Run Wild
1116 Words
"Wow! Do it again!", Dani and bunch of children chorused as Joe threw the knife and made the blade go up and down, slicing through a fish.
"Mama! Mr. Joe does magic!", Dani announced as the woman came in, followed by some men who went hunting for food. They brought meat.
"That's good!", Mama replied, staring at Joe with suspicion. "Mr. Joe!".
"Welcome, ma'am"
"Glad to know you've been keeping the children happy. May I see the magic they speak of?"
"It's not really magic. I am a medium", Joe said, trying to avoid being segregated as a sorcerer. "I speak to ghosts"
"Hm...", one of the men muttered. "I almost believe you".
"I can tell that you believe your brother to be captured. I'm sorry to break it to you that he's dead", Joe said as Toby informed him.
"And you didn't think you'd hurt his feelings!", Mama rebuked. " That's cru-"
"He's talking to me, right now... and he doesn't want you to do anything rash while trying to save a dead person from death. Besides that, I already killed his killer; Soko".
"I still don't believe you", the man said.
"Your name is Koré. Your parents were killed before your eyes. You have a tattoo on your left shoulder. Your brother hated the tattoo. He lied about loving it since it is permanent".
"Is that true, Koré?", Mama asked, sensing the direct statements in Joe's words.
"He's probably right", Koré's eyes were laced with tears. "My brother... We planned to go places".
"I'm sorry", Joe said, apologetically. "If you want to talk about it, I'm here".
"I don't think I want to think about it, at all"
★★★ ★★★ ★★★
The gates opened and a soldier, wearing a strangely new face, walked in. He walked in to where the people waited while some other soldiers remained behind the gates, staring in.
Everyone was silent, wondering what the new soldier had come to do to them.
"Who's this new one?", Alex asked in a whisper.
"I don't know", Chuma whispered back. "Expect the worst. He doesn't look like he's up to any good".
"They are never up to any good... Except the breakfast... and the lunch... and the new clothes".
"And that's all... This one's not bringing any"
"That's true."
"What have you learned, today?"
"Never wish for their presence?"
Idris joined the whispers. "Moral lesson; Always expect the worst".
"I am not sure if you all can hear me from where you stand, can you?", the soldier said in a weirdly calm way. "Can you come a bit closer, please?".
'Please!?!?!!', that word echoed in the minds of virtually everyone. Some didn't even hear the word since it was 'impossible'. They moved a step closer, reluctantly.
"Soko just died, mysteriously, and I know many of these soldiers have not been treating you well enough", he paused for a while. "I am Kenny... I am here to continue Soko's normal practice. Whoever challenges me to a fight and wins will get out of here, today".
They began to murmur. No one seemed ready to trust him as they could vividly remember how Stanley ended up with two bullets in his chest.
"I promise you... You win? You leave here, immediately. No cheating, no weapon. Just an opportunity to see what the outside has become."
"I challenge you", a young man walked out, timidly. "If I win, I leave here?".
"I promise-", the man rushed at Kenny, interrupting whatever the soldier had to say.
Kenny pushed him back. The man tried to slide Kenny off his feet but Kenny was fast enough to jump. The man rolled back and got up. They came closer and started throwing punches.
Kenny caught his two hands and nodded his head. The man got a bit dizzy. Before he could regain his full consciousness, Kenny jumped and kicked him backwards.
"Come on, it's not over", Kenny said as the man relaxed, submissively.
"I knew it", Idris whispered. "He's just like Soko".
"Wait for him to smash the poor man's head", Alex whispered back.
"You surrender?", Kenny asked, as he knelt on one leg, staring at the weak young man. He stretched out his hand, offering to pull the man up. None of them would dare take that offer. "Come on... "
The man took his hand and Kenny pulled him up. "I like the courage to fight. I like the coordination in you guys. It's weird.... unfortunately, I can't save you. We have people in power and we have to obey. Besides that, we have a lot to gain so it's going to be hard to get a good soldier on our side, ignoring the offers of your enslavement. I will grant him his freedom but he must find the remotest and weirdest camps to avoid recapture. I am also breaking the rules".
★★★ ★★★ ★★★
The knife was moving extremely fast, as it killed two wild dogs in a throw and returned to Joe's hands.
"Wow!", the word chorused and echoed, again and again. Everyone was amazed.
"How are you able to do that?", Koré asked.
"It's a pretty long story but, trust me, I'm not a sorcerer".
"I used to have an uncle", one of the hunters said. "He had magic. He was burnt in the market place. They said he used little children to fortify himself and other witches".
"Sorry about that".
"It's nothing. I never knew him. But you should keep your s**t. You could be burnt in a market place, too".
"Except there's no market place, anymore", Koré said and burst into laughter.
"Still wondering how we would survive if these trees weren't alive."
"And I wonder how the soldiers manage to feed", Koré added. "They'll get tired again and set them free".
"Maybe not" Joe said. "I used to be there. They made us work on the farms and do their s**t. It's not just capturing and feeding us. They're enslaving us".
"What do you mean by 'I used to be there'? You were captured?", Koré asked, suspiciously.
"Yes... I escaped".
"Alone?"
"Yes... No, not without the help of... it's a very long story".
"Ok... Maybe you should tell us every long story you claim to have, surrounding a mind-controlled flying knife and how you escaped from the camp!" ‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡‡
"Why would you say that? How do you plan to explain all this to them and earn their trust?", Toby sighed. "Whatever you do, don't sleep with your eyes closed. They are wild..."
- Writer
