JD's Last Round
Paul stood in the shadows, watching as the man who had once been his best friend was brutally murdered. He stared, unblinking, as the blade came down into the flesh again and again and again. His name had been JD. He had given the best man toast at Paul’s own wedding. They had been business partners – in fact it had been JD’s idea to buy into the sport in the first place. His brilliant idea had turned Paul from a normal nine-to-five worker into something glorious; It had turned him into a referee.
It was a curious feeling to watch the light go out of his friend’s eyes and his husk of a body fall to the ground in a pool of spreading blood. He was sad, but not altogether surprised. He had warned him after all not to go out there. That was a game for younger men – or in this case a rather bulky younger woman. JD had never stood a chance, and in the end he had barely put up much of a fight when his number was drawn. At least he had died a relatively clean death, which was more than could be said for many of them.
Easy come, easy go.
He stepped from the sidelines and into the harsh fluorescent lights of the arena, pulling his pen neatly from the top of his clipboard. The woman turned to look at him, a savage grin adorning her face, her eyes bright.
Perhaps that’s why he wanted to enter. There does seem to be something rather satisfying about the adrenaline rush accompanying a win.
He could not help but to smile seeing the elation that the kill had given her, how happy she was. That’s why I come back, after all these years. It does make people happy. He clicked his pen and began scrawling his notes as he approached.
“How’d I do, ref?” She asked, beaming at him.
He returned her smile warmly before looking back down at his papers, totaling her score. He was a bit surprised at how high the number was, and checked the math once more in his mind. “Quite well,” he answered, genuinely impressed. “Keep this up and you’ll make it all the way to Nationals this year.”
It was a curious feeling to watch the light go out of his friend’s eyes and his husk of a body fall to the ground in a pool of spreading blood. He was sad, but not altogether surprised. He had warned him after all not to go out there. That was a game for younger men – or in this case a rather bulky younger woman. JD had never stood a chance, and in the end he had barely put up much of a fight when his number was drawn. At least he had died a relatively clean death, which was more than could be said for many of them.
Easy come, easy go.
He stepped from the sidelines and into the harsh fluorescent lights of the arena, pulling his pen neatly from the top of his clipboard. The woman turned to look at him, a savage grin adorning her face, her eyes bright.
Perhaps that’s why he wanted to enter. There does seem to be something rather satisfying about the adrenaline rush accompanying a win.
He could not help but to smile seeing the elation that the kill had given her, how happy she was. That’s why I come back, after all these years. It does make people happy. He clicked his pen and began scrawling his notes as he approached.
“How’d I do, ref?” She asked, beaming at him.
He returned her smile warmly before looking back down at his papers, totaling her score. He was a bit surprised at how high the number was, and checked the math once more in his mind. “Quite well,” he answered, genuinely impressed. “Keep this up and you’ll make it all the way to Nationals this year.”
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About the Piece |
This was another piece that I wrote for a 24 hour horror flash fiction contest sponsored by Writing.Com.
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