In Search of Home

Chapter 5

"...tor! Viktor!" Pedro was saying fiercely, rattling the bars they shared. Viktor groggily sat up, waking up much more quickly than the other day. 

"Huh?" he said eloquently, looking around for the aliens and quickly finding them. He must have slept a bit longer, 'cause it was later in the day. He frowned, twisting to look at Pedro, crawling over hurriedly. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" Viktor wasn't complaining, he loved to sleep. But they were on an alien planet for Christ's sake! 

Pedro shrugged but looked apologetic. "You looked like you needed it. None of us got shocked like that yesterday," he whispered, before tilting his head in the direction of the aliens. "They're taking some beasts out." 

They were. Viktor frowned, watching closely as the ringmaster made a big alien open the cage and wrestle a stiff leash on the beast's collar. The beast in question wasn't too happy to be manhandled, but one shout from the ringmaster made it still in fright. They wrestled it out of the cage and out the exit. When the door was opened, the faint chattering of a crowd could be heard. Viktor shared an uneasy glance with Pedro, who then shuffled to the other side of his cage to talk with Ezekiel. 

The humans didn't start talking until the aliens left the room. 

"What the hell, man!" Ezekiel said in despair, looking worriedly between the humans. Aiko, on his other side, seemed to share his sentiment. Nikolas was pacing in his cell, occasionally turning to speak with the person who shared the other side of his cell. Viktor didn't meet everyone while in the truck transporting them here, and the cells didn't help with meeting new people.

"I think they are bringing out dogs to fight," Nikolas said, voice carrying over to Viktor with ease. The teen shuffled anxiously, jumping to his feet. "Alien dogs, that is." 

The fear of being sent out to fight these beasts was quickly becoming a reality. Viktor was starting to really worry about why he was here, of all people. Surely they didn't think he could fight these things? He wasn't nearly on any of the other's levels of fitness. He was a scrawny teenager who drank so much soda that it was practically a part of his bloodstream. He worried his lip in between his teeth. 

He wasn't left to wallow in his own worries and the whispers of the others for long before some aliens came back. Frighteningly, they kept walking to the back, where Viktor was. He stood up quickly, back pressed against the wall as he watched the ten-foot-tall aliens warily. His stomach dropped as they started unlocking his door. He looked at Pedro in fright, locking eyes with him, Ezekiel, and Aiko, glancing worried between them. "What-" he started, voice cracking with fear.

He was interrupted as the alien outside his cage shouted something at him. He twisted to look at the alien, frozen in fear. The alien rolled its eyes, making Viktor's heart jump with the familiar human action, before stalking into the cage and grabbing Viktor by the back of his hoodie. 

He choked as he was lifted off the ground, getting dragged out of the cage with ease. He kicked his legs, yelling in protest. He was dropped in a heap before the same stiff leash, quite like a dog catcher's pole, was connected to his collar. His head was pushed into the ground as the alien put too much pressure on his neck. 

"Grk," he choked out, hearing the yells of protest from the other humans. The pressure released, and he was allowed to stand up on two shaky feet before they pushed him toward the exit. 

"It'll be okay, kid!" Ezekiel called, shaking the cage bars as hard as he could. Other calls of the same sentiment followed him. Viktor could barely hear them, too busy trying not to piss himself in fright. 

The lights were bright against his eyes, shining ominously against the stark sand of the arena. The arena stands were filled, eager to see the new animals that this place has. He was the new animal, Viktor realized, as all eyes swiveled to land on him. Most seemed eager, but others seemed a bit bored, probably realizing that he wouldn't make it.