“Dammit!” Will slammed his fist into the wall  just outside the private viewing room. “I really wanted something to drink.” Will paused for a moment to rub the sweat from his brow. Why would she send her slave away like that? When he realized that they were alone a slimy smirk stretched across Will’s face as he approached Audrey from behind. He leaned in close to her ears and stuck out his tongue. Audrey jerked away and slammed her hand into his mouth. Blood and spit streamed down his shirt as Will  inspected his injury. “I bit my tongue”, more bloody spit rained on the floor. Now he was as red as the stains on his shirt. He grabbed Audrey by the throat and slammed her to the ground. Audrey struggled under all the weight. She was strong but Will was heavy. He sat on her stomach and held both her wrists down. She tried to shield her face from the disgusting amount of liquid pouring out of her attackers’ mouth as he spoke. Audrey nearly gagged as Will smashed his swollen mouth into her lips. She bit down hard. This time even more came gushing out. Will reeled in pain, then made a fist over his head. Audrey was dizzy after his fists had repeatedly pounded her head into the floor. She was losing consciousness. Another hit like that and she wouldn't be able to fight anymore. The next hit came.

Will fell on his side, one limp leg still straddling Audrey. Belle stood with an outstretched hand above Audrey, Link still clinging to her back. Audrey regained her composure and stepped between Belle and Will. The first kick was poorly aimed but still had the desired effect. Will weezed in agony. The next kick landed right where she wanted. Unsatisfied, Audrey kept kicking until something fell out of his pants. It still wasn't what she intended,  but she grabbed the car keys before delivering a final kick. 

Two balls fell into the pit from above the crowd. Holder recognized this weapon and immediately redirected his barrier. “Grenade!”, Someone from the crowd screamed as a fiery explosion pushed Holder and One-Arm to opposite walls of the pit. Chaos and screams spread throughout the arena like smoke and ash.

Gunfire echoed over the screams. Holder struggled to stand and could barely see what sounded like a war going on above him. One-Arm was still conscious, and turned his attention to the crowd above as well. Without a word, the one armed slave jumped up to where Will and Audrey sat. Holder prepared to follow but was halted by a familiar voice. Time to go!. Belle stood at the fighters entrance inside the arena, Link on her back and Audrey by her side. Holder limped over to join them. As they escaped together, Holder was stopped by another familiar voice. Some one above them was laughing amidst the screaming and gunfire. “Come on!”Audrey rushed to Holder’s side and helped him limp out of the arena.  The chaos covered their escape as Audrey led them to Will’s private vehicle. Link stood up in his seat staring back at the arena. He wanted to make sure that the monster wasn't following them. They moved quickly and didn't slow down until the Windhelm estate had almost disappeared from sight. Audrey continued to drive until the sunlight began to fade.

The sky exchanged its fierce reddish and yellow hue, for a calmer violet and blue.The moonlight reflected on the hood of the car between Audrey and Holder. It was cool without the beating sun, so Audrey moved closer to Holder for warmth. Their hands touch. Holder looks down from the sky to meet Audrey’s nervous stare.

Link starts to yawn and stretches over his mother's lap in the backseat of the car. Belle rises up carefully, taking Link by the hand. The two silently slip away to give Audrey and Holder some privacy.

Audrey stared up at the sky. The reflecting light danced in her eyes. Holder stared back for a moment before returning to the view above.

“Are you ok?” Audrey whispered as she turned to share the vision of colors in the sky.

“Me? Oh my leg? Yeah it's healed.” Holder felt himself getting nervous.

“Are you ok?”, he finally asked after a short awkward pause. 

Audrey looked puzzled, “Me? I wasn't the one fighting in that godforsaken arena”

“That’s not what Belle told me.” Holder turned to face Audrey with a serious look.

“Will?...He’s always been like that. I remember when I couldn't fight back, when I was younger. I hated it. I even told my father, but he didnt care.” Audrey got off the hood of the car and mimicked Master Durwoods mannerisms and voice. 

“The Durwood and Windhelm estates have a standing alliance. Therefore, you will not cause any trouble; or do anything to endanger our agreement”. Audrey exhaled deeply to catch her breath. Holder was still looking serious as Audrey quietly returned to his side. 

“I used to think we were so different. But even stuff like that is the same.” Holder stood up this time.

“I was always a runner, even as a kid. Once, I fought off raiders and a worker before getting caught. Instead of being punished, the master of the estate was impressed. He sent me to the stable for a night.They locked me in a room with a bunch of females, some were runners, some weren't. The scientist did tests, then forced us to drink this medicine. I didn't have a choice. I felt like an animal as they watched.--”. A gentle touch hushed Holder's painful memory. 

Audrey turned him to face her. They continued to speak without words. The embrace was so close that the light from the moon was trapped between their warm bodies. Audrey held on tight as she rested her head on Holder's chest. Holder wrapped his arms around Audrey, but pulled away slightly so that he could see her face. When their lips finally met,  pounding hearts began to beat in rhythm. Every shared breath was casting out the evils they had endured in the past. In that moment nothing else mattered. In that moment the painful past was cast away, and an uncertain future was delayed. They held onto each other until a chilling wind reminded them of where they stood.

“We should get some sleep before continuing”, Audrey steals another kiss before going to find Belle and Link. Holder plops into the driver seat and starts the car. At first he thought the car was malfunctioning, the normal roar of the engine starting sounded like high pitched yelling. He listened carefully to the rumbling engine, as if he could interpret the machine's language. His quiet focus was interrupted by a blood curdling scream.

The screams of the slave were still audible as Maw held her in the air by her mouth. A quick squeeze and she was silenced. He discarded her body in the pile of other victims. Maw was still inside of the arena picking over the leftovers of his rampage. He stepped over the piled up bodies. If anyone moved, he was sure to help them keep still; permanently. Eventually he reached the private viewing room. Inside was a whimpering man cradling a severely burned arm. Maw stepped into the room and kicked over the man to face him. The horrific sight of the monster up close caused Will to void himself. More blood than urine stained his pants as he shivered under Maw’s intense stare.

“What are you doing Maw?!” Durwood’s voice had become background music to Maw’s murder spree. Even with the weapons deactivated, Maw had enough strength to tear apart anyone he came across. 

“You’ve killed countless people!” Durwood was beyond frustrated.

“No witnesses, remember?” Maw repeated in a mocking tone.

Durwood responded without a second to waste, hoping to stop any more senseless killing. “None of those people had anything to do with your orders.”

“Doesn't matter, as long as I get my target, let God sort out the rest” Maw leaned in towards Will.

“Do not! I repeat, do not lay a finger on the Windhelm boy!”. Durwood realized there was no reasoning with the mind of a mad man.

“That's it Maw, you failed this mission”, Durwood stood next to a team of scientists inside his underground lab. The mess from before was cleaned up, but the lingering smell of death still remained in Durwood’s mind. Monitors tracking Maw’s biometrics and movements were on display. 

Durwood turned to the nearest lab coat. “Initiate remote control and return him to base immediately.” 

The obedient scientist did as he was told, “Understood sir, this will damage the weapons systems and possibly cause other complications.”

By Now Durwood was exhausted from yelling. “I understand the consequences, just bring him back. We’ll start from scratch if we have to.”

“What!? I never--” Maw stiffened in an instant. Will scurried away like a rodent released from a trap. Maw tried to protest but his voice no longer worked. An electrical surge escaped the cybernetic body as he struggled; causing a spark to ignite a nearby spill of alcohol. Maw watched as the growing flames melted the bodies of his victims. Scanners were now offline. His vision got dimmer until he was plunged into the cold darkness he had only felt once before. He thought about the pain he felt in his chest that day before completely slipping away. If he woke up again, he would be sure to get revenge on the slave that killed him.

Holder ran out of the car towards the screaming to find Belle collapsed on the ground. Audrey was consoling Link and pointing at the wound on Belle’s side. Holder crouched down to examine the festering scab of flesh. It appeared to be a bullet wound but was somehow infected. Normally a wound like this would heal in a few hours. Maw. The realization hit him like a grenade to the face. That psychotic laughter from before somehow belonged to Maw. Holder figured  the sadist used special ammo that was somehow able to negate Belle’s natural healing abilities.

“What do we do?” Audrey broke Holder’s silence. He turned to her.

“She won’t last more than a few days like this”, Holder spoke in a whisper as if Link could not hear his thoughts. The child silenced his cries as Holder continued.

“The only way to save her is to go underground.” Before Audrey could ask, Holder picked up Belle and walked towards the car. “I can explain on the way!”, He yelled back; motioning for the others to get into the car as quickly as possible. The spinning tires spit ash in their wake, as they sped off to the west. Audrey checked her wrist to confirm their direction, but was stunned by what the GPS revealed. “Holder, if we keep going straight from here, we’ll end up--”