Floating. . . . . David felt like he was floating. Something like being on calm waters. Around him was darkness, and in the distance, a column of light. He was aware that he was being drawn towards it, as he thought back on his life and how he had reached this outcome. Taken away from his family and friends, forced into slavery by some giant psychotic woman, and ultimately squashed like a bug after witnessing the multiple murders of other unfortunate souls.


It was pretty messed up that his life. . . . Fate if you will, had dealt him this hand, but there was no use crying about it now, it was done and over with. He neared the light and felt warmth emanating from it. David was about to pass through to whatever was beyond, when suddenly he went stone cold.


Overwhelming feelings of despair and hate overtook him. The rising stopped, and he began to be dragged down by some unseen force. His heart and soul felt toxic somehow as the light got further and further away.





David opened his eyes and he was blown away. He was back in the colosseum. Laying in the middle of the crater Deziree had made especially for him. In disbelief, he felt over his body and to his amazement, everything was in tact. Joy came over him at his second chance, but then he remembered. . . . .


If the colosseum was still here. . . . It meant so was Deziree.



David rolled over and his heart sunk as Deziree was standing over him, casually looking at her nails. She smiled when he noticed her.


"Did you miss me?" She asked sweetly.


"No. . .No!" David screamed as he began to scramble backwards through the sand.


With no effort, Deziree lifted a foot. David could do nothing but cover his face, before she crushed him again with a savage stomp.





Floating. . . . . David felt like he was floating. Something like being on calm waters, only this time he wasn't ok. He couldn't explain it, but his soul seemed to be burning with turmoil and unrest. Before he got anywhere near the ray of light, the feeling of dread gripped him again and pulled him away.





David knew he was back in the colosseum. He felt the hot sand shifting gently below him and the hot sun on his face. This time he opted to stay still. There was silence for a little while before Deziree spoke.


"Really? . . .you really think you can play dead. . To hide from someone who has the power to bring you back FROM death?" She asked smugly.

David remained still, but began to panic as he felt something beneath him. He opened his eyes and saw that Deziree had reached down and was scooping him up in her hand. She stood back up, cradling him in her palm awkwardly.

At this point, David didn't know what to make of dying multiple times, so he decided the best thing to do was try to reason with her, although, from what he gathered, her sanity and reasoning skills seemed to be severely lacking.

"Look Deziree, I. . I didn't mean to-"


"Shut up!" Deziree interuppted.


She snapped her fingers and David was suddenly small enough to fit cleanly in her hand. Deziree just stared at the shook human, as his mind struggled with size changing and death all at once.


Getting bored, she formed her free hand into a fist. She brought it into view of the little man having a breakdown in her palm. He began to shake and weep. Deziree was uncaring of his plight, waiting for only a second before she threw her punch. It collided with him from head to toe, busting him up and finishing him off.

David was gone for only a second before he was pulled back into his body, his soul feeling the strain of being yo-yo'd between realms.

He began to sob uncontrollably now as she continued her onslaught. She held her palm flat, and lifted her fist above him. She took a couple practice swings, before bringing it down suddenly in a hammerfist.

"Haha, ROCK!" She said laughing as she lifted her hand and brought him back instantly for a 4th time.

Changing her fist into an open hand, she violently clapped her hands together, a loud slap ringing out on the colosseum.

"PAPER!" She called, kneading her hands together, the colosseum in a deafening roar as Deziree got more and more turned on with her domination. Her pale nipples were at full attention as she brought him back one final time. She pinched them for a moment, and again David saw the illusion around him waiver briefly.

Regaining focus, Deziree stared him dead in the eyes as she held up two fingers.

"Scissors." She said quietly, but her tone had that certain coldness of a horror movie killer.

As she said it, David watched her fingers transform into actual scissor blades. He didn't even try to fight as she brought them down over his head and around his throat.

David closed his eyes and accepted his fate, but just as he felt the cold steel of the blades, what sounded like an alarm clock went off.

Deziree stopped in her tracks, and looked towards the massive door she had entered.

"Well. . . . Looks like the work out is over!" She said cheerfully, the mood of the colosseum suddenly changing and becoming lighter.

She said nothing more as she dumped him to the ground at her feet. A towel appeared on her shoulder and she lightly wiped the sweat from her forehead. David began to crawl away pathetically, but paused when he felt a shadow cast over him. He looked up just in time to see the creamy soul of a giant foot crash down on top of him as Deziree casually walked out the way she had came, not even looking at David.

Floating. . . . . David felt like he was floating.




David opened his eyes. He could see nothing, but felt something over his face so he knew he was covered up. He could hear voices around him talking causally. His whole body had a dull ache, and his limbs were stiff. He reached up and moved the cover from his face.

He was back in block C, lying on the bed that had been dedicated to him when he had first woke up. Looking around, he saw Oddy and Jessie talking to his left. The boy who had been under the blankets was now laying on the bottom bunk across from him, just staring up at the bottom of the bunk above him.

"Aww, it's good to see you awake." Oddy said, when he noticed David stir.

"We didn't think you were coming back!' Jessie added, from his place leaning against the far wall.

David sat up, groaning as it was the first time he had asked his body to move in who knew how long. He said nothing, but just looked at the other men in disbelief.

"The look on your face tells me you probably have a million questions to ask. So I'll explain everything." Oddy said, pulling up the only stool in the cell.

Jessie sat on the floor, leaning his back against the bunk across from David. For the first time, David noticed that Sebastian was sitting in the corner to his right. He had his knees pulled into his chest and he had a blank expression on his face. David hadn't known him for long, but long enough to know that this wasn't normal for him.

As he looked around, he also noticed that the older man was no longer there.

"I'm sure the first thing you want to know is. . . .how are you still alive? How are any of us still alive after you saw Deziree run through us one by one." Oddy said calmly.

David only nodded.

"Well son, it wasn't a dream. We all did die in the colosseum that day. After she killed you, I'm sure you felt the drifting as your soul made its way towards whatever lies beyond the light."

"Ye-Yeah. . . .how did you know?" David asked.

"You hang around here long enough, you eventually realize that everyone's description is more or less the same." Jessie said, folding his arms.

"Ok. . Yeah. Then I felt this like. . . . Pure evil dragging me back to my body somehow."

"That was Deziree's influence over the realm between life and death." Oddy explained. "Although, that particular feeling is exclusive to her. The realm amplifies intent."

"So what, she just keeps us alive in here so she can kill us in a fake colosseum on Thursday afternoons.!?" David asked, getting upset at the few aspects of Deziree's personality he had seen thus far.

"Yes, she DOES do that, but it's not all we do here." Oddy answered.

"Beyond general house work and exercise games when our cruel goddess sees fit, we also tend to her more . . . . intimate needs when we are unlucky enough to be called upon." Jessie explained, adjusting his seating position.

"Is. . .is that where that older guy is right now?" David asked, a little uncomfortable with the whole situation.

Block C went quiet before Oddy spoke up.

"No, he's. . . . He's just. . . Gone." He said, with a certain amount of weight in his voice.

"Did Deziree. . . "Break him" like she did to your friend eddy?"

"It's not fucking Eddy! It's Edward." Sebastian said, saying anything for the first time since David had woken up.

"Calm down Sebastian. There is no way the kid could have known that." The soldier said, defending David.

"Fortunately, our friend Warren found an escape from this place." Oddy said,

"He did?! What did he do?! " David asked, immediately perking up at the prospect of getting free from there.

"Don't get your hopes up kid, it's just an expression around here. What he means to say is. . . . He's dead now." Jessie said flatly.

A confused look showed up on David's face as his mind worked.

"What happened? Why didnt Deziree bring him back?"

"It was two week. Usually the colosseum is every third week, but true to her word, when the 4 of us woke up, Deziree made us do it again." Jessie said.

"We had no support and no chance. She toyed with us briefly, but then set out to break us. . . . Physically and mentally. 3 straight hours of being crushed, squeezed and smothered. She beat us until she reached the limits of her magic. Without that, she wasn't able to bring Warren back. He was finally free."

David just hung his head. He hadn't had much of a chance to talk to the man, but from what he'd seen, the guy was a decent human being.

"Wait. . . Did you say 2 weeks ago!?" David shouted. "I was fucking unconscious for 3 weeks?"

"Do you remember how many times she killed you?" Oddy asked him.


"I. . . I don't know. . . .fi. .five I think?"

Block C exchanged worried glanced.

"What. . . Is that bad?"

"You remember the old saying "nothing is free?" Sebastian asked from his corner.

"Yeah?"

"Here is no different."

"What do you mean? What happened!?" David shouted, feeling all over his body as if to feel a limb missing.

"Let me explain." Oddy said, putting a hand on David's shoulder. "Your soul is made up of two parts. Your life force, which is the center, is hard. Your essence, which is soft or flowing, surrounds that. When you die, and your crossing over, Deziree physically reaches into you and grabs your life force. That is why you get those strong feelings. Between her pulling and the light pulling, eventually something has to give. 9 times out of 10 it is your essence. It tears a piece off and leaves it in the void. Every time you die, you leave a part of yourself back there. A memory or feeling gets left behind."


David sat in shock, not moving or saying anything.

"The last condition you need to know about is "broken." Oddy started again.

"Br-broken? Like your friend?"

"Yes, unfortunately Edward suffered that cruel fate." Jessie said, putting his hands in his head.

"What is it?"

"Broken is a state of soul. Like before, when you die, you begin to cross over. Only this time when Deziree grabs your life force, 100 percent of your essence strips away, leaving only a blank living being to get brought back to life."

"You become a heartless, soulless slave to that bitch! Forced to do the most degrading bullshit for as long as she sees fit." Sebastian screamed, suddenly standing.

"Young Sebastian here, learned just how close to breaking he is." Jessie said solemnly.

"I won't. . . I'll cross over and be free from here!" Sebastian shot back, although his confident tone didn't mask his fear.

"I pray you're right. All we can do is keep up the rituals at night to strengthen your soul." Oddy said, also standing.


"But for now David, we were asked to let Deziree know as soon as you regained consciousness. Stalling anymore would see all of our heads on the chopping block."

Oddy walked to the door, and rang a small bell. Again David felt compelled to walk, though it didn't force him. He stood, looking back at block C one last time, before he stepped through the threshold and followed his instincts to the left. He began to see his environment change again, morphing into a kitchen with a sliding door that led to a sunny patio. On the other side, he saw Deziree in a bikini, laying on a piece of furniture sunbathing.