Corey ‘Flash’ Pierre’s POV

Damn. How could this have happened? Not only did I train hard in this week, I even got paired with the only friend I had made since coming here. Once the game began, I instantly took us to the closest pair of contestants. Dom is an Enhancer, and he even got the jump on these guys. The girl was clearly shocked, and moments from death, but what we didn’t foresee…

‘Who the hell is this guy? He actually stopped Dom at the drop of a pin! What am I supposed to do now? I’ll just have to slip away, they still don’t know I’m he…’

“Come on out. You have no chance of surviving without your teammate, do you? I’ll give you a chance to survive until the end, along with your teammate. Come out and listen to what I’m proposing.”

‘Proposing? Does he think I’m a fool? He still doesn’t know where I am. He’s trying to draw me out to kill us both.’ Flash was generally a cautious man. While he wasn’t the most cunning, he had survived his life of thievery through smart decision making. As he began to creep away, not daring take his eyes off of the dark haired demon, the shadow wrapped around Dom’s torso turned into the shape of a hand. It began to climb its way up towards his throat as the demon spoke.

“You really think you have a chance of beating me anyway? My proposal will give you a greater chance of survival, and hasten the outcome of this game.”

Dom’s eyes grew wider as the shadowed fingers began to lightly latch around his throat. He managed to squeeze out a few words…

“Fl.. ash… Run for it… Don’t trust… him..”

As Flash was creeping away, these words jolted him into panic. ‘He… wants me to run? He’ll die. So why? Why isn’t he begging me to save him?’

-Two weeks ago-

‘I finally have some money.’ Flash thought sincerely as he counted the money he had acquired. Flash had lived a life of crime after being abandoned by his mother at the age of 8. He never knew his father due to him leaving before he was born. His mother was never able to truly love Flash, as he was a spitting image of the man that had abandoned her for another woman. Being all alone in the world, he began to live for the day. He survived in the dirt with the dogs of the underworld and ate scum with the other worms. By the time he was 18, he had risen to a very small influence in the world of organized crime. However, due to the nature of the work, he had been betrayed and betrayed others many times. This world was cut throat. This life was only for himself. If Flash’s life was a story, it would be a tragedy. If it was described in one word, it would be pitiful.

‘I will take care of him.’ Dom thought sincerely as he stared at his newborn son. Dom had lived a life of joy- living in the middle class, with plenty of friends and a lover, he was truly happy. His life was not always so happy, however- his father had left him before his birth. His mom, however, loved this boy all the same. Raising him with love, Dom never thought that life would have been better with a father. He liked things how they were, until he came back into his life trying to force his way into the home. The mother, believing that a father figure would be good for Dom, allowed this. The man was not a good person- he stole all of the mother’s savings and disappeared again. Dom grew to hate this man that he never saw again, but his mother, despite being betrayed multiple times, still had love in her heart. Together, Dom grew into a life of happiness and joy. Staring at his son, Dom realized that he had reached a world of bliss. If Dom’s life was a story, it would be a drama. If it was described in one word, it would be heartwarming.

-One week ago-

“So your name is Flash? I’m Dom. I have a feeling this place is going to be pretty rough, so let’s get along and help each other.”

“Ah… Right…”

“Haha! Don’t be so tight. I won’t team up with a boring box.”

“Who are you calling a boring box, you nimwit?”

‘What is it with this guy? He’s strange, but seems friendly enough. Whatever, we’ll just be using each other anyway.’

-Present-

“Fl.. ash… Run for it… Don’t trust… him..”

‘What the hell kind of person do you think I am? I’m not… an idiot. Of course I’m going to run. It’s obviously a trap. You really think I would… save you?’ Flash had grown up with no one to love him. Never knowing what it felt like to be cared for and protected, Flash didn’t know how to respond. He was not the type of person to do pointless things like risk his life for someone he had met just a week before. Flash turned and began to run away with his mind in a swirl.

Dom’s POV

Flash is a troubled soul. After learning about him, I started to feel like I would have turned out the same without my mother. We are two sides of the same coin. I have lived a life of love, and he’s lived a life of hate. In a sense, I get the feeling we’re soul brothers… That’s why…

‘Go, Flash. Survive and kill this asshole. You’re crafty. You can do it. I believe in you. After all, this is how you’ve lived life, right?’

He peeked towards the place that Flash was hiding at, and noticed that he turned and left.

‘Good. That’s correct, Flash. You have to avenge me and survive though, okay? How can I face my son in the afterlife as someone who died a pointless death?’ Dom began to close his eyes and thought about his life as the hand tightened, squeezing his breath out. Thinking about the happy times, Flash was in his memories as well. Throughout the week, due to their similar circumstances, Dom had begun to see him as a younger brother. ‘Live, Flash… Be happy… I will introduce my son to you in the…’ A voice cut off his thoughts.

“What do you propose?”