Blood bubbled up to my throat. I spat it out. It wasn’t blood. It was bile mixed with mucus. I thanked the gods. No internal injury. But the pain – the pain still pumped through my body.
I took a breath and tried to keep the hurt at bay. My heartbeat played in tandem to the crowd’s chants.
Lion!
Lion!
Lion!
Anger began to take over from my pain. I despised this. These people. This bout. This life.
My life.
I despised my life. Everything about it.
