Getting the others up was easy. They asked if anything of note happened. I told them nothing important happened. The others were also getting up after the new robotic morning announcement. Felix rubbed his stomach, and I could tell what he was going to ask. "When are we going to-" was all he got out before I covered his mouth. He looked indignantly at me. "We were told yesterday. 3 people need to go before the door opens leading to where the cafeteria is. Don't put a giant target on your back by looking hungry or reminding them about it. Desperate people might attack at random." I whispered in his ear. He then stilled in horror. I told the others the same thing. A boy near the door began banging on it. It did not look like it was going to budge. "Open up! I wanna eat something. I'm hungry!" he yelled. Another boy walked up to him and told him he was being too loud. "Shut the hell up! All the food is on the other side of the door!" he said. He got a fist to the mouth for his troubles. "We're all hungry. I just want to wait over here in peace. Shut up now, or I'll shut you up." the attacker said.
I watched as the boy who was punched get off the floor. His eyes glowed sliver and said "Back off! I do not have a beef with you." The one that punched also powered up and said "Power down kid. You really don't want to fuck with me." The boy with the silver eyes took a deep breath and a silver beam shot out of his mouth. The older boy blasted a pink beam of his own with his right palm. It became a power struggle between the two as the beams met. The younger boy was getting tired out. It looked like he could not sustain it. The pink beam got closer and closer to his mouth. Another boy came from behind him and laid a hand on his back. "Keep it going!" the boy said. I wondered if he has a plan. It was a small 13-year-old. His eyes were gray and the silver beam got a boost and shot closer to the older boy. The older boy just hissed to himself and said "Fuck!" He used his left palm and the pink beam got twice as powerful as before. The beams were only a few inches from them. After 8 minutes, it was pretty clear all three of them were tired. None could back down in a life or death struggle.
As the older boy had no back up, he tired first. The silver beam got closer and closer to him. He ducked and dodged the beam by hitting the deck. The silver mouth beam went all the way to the other end of the auditorium. One kid was not paying attention to them and got hit in the head. It killed him instantly. The younger boy glared at the one on the ground and tried to blast him again. Only a small burst came out. It was only enough to knock the older boy out. The redheaded 13-year-old panted in total exhaustion and cheered. He said "We did it!" It was certainly a big victory. Before now, it was only Henry getting into fights here. "A death has been observed. 92 of 100 subjects remaining." the robotic voice said. It was a confirmation of the win. The boy with the silver beam said "Not yet. I have to get the threat out of the way. You don't live long when you let big fights like this go." He stumbled over to the defeated boy and took a deep breath. This time, the beam he produced was able to decapitate him although it was just as short. He turned to the horrified 13-year-old boy and smiled at him.
Being a killer did not seem to matter to him at all. The boy just panted and wheezed in pain. His extreme straining to speak or even stay standing was a testament to the fact that he gave his all to win the fight. "A death has been observed. 91 of 100 subjects remaining." the voice declared. "Let's team up." he said. The younger boy and was shocked when the beam shooter collapsed in his arms. All the boy could do was drag him away and look after him against a wall. Another conflict was brewing near us. "Hey! I know you, damn punk!" a boy about a year or so younger than me said to someone else. The one he was talking to was in a conversation with what seemed like a friend. The interloper put his hand on the boy's shoulder and spun him around. For his trouble, he got a pair of red eye lasers to the gut. He went down and the boy just returned to his conversation. "Damn Bruce! Back at it again with the quick draw!" the friend said with a cheerful look. "Shut up, Josh. You know that people always keep trying to mess with us. Better kill them first before they kill us." Bruce said. It was true.
