The Last to Break

Jay had been at “The Annex” orphanage since birth. Here, they grew up fast and learned faster. If you didn’t, you died. At the age of four, Jay had already seen enough dead bodies to know what death meant. At first, he cried. He had held onto a boy who was lying lifeless on the floor, refusing to let go. The staff came to take the boy away, but Jay clung to him. A staff member roughly pulled his hands away from the child. “The child is dead. Holding him is not going to bring him back alive.” That was Jay’s first real encounter with death. All he knew was that dead meant they were not coming back. His protector had been carried away two days earlier. Kyle was twelve. He had been the protector of all the children in “The Annex”. He had taken more beatings than any child should have to endure in three lifetimes. Jay had watched him protect the smaller children over and over again. Now Kyle was gone. He didn’t understand why nobody else would take his place. So he decided he would. Jay stood just outside the door. The smell of bleach and sweat filled the air. One boy was crying. Jay walked up to him. Small. Shaking. “Don’t cry. They hit you.” The boy cried louder. He put his arm around the boy’s shoulders, trying to shield him. “Don’t cry. Stop crying.” His voice was rushed and small. As soon as Jay’s arm settled around the little boy’s shoulder, the Warden walked towards them. “Stop that crying, you little brat. This is no place for weaklings.” The little boy cried even louder, shaking with fear. His face was smeared with snot and tears. The Warden lifted his boot. Jay knew what was coming. He jumped in front of the little boy. The boot hit him straight in the face. Blood spattered. Jay fell backwards. Everything went black. He still tried to sit up. The Warden kicked him again. “Think you are his guardian angel? Let this be a lesson for you,” he shouted. The little boy stared at Jay with wide eyes, his small body trembling with fear. His tears had dried from shock. The staff worker dragged Jay to a room and threw him onto a bed. Looking at the little boy, he pointed to another bed. “You sleep there.” The staff worker left, locking the door behind him. The little boy walked to Jay. “Wake up. Wake up,” he shouted, shaking Jay. Jay stirred and opened his eyes. He looked at the little boy, then closed his eyes again. The little boy shook Jay again. “Wake up.” Jay mumbled, “Go to sleep.” The little boy cried himself to sleep. The next morning, when the little boy opened his eyes, Jay was standing next to his bed. “What’s your name?” “Tameron.” “Tameron... too long. I’ll call you Tam. You can call me Jay.” When Tam looked around, he realised where he was, and tears formed in his eyes. “Don’t cry. If you cry here, they will hurt you.” “Why do they hurt us? Why did they steal me?” “They are ugly people. They hurt many already. Do what they tell you to do.” Just then, a loud ringing vibrated through the building. Jay took Tam’s hand. “They will open the door and give us bread. Don’t talk. Do what they say.” Shortly after, the door was unlocked. A big man looked in, put stale bread into their hands, and shouted, “To the toilets, now!” Jay grabbed Tam’s hand and ran to the toilets. Once inside, he sat down on the floor and ate the stale bread. Tam looked at the bread in disgust, tears welling up in his eyes again. Jay said, “Stop crying over everything. Eat your bread. You will not get food till tomorrow.” Tam didn’t want to eat his bread. Jay took the bread and put it in his pocket and started cleaning. Tam just stood there. “Take the brush and clean. Half is your job.” Tam refused. Jay walked towards Tam, put the brush in his hand, and said, “Clean.” He carried on cleaning his side of the toilets. When he was done, Tam was still standing there. Jay walked up to Tam. “Clean now, or they will hurt you. I am not cleaning your side.” Tam continued to stand there. Jay dragged Tam to the first toilet, grabbed his arm, and started scrubbing the toilet with him. “That is how you do it. If you don’t start now, you will not be finished in time.” When Tam tried to stop, Jay kicked him in the ribs. “Start cleaning.” Tam looked at Jay with wet eyes. “Why are you hurting me?” “Because my hurt is nothing compared to their hurt. Start cleaning.” Tam wanted to say something, but Jay punched him in the jaw. Tears ran down Tam’s face, but Jay had no mercy. “Stop crying and clean.” As soon as Tam finished cleaning the last toilet, footsteps could be heard. Jay pulled him towards the door and waited. The door opened, and the same big man said, “To the training room.” Jay took the lead, with Tam following behind. When they entered the training room, Tam’s eyes widened. There were fifteen boys and eight girls, all aged between four and six. “There are a lot of us,” Tam said. “Don’t be fooled. They are not your friends.” Three men entered the room. Each one was uglier and meaner than the last. Tam immediately wanted to cry. Jay sighed. “I hope you get strong soon.” The next moment, one of the ugly men shouted, “Fight the one closest to you.” Jay made a fist and hit Tam hard in the stomach. Tam folded over, gasping for air. Jay ignored him and ran to the next child. After forty-five minutes, only Jay was still standing. Tam became clever quickly. He stayed down, knowing that if he got up, he would be kicked and punched. The ugly man walked over to Jay. “When will you learn to stay down?” At the same time, he shouted, “Bring in the next lot.” The next group consisted of children aged between seven and ten. Jay waited. A group of three boys and one girl teamed up against him. They stormed towards him. Jay fought as best he could, but they were getting the upper hand. Then something happened. Tam got up, with eyes closed, and hit anything that was in front of him. That was all Jay needed. He jumped towards the first boy closest to him and kicked him, while his fist connected with the other boy’s jaw. The girl was staring at Jay. He kicked her legs out from under her. She fell. Then Jay rushed towards the boy in front of Tam. Jay hit him, then kicked him. They were all down. Tam looked at Jay and started to smile. Before he could say anything, Jay pushed him back. Tam lost his balance and fell. A boy pushed past Tam. If Jay hadn’t pushed Tam, that boy would have seriously injured him. He had a pipe in his hand. Another boy rushed at Tam. Jay ran towards him, grabbed him, and threw him down. But right then, something struck Jay on the head. He fell to his knees.