Friend or Family

The ocean waves churn above me. I can barely see further than a few feet, and much less my opponent. The machinery whines and a chain starts moving. I’m startled, and my heart starts beating rapidly. I rise from the sea, and I almost laugh in the dire circumstances. I feel like Posideon. 

Memories of school come rushing back to me, especially in history class, where we learned about Poseidon. My heart starts beating faster. 

And before I know it, I’m on the arena floor.

My hands become sweaty and the hairs on my neck stand straight. 

But today, I have a reason to be scared. My parents and sister are on their deathbeds. They are counting on me. Why shouldn’t I be scared? 

For a brief second, I’m blinded by the number of screens and lights around me. I blink rapidly, and slowly my eyes adjust, and I take in my surroundings, in awe. I’m surrounded by hundreds of thousands of spectators, who are all cheering, stomping their feet, and waving flags. It’s a kaleidoscope of colors. They all cheer when my opponent rises to the battle floor. Their roar echoes throughout the stadiums, deafening. 

I look around me. I’m on a small peninsula, overrun by vegetation and sand. Further out, trees make up a large forest, with water around the edge, which I take a look at. There are fish in there, with seaweed and more in its depths. The government sure invests a lot of money in the arena to make sure the spectators enjoy the match. 

I turn around and gulp. Suddenly, this contest doesn’t feel like it’s a show. It feels like a personal battle. Right across from me, stands a boy the same age as me. I know his name. I know why he’s here. 

And that’s because he’s my best friend.

And then the announcer’s voice booms throughout the stadium. 

“Welcome to the... 148th battle! Today, we have Aaron, competing for medicine for his almost—dead family, and Luke, competing for food!

I stare pitifully at Luke, remembering our promise to each other. 

We both live in poverty, and we made a pact to never go to the Games for what we need.  There’s too high of a probability of dying, and we can’t let that happen when our families need us. 

I stare at him for some time, but he doesn’t make eye contact. He instead stares straight down, as if he can see through the sand. 

I’m torn as I stare at him. I needed the medicine, and that’s why I’m here, without telling him. And he did the same. We got ourselves into a mess. 

But I know I have to win, no matter the cost. Family is more important than friends, right? But as I persuade myself, I begin to doubt it. 

Nevertheless, I begin thinking about what I need to do, while I’m torn in my head. 

The announcer makes some other deafening announcements, and I patiently wait, thinking about my strategy. I need all the time I can get. I’m nimble and quick, but I would lose in close quarters. Luke’s wide frame would lead him to the win. I need to hide in my surroundings and get Luke when he least expects it. 

A rough hand then grazes mine, and I look up. One of the soldiers hands me a Pointer. I hoist it up into my arms and point it towards Luke, practicing. 

It feels so heavy. Why does a simple laser have to be so heavy? All I have to do is point it at Luke.

I take a moment to apprehend the stakes. All I have to do is kill Luke. 

“Ok, fighters. On your mark, get set, go!”

I’m startled by the air horns. How did the game start so suddenly?

I only get a brief glimpse of Luke before he’s gone, disappearing within the trees. I run into the trees too, as I just simply want to get away from the spectators. 

The spectators’ voices sound muffled once I’m among the jungle, and that helps me focus. I first try to analyze my position. 

Trees cover my field of view, and vines dangle in front of me. Insect chirps echo throughout, and the ground is a bit squishy. 

So I move about randomly, weaving through the trees. No sign of Luke. I hear faint murmuring sometimes, but he’s nowhere to be found. I wander aimlessly throughout the jungle, probably going through the same area multiple times. 

This gives me time to contemplate on what I should do. Winning is my only option, and I have to win at no costs—even if it means killing someone battling for the same stakes.

Later, I decide to climb up the vines and onto the canopy. It’s a hard climb, but it’s a great venture point. I wait up there for around 10 minutes, and until I see it-the flash of orange, which is Luke’s jumpsuit. 

I quickly climb down, marking his location in my head. 

And there he is, dragging his feet across the ground. He’s moving awfully slow. 

I could shoot him right here, and I would go home with my medicine. After all, my family is more important than him, aren’t they?

But something makes me stop, right before I hoist up my Pointer. 

I then come out from my hiding place behind the tree, directly in Luke’s path. He doesn’t even lift his gaze. 

I look at his eyes, which are bloodshot and sunken. Upon looking closer, I can see the bones forcing their way through his skin. 

I stand right in front of him, and he just collapses in my arms. I turn him over and stare into his eyes, which are completely red. 

“Hi there.”

He looks at me and smiles. 

“Hi," he says rasps feebly. "I feel horrible.”

“Same here. You looked pretty healthy on the peninsula, though.”

“Yeah, that was some government drug.”

His voice sounds husky, probably due to the lack of food. 

I lift his arms over my shoulders and start walking, with no plan in mind. After some time, he musters some strength and starts walking. While we walk aimlessly in silence, the same thought echoes through my head: should I kill him, or let him kill me? But I have a family at home. They need medicine badly. It's a matter between life and death. And I can't allow anything to get between me and my goal.

We talk for a few minutes, and I get to know him. But I try to limit our conversation. I want to treat him like a stranger to make killing him feel easier. 

His Pointer is slung over his other shoulder, and he shows no signs of attempting to shoot me. That makes me feel even more guilty. He talks about trying to find a way out together, and I can’t handle it. He trusts me too much.

After some time, we break apart and sit to get some rest. 

I bring up our pact, knowing that it must be in his mind too. 

“Yeah, I was just desperate.”

“Same here. But now look. Look at the mess we’ve gotten ourselves in.”

I nod. Luke continues to formulate a plan to get out but to no avail. We’re on an island, which is a trap itself. No way to get out without one of the officials noticing that a heart rate monitor stopped.

I feel tired of the games. There is no other option. I have to shoot him. It would be hard, but I had to.

It just simply had to be done. So I get up and pace around. Luke doesn’t even look up, and that takes my guiltiness to another level. He trusts me so much. 

I move my hand toward the trigger of my gun and hoist it on my shoulder. 

“Hey, Luke?”

“Yes?” He looks at me, and I almost put the gun down. His eyes are filled with so much agony and sorrow. Surely there must be a way for us to get out without one of us dying. But the government wouldn’t allow that. One of us has to die.

“I’m sorry.” 

My heart throbs, and I feel like I’m dying internally. I can’t stand looking at him. So I look up at the stars, praying that I’m making the right decision. 

I ask myself one last question, staring at the heavens. 

Friend or family?

And then I pull the trigger. 

Family.