a paranoid confusion wafts into my head.

"We don't punish Tiers 3s for classic cases like this. If it happens again when the human part should have already dominated the animal, we will. But we were kinda expecting it after his first match."

I try to shake my head, to clear my vision, when my head barely moves. I've stopped getting heavier thankfully, but nothing's making sense. Everything jumbling around in my brain as I try to think what's happening, my thoughts though too tired and confused to do that. What am I even listening to?

"Classic?"

"Common, and here are your purchased items." I strain my ears and nose, seeing how my eyes aren't seeing anything at all yet, but still nothing. Just wafts of mushed up noises and conflicting scents. Everything still just a mad whirlwind in my head with a pulse drowning out my thoughts.

Thankfully, I am conscious and aware enough to see the fuzzy white mess go dark. Well, there is a soft yellow like glow, but the demons are out. And I guess the light is a torch? That would make sense, but then how come I can't smell any food?

A groan unwillingly comes out as jolts move through my body, my center of balance being thrown around. I realize my friends must just be moving my body, which is good, I don't really want to be on the ground.

Horror buzzes throughout me when my memory sputters back to life, seeing myself prepare to attack my friends all because I was getting angry. That's wrong! So very wrong! How could I have done such a thing when I've been working so hard to try to make things better for them?

My ears ring when I listen to what I said again only moments before. No! No no no no! That's not- I shouldn't have said any of those things! If I truly believed any of those things I wouldn't be thinking about how to escape so often, but I don't. I don't believe those things, because I know we can get out. Sure I may have those fears but I was afraid of the Wither Storm killing me too. Still got out of that.

The pure disgust at my own actions comes to a halt when the confusing scents I've been ignoring sudden unify together in one overpowering scent, so strong that it begins to lift my body out of this paralyzed exhaustion.

Food.

My mouth begins to water, my eyes flickering trying to see where my fish is. Despite the limbs feeling dead to me only moment ago, my arms twitch. My hands frantically trying to come back to life so I could just grab the fish. Muscles in my face twitching too as the scent just stays there, right in my nose so close. Sleep can wait, food now.

"See? Told you the fish would wake him up."

Axel? Is that Axel? Maybe Petra? I can't tell, everything hasn't gotten any clearer in my head, just now being crushed by this desire to eat. In my struggle to move and see, my arms now have pins and needles as they spark back to life, I'm totally abandoning my ability to hear correctly.

The smell overwhelms me, and my chin snaps forward to try and bite at it. It was hard, almost like trying to move bricks with just the muscles in your neck, but I was rewarded with diluted greatness of fish.

With my senses groggy, it doesn't taste as great as the first time, but it's still better than nothing. I take deep breaths, savoring the fish in my mouth. Savoring is one reason, the other is because it's still kinda difficult to move my jaw to chew.

But then, through all the dull and heaviness, my stomach pings. A mild sensation now, but I don't want to find out when my true hunger awakens. A beast I'm quite content to let sleep.

So I swallow, trying to get my eyes open this time around. A fuzzy light is sharper now, the soft yellow glows making their way into my sight. Using the same strength to eat the fish, I manage to turn my head to the side.

The shapes of my friends are blurry at best, but I still can't really see them. I see Axel, his big blurry whitish outline huge since he's so close to me, shove the fish under my nose again. The heavenly scent scattering my thoughts again.

However, my earlier disgust and burning regret rear back up at the sight of my friends, friends that I took my rage out on for no good reason at all. That's such a horrible thing to do, they shouldn't be treating me with such kindness after I was so ready to attack them. What's wrong with me?

But that smell makes it really hard to focus on trying to get my mouth to say sorry. Besides, when I do manage to get my mouth open, Axel practically shoves the meat inside my mouth.

At that point I have no choice but to bite down, chewing as fast as my iron heavy jaw allows me to. Trying not to acknowledge its amazing taste since I have to say sorry once I swallow. Once I swallow, I should be strong enough to say sorry.

So I do, taking a deep breathe so I can open my mouth again and speak before Axel shoves the fish back inside my mouth.

"Sr'ow... ree..." If I could, I would wince at how I still struggle sometimes to make my words sound human. I should be a master at it by now, no more of these cat noises when I try to speak.

The fish is forced back inside my mouth again though before I could try and fix my words. But thankfully my ears are working enough again to where I can make out Olivia's slightly contorted words. Each one a pang to the heart when I remember how scared she was about getting punished due to my horrid and inhuman actions.

"Don't be sorry Lukas, we understand that wasn't really you." If my mouth wasn't currently full, I would've tried to argue against that. Those were my fears I let bubble out of hand, that was my helpless anger bursting forth. My ocelot instincts that I lost control of.

But I just silently chew the fish, unable to really do anything right now anyway. My limbs feel mostly dead, but are slowly coming back. But I have a feeling Axel is going to keep feeding me until the fish is gone, and until then I won't be able to say much.

I swallow, but this time I try to move my arms so I can at least feed myself. After trying to hurt them... without any regard whether or not I hurt them... they really shouldn't be doing this for me.

But I just can't lift my arms! Axel forces me to take another bite and I try to chew faster. It's getting a bit easier, the sedative must be getting flushed out or something. I have to hand it to these demons and mad scientists, they have really perfected their different types of sedatives. This one felt more of a paralyzing potion or something. They really have perfected dementedness.

Swallowing again, I try to quickly blurt something, when there's another mouthful of fish in me mouth. My regret still claws inside me, so fiercely that I can't even enjoy the fish, even when it tastes so good. Yet I know I shouldn't be eating it. Eating this fish is not as important as talking to my friends.

It also kinda unnerves me that no one is talking right now. Like, it's silent. I don't like that, not one bit. It makes it harder to ignore that only moments ago I was screeching and hissing like an animal. It makes it harder to ignore the heartache bristling in my chest.

Before I swallow, I try to bring my dead hand up to my mouth, to try and stop Axel from feeding me again. By some miracle, I'm able to do it. Covering my mouth as I force the fish down into my stomach.

"Lukas, you need to eat." My brain flickers at Petra's words, it takes a lot more energy to hold my hand like this than I thought.

"Especially with that new schedule." Olivia's words almost make me want to cry out, but I keep trying to get my bearings. "We need you to be at the top of your game."

"Yeah, being a crazy cat- Oomph!" I can only image someone elbowing him, but I think I've having gathered enough strength and thought power to say something.

"Reow..." I cough, violently. Mad at myself for still making those noises, forcing human words out. "Sr'ow-ree... rye... I don't know... what happened.... Just... just so mad... and-"

Petra, I judging by her scent, shoves my own hand in my mouth to shut me up. I strain my eyes, which haven't readjusted yet for some reason, but all I can see is her fuzzy white shirt. A soft glow highlighting her matted red hair.

"Shh, it's fine Lukas. We know how you're struggling, we understand and we forgive you." I look at Olivia, but then let my eyes drop. Unable to maintain eye contract when my ears would've normally flattened at hearing that. "And don't try to counter me, please don't. It's bad enough we're in here trying to just fight for our survival, don't beat yourself up too."

I sigh, wishing that I was more awake so I could hug her or something. But no, even though I want to accept that, I want to accept her apology, I can't. It's like I'm in chains again, just trapped and unable to do anything. Except want, want and wish things were different. That I could make things different.

Petra removes her hand, and I scrounge up some more energy to talk again. "Thanks you guys, I swear I could never want to hurt you all when you're all so great."

Petra chuckles, and my body has awaken up enough for a small smile to crack through. "Wow Lukas, try to win us over with flattery now huh?"

"Although dude, are you going to finish this fish?" I glance over to Axel, finally able to somewhat mostly see him, who has the fish stuck out towards me. "I really wanna eat since it's right here in my hands but I know its yours so could you just hurry up and eat it?"

I roll my eyes, but my arm only spasms a bit before falling limp to my side. The action plunging my mind into that heavy reality where most my body is not ready to move at all.

Olivia huffs, takes the fish, and begins to feed it to me with that one hand of hers. For every bite until the fish is gone she stays right there to help me. Which is nice, since I still can't really move and I got to savor every single bite of that really nice fish.

But when I swallow the last bite, I was expecting that I would have my energy back again. Yet I'm more tired than anything, although it's more of a relaxed pleasant tired sense instead of a forced one. I lightheartedly try to fend it off, but end up just wallowing in it. For the moment, everything's good. I can take a nice little nap.

With my eyes shut, my belly satisfied, I fall back into a bed. Finally deciding to pull out my tail from under me and let it rest more comfortably on my chest. Now completely ready to just fall asleep.

So I fall into it, nice and easy I fall into it. I guess these drugs are good for something after all.

****

That feels shorter than what it was. Or maybe it's just me.

Anyway, actually, do I have an anyway? Hmm, no. I don't. I suppose I just have nothing to say at the moment. Whelp, see you all in another five days and goodbye!