Page 6 of A Kiss From Death
“PLEASEEEEEE!” a woman pleads between sobs, and I startle out of my thoughts at the haunted emotion in her voice. She isn’t close to me, but her screams are so loud, it’s as if she’s standing right next to me. Her voice travels from the west side of Misery’s Crossing, which can only mean one thing: Agony Alley.
Agony Alley is where one is sentenced to gruesome death at the hands of the Empress for breaking the law, no matter how small. Vanquishers carry out her chosen punishment, always ending in loss of life. The sunken arena is carved out of stone, seats circling the entirety of the stage in the center. Members are allowed to watch punishments for their entertainment.
Sick fucks.
On occasion, the Empress requests an enhancer for punishments. Enhancers amplify voices or sounds with their magic, which must be why I can hear this poor woman’s screams from across Misery’s Crossing. They like to make sure everyone in Vagrant Sector can hear what happens if you go against the Empress and her laws.
I’ve accidentally walked by Agony Alley a few times while punishments were being dealt and had to rush to empty my stomach. I’ve never stayed long enough to see them meet their end, and I’d like it to stay that way.
Picking up my pace, I blend into the massive crowd already fully packed around Councilman Scar making his introduction. It is hard to see him over the crowd, since our sector is gruesomely poor to the point of not having access to a makeshift dais.
Squeezing my slim body through the over-packed crowd, I make my way to the front to see better. I catch Councilman Scar removing the first slip from the bowl right as I make it to the front. I think I can literally feel my heart beating out of my ass with anticipation. If my life depended on staying calm right in this moment, I would be dead as a doornail.
Breathe, Nyxi. Theo would make fun of your ass right now if he could see you. Yeah, well, this is all for you, Theo, so you can shove it—with love, of course.
Councilman Scar’s gravelly voice punctures my ears as he reads off the first nominee’s name. “Your first nominee from Vagrant Sector is…” He grunts, coughing and trying to catch his breath. “Jade Huxley.”
A blonde little thing practically skips up to the front to greet Councilman Scar. She’s at least a couple inches shorter than me, basically the size of my pinkie finger, but she looks around the same age as me. If I thought I was malnourished, then she looks like she hasn’t eaten a meal in weeks. Her tan skin is evidence that she spends most her time outdoors, maybe even lives on the streets. She wears a confident smile that borders on evil while shooting daggers with her vivid green eyes at the crowd. I will be keeping my distance fromher.
Well, I guess they are saving the best for last—if Councilman Scar lives long enough to finish this ceremony. The old man is half kneeled over, his back arching at an abnormal angle that makes me wonder if he’s been sleeping on the same stack of pillows for a bed like I have. His nonexistent hair must have all fallen out prior to the Empress being born, and what’s left behind is a wrinkled bald head that reminds me of another part of male anatomy. That thought makes me giggle.
There is no way my name won’t get picked with the amount of slips I sprinkled with my name into the bowl…right? Now is the time for positive thoughts only.
Theo, if you’re listening, help a girl out, please!
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Councilman Scar’s nails drag along the bottom of the bowl while he swirls the remaining names around. “Vagrant’s final nominee for the Reaper Crucible is…Victoria Bronx.”
All the air is knocked from my lungs by two simple words.My vision blurs, and I start to sway on my feet. I think I actually might faint.
This can’t be real life.
Nothing happens. No one moves. That’s when I hear faint sobs coming from the back of the crowd.
“Sh—sh—she isn’t…she won’t be able...” The woman breaks out into hysterical sobs, unable to finish her sentence.
The crowd is eerily silent; I can hear my own heartbeat thundering in my chest. It feels like I just ran for an hour straight as I struggle to keep up with my rapid breaths.
The woman goes to speak again but is cut off by Councilman Scar. “It seems like Miss Bronx has gotten herself into a little trouble with the Empress and is no longer with us. Pity.” He says it so casually, like her life has no meaning. That’s Vagrant Sector for you.
“In that case, I guess we will redraw for our second slot in the Crucible.” He shrugs, looking bored out of his mind and wanting to getthis over with.
A dull pain draws my attention to my hand, which has a death grip around the dagger necklace hanging from my neck, a habit I partake in absentmindedly when I’m nervous.
My nerves are shot, but deep down, I know this is meant to be. There has to be some kind of meaning behind Theo’s death. I need some small meaning behind it to keep the heart in my chest beating while I’m stuck down here without him.
Theo would want a better life for me. He would want me to thrive and find purpose, have the chance to gain something invaluable for once in my life, something to give me the upper hand and a fighting chance at survival.
“Ah, let’s try this again.” Councilman Scar’s monotone voice carries over the crowd. “The official final nominee from Vagrant Sector is…”
It’s now or never, Theo.
“Ummm…Nyxi? Just Nyxi, I guess.” He shrugs and mumbles to himself. “Works for me.”
I’m frozen. My heart is at a standstill. Did I hear him correctly, or am I officially at the stage of delusion from stress? Surely, I’m not imagining this, right?
I frantically look around to see if anyone is making their way towards the front. No one is moving as they all mirror my own actions, looking around for ‘Just Nyxi’.
