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A slap to the face snapped Hitaru out of his trance. He opened his eyes abruptly, disoriented, with a persistent ringing in his head.
"What the hell are you doing, old man?" he protested, indignant, bringing a hand to his cheek.
"You weren't waking up, kid. You looked drugged out," the old man replied, gripping his shoulder and dragging him away from the entrance.
Hitaru stumbled a few unsteady steps forward. His legs gave out on him. When he finally managed to stay on his feet, he heard a shout he couldn't understand in his language.
It was a goblin.
He was organizing the slaves who had survived.
"Lines of three!" shouted a goblin wrapped in a purple cloak.
"What's happening now, old man?" Hitaru whispered, leaning toward his ear.
"They're grouping us to make an announcement," he replied without taking his eyes off the goblin.
When the last slave took his place, the goblin spoke again.
"Listen up, trash. Since the mine has collapsed again, we'll have to move the hunt forward. Remember this: we don't eat anything that isn't boar. If you bring back something else, it'll be just for you," he barked angrily. "And if not… you'll see."
Did he say "again"…? Hitaru murmured, shaken. How many times has this place collapsed?
"Relax, kid. If you know how to run, you'll live," the old man replied calmly.
Hitaru looked at him with distrust.
That couldn't be true… could it?
"Move. You don't want to see what they're capable of when the mine collapses," the old man added, starting to walk.
"Hey! Don't leave me alone," Hitaru said, following him.
The group moved away from the mine and the goblin village. They walked to an open area, where the guards stepped aside along with the overseer. The men began to gather, talking among themselves, planning the hunt.
"Old man, how does this hunting thing work?" Hitaru asked cautiously.
"Look, kid, so you'll stop asking stupid questions, I'll tell you everything," he snapped. "We wake up in the barracks, go to the mine, meet the quota, hunt our food—which we keep seventy percent of—and then we watch the gladiators fight."
"Gladiators?" Hitaru repeated.
"You'll see. I'm not in the mood right now."
Hitaru fell silent.
They joined five other men. They talked about the mine, about those who didn't make it out. Hitaru stayed quiet, uncomfortable, not knowing anyone.
Then the dizziness hit him.
Hard.
Sweat ran down his body. His muscles tightened, cramps appearing all at once. His eyes burned.
"Your new friend had it rough," one commented. "Look at him."
The old man turned immediately.
"Kid, what's wrong with you?"
"I don't know… it started all of a sudden," he barely managed to say.
"Do you use drugs?" he asked harshly.
"Not anymore… I used to."
"How long ago?"
"Three days… counting yesterday."
His consciousness began to fade.
"Withdrawal syndrome," one said.
"We can't leave him like this," another added.
They argued for a few minutes.
"Fine. Rimic, give him one of your mushrooms. That way he'll stay useful," the old man decided.
Minutes later, Hitaru began to feel better. He slowly came to. Two men were carrying him.
"You're awake," one said.
Hitaru answered with a grunt. They explained what had happened. He felt terrible… until he heard that they had considered using him as bait while he was unconscious. Now that he was awake, at least they wouldn't beat him.
He lifted his head.
They were inside the forest.
They dropped him.
Hitaru lay on the ground, motionless.
Then he heard a grunt.
A boar.
His body tensed.
Another grunt.
And another.
Three.
He tried to stand up. He couldn't.
He saw them.
Two in front of him.
One behind.
His heart began to pound violently, far too fast. He didn't feel like he could run. Or fight.
I never imagined being alone… surrounded by three boars…
He froze.
Something ignited in his mind.
That's it.
He got up as best he could.
One of the boars charged.
Hitaru didn't retreat.
He advanced.
The animal, startled, lunged with its tusks forward. Hitaru dodged the attack and jumped, grabbing the tusks with both hands. The boar ran, thrashing in fury, but Hitaru didn't let go. He forced its head, twisted it with everything he had left, and slammed it against a tree.
He was thrown back and hit the ground. The boar was left stunned.
Hitaru got up immediately and ran toward the first tree he saw. He climbed as best he could and hung from a low branch. The trunk began to shake.
The boars had returned.
All three.
They rammed the tree again and again.
Hitaru clenched his teeth, clinging to the branch. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the old man, giving him a clear signal.
Silence.
Hitaru held his breath.
His arms trembled. The tree kept vibrating. Below, the grunts did not stop.
He didn't know how much longer he could hold on.
And for the first time since he had woken up in that world, he felt something clear, direct, impossible to ignore:
Fear.
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Leave your collection and a comment, so I know you liked it. That motivates me to keep writing more chapters with higher quality.
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