Relentless (Book 3)

Chapter 23: Benjamin - The Seventh Day

I'd gotten spoiled in the Outskirts. I used to be used to waking up in pain everyday back when I lived with my family. But in the Outskirts, my body had time to heal and it was only the old fractures that hadn't healed correctly that would occasionally ache.

It was complete bliss to wake up every morning and not be in immense pain. And because of that time I had where I woke up comfortable, I was no longer used to the pain, and it was not fun learning to get used to it again here. Had I gone straight from my family's home to this prison, my time here would be manageable.

I started the morning the same way I had since I'd arrived here, by stretching my sore muscles, the movements almost bringing tears to my eyes.

Bethany was still dead asleep and I prayed they'd let her continue sleeping, especially after the beating she took yesterday. My stomach boiled with fury when I thought about what that cowardly guard did to her. I hoped they let him try to beat me in another fight today. I was aching to get my hands on him. The rage I was feeling toward the guards here was scaring me.

After I finished stretching, I sat with my back against the metal restraint wall and watched Bethany sleep. My stomach started growling after a few minutes and I remembered it was because last night neither Bethany nor I had been offered food because Bethany had lost a fight that had been stacked against her.

I would be given a small meal this morning, but Bethany would only be able to eat tonight if I won my fight today. And my body was so battered and bruised that I could only hope that when the fight started and my adrenaline kicked in, it would be enough to numb the pain so I could fight and win. Because if I lose today, Bethany will have only been given one measly bowl of the slop they call food in a forty eight hour period.

She was already being starved due to only being able to eat once a day. I'm sure the few bites of food she was given when I won a fight was less than three hundred calories, no where near enough to sustain her. And we were supposed to fight for our lives in a few days when we are meant to be executed, and there was no way she'd be able to win that fight if she didn't get at least that one meal every night.

They didn't end up coming in to wake Bethany right away, but she still woke up long before I wanted her to, when Roberts walked into my cell, slamming the door loudly behind him. Bethany jumped and her eyes opened wide, she immediately found me and trained them on me before glancing worriedly at my guard hovering over me.

Roberts shoved a bowl at me and I took it from him quickly, my stomach clenching with hunger. Then my thoughts turned quickly back to Bethany. I nodded my head towards her, "She wasn't able to eat last night. Can she please be given something to eat this morning?"

"Are you willing to give up your meal to feed her?" He replied.

I put the bowl back in his hands without a second thought, my hunger momentarily forgotten when I believed that her hunger would be lessened. "Yes. Please give it to her instead."

He laughed and set the bowl back down at my feet. "Nice try. You know the rules, she doesn't get fed until you win. I just wanted to see if your time here had helped you realize that it's more important to worry about yourself in the short amount of time you have left than it is to worry about some insignificant little girl." He looked down at me, disgusted. "Just make sure you eat every last bite in that bowl." He said with a grin. "We have something very fun planned for you today."

I looked down at my bowl of food, suddenly feeling nauseous. I could only imagine what new source of torture they had in mind for my fight today.

Once Roberts left my cell, I turned my back to Bethany and began eating. "You don't have to do that." Bethany said quietly.