24. New Reaper Open Arena
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
New Reaper Open Arena
“All Reapers, enter the arena!”
With her hands folded behind her back, Esme playfully skipped towards the large, multi-level arena where hundreds of Reapers had gathered.
Glancing around the arena, Ian noted the winding staircases leading to various floors, each level a completely different structure.
“It’s like a maze,” Ian said. “Each floor is designed differently. There must be at least 15 floors. We should-” He stopped short when he noticed Esme sidling up between Jax and Caleb. “Esme… what are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m playing,” she said, folding her arms across her buxom chest. “Can’t let you boys have all the fun.”
Caleb rolled his eyes with a smirk as he took in his surroundings.
He had never been to Korea before, nor had he ever participated in any Reaper games.
In fact, he didn’t even know they existed.
Having spent multiple years training himself only to Reap when necessary, Caleb hadn’t gotten used to reaping for fun.
His bloodlust was something he actively worked to control.
But he couldn’t deny he was excited at the opportunity to… let loose. He noticed that the surrounding Reapers were not all Korean. Most of them had varying nationalities.
“Korea is where the craziest and most unhinged Reapers from around the world come to play and Reap without the restrictions of Society rules,” Ian said as if he were reading Caleb’s thoughts.
“Welcome to the New Reaper Open Arena!” a voice from the surrounding arena speakers boomed in Korean, followed by an English translation. “Tonight, you will participate in a Reaper favorite: Capture the Flag.”
“Oh, I know this game,” Caleb perked up.
“You will group into teams, a maximum of 10 Reapers. Each team will get 10 flags. Each flag is worth 10 points. Thus, 100 points per team. At the end of 2 hours, whichever team has the most flags and points wins the game.”
Caleb blinked. “Well, shit.”
“So, it’s a game of survival,” Ian noted.
“We only have 5 people,” Keith realized.
Esme smirked. “Aww, baby boy can count.”
“Suck on a railroad pike, Skeletor,” Keith sneered.
“Should we try to recruit more people?” Caleb asked.
“They said we only needed a maximum of 10 Reapers. We can just each take 2 flags,” Ian theorized.
“Since Jax Donovan has decided to take the place of 2 New Reapers, his flags and points will be tripled to count for 3 people,” the speaker added. “Thus, Jax Donovan’s team is worth 140 points. 40 points more than all other teams.”
Esme blinked. “...the fuck? Can they do that?”
“They just did,” Caleb muttered.
“So, they just made Jax the biggest target,” Keith said.
Esme sighed. “They made our entire team the biggest target.”
“It’s fine,” Ian said. “We’ll just split the flags-”
“No,” Jax said suddenly. “You each keep your two flags.”
“But that leaves you with 6 flags and 60 points,” Esme said. “You’ll be the most sought-after Reaper.”
Jax shrugged. “Let them come.”
“I mean, if you think about it, people will either go after Jax because he has the most points, and they’re ready to risk it all. Or, they’ll stay away cause he’s fucking terrifying,” Caleb mused.
“That’s true. The strategic move is to split up,” Ian added.
Esme snorted. “Said no smart person ever.”
“Hear me out,” Ian said. “Two teams: the hunters and the gatherers. The hunters go out and actively find Reapers to kill and rack up points. The gatherers stay with Jax. Let the Reapers come to him so we can pick them off one by one.”
Esme raised her brows. “That’s actually brilliant.”
“You and Keith should be hunters since you’re long-distance killers,” Ian noted.
Esme’s face fell dramatically. “Never mind, you’re a moron. Are you stupid or are you dumb?”
“Have you lost your goddamn mind?” Keith snapped simultaneously. “I’d rather saw off my own arm than Reap with Skeletor.”
“I’d rather rip out all my hair by the fucking root than be with this bitch for more than 5 minutes,” Esme sneered.
“I’d rather swallow a jar of rusty nails and run my face through a sawmill than be forced to breathe her fucking air,” Keith growled.
“I’d rather drag my pussy on concrete than have to look at his stupid fucking face for another 5 seconds,” Esme shot back.
“Alright! Alright! Holy shit!” Caleb blurted. “I’ll go with Keith! Esme, you stay with Jax.”
“Fine,” Keith and Esme muttered simultaneously.
Esme pulled her mask on. “I’ll get more points if people come to Jax, and I take them out before he does,” she smiled, flirtatiously spinning her blades between her fingers.
“Whatever. I like the chase anyway,” Keith said, swinging his machete over his shoulder as he pulled his mask over his face. “I’ll be winning this game.”
“I’m not chasing anyone,” Ian said simply as he pulled on his mask. “I’ll stay with Jax.”
“Great,” Caleb said, clapping his hands together. “We’ll see you guys 30 minutes before the game ends.”
“Wait,” Keith said before they could all disperse. “Shouldn’t we have a slogan? Or a motto? Like… ‘Heads will roll’ or-”
“Absolutely not,” Ian said, casually walking off.
Esme snorted. “Loser,” she mocked. Jax silently walked off with his hands in his pockets, trailing after Esme and Ian.
Caleb looked at Keith. “It’s fine. We can have our own. Whatchu got?”
Keith scratched his blond hair with the tip of his machete. “How about… Deja’s ass eater-”
“Forget it. Let’s go,” Caleb said, dragging Keith by his hoodie.
“I’ve been working on these life globes for the past 10 years of my life.
I only have one sample physically constructed in New York.
But I’ve thoroughly researched every climate on this planet and have structured highly detailed designs for each globe.
Humans could very well go extinct tomorrow.
These life globes make it so that our world sustains long after we’ve killed ourselves off. ”
Enraptured and starry-eyed, Renee soaked in every word as Deja casually leaned against the wall, breastfeeding her baby girl while spilling every detail of her life’s work.
The two women shared a passion for learning, education, and research.
Renee was in awe not only at Deja’s complex and brilliant mind but also at all that she had already accomplished.
“You’re going to do great things, Deja. I can tell,” Renee noted.
Deja gave a small, uncertain smile. “I’m trying. Though sometimes I worry I won’t be able to accomplish anything with The Society on my damn back.”
Renee looked at Chloe. “I feel like it’s what Roselyn would want. Society be damned.”
“You’re a Baby Reaper just like me and already calling for anarchy,” Deja smirked.
Renee shrugged with a grin. “Black women stay leading the revolution.”
“Not a revolution! Renee, you’re trying to get us killed!” Deja laughed.
Renee smiled so widely her cheeks dimpled. “Just planting a seed…”
Kang-Dae’s gaze followed several Reapers as they spread out across the arena. But it was the Donovan Clan that caught his attention.
No anxiety in their movements. No urgency in their pace. As if they were perfectly aware they were the Alpha Reapers. Everyone else was just target practice.
“Dak-Ho.” Kang-Dae called out to his fellow Reaper before he could disappear with his own crew. Looking over his shoulder at Kang-Dae, Dak-Ho raised a curious brow. “This is a mistake,” Kang-Dae warned. “The Donovan Clan is dangerous.”
Dak-Ho snorted. “All Reapers are dangerous.”
Kang-Dae shook his head. “...not like them…”
Breathing heavily through her mask, Rey frequently looked over her shoulder at the slightest noise. Though her team of Reapers reassured her they would all protect each other, she found it difficult to pay attention during their huddle.
For they were planning to attack Jax Donovan. She had never opposed an idea as much as this one.
Reaping was fun, but only when you were guaranteed survival. She didn’t understand why her fellow Reapers were so keen on attacking a man that most Reapers seemed to fear. Her team had already killed 23 Reapers. Was that not enough?
“He went two floors up with one of his brothers and a woman. We outnumber them 3:1,” a Reaper instructed the team.
“Rey.” She glanced up at her boyfriend standing on the other side of the huddle. He lifted his mask to give her a reassuring smile. “It’s okay,” he smiled at her. “I’ve got you, babe.”
She smiled through her mask, though worry still danced in her eyes. With a roll of his eyes, he nudged at her with his chin. “We’ve killed several people already,” he insisted. “Once we get-”
Rey’s lips widened in shock as she stared at the massive machete jutting out through his chest. Her boyfriend looked at her, shocked as blood spilled from his lips before the machete started to saw down his stomach with grotesque squelching.
Reapers screamed and ran, but Rey froze where she stood as fear and shock consumed her, watching her boyfriend get sawed in half. Buckets of blood and entrails spilled between his legs before his dismembered body collapsed to the ground.
She stared in horror at a masked Donovan. His long blond hair cascaded down his broad, naked, tattooed shoulders. His body splattered with blood. “Oh shit,” Keith said, swinging his bloody machete. “Was that your man? My bad. 10 points!”
Screams of terror were abruptly cut short by the sound of metal tearing through flesh. Rey glanced around at the bloodbath as another masked man wielded a large ax, ripping her friends apart with one swing.
“Rey!” a Reaper screamed, crawling in her direction, when the ax rammed into the back of his head.
Stepping on the Reaper’s back, Caleb ripped the ax out of the skull and wiped his sweaty face. “Fuck, it’s hot,” Caleb groaned.