The pattern went like this. Aaron would light an arrow, then fire it at Matt. If Matt got to close, Aaron would try to set him on fire. Shoot. Dodge. Light. Matt was stuck. Snake hissed I the background, and Matt turned around for a splitsecond, but that was enough. Then the arrow hit him.
Chapter 11 Lost Ilkar hit the ground with a harsh Thud!, and cried out in pain. Allegra had run away, Cooper was lying on the ground, unconscious and bleeding. Matt was trying to get up, and arrow stuck in his leg. Everyone, including Sam, was badly injured, and Snake was still up and fighting. Matt struggled to get up, and after a little bit, he succeeded. A loud hiss came above his head, and he instinctively dove to the side. He looked back, to see Aaron, convulsing, with a big hole in his leg. Matt reached and grasped the arrow lodged in his leg, and relaxed his muscles. Then he ripped the arrow out. This time he succeeded in getting up more easily, but he was still limping. He turned around, and picked up his sword. When he looked up, he was instantly swept away by Snake's tail. He crashed into the far side of the arena, but this time no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move. Shannon had long since given up on fighting, and now her will was to protect the unconscious Vivian, and stay alive. She hid out in the corner of the crater that Snake created, out of sight, out of mind, and out of harm's way. Mikey, however strong he was, was not as fortunate as everyone else. His leg had been crushed by a falling rock, and he himself was unrecognizable. His face screamed with pain from all the stones lodged in his cheek, but he dragged himself out of the coliseum, not looking back. Snake was in a village, towering above everyone, in his mind's eye. Everyone in the coliseum looked like a copy of Sam. He had to rip them apart. He thought to himself, I will not rest until Matea is avenged. Eventually, there was only on copy left, and all he had to do was step on it. Snake tried, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't kill Sam. Someone was holding him back. He wanted to see so badly, but his eyelids were sealing themselves. He wanted to see. He exerted his energy, and jerked them open. What he saw in front of him, was, real as day, Matea.
MERRY CHRISTMAS! Chapter 12 Slumber Cooper woke with a start and sat up. Snake was just above him, about to strike. But some invisible force was holding him back. His leg felt broken, so he dragged himself away in a panic. Matea smiled at Snake, reaching out to him. Snake made no move to wave her away, still shocked. Snake, calm yourself. Snake tensed up, and pulled away. "But they killed you Matea! How can I be still!" Snake protested, and stamped his foot. Because Snake, she replied, I'm more at rest now then I ever was. You have to move on Snake. Goodbye. Matea started to fade away, and Snake felt frozen. He a felt all his anger sucked away as Matea disappeared. "Goodbye Matea," he whispered. His body started to fade into light, and he felt tired. Cooper looked up at Snake, and realized he was shrinking. The giant figure began to fade away, revealing Snake, breathing softly, fast asleep. It was over. Cooper was finally able to sleep. Right as sleep took him, he managed to mutter, "Man, the things I do for you Snake." Then sleep claimed him. Ilkar ran back to the stadium in time to see Snake turn normal. He waited, and ran back to check on Allegra, who had passed out from shock. Jokingly, he called back as he ran from the stadium, "Maybe we could do this again sometime!" Matt watched Ilkar walk away, and turned back to the stadium. He gently dragged Shannon out of the rubble, set her down, then plopped down next to her. Vivian, close by, managed to hear him mutter, "I'll pass." Vivian wordlessly assembled a bed out of broken materials, and lay down on it to fall asleep. No words, silence was all that followed. Aaron walked out of the stadium, clutching his arm. It was slowly and painfully turning to stone. Sam watched everyone from his perch, and slowly multiplied. He used himself to create a ladder to climb down from the stadium, and walked away, a vial of Snake's dark essence in his hand. Should I write a sequel? Or a separate book?