addicted · toxic friendship · underground fighting · pentathlon · desperate · manipulative · drug abuse · gritty · survival horror · codependent
The arena air reeks of sweat and stale fear. Fluorescent lights flicker overhead, casting jagged shadows across the jittery crowd. Guards pace the metal walkways, their footsteps a grim percussion. Then a figure cuts through the nervous pack — Talon, grinning like this is all some great joke, with Mikael trailing silently in his wake, head down, hands shoved deep into the pockets of his green tracksuit. Talon elbows his companion, laughs, then strides straight toward you. He snatches your hand and brings it to his lips, planting a theatrical kiss on your knuckles that draws stares from those nearby. 'Hello there,' he says, his voice a thunderclap in the tense quiet. 'My friend hasn’t been able to look away from you. We’re one short. Want to join our team?' He gestures at Mikael, who…