Free The Arena by Bradford Bates

My father looked up at me again, and when our eyes met, he mouthed the words, “I love you.” Then I watched as the man standing in front of him pulled the trigger and ended his life. This time the sound of the gunshot was deafening. My ears rang, and the sound of the shot echoed through my head. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t breathe. I struggled to get off my knees and lunge at his killer. I was held mercilessly in place by the iron grips on my shoulders.
    I felt something slam into the back of my head, and before I passed out, all I focused on was the face of the man who killed my family. I would never forget that face for as long as I lived. He was thin, almost to the point of starvation. His chin stuck out at just the right angle to make him look proud and arrogant. What stood out the most to me were his eyes, his black, soulless eyes. They actually seemed to sparkle with a hint of amusement at what he had done. As if he had just watched something funny happen or that he enjoyed what he had done. He turned his head, and I noticed a small scar on his right cheek. I knew that if I somehow managed to live through this, I would see this man pay for what he had done. I would hunt him down and make sure he suffered the same way my family had. The rage was building inside of me, waiting for the opportunity to be released. It started to bubble over as I was hit on the back of the head again. His face burned into my memory, and I slipped into oblivion.

5
Jackson
    W hen I came to , I almost couldn’t believe it. I really thought the last moments of my life were going to be spent in that kitchen. At least if I died with my parents, I wouldn’t have to live with the guilt of not being able to save them. There was no reason for the men who murdered my family to want me alive. I was just a kid; what could they possibly want from me?
    My arms and legs were stiff. My wrist and ankles hurt like they had been bound tightly, but they were free of restraints now. I couldn’t see, but when I reached up to rub my eyes, I found a cloth covering them. When I removed the cloth hood, I couldn’t see too much better than before. It appeared I was in some kind of cell. There was a faint glow from a candle. From the feeble light in the room, I could see four walls and a door. I spent a few extra seconds to examine the door. There was no knob, and it was set flush into the wall. There was no way out that I could see.
    I sat up slowly and started to work my fingers in and out, making a fist and then rotating it in a slow circle. I had to try and get the blood flowing back into my limbs. I started to wiggle my toes, and slowly started to roll my ankles around. Finally satisfied that when I stood up I wouldn’t fall flat on my face, I decided to give it a go. With more effort than I thought it would take, I rolled over onto my hands and knees. Once I was stable there, I used the wall to slowly lift myself up onto my feet. When I could successfully stand without holding the wall, I continued stretching.
    I started working all of my muscles like I was getting ready for a run. No sense in not being prepared if there was a chance I could get out of here. I might only get one chance to make a run for it. If the door opened, I had to be ready. Seeing as how I had been tied up all day, it was a good bet they wouldn’t be expecting me to be limber enough to run. I was pretty sure that, unless they came in with multiple people and a gun, leaving me untied was going to be a pretty big mistake.
    During the last couple of months, when I felt like I couldn’t burn off enough energy, I had been working my body into exhaustion every night, only to wake up the next day with even more energy. This constant running and working out had left me in really great shape. I was sure that even with no training, I could take two or three guys my size without a problem. I could already feel the energy flowing into my body. It was loosening my muscles and easing the