Scattered Pieces
Part 5
As
we stood inside an area full of boisterous natives, my stomach flip-flopped. No
one had told us anything about what was expected of us, just that this was our
just dues or something to that effect. I narrowed my eyes at the slight figure
that appeared at the opposite end of the arena. Without my glasses or contacts,
I was pretty blind.
“It’s Lizz,” Brian whispered weakly.
“Where the fuck is that growling coming from?” AJ quietly demanded.
“I’m guessing that black thing in the center,” Howie decided.
All eyes trained on the man standing in the center of the ring as he shouted
native words causing the crowd to errupt in an enthusastic roar. He set about
his tendious task of removing the black cloth, appearing fearful of stepping
too close to the edge of the hole.
“Okay, this doesn’t look good to me,” Kevin breathed, still dizzy from the blow
to his head.
Brian glanced upwards at his cousin and gasped when he saw fresh blood staining
the white cloth that covered the wound on his head. “Any ideas on how to get
out of this mess?”
“I say we fuckin’ run,” AJ suggested.
“Okay, yeah that’s a good idea... abandon Lizz? Are you crazy!?” I threw a look
over at AJ. It figures he would just run and not think this thing out.
“Oh yeah, well, make a run for Lizz and then run?” AJ tried to correct his idea.
Something dark reached out from the pit and grabbed the native man’s legs and
pulled him into the hole. A sudden yelp came from the man before he
disappeared. The growling increased in it’s intensity and the crowd seemed
pleased that the man had become a sacrifical meal for the beasts that were in
the hole. They started chanting. I gulped.
“What the hell are they saying!?” AJ shouted to no one in particular.
A name became clearer as the chanting continued.
“It sounds like Beadios or something like that,” Howie replied, his head cocked
to one side, trying to decypher the words.
“How about dead mother-----”
“LOOK!” Brian cried out, interrupting AJ, he pointed a finger towards the pit.
My mouth dropped open as I caught the sight of Lizz slowly inching her way
towards the pit. She was clutching something in her left hand.
“LIZZ STAY THE HELL BACK!” I screamed as I started running towards her, pushing
away from Brian’s weak grasp.
She froze in her tracks momentarily but then a blank look became fixed on her
chalky white face as she ignored my plea.
“LIZZ, PLEASE.... DON’T, GOD, PLEASE!” I begged as I continued to sprint
towards her.
In something that seemed to be played out in slow motion, I managed to not only
leap and grab Lizz around the shoulders, I pulled her to the ground and we
rolled away from the pit. The crowd errupted in cheers, pleased at what had
just happened.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked after we rolled to a stop in the dirt,
the dust still filtering the sun from us.
“I have to do this Nick, they want one of us to die,” Lizz whispered, her eyes
set with determination.
“Oh god, Lizz, don’t be stupid. None of us have to die, we’re gonna get the
fuck outta here,” I replied as I pulled a strand of hair away from her mouth.
“How? We’re surrounded,” Lizz asked as she looked around the arena.
“I’m working on that one,” I replied as I got up from the ground and held my
hand out for her to take.
The crowd started to boo as Lizz and I hurried around the pit back towards the
guys. They were evidently not happy that both of us escaped, unscathed. I was
growing more irritated by the minute and I could tell by the look on AJ’s face,
he was ready to blow.
“What the hell do those assholes want?” AJ seethed as he looked wildly around
the packed arena.
“Death,” Lizz replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Well it ain’t gonna happen Lizz, so get that thought outta your head, okay?” I
tried to reassure her and AJ.
“Nick’s right,” Brian added. “We’re in one heck of a mess but we’ve come this
far not to get defeated.”
“Okay, we gotta think fast cause it looks like raptor or whatever the hell that
thing is is tired of waiting on us,” Howie stated, nervously.
All eyes riveted back towards the pit to see a black lizard, something that
looked like a prop from a
“Ah shit, we’re gonna get killed by freakin Godzilla?!?” AJ moaned.
“Yeah and it’s got it’s eyes on me,” I stated as I looked directly into the
reptile’s yellow-green eyes. “Okay, here’s the plan, you guys run towards the tunnel
we came out of and I will distract raptor until you get there and then----”
“Whoa, whoa Nicky, wait on a minute, you’ll do what?” Kevin asked, his eyes
darting back from the lizard to my face.
“I will distract that thing there and while it’s worried about my butt, you
guys run for the tunnel and then once I know you’re safe I will run like hell
to the tunnel,” I replied, semi-confident in my decision.
Lizz started shaking her head. “I’m staying with you.”
“Like hell you are,” I snapped as I gently shoved her towards AJ. “You can’t
run very fast with your bum lungs and I sure as hell don’t want to be
responsible for picking up your severed parts when Spike here gets ahold of
you.”
“Spike? And what the hell do you mean by bum lungs? I had a transplant,” Lizz
protested.
“Spike the lizzard and I ain’t arguing with you anymore! Now GO!”
“Wait, what if you have a seizure?”
“You worry too damn much, I’m fine, good god just go you guys!”
I watched after them for a moment as they took off towards the tunnel and then
i quickly turned around in time to see the lizard out of the pit. A bloodied
part of the man’s clothes that fell victim to the animal’s wrath, hung on the
back of the lizard. I cringed at the sight realizing I could very well be adding
to the live clothing rack if I didn’t think my moves out quick enough. Thank
god the crowd was roaring, because I was screaming my fool head off, scared to
death.
Hearing my screams, the lizard hesitated for a moment and then seemed to be
angered and started to lunge towards me.
“OH SHIT,” I yelled out as I started to freak out at the sight of the giant
reptile moving towards me, it’s mouth opening, showing a full rack of large,
sharp, pointed teeth.
As I turned to go, my confidence was short lived as I felt a sharp object dig
into my left ankle. I looked back to see the lizard had it’s mouth locked down
around my leg. I tried desperately to shake the beast from me only making it
more madder at me, causing it to clamp down harder.
“GET THE FUCK OFF ME!” I cried out.
Suddenly, I could feel my body starting to be dragged towards the pit where the
animal came from. I twisted my body around and clawed at the sandy ground,
trying to get ahold of something to stop the beast from taking me into it’s home.
I thought my heart was going to explode in my chest, random stupid thoughts
were filling my head. I wasn’t thinking clearly I was pretty much writing
myself off, deciding that maybe this will be a quick death once the animal had
me in it’s den. I looked over towards the entrance way where I had sent my
friends and semi relieved to see that they had managed to scaling the fence
that was blocking the tunnel.
Hearing the crowd in an intensified cheering frenzy, caused AJ and Brian to
look back to where Nick was left at to see what was happening.
“Oh sweet God,” Brian gasped as he saw the creature starting to drag Nick
towards the hole in the center of the arena.
“Oh fuck,” AJ muttered. He quickly grabbed a heavy steel rod off the ground and
scaled the fence, running full speed towards Nick and the reptile. “HANG ON
NICK!”
“AJ, GO BACK! GO BACK,” I yelled frantically as I saw AJ running like he was
being chased by a crowd of crazed fans. For some reason he wasn’t listening and
I saw a heavy rod tightly gripped in his hand. He started swinging the weapon
before he even got close to us.
“LET GO YOU BASTARD!” AJ grunted as he heaved the rod up into the air, bring it
down repeatidly in a hasty attack.
I squeezed my eyes as I waited for the metal to connect with my leg. Everytime
AJ hit the beast in the head, it bit down on my leg harder, almost in reflex. I
kept hearding the sickening thud of the bar hitting the animal over and over
again, the growls from the beast were strong at first but were slowly dying out
as the thuds kept coming. Finally, I heard the bar drop to the ground.
“Hold still Nick, lemme pry this off your leg,” AJ calmly stated.
I looked back at my leg to see AJ prying the dead animal’s mouth off my leg. I
then glanced back to see that we had been only a mere five feet from the pit. I
suddenly became dizzy, but tried to remain calm.
“Oh shit...” AJ gasped, his face turning a shade of white. He swallowed and
then quickly regained his composure, he was never good at the site of blood. “It’s
not that bad.”
Okay, I don’t know if I could trust his words on that, but I was figuring he
was trying to convince himself that it wasn’t bad. I looked at my leg and all I
saw was blood - blood on my tattered pant leg, blood soaking into the sand, blood
on AJ’s hands. I quickly looked away.
“Yeah, just a flesh wound,” I tried to joke.
“Oh my god,” Lizz cried out as she sank to the ground beside me.
“It’s okay, I’m a bleeder, really,” I again tried to joke.
Clenching her fists, Lizz stood up and faced where the leaders of the island
were seated. The crowd was quiet, a soft buzz from small conversations about
what they had witnessed floated in the air. Their mighty warrior, the beast,
had been defeated.
“OKAY, YOU ASKED FOR DEATH, THE CREATURE IS DEFEATED, NOW YOU MUST RELEASE MY
FRIENDS AND I,” she shouted.
~*~*~*~*~*~
A hush fell over the crowd and I sucked in my breath in determination. I
desperately wanted to make sure Nick was okay, but I didn’t dare turn around. Instead,
I kept my gaze on the chief. The seats for all the important people and the
chief were directly in front of me. The chief was talking to the two natives
that sat on either side of him. Finally he stopped talking to them and looked
at me.
“NO!” He shouted. “You
and the others have not earned your freedom.” He stopped and stared up at the
sky. I risked a glance behind me to see Nick trying to sit up. AJ was holding
the piece of my torn cape around Nick’s leg. Further back I saw Brian, Kevin
and Howie on the other side of the fence. I turned back around to see the chief
still staring up at the sky. I could barely see his lips moving and then he
stopped suddenly, holding his hands out to the crowd. The crowd fell silent as
a tomb and my stomach twisted.
“The gods wish for a
human, slave sacrifice. It shall be the injured, slave.” The chief announced,
staring right past me at Nick. The crowd erupted in more cheers and the noise
became deafening. The chief nodded to several natives that stood around the edge
of the arena and they advanced towards us.
“NO!” I screamed, looking
around wildly. They were going to kill Nick over my dead body. Then I
remembered the slingshot I gripped tightly in my hand. Quick as a cat I dropped
down, picked up a decent sized rock, aimed and fired it.
The rock shot like a
missile through the air and hit the chief in the face. He let out an agonized
scream and covered his face with his hands. Immediately blood starting seeping
through and the crowd stopped hollering and stomping their feet. The native on
his left was trying to help him. The much larger native on his right was
glaring at me. I gulped and tried to tell myself to run, but it felt like my
feet were stuck in cement.
“Lizz, come on!” AJ
yelled in my ear, grabbing my shoulders. Shaking me out of my trance, he broke
out into a run, pulling me after him. He raced behind Nick and started to pull
him up. Nick let out a pain-filled cry and AJ tightened his grip.
“I can’t walk on it!” He
gasped.
“You’re going to have to.
They’re coming after us.” AJ hissed. Together we pulled Nick to his feet, or
foot rather. “Come on, put your arm around my shoulders and use this like a
crutch.” AJ instructed, handing the metal rod to him. Nick had his jaw clenched
and his face was nearly white. My stomach was twisting with the pain I knew he
was feeling.
We started making our way
to the gate as fast as we could. It didn’t prove to be fast enough because
several natives closed in on us. Instinctively I held the sling shot up at
them. I don’t know why I did because that shouldn’t have made an impact on
them, but all four of them stopped dead in their tracks.
“She struck the chief.
She has the power of the gods!” One of them shouted in English, probably for
our benefit. I snorted at the idea of me having the power of the gods.
“What kind of shit is
this?” I said over my shoulder.
“If she can bring the
chief down, she can destroy us with a mere look!” Another native yelled,
spreading his hands out.
“I always knew there was
something about you.” Nick joked quietly.
“Hahaha.” I retorted.
“Lizz, use it to get us
clear!” AJ said urgently.
“Like how? Holler out Oooga
Booga and hope they all cower in fear from the Big Bad Bitch?!” I snapped
sarcastically.
“Just keep waving the
sling shot around and look pissed off.” AJ suggested.
“Yeah, I’ve seen some
pretty mean-ass looks out of you.” Nick added.
“Thanks, but I know you
deserved them.” I smiled sweetly before turning around and facing the natives
that had made a reluctant circle around us. My smile dropped as the seriousness
of the situation sunk in. “BACK OFF ASSHOLES!” I screamed. “The god’s have got
my back and I have been given permission to strike down anyone that gets in my
way. You saw what happened to your chief, NOW LET US THROUGH DAMMIT!” I waved
the sling shot around, mustering up the most hateful look I could.
The natives backed away,
a trace of fear flickering across their eyes. Every sense told me to run as
fast as my legs would carry me, but no way was I going to separate myself from
Nick and AJ. They could only move so fast on the account of Nick’s chewed on
leg.
“What are you doing? Go
after them!” One of the natives that had been seated next to the chief shouted.
He started yelling in a mixture of English and their tongue.
Several natives advanced
on us until I glared at them threateningly and brandished my slingshot again.
“I mean it, I will put a hole in your face. Back the fuck off!” I snarled.
They hesitated and looked
at the native who seemed to be in charge. He yelled back something in response
and they started to advance again.
Barely taking the time to
think of what I was doing, I tipped my head back and started screaming like a
banshee. Then I dropped to my knees and grabbed a handful of rocks, slinging
them at random. All the while, screaming a bunch of gibberish and acting like I
had totally lost it. When I finally looked up, I almost laughed at the look of
horror on the native’s faces. I could only imagine how I looked. I’d been told
I had expressive and even piercing eyes all my life. Now they had to have
looked wild and possessed. And despite the crappy lungs I had been born with, I
could be pretty loud if I wanted to. Now with new lungs, that seemed to help,
even if it was just psychological. Of course the fact that I had Nick’s blood
all over me probably made me look even more dangerous.
My aim was true and
several natives were rolling around on the ground in a mixture of pain and
fear. I knew that the rocks alone wouldn’t have brought them to the ground, but
the fear that the rocks might have been cursed by me or something. I didn’t
care so long as they got out of our way.
“Hold on Nick, we’re
almost to the gate.” AJ coached. By nothing short of a miracle, we made it to
the gate. There was a lot of angry screaming behind us, but no one dared get
too close. Getting Nick over the gate wasn’t easy, but we were all going on
pure adrenaline, him probably the most since he got attacked by Spike. Of
course, I was now the cursed chief-slayer.
“How the hell are we going
to get out of here? It’s a damn maze.” AJ grumbled.
“I think we’re going the
right way.” I ventured.
“Lizz, you said that 10
minutes ago and we’ve turned around twice.” Brian smiled.
“Come on Howie, don’t you
remember when we were exploring down here when we found Nick?” I asked him.
“No, actually I was more
worried about how we shouldn’t have been wandering around and if I remember
right, we got caught.” Howie returned.
I groaned. “That was when
we got marked.”
“Marked?” Brian glanced
at me.
“Nevermind, Howie does
this look familiar?” I ignored Brian’s question. He was in Lelani’s hut when
Nick and I had been branded and I didn’t want to be the one who got to tell him
what was done to us.
Brian narrowed his eyes
at me, knowing that there was something going on. Thankfully he chose to drop
it, for now.
Howie looked towards the
direction I had pointed. “I don’t know. It kinda does, but this whole cave
looks alike to me.”
“No look, there’s light.”
AJ whooped and took off in the direction where it was coming from. It cast an
eerie glow towards us so that meant the moon had to be pretty bright and the
sky clear. At least that would make it easier for us to travel in the dark.
As we all stood below the
opening in the top of the cave, talking about the best way to do this, Nick sat
down on a rock. I broke away and sat down next to Nick.
“How is it?” I asked
softly.
“Hurts like a bitch.” He
admitted.
“At least it quit
bleeding. Are you okay though? I mean really, you had a pretty close call.” I
said softly.
“Peachy.”
“Okay Nick, what else is
on your mind?” I looked him straight in the eyes.
“Our
meds. We managed to escape, but what does it matter if we don’t have our meds?
We won’t last any time at all. Lizzard, we’re screwed.” Nick said somberly.
final update:
*~*~*~*~*~
Standing up, Lizz offered her extended hand to me. “Well, we’ll just get out of
here and back to safety before any bad effects happens to either one of us.”
I reluctantly took her hand, nearly pulling her down when I tried to pull
myself up. I forgot about my leg for a brief moment, putting it down but I
quickly drew it back up when the “pins and needles” pain reminded me of the
injury. I could see Lizz out the corner of my eye, analyzing my moves. “Lizz,
please don’t worry, I promise I won’t have a seizure, okay?”
“Like it’s something you can control,” she scoffed.
“I’m gonna do my best,” I defended.
“Come on you two, we have to get ahead of them!” Kevin urged as he tossed an
annoyed look back at us.
“Any ideas of where we go then ‘O Wise Elder?’” I mocked. I was getting so damn
sick of Kevin’s authoritative attitude. It got us nowhere lately and here he
just up and takes charge of everything like he even has a clue of what we can
do to save our skin at this point.
“Take a left here!” AJ yelled, cutting off the glare in Kevin’s eyes when he
addressed my challenge.
With Lizz on my left side, the steel bar propped on my right, I hobbled along
as best as I could, knowing that we were losing our group because of my
inablility to run. When I stopped suddenly, it took Lizz by surprize when she
took several steps without me at her side.
“Nick? What’s wrong?”
I leaned against the wall. “I.. I can’t keep up the pace. You run and catch up
with the rest of them. I will be okay, you find a way out and then you can come
back for
“You must have lost it, Nick...listen to yourself!” Lizz insisted as she stood
there staring at me, her hands on her hips.
“I can feel it coming,” I whispered.
“Feel what?”
“Those seizures. I mean it’s not gonna happen right now, but I can tell
something’s gonna happen eventually and I don’t want to drag everyone down with
me and the burden I’ve been saddled with because of stupid choices I made in
the past with the overdose.”
I wasn’t looking at Lizz but I knew she was staring at me and giving me those
sad puppy dog eyes. “Lizz, don’t try to talk me out of this. I want you safe,
just go.”
“Oh yeah, okay....leave you to have a freakin seizure and possibly die right
here in this fricken cave? Are you nuts?”
“I guess I must be cause you’re going,” I demanded.
“I’m getting Kevin, he can’t be that far ahead of us,” she stated as she
quickly turned around.
I was shocked to see her turn and run. This wasn’t a typical Lizz reaction, but
then again what has been typical from the beginning of this trip? Pulling
myself back up, grabbing the bloodied pole, I turned myself around and headed
back in the direction that we came from. I was going to ensure my friend’s
safety and the only way I could do that was talk the natives into leaving us
alone for good.
Using the wall as a brace along with the rod, I inched my way along the sandy
path, literally following the blood stains - my blood - as the guide back to
the pit.
“STOP!”
Looking wearily over towards the direction of the voice, I was met with the
stern look of the Chief, a man that looked extremely pissed off with dried
blood on his forehead and cheeks.
“Take me and leave the others alone!” I requested in a shaky, yet determined
voice.
“And your sudden change of heart tells me what?” The chief asked.
“That the creature has already gotten a taste of me, and you needed a human
sacrifice and once you get that you will leave them alone. I’m only slowing them
down and you would have caught all of us eventually so I’m making this easier
on you. Take me.”
A smile played across the chief’s broad, tanned face as he clapped his hands
several times. Two natives grabbed me on either side and hurried me along the path.
“Okay, I said I was coming willfully, you don’t have to push,” I snapped.
One of the men replied to my comment in his native tongue.
“Booga booga to you too, fella,” I mumbled.
I was expecting to be led into the packed arena, but instead they took me to
the medicine woman’s hut. The chief exchanged hasty words to Lelani and she
nodded and took a large bowl and started to dump carefully measured powdered
ingredients into it. After pouring a measured amount of water into the the
mixture, she stirred it methodically and then placed it above the fire in the
hearth.
I sat there watching her busy herself with other mixtures, wondering where this
was going to be leading to. I was thinking that maybe she was making a salve
for my chewed up leg so I was definately surprized when she poured the liquid
into a mug and then held it out for me to take.
“Drink this!” She urged.
I stared at the greenish colored liquid with what looked like grass clippings
floating ontop. I looked back up at her. “I don’t think so.”
“YOU WILL DO AS YOU ARE TOLD, SLAVE!” the chief boomed.
Okay, remember how your parent’s always give you that lecture about not taking
drinks from strangers at parties? I had that sick feeling as I took the mug
from Lelani and took a sip of the bitter tasting liquid.
“ALL OF IT!” the chief boomed again.
Screwing my face up, I closed my eyes and gulped the liquid down. I was praying
that this was something to heal my leg. I was beginning to realize that this
was something other than that when I started feeling dizzy and weird.....
*~*~*~*~*~*
“Kevin... guys! Wait!” Lizz gasped as she tried to reach the rest of the group.
“Hey, where’s Nick?” AJ questioned when he turned around.
“I think he’s having trouble, we need to go back and help him,” Lizz directed.
Without hesitating, they turned and followed their steps back.
“What’s wrong Lizz?”
“I don’t know for sure but he mentioned that he was thinking he was going to
have a seizure, he said he could feel it start to come on.”
Howie stepped up his pace and was running ahead of the rest of them. Lizz’s
heart sank when they turned the corner and discovered that Nick wasn’t anywhere
to be seen.
“He was right here when I left him, look, see there’s the blood right there,”
she pointed down to the ground with reddish tinge.
“I see blood and I also see about five different sets of footprints, but only
four going back, meaning that he didn’t leave alone,” Kevin observed.
“Dear lord,” Brian whispered.
~*~*~*~*~
After a few minutes had passed from drinking the medicine, I was beginning to
realize that I was in a world of trouble. My thoughts were clouded and I could
no longer distinguish between good and bad. It had totally effected my
judgement. I just laid back and listened to the lies that were being fed to me
and I didn’t argue with them - I couldn’t argue with them - it all seemed right
to me.
“Nick, you know that girl that was with you?” Lelani questioned as she paced
the hut.
“Yep,” I replied. I noticed that my voice sounded thick, like my tongue weighed
four pounds.
“She wants you dead. She told me this,” Lelani lied. Before I could comment on
her thoughts, she continued. “And the rest of the men, they also wanted you
dead. They want you to suffer for your actions. They told me they never liked
you, in fact they hate you. You realize Nick, that we are your only friends.
They are the enemy! You must protect yourself!”
I slowly nodded in agreement. I was open to anything Lelani suggested to me. If
she had given me a plate of worms and told me that these were good for me to
eat, I would eat them without question. It was as if I had no control over
anything anymore. I knew what she was telling me was wrong, but it was like I
couldn’t fight it. I had to agree with her.
Lelani smiled at me. “Good boy Nick, I knew you’d see it our way.”
Her face suddenly grew serious. She said something to one of the men in the hut
in the native tongue and he quickly turned and left. While he was gone, Lelani
offered another drink to me. I accepted it this time, without question. It was
sweet tasting. I drank the entire contents of the mug and threw it down onto
the floor when I was finished.
I reached out and gently grabbed Lelani’s arm, taking her by surprise. She
turned towards me, her eyes shifting as she was obviously trying to figure out
what my intentions were. Without hesitating, I pulled her close to me and
captured her mouth in a kiss. My conscience was replused by what I was doing.
This was so very wrong. I had no control over what I was doing, my mind was
screaming to stop but my hands seem to disregard me.
“Oh Nick, now, you will just have to wait until you fight your war and protect
us from the enemy,” Lelani stated as she pushed herself away from me. “After
you win, I will give myself to you freely, but you must wait until then. A true
warrior does not mate before a battle.”
I grabbed Lelani again and I forced myself onto her. Her cries were muffled
when I kissed her. Before I could go any further, some of the natives that were
assigned to protect rushed into the hut and pulled me away from their princess.
“It’s okay, he is just ready for battle now. Give him his weapons and send him
to the edge of the village,” she commanded as she tried to regain her
composure. “I will be waiting for you when you return Nick. Remember....they
are evil and must be stopped.”
~*~*~*~*~
“Okay this path is longer than I rememer,” AJ grumbled.
“Well, I can see that we’re getting closer, look can’t you see the light from
the firepit?” Howie pointed out.
Lizz stepped up the pace, anxious to find Nick and put this nightmare far from
her memory. She could see how it was taking it’s toll on each of them including
herself. Kevin looked like he was going to collapse if he had the opportunity
to, Brian looked still worn from the after effects from the posion and AJ had
been guarding his arm in the same position for days, complaining that it would
have to be broken again when they reached civilization because it was going to
be healing wrong. Only Howie had escaped the natives wrath up to this point.
“Hey, look AJ we’ve finally reached the village, I guess now we look for---”
The sudden noise ripping through the vegetation in the dense forest caught
everyone by surprise. Howie’s words were quickly silenced and then a sickening
thud followed by his gasping escaped into the air.
“OH MY GOD!” AJ yelled as he raced to Howie’s side, the shaft of what appeared
to be a thick arrow from a crossbow driven into his chest, straight into his
heart. “HOWIE?!” AJ yelled as he grabbed his friend and cradled his shoulders
gently onto his lap. AJ’s cries weren’t answered, he was met only with Howie’s
eyes staring vacantly into nowhere.
“WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU YOU COWARDS?” AJ demanded as he looked around him.
Suddenly, the sickening sound of the vegetation began again. This time the
target was AJ, hitting him squarely in the back. He slumped forward off to the
side of his fallen friend.
This was all surreal to me, I knew this was wrong but I couldn’t stop it from
happening. It was as if I had something that I had to do and I couldn’t rest
until the mission was carried out. I stepped out from my cover onto the path
where the rest of them stood.
“NICK! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” Kevin demanded.
I didn’t say a word to any of them. I gripped the weapon in my hand and I was
prepared to use it to stop the evil. I know they saw the threatening look I
cast towards the remaining three because they all stopped in their steps.
I placed another arrow into the set and took steady aim at Kevin. As I aimed
for his heart, I squeezed my eyes shut tight and swallowed. I could hear Lizz
and Brian’s screams but I didn’t seem to care anymore. It was like I had no
more feelings left inside of me.
“NICK NO! WHAT IS HAPPENING? PLEASE GOD, NO!”
I opened my eyes to see Brian standing in front of Lizz. He had a mixed look on
his face. One of bewilderment and sadness. “You have to take me but spare her
life Nick, please don’t do this.”
I don’t know why, but I started crying. I was feeling the effects of the drink
Lelani gave me and it’s effects were starting to grow dull. I still had the
pressing urge to finish my mission. I still felt that Brian and Lizz were the
sources of evil and had to be stopped at any and all costs.
Taking a straight aim at Brian I swallowed hard, pushing back all the memories
of him and of Lizz. I wrapped my index finger around the trigger and just
before I squeezed, I whispered two final words to my brother.
“I’m sorry.”
The arrow sailed true to it’s target. Brian was hit and the arrow went through
him and into her. He had made an attempt to push her away from him, but the
arrow was faster than he anticipated and they were both hit. The look in his
eyes before he finally let death wash over him was agonizing. I dropped to my
knees when the reality of the carnage sunk in.
I killed my friends.
There was only one way out of this now. The potion had lost it’s hold on me and
now I realized what I had done. I had taken lives. I had killed my friends.
With the last arrow I had. I placed it in it’s holder. I propped the crossbow
against my legs as I laid down, aiming the arrow towards my chest. I squeezed
my eyes shut as I pulled the trigger with my foot, trying three or maybe four
times to hit the trigger.
Suddenly, I was rewarded with a searing pain for my efforts, the wind being
knocked out of my lungs.
“Nick....stay with us hun.”
I quickly opened my eyes upon hearing the female voice. I was coughing and she
was rubbing my back and trying to strap an oxygen mask on my face.
“Wha.. wha?” I sputtered as I looked wildly at my surroundings.
“Nicky, calm down, slow your breathing down dude,” Howie soothed.
Howie? Is this what dying is like? Howie’s dead. I don’t understand this.
“How long has he been like this?”
“I dunno for sure, I went to the cafeteria for a bite to eat and when I came
back he was freaking out in bed,” Howie replied to the woman.
“Nick, you have to calm down, you’ll rip your sutures out in your chest,” the
woman stated with urgency.
“What the hell is happening?” AJ rasped as he entered the room, arms full of
magazines and a couple of bottles of coke.
Now I was beginning to realize something was different. AJ’s arm was
broken....wait, AJ’s supposed to be dead too.
“I’m going to have to get a sedative, he’s not calming down,” the woman sighed
as she turned and rushed out of the room.
“Nicky calm your ass down or they’ll lock you up,” AJ said as he placed his
face inches from mine.
“Wha... where am I?”
“In the hospital, remember? You were shot in the chest?” Howie and AJ said
simutaneously.
They seemed to know it wasn’t registering when my face became a twist of
bewilderment.
“We got Marcus, he’s dead? Anything yet here? You almost died on us, come on
you didn’t get amnesia too, what are you trying to pull on us?” AJ snapped.
I laid my head deeper into the pillow. I looked around the room. There were
flowers in every available space and balloons dancing in the draftiness of the
room.
“God, I... I do remember. Oh god I had the worst dream of my life,” I said as I
closed my eyes.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Howie offered.
I shook my head. “I only want to see Brian and Lizz. I will be okay when I see
them.”
“Man, something’s got you really shook. What happened in the dream?” AJ asked.
“Everyone died,” I replied, afraid to go any further into details.
My heart literally skipped a beat when Kevin, Brian and Lizz stood in my
doorway, lost in their own private conversation about the ‘did you see that
cute little girl on the elevator’ conversation.
Igorning the pain in my chest, I sat up in bed, pulled the oxygen mask off and
outstretched my arms.
“Group hug guys,” was all I could say.
Everything was okay now. It’s all good.
The End
***
