Sports
The parking lot was empty. The open space suited well for our game.
We
were divided into four teams. In each team there were four players.
The first two teams started. I belonged to one of these.
The purpose of the game was simple: to beat the others. The game was
played by acting alone and as part of the team. For defeating the
opponents there was no need for a ball nor a goal. This was a combat
sport where the object was to finish your adversaries by using any
means available. The winner was the one who could longest survive
in the field. The team whose players were first beaten down was the
loser.
The
game required agility, tactics and strategy. You could expect an attack
from any direction. The best way to avoid this was to keep on moving.
I
guarded against the first blows and paid back to the same degree,
swinging my arms and hurling knives at the opponent. The enemy ducked,
so I changed the weapon; I turned my arm into a long axe and cut the
man's head off. Headless, he fell down.
My
team members were just as successful. One was split into two, but
the rest of us finished the opposing team. In a short while our team
had won.
The
players who had been slain on the ground were unconscious for a while,
until they got new bodies. In the place of the torn-out corpses, new
bodies emerged after a few minutes. In a brand new body the player
would slowly open his eyes and wonder what had happened.
Due
to the victory our team had a chance to continue. The game was on
and the hunt started again.
The
opposing side was dressed in white. These were more aggressive than
the team who had just lost. If you weren't careful, you could be slain
any moment.
The
possibility of having your body destructed felt very unpleasant. Surely
everything would return back to normal with the advent of a new body,
but it was distressing to lose one's consciousness. Where would your
mind be while the body was useless? Sooner or later someone would
give you a mortal blow. At such a risk, the glory of victory didn't
tempt me much.
I
ran out of the arena. I hid among the cars that were parked next to
the shopping centre. But my exit had been noticed. Two police officers
were sent after me.
I
changed my hiding place behind another vehicle but it was of no avail.
I was found and soon dragged back to the sports field.
Reluctantly
I submitted to my position. This was team sport: the individual had
to bow down to the will of the others, whether you wanted it or not.
