Day Two: Early Morning

[Jinpo]

?Maybe it?s better this way.? he pondered as he took a conservative swig of water. While the child?s musings tried to reassure himself that just being alive at the moment was a good thing, he didn?t believe it. It was not in his nature to lie back in the shadows. He loved to be waist deep in the action, so, as you can imagine, going nearly 24 hours without a fight in a competition based on the bloodsport drove the Namekian crazy. His only companion for the day had been his own thoughts. He was in agony. And as if on cue . . .

"Wake up folks, I'm sure you've all been quite tired since we've been here a full 24 hours! But it's not anywhere near over!? the host declared in his oh-so-annoying game show host accent.

Now, it was officially 24 hours. The moon hung in the air, seemingly still, taunting the child. He scoffed in disgust.

Here is the death list:

#01 Olibu
#19 Zangya
#32 Metal Koola?

Cargo stopped dead in his tracks.

?No way . . . it can?t be.? he mumbled to his feet. The kid?s world had just been turned upside down. He had only known the metallic being for a short period of time, but in that spell, he affected his life greatly. Tears escaped the ducts behind Cargo?s eyes and streamed down his face. The child had never had a father figure in his life but MK might have been the closest person to it. Whether he realized it or not, Cargo looked up to the alien. The changeling understood the jade-skinned warrior?s goal and he sympathized, and, in his own special way, he tried to help him. Metal Koola was a role model to the teenager. ?How can he be gone. It can?t be true! IT CAN?T BE!!!!? he bellowed, as he, all of a sudden, cocked his arm back and punched a hole in the nearest tree. The sound waves of his scream traveled quickly over the vast expanse known as Dante. Maybe now someone would come find him.

?That's it! Good luck, all! Keep a steady look out over your shoulder, because we're only 24 hours and already we have record breaking number of backstabs and betrayals!

This is Karl, over and out!"

?Screw you, jackass.?

11 Dead . . .

34 remaining . . .

Cargo was responsible for none of it . . . and it was testing his patience.

It had been a full day since the Namekian had entered this game and he had not seen a living soul. For that matter, he hadn?t even seen a corpse. The fact that ? of his opposition was eliminated was of no consequence to him. He had to find someone before he killed himself. Preferably, he wanted to find the son of a bitch who killed MK and rip his spine out. His anger was at a boil now and it was bubbling to the surface.

The Namekian picked up speed as he walked down his current path, only to stop abruptly due to a bunny rabbit scrounging for food directly in front of him. He was in no mood for anything cute right now.

?HOKAKU KON DAN!? Cargo exclaimed, trapping the bunny inside a disabling ball of golden energy.

?Do you value your life, cretin?? he said, nearly shouting at the rabbit. ?DO YOU?!?? Cargo clenched his outstretched fist, constricting the sphere around the animal. ?Why should you be able to live when he couldn?t? Tell me!? His blind rage clouded his thinking process. It was a game of death that both he and Koola signed up for. But now, that didn?t matter.

?AHHHHH!? he screamed as he launched his attack towards the nearest boulder. The ball crashed directly into it, causing an explosion of gargantuan proportions. Blood flew from the blast, smearing itself across Cargo?s countenance.

?Your killer won?t be so lucky . . . He will feel pain. I'll make sure of it.?

A droplet of the rabbit's blood had landed precisely on the furious adolescent?s iris, tinting it crimson. If only for a moment, he had become his worst nightmare.