Chapter 16 - Tre87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZnYpd4O3p
Okay, so most of what happened—I’d say, 90%—was a complete blur after we were surprise attacked, and then I lost the battle with a spear mid-stride. When I look back, all I remember is Abel pulling me towards the wall Luna was tracing with her fingers. She’d spent the last hour or so trying to find a door or some kind of lead to get us closer to the entrance of Portum. You can imagine that I was quite disappointed when Abel and I reached the wall to find out she was no closer to getting us inside and out of harm’s way. If I had it my way, Luna would have all the time in the world to figure out how to uncover this elusive door/lead, but those dark, menacing figures didn’t exactly promote the idea.
As time passed, I became less disoriented. It still was not enough to decipher the mumbling from Luna and Abel’s conversation. As the conversation continued, I heard him say something about “Unicorns”—which plummeted my confidence in the progression to regaining my senses—and “helping out Luna”. I tried to tell Abel, “I can’t understand.” before either of them concluded that I could. Thankfully, they discerned this themselves, especially since I couldn’t manage to finish my statement. I fade in and out of consciousness, swaying back and forth. When I come to, Luna is no longer by the wall; she is walking backward into the open.
I become coherent enough to see Luna has decided to surrender but not enough to understand why. She slowly unsheathes her bladerang and dagger, gets down on her knees, and then raises her arms to the sky, revealing the palms of her hands. Abel whispered as loudly as you can while whispering, “Luna! What are—” I cut him off, placing a hand on his left shoulder, looking at him with sympathy. “We have no choice, Abel… This just isn’t one of those fights we can miraculously survive. Portum is our destination, and now that we are here, we must trust Luna, regardless of the outcome.” I sigh, “Getting you to the City is more important than our lives. Neither of us understands why you were born with the powers you have, but there is something in your possession that PURA and The Ancients want. All we need is a clue, some direction to get where we are destined to be, and Vates will provide that answer to us.”
I can see it in his eyes, the skepticism, the toll of the possible burden the cost of our lives would take on him. For the first time, I read an expression of primal fear on his face. The kind of fear that comes from confronting an unavoidable truth and becoming a willing participant in a premonitive outcome. Abel is now realizing he’s too important to kill or be ignored; any life in the confines of normalcy ended once PURA kidnapped him. He will soon come to understand that destiny is preparing him to be used as a tool, a weapon of mass destruction, an angel of death for any of the parties engaged in this ancient war. “I’m going to walk out there now. Once I’ve unsheathed my weapons and raised my hands, you will come out and do the same. If you can’t trust Luna, then trust me…”
I let my hand slide off Abel’s shoulder, then turn to Luna. I move towards her while unsheathing my weapons; I place my scimitar on the ground and then materialize my bow. The Custos send two arrows slicing through the air, which land a few feet in front of me and her, a couple of warning shots. I read the message loud and clear, so I slowly lay my bow on the ground next to my scimitar, then followed suit, raising my hands in the air. I avoid turning my head while asking Luna, “So… What’s the plan here?” She chuckles softly. “Plan? Yeah… I’m rolling the dice on this one.” I smile and shake my head, lowering my chin to my chest. “Haha, Figures. I made a convincing argument back there for Abel on your behalf.” “Wait… you’re telling me he thought surrendering ourselves was a bad idea? Like… he wasn’t on board with the possibility of getting murdered?” She laughs this time. “Oh, shut up.” We both glance at each other, smirking as Abel begins to walk in our direction. 87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQyLr8QV4NO
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvoNg0z83Z
Chapter 17 - Abel
What a fascinating couple of friends I have got here. Both casually chatting and laughing after two arrows struck the ground above them. Am I crazy for thinking this is a horrible idea? Perhaps I am the one who has flown over the cuckoo’s nest and joined the flock. Either way, I highly doubt we’ll live long enough for me to find out or long enough to tell them, “I told you so.” Unfortunately, I conform to what I believe is the purest form of naivety. I take a few steps forward, praying to whatever God is out there that an arrow doesn’t connect with any of my body parts. I unsheathed my Vindicta, placing both daggers on the ground and then pushing them forward with reluctance. I raise my hands and wait for these guardians, the Custos, to have their way with us.
I cannot be sure how much time had elapsed, but only silence fell upon us. All I could hear was each individual inhaling and then exhaling. I glance over at Tre and Luna, who are staring straight ahead; neither of us made the effort to speak to one another. I begin to get restless; I mean, how long can one stare at the side of a mountain? This isn’t a rhetorical question; I would like someone to answer this question. Before I lose my grip on reality, I take my chances looking and scan the ridge. I breathe a sigh of relief; the Custos aren’t looming over us anymore. It’s hard to admit, but I think Luna’s plan worked. “Guys! The Custos are gone.” They both lift their heads and follow my gaze. We all take a deep breath, then lower our hands, get up from our knees, and retrieve our weapons.
I sheepishly look over at Tre and Luna; they are both smirking with that smug look of “I told you so.” written all over their faces. “Okay…” They both raise an eyebrow. “O-Kay! You were right, and I was wrong. Is that what you want to hear?” Luna faces Tre, “Isn’t he cute when he’s wrong?” My cheeks warm up, and I go into full blush mode. He turns to face me and then roars with laughter when he sees the color of my face turn bright red. “I don’t know about cute, but this moment here and now… priceless.” I grimace at my so-called “friends." “I hate both of you.” They both chuckle, then say in unison, “We love you too, Abel.” Despite my bitterness, I am grateful to be alive and for their selfless acts in the face of mortality. Now, this is where I tell you Luna finally finds the door leading to the entrance of Portum without confronting the Custos. Instead, life keeps up her end of unpredictability.
As the sun sets, I set up camp for the night and keep a lookout. None of us are convinced the Custos aren’t watching because even if we don’t see them, it doesn’t mean they don’t see us. Besides the massive bump on his head, Tre maintains stability and recovers enough to put his efforts into working with Luna on finding the entrance. I took a trip to get us some food—don’t know why I bothered; I have a slim amount of experience in the wilderness/survival compared to those two. So, I'm not surprised when I only bring back some rocks, but when life gives you rocks, you make an unnecessary firepit to pass the time. After a few hours tending to the fire, I get up and walk over to impractical versions of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson.
“Neither of you seem to be getting closer to finding that entrance. Why don’t I trade places with one of you?” Luna mumbles something under her breath but doesn’t reply. “Tre? I can’t hunt or see well enough in the dark to continue being the lookout. The fire is casting some light over the wall, so I’d be more valuable aiding her than sitting by the fire.” He turns around and nods his head in agreement, then walks into the forest. I approach the wall and place my hands on the cold, sharp rocks, moving them around slowly as I search for anomalies. “We are trying to locate the outlier, perhaps a symbol or other type of marking like the one you found along the stream that opened up the tunnel.” I scan the wall, then once more for good measure, “All I’m seeing is rock, a whole wall full of rocks.” She laughs, then takes her hands off the wall. “I need a break; I’m going to sit by the fire for a little and wait for Tre to get back.”
Before she leaves, I reach for her right hand as she leans toward the fire and lightly takes hold of it, “I’m sorry…” “What are you sorry for?” I take in a deep breath, “For all of this…” She turns her body to face me while keeping her hand in mine. “All of what?” “Whatever seems to be going on here... I'm not who you both could believe me to be.” She tilts her head, then gives a faint smirk. “And who do you think we believe you are?” I sigh, “Anything more than myself, anything more than Abel… Someone worth giving your life for. I turn 19 in a few weeks, and I’ve grown to accept that I may only live to be 18. Don’t waste—” She interrupts as she tightens her grip on my hand. “It’s not a waste, you’re not a waste.” Luna pulls me in, lightly placing her left hand on my face. She lets the silence grow for a few more seconds and then her warm lips meet the side of my face; kissing me on my cheek.
She smiles bashfully with her gaze glued to the ground, then turns heading over to sit by the fire. I’m left blushing and speechless; I get lost as I rewind the moment over and over, feeling her tender lips subtly landing on my skin. I clear my throat, “I’m just going to get back to it.” Tre returns with a rabbit and a handful of berries, he gives the rabbit over to Luna to start skinning. He walks over to me and without turning to face him, I open my hand requesting some berries. Tre drops a few berries into my palm, then immediately toss them into my mouth, with no hesitation. He chuckles, “My gods man, you’d be easy to poison.” I respond with a smirk, “Why don’t you take a break and go cook the rabbit with Luna? I’ll figure out how to gain entry into Portum, so we can have a proper meal and a bed to sleep in.” I look over my shoulder. He nods after tossing a few berries in his mouth. “I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready, don’t have too much fun now.” I turn back toward the wall, refocusing on the task at hand.
Tre calls me over for dinner, I don’t mean to, but I ignore him. “Abel! We can worry about groping the wall later, it's time for some ggrrruuubbbbb.” As I am about to give up on wiping the dirt off systematically on another rock, this time, I can see a clump of dirt on what feels like an indentation. Using my index finger to scrap out the dirt, I start digging further with two figures now, and a depression is revealed. I remove the remaining crumbles of dirt from within. This deep recess is shaped like a crescent moon, except with the sharp edges facing downward. The notch is large and wide enough to insert four fingers from my right hand, leaving my thumb resting on its left side. I tighten my grip around what I assume to be a handle, then pull toward the ground. At first, nothing changes or shifts.
I throw my hands up in utter defeat, so I kick the wall out of frustration, and then the warm, instant embrace of pain shoots up from the toes on my left foot, rising to my knee. I clench my leg as I raise it to my chest, hopping around on one leg, wincing and grunting, regretting picking a fight against a rock, a wall full of rocks. “Not worth it." The pain intensifies tenfold, “DEFINITELY NOT WORTH IT!” I hear laughter coming from the direction of the campfire. I let go of my leg, then start limping as I walk to the warmth of the flames and the sounds of two equally annoying buffoons. “Your foot is dragging a bit there, bud.” I clench my jaw and hold my tongue. I can always count on Tre and his witty remarks.
I sit down and hold my hands over the fire. The leg pain subsides following maybe an hour of being off my feet. Luna throws a piece of the rabbit that hits me square in the chest and hits the ground. I pick it up, then blow the dirt and tiny bits of rocks off the cooked hare. I take my time chewing on the meat, savoring the last chunk of protein we might indulge in until we enter the City walls. I wipe my mouth on my shoulder with the left side of my t-shirt. I haven’t said a word for a while. Luna got up several minutes ago to continue what I now believe to be a fruitless task while Tre catches up on sleep in the tent. I’m the only one who's gotten some shut-eye, and that was 24 hours ago. He and Luna have been running on fumes ever since.
As the hours pass and daylight approaches, I smother the fire and go to try and convince Luna to get some sleep. “Hey, Luna. You need to get some sleep. Let me take over for a few hours.” She scoffs, “I’m fine.” She sounds irritated. “I’m just trying to look out for you.” “I don’t need you to look out for me. What I need is to find this damn entrance—” She pauses for a moment, then traces her hands over a section of the wall. I get closer to see what’s got her attention. It’s a marking, but not the same symbol I found by the stream that opened the tunnel. This engraving looks more like Two Crowns; one crown is inverted over the other, encasing something that resembles a drop of liquid, maybe a teardrop or… “Wait, Luna. Didn’t you tell me that the Two Nations were ruled by Two Brothers?” “Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?” I don’t respond. Giving myself time to put two and two together.
Luna stays quiet as she tries connecting the dots, wondering what’s going through my mind. “Have you ever actually been to Portum? If so, did you ever use this entrance?” “I was in Portum with my father and brother when I was much younger but never returned. My brother mentioned a secret passage into the city years after our father passed. He didn’t tell me, nor did he have the chance to show or explain how to get there.” So many thoughts are running through my head, making connections and producing more answers than questions. “But, why did we stop here? What made you think we were remotely close to the City?” She shrugs. “It was more of a gut feeling than anything else. Once we left the tunnel, I felt drawn to the side of this mountain. There was no rhyme or reason; the body just took over, and as we got closer to the wall, the stronger the urge became.” I furrow my brows and tilt my head.
“Okay, so I have a theory. Bear with me. If this is a secret or hidden passage, I’d imagine that not just anybody can walk through even if they find the markings.” She nods her head. “I’m with you so far.” “Most things hidden or in secret need a key to unlock or reveal what's on the other side. When King Ptor gave his life to protect the city and brought the Custos, the guardians into existence, what did he do?” Luna takes a minute to answer, reaching into her mind to find the missing link, the catalyst. “Blood. He gave the city a few drops of his blood.” My eyes widen.“Yes! That’s it!” I unsheathe one of my daggers and put enough pressure on the blade to cut my palm. I make a slit diagonally from top right to bottom left. “Abel! What are you do—” She stops herself from saying more and begins to shake her head as her smile widens. We both have reached the same conclusion.
My blood fills the palm of my left hand. I take a deep breath and lay my hand on the symbol. I leave it there for a few minutes, waiting for something to happen, but nothing does, so I remove my hand. We both stand there and watch my blood fill the outline of the engraving. As soon as I come to terms with our time in Purgatory, the symbol illuminates, revealing the Two Crowns with a drop in the middle which I can safely declare as blood.87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHo62NnqWN
Suddenly, the rocks to our right crumble, and the entrance appears. I look down the long, narrow passage lined with braziers on either side of the moss-covered stone walls. Its stench of staleness and mildew flows into my nostrils, and the dim-lit path stretches further and further beyond what the eye can see. Hope starts to chisel its way back into my heart, lifting my spirits. I feel the weight of my burdens slip away as I can envision waking Tre and getting him and Luna out of harm’s way, even if it’s only for the rest of today. A smile replaces the haggard expression lingering on my face for the past 24 hours; I turn around and take a few paces forward. In a fraction of a second, my mind communicates to my body, paralyzing the lower half of my body. An unsettling, gut-wrenching scene has unfolded; Luna lies on the ground, unconscious as she lies on the right side of her body. I rush to her aid, but as I’m within arms reach, the world is swallowed by darkness.
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Chapter 18 - Tre87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwxOxi894Q
Getting dragged out of a tent, struggling against the grip of supernatural forces—half-naked, mind you—was a drag. The worst part was getting knocked unconscious multiple times, which I find to be rude and quite incompetent. I’m not sure what’s going on at the training facility at Portum’s security program, but none of these cadets learned how to knock someone out cold. Granted, I’m a fierce opponent when I’m on my feet and not squirming around helplessly—I’m desperately hoping the screams I let out were in my head, but that’d be wishful thinking I could hear the guards laughing after their second failed attempt at rendering me unconscious.
Every time I awoke, there were stone walls surrounding me; I saw braziers and felt their warmth increase as the gap between our destination and its entryway grew. The flames weren’t fierce as they emitted light radial to the braziers but faded as they stretched toward the ceiling. There were no signs that led me to believe Luna and Abel were held captive either. For all I knew, they weren’t around the campsite when I was taken. This brought relief. When they found an entryway into the city, I was confident they could explain and barter my release. The next time I regained my senses, there was a wicked stench of piss and… is that fecal matter? (or shit for all the intellects out there).
My body was sprawled out on the ground, my face lying in the dirt. I firmly place my hands on the ground and slowly push myself up as I groggily lift my head. I’m in dark confinement; I feel around the room, tracing my figures along the gritty surface. Four walls isolate me; three are stone, and one is wooden, which I deduce after removing a long, slender piece of wood from my palm. Gods, I hate splinters. I searched the wooden door for any weakness I could exploit, but my efforts were fruitless. Soon after, I hear footsteps approaching; I go to materialize my bow, which releases a heavy charge of electricity coursing through my body. The pain fades quickly, but as I try again and again, the pain increases tenfold. A burning sensation draws my hand to the right side of my chest to find a metal apparatus has sunk its teeth into my skin.
The sounds of the footsteps dim and then disappear. On the other side, I hear an obstacle being removed from the door. It’s quiet for a few more seconds; I step back into the wall behind me, ball my hands, then raise my fists, eager for my knuckles to connect with someone’s jawline. As soon as the door opens, I dash forward, and a fist bigger than my head almost connects. I dodge with his knuckles grazing my right cheek; I lower my shoulder and plow into the mountain of a man. We both roll across the ground, clipping legs, followed by the sounds of weapons rattling and men groaning. A foot drives into my stomach, then another, and as the third strick approaches, I sweep their leg. I leap on top of him, beating him unconscious, and flee the scene as the other men recover. They shout at me as the distance grows, and I head further down the corridor. I take the first right as an axe rips through the air, nearly separating all my genius from the rest of my body.
The more hallways I pass, the more men pour in from behind and join the hunt. I make another right and find two archers waiting at the other end. I see two spears mounted to the sides of the hall; I gain in speed, then lunge as one arrow streaks past my face while the other pierces my shoulder. I lose momentum but still manage to grab the first spear within reach. I hear two more arrows slice through the air, hurtling towards me. This time, I gracefully dodge both. I get within striking distance as the archers pull back the strings of their bows. I turn my spear perpendicular to their stance, I crash into them, and as their backs hit the wall, the spear breaks in half as I go flying out the window. I wish the only thing I hit was the ground; instead, I ricochet off the side of a wagon, roll off the end of a table, and right into the arms of an ugly, scarred, burly man. I grin, he frowns, and I jab him in the throat before arriving at my destination.
I scurry back on my legs as dirt and bits of rock grind underneath my feet with every stride. Sharp edges pierce and tear through my skin as I run barefoot down roads bustling with markets and animals roaming with men, women, and children. Each face, bright with smiles and excitement, morphs into fear and confusion. The adrenaline coursing through my brain, carrying signals to muscles subside. I can’t keep this up; pain spreads throughout my body, isolating itself around the arrow lodged into my shoulder and bloody feet. Every step I take mimics the experience of traveling down a path laid with glass. I might be able to outrun them, but the red stains stamped into the ground, eventually leading them to my location. Think. How can I get a message to Luna and Abel without knowing where they are?
As I deplete my reserves, I can’t think of anything to inform either of the two about my well-being. They’ll hopefully assume, the way I have, that we’ve been taken like them and isolated somewhere within the City. Needing a break, I find shelter in an alleyway underneath the shadows of a string of balconies built along the edges of a park. Within the park’s perimeter is a lake ringed by luscious trees triple the size of any mortal and a trail leading into the water. Across the waters lies a wooden bridge connecting the left end to the other. I’m sure I have the strength to swim to it, but going beyond the bridge won’t be feasible. Before I devise another plan, I race to the edges of the water and plunge into the deep. I sneak to the end of the alley and lean forward, sticking my head out to get a better view of both ends of the road perpendicular to the trail, inviting me into the water. I give the guards a few more minutes and then make a break for it. I put all my body weight into each stride, running past the shadows of trees and park benches with dry leaves crunching with every step. I hit the edge, diving into the cold, murky waters below.
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Chapter 19 - Luna87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqVoD2sGO94
Abel and I found the entrance to Portum; Neither of us exchanged words. Awestruck, I watched him stroll into the opening and digest the passageway. I was convinced my instincts were wrong, and we’d have to find an alternative, more dangerous route to the City. Alone, the trip would have been a breeze, but with Tre and Abel, especially Abel’s lack of experience in several, if not every form of combat, was discouraging, to say the least. He’s done far better than I could’ve expected and saved Tre’s life twice and mine when we were back in the tunnels. The lack of control over his powers will do more damage than good if he doesn’t hone them. I sent word out to Sapien to meet us at Portum a few hours before the night of joining Tre and Abel in the woods. He’s been my mentor for almost 240 years since I turned ten.
My father was his brother-in-arms; they fought in The Scarred War between the Five Nations. He fought alongside King Ptor’s Brother, King Nitas, and was born on the soil of Enu. All three fought side by side, and he was the only survivor of the onslaught, which took place as the Three Nations Ignu, Ter, and Aquen swept and pillaged their lands. His entire bloodline was wiped from the face of the Earth as a punishment for his Father’s Betrayal of King Vani from the Ignu Nation. In truth, King Vani was the ruler of all three nations but delegated Ter to Queen Ira and Aquen to King Gul as a reward for annihilating the Tal and Enu Nations. Fortunately, after the war ended, he and my father returned to the rubble and ash where their home in Enu used to be. They took it upon themselves to reunite whatever families were left and rebuilt Enu in secret along the borders of the Ter. The Tal and Enu Nations stopped communicating for 25 years; Tal never knew Enu survived and was rebuilt until one day, Father and I traveled to the City of Portum to bring the two Nations back together.
Sapien has been a father figure ever since my father passed, and he took me and my brother, Amicus, when Magnus died, saving my life. We had no inheritance, no mother, no father, no place to call our own, but he adopted us. Sapien taught us everything; most days and nights, we trained relentlessly. I could see as we grew older how much pity he had and the amount of guilt he carried, not only because our childhoods were taken from us, but all of the secrets that consumed him to protect us. I’m not one to tell false truths and make anyone believe the training wasn’t brutal or rewarding. Sapien wasn’t obligated to do everything he did, but he told us that he owed it to my father to raise us to be the best version of ourselves. We learned quickly that no generation of Lux would rest in peace unless we fought, attained, and protected.
His teachings and my brother, Amicus are the main reasons why I’m alive today and on a journey like ours, it reminds me to be grateful for the thick callouses I formed, the pain I’ve endured, and the amount of discipline required to survive. All of the memories came flooding back before I woke up in this dark room surrounded by four stone walls. The only way in or out is through the bars in the ceiling which is how a thin amount of light enters this cell. I don’t hear any signs of life as I sit here idly. I want to scream out for Abel or Tre, but before I do, I hear keys rattling and people mumbling as they walk past. One of them stops and peers into my cell, it’s a man, he’s wearing silver-plated armor and has a sword hanging from his hips. He must be a guard, but I’m not sure how many cells there are around this area and maybe Abel or Tre is in one of them. The guard looking in, shouts out to the other to go find their Captain and let him know one of the prisoners has woken up.
The guard’s footsteps echo, and the sounds get quieter the farther and further away they get from my cell. The remaining guard says nothing; he stands there and watches over him with a stoic face. No more than five minutes later, the guard had returned, breathing heavily as he told the other above me that a prisoner was loose, running through the streets. “We can…” guard inhales, exhales, “Tell…” inhales, then exhales, “Captain…” steadying his breath, “On our way back…” After finally catching his breath, he yells, “Hurry!!” A flicker of fear poisons my thoughts about who the “prisoner” could be, wondering if Tre or Abel made a break for it. I’m trapped inside these four walls; even if I reached the bars above me, the cell’s grates would have to open outwards, not inwards. I’d be a waste; I must preserve as much energy as possible when the guards return.
We could’ve been more careful; I should’ve been vigilant. How could I have been? Abel unlocked that passageway to Portum with blood, an heir to King Ptor’s Lineage. Before the Scarred War, everyone assumed his wife was barren, unable to provide him with a son or daughter, a prince or princess to inherit the throne. After his sacrifice, everyone seemed to forget or conveniently ignore the idea that his wife may have survived and birthed an heir. A child of the bloodline to continue and pass on his legacy from beyond the grave. This has to be the reason PURA kidnapped Abel and conducted experiments. If they got a sample of his blood and knew the capabilities, the kind of access to Portum, and the secrets sheltered beneath its walls… The remains of Tal and Enu would either be taken under the control of The Three Nations or smothered and crushed to pieces then scattered into oblivion. There’s much more at play here and for the first time, in a long time, I am frightened for Sapien, for my brother Amicus, for my friend Tre, for Abel of what the future may hold.
I am reeled back from my worries when the tapping begins, drawing my focus from the dark edges of my cell to the grates above. The tapping stops for a brief moment, then I see the sharp edge of a blade repeatedly hit one of the bars. Following another dramatic pause, I see Amicus’s face enter my field of vision and the weight of the journey disappears. He slouches over the grate and gives me a wicked grin, laughing manically as he runs his blade from side to side over the bars. “Hey Sis!!” He waves. I shake my head and take another look up to make sure it was him. “Miles, you shouldn’t be here. If they—” “No warm welcome? No, ‘Miles thank you for coming to my rescue! If you hadn’t arrived I don’t know what I’d do!’” Typical. Leave it to Miles to make escaping this cell seem like a regretful decision. He doesn’t take much seriously and when he does, it’s never in dangerous situations.
“I’m guessing Sapien brought you along?” “You would be correct sis! He’s out looking for your friend Tre. He’s gotten himself into a lot of trouble breaking out of his cell.” Luna's eyes widen with surprise. “Tre, did what?!” “Look, I don’t have all the time in the world to catch you up. We need to leave now!”
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Chapter 20 - Abel87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnU9LBIOdt6
I wake up with shackles around my hands and one around my neck, tethering me to the wall behind me. It’s hard to breathe, the air is dense and still. The room has a foul stench to it, the smell of urine, feces, and rotten meat overwhelms my senses, stinging my eyes and invading my nostrils. I hear the sound of insects buzzing and muffled sounds coming through a door on the other side of the room. The only visible light appears as a straight line running on the sides and underneath the doorway. There isn’t enough light to see the size of the room, but I can sense that I am not alone. I whisper out into the void hoping that Luna or Tre are with me. Silence answers, but not a soul does. The last thing I remember is Luna’s body lying on the ground. Maybe Tre got out before she or I were taken.
I get up and grip the chains that bind me, pulling with all my strength. The longer and harder I pull, the more unnecessary the act becomes. It’s futile. I sit back down and sulk. Before I can come up with another plan that would lead to eventual failure, the streak of light under the door disappears. I hear the rattling of keys and the locks begin to open one by one until the hinges screech as the metal grinds against itself. The door opens inward and that’s when I see them. Horrified, shocked, and heartbroken, the putrid smell that envelops the room isn’t what’s causing the tears to stream down my face. The bodies of men are torn apart, some are headless, and some are dismembered. Heads that were once attached to vessels are now lying in piles or scattered on the ground in my vicinity. These men were once someone’s friend or family member, but now strangers who shared nothing except biological sex, share a gruesome fate.
Swarms of flies circle the dead, and maggots devour their rotting flesh. Silent expressions of agony are left imprinted on the faces of many—guts entangled around limbs and intestines hanging off the wooden beams above. I throw up chunks of rabbit from the last time we sat by the fire. Most of the bile lands on my clothes and runs down my inner thighs. I use my forearm to wipe the rest of the puke off my face. Not even a minute later, I have two arms wrapped around my arms and thrust forward. I’m dragged through this visceral blood bath, listening to the sounds of flesh squish as my knees scrap the ground. I puke again and again until I’m thrown out of the room with a blinding pain scorching through my abdomen. There’s no food or liquid left in my stomach, dry heaving in the fetal position. The guards try and pull my limp body, but I resist pulling myself in the opposite direction. After a few more attempts, they tire and decide to motivate me with half a dozen kicks to the body; I succumb quickly to the pain and impatience of the guards. We continue forward on this path to whatever hell awaits me.
Minutes that feel like hours pass, and eventually, we stop in front of a wooden door. One of the guards lets go of my arm and knocks before entering. I’m tossed into the room, where my face slides against stone. I retreat into myself, wishing the pain would evaporate, hoping this nightmare would end. I think of Tre and Luna, feeling useless and pathetic as I try to convince myself they aren’t treated with the same malice and cruelty. I lay sulking, staring at one of the guard’s feet, waiting for the following traumatic situation to unfold. “Get up…” A rugged voice says from across the room. “I said, Get Up!” His tone becomes aggressive the more he has to repeat the command. “I said… Get up, Half Breed!!” The man slams his fist on a solid surface, followed by the sliding of a chair grinding against the stone floor. Heavy footsteps approached, closing the gap between myself and the physical embodiment of one of those douchebags with an inferior complex and a dash of roid rage.
I feel a large hand thrust my skull into the ground; the skin on my forehead tears as if someone was rubbing my skin raw with sandpaper. The man clenches my hair, pulling it upwards as I wince from the pain. Blood begins to trickle down Abel’s face, and the faint scent of metal rises into his nostrils as it flows past his lips. The chemical reaction of iron making contact with his taste buds left behind a metallic flavor. Abel felt its warmth rolling off his chin as it glided down the paths of his jugular veins, forming a singular red stream that seeped into the shirt's fabric. The man pulled his hair again, jerking him up until his knees rose off the ground.
He takes his hand off Abel’s head, takes a few steps, and brushes his shoulder as he walks around, standing face to face. The man grabs his lower jaw, squeezing tight enough to pinch the skin. He lifts Abel’s chin toward the ceiling until his eyesight aligns with the man’s own. The tension grew as the silence thickened the density of the air, becoming palpable. Abel’s body was riddled with pain; he was fed up with the lack of explanations as to why he and his friends were treated like foes, taken hostage, and thrown into cells. He couldn’t speak for Luna or Tre's experience, but it's not a stretch to believe they were treated with the same malice and aggression.
The man lets go of his face and speaks for the first time, “How did you find and then open the passage?”. I take a few heavy breaths to gather myself, “We were told of Portum’s location…” The man scoffs, “Why? What business do you have here in Portum?” “We came here to meet someone, a woman.” The man grunts disdainfully, clearly showing signs of contempt for my unwelcomed presence. “Who?” I respond carefully, unwilling to reveal sensitive information about us or our intentions. “If I knew her name, I would’ve told you already.” The man glares and nods, “Wrong Answer.” A sharp pain spreads throughout my abdomen, and the guard strikes the right side of my body again, just above the waist. I clench my teeth, shallow breathing my way to a response, “Do you guys ask questions looking for specific answers and then assault people who don’t know the “what’s the password” answers?”
Abel realizes, rather quickly, that these men do not take criticism lightly, receiving another fistful of compassion and understanding. “Yep, aggression. Naturally, this would be your approach. I wonder if anybody responds well to your ridiculously pompous attitudes.” This time, the solemn man headbutts Abel; his knees buckle, and gravity does the rest. The guards leave him lying on the ground as his blood rewets the surface. “Since you feel so reluctant to answer my questions honestly and insist on disrespecting me in my kingdom! Let's see how long it takes for, The Via to Patiens to crush that rebellious spirit.” The Burly man spits on Abel’s limp body and nods to the guards towering over him. After a moment of silence, the guards grab his feet and drag him out of the man’s quarters.
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