From the sound of his weak voice, I can already see with my own eyes, that Michael has lost the will to live. He only looked at Colin with a pale face, and cracked dried lips.
“I am so disappointed in you Mick, you went on and tried to rape that poor girl!” said Colin, shooting Michael in the leg.
Michael wailed, a spark of life forcefully retuned from the penetrating pain. It appears that Colin fired the first shot as a way to scare us. We remained silent. We are a prison of shameful men, too afraid to defend a young boy. Michael curled on the ground, and pressed his palms against the wound, in hopes of keeping his blood from gushing.
Colin isn’t the kind of man who laughed at his evil deeds, his pleasure comes from his smile, and silent gaze. Michael began to cry, he begged Colin to just kill him.
“Now why would I end your life when I want you to feel what I done.” he smirked.
Again, Colin aimed his weapon at Michael, and fired at his other leg. My teeth were ready to shatter by how much I clenched them. I wanted to chop down my own tongue to get rid of this shame. If this young man was my son, I would have already lost it.
When Ethan arrived, he covered his nose as usual. He saw what Colin had done, and shook his head.
“I told you to supervise them, not shoot them.” he announced. “The Abundant One is ready to expose the devil to the community. But you’re down here playing games. Let’s hurry back, it’s time.”
“Excellent. Anything is better than watching these dogs rot.” said Colin placing his 45 back in its holster.
Ethan looked at Michael, and his injuries. There was no sympathy, he just stared at him indifferently.
“Did you really have to do that to Michael? He’s still your brother. There’s no reason to pick on prisoners with personal intention. It’s against our belief.”
“He raped Charlene’s sister.” said Colin as he headed to the exit door casually.
“You know there’s no proof Michael ever touched her. She took her own life because you agreed that Michael should be sent here. You know it was your stepfather who raped her and you set him free.”
“And where is my stepfather?” teased Colin. “Dead by the hands of the vermin.”
Colin chuckled and teased Ethan’s sympathy women. Ethan shook his head, and followed Colin towards the exit, towards freedom. I mentally pushed them to hurry up, and leave. I want to breathe, and not see their faces again.
“Bastard.” said Rat.
I cocked my head at him speechless. Did I just imagine this? I’m not, Rat isn’t in the back wall with me—he’s leaning on the bars! I was too afraid to notice where, and what Rat was doing. I thought he was here with me! Colin and Ethan immediately turned their heads. I grabbed Rat by his dirty tank and pulled him back.
“What are you doing?” I whispered with silent rage.
Rat’s eyes expanded, his pupils look dilated. The Rat I know is no longer there.
“Oh, don’t you get it Matthews?” he squealed. “I have been waiting for this ever since we heard of Shadow. I refuse to rot here any longer. I will see him with my very own eyes, then you’ll see Matthews—I am right, and you are wrong!”
Colin and Ethan paced around the prison cells, closing in on Rat and I. I hushed him, but he kept on mumbling about his dream—about Shadow. Rats is going to have me killed! I begged Rat to stop, I assured him he is right, to shut up, and apologize. Rat only laughed.
Now it’s too late, Colin and Ethan are standing in front of our cell, their eyes gleaming at us.
“Speaking is prohibited-“
“John 3:17!” interrupted Rat. “‘For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” You really believe the Lord will forgive you for the things you do to us? You’re nothing but pawns to a false preacher!”
“Guards!” rang Ethan. “We have a blasphemer!”
Colin smiled at Rat, our lost prisoner entertained him. Soon a dozen guards entered and helped secure the area as Colin opened the cell—our cell. I watched in horror as the skeleton key went in, and clanked open. The first one to pull out Rat was Colin, he punched Rat in the gut, and dragging him out. Ethan, and another guard yanked me by my neck as if I was a dead rabbit. I cried, yelled, and scraped my nails against the wall. I cursed every fowl word at Rat, but Rat looked at me with bliss.
For once he is no longer afraid, he’s actually content with dying. As long as he gets to see Shadow, he is ready to die. One of the guards kicked my jaw, and ordered me to shut up. My mouth immediately shut tight, our cell mates watched us silently with sorry in their eyes. The feel for me more than our foolish Rat. Michael, who was shot twice, is no longer making a commotion, he silently watched us leave. I thought they would look at me with glee, I thought they were happy I had to go and die first, but they didn’t. It doesn’t appear that way, somehow I feel like Michael wants to go with us. All of them look eager to join us in death. Maybe they agree with Rat’s actions, and found his motive as genius. Shadow is the only person they believed in whole heartedly in, who wouldn’t want to see him?
I have hated Rat’s imaginary figure ever since he came to this place, and now I will see him for myself. Maybe I was wrong, maybe he does exist. Before we completely left the prison, the guards handcuffed my wrists. A heavy chain wrapped around my belly and arms, the chain connected to Rat who enjoyed his bondage. When they pushed us forward, my heart raced as the door I nicknamed your screwed, is about to screw me over. This is some sad irony, the nickname is no longer funny.
Rat, and I stumbled over the chain connecting us together, he hurried to catch up with the guards, almost tripping me. Our sloppy pace angered Colin who pulled out his gun out.
“You two better stay real quite. One little peep, and I shoot you both.” he grumbled.
For once, Colin’s words isn’t intimidate me. I’m overwhelmed with thoughts about Shadow. I imagined a 7ft body builder with the hands of a bear. Maybe his eyes are small, and piercing with no fear in them. Now I have to see this man, it looks like Rat is right after all. Our fate in the underground prison is inevitable, it will eventually lead to our death. At least now I can die with the thought that there is someone who mocked and hurt these bastards. Someone who gave everyone below, a hope to live a day longer. The hall outside is longer than I imagined. Every wall had a guard, ready to kill any escapees. There, I found another hall, the hall leading to the nutshell. I wanted to look into that direction, but they pushed us upstairs. The guard ahead opened doors that casted a powerful light, the sun. I couldn’t hold my smile in, I have long awaited the sensation of warm sun! The cherry on top is Shadow, he will be here soon.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Shadow is Exposed
“Let’s begin!”
The sun scorched my cold skin—a dust storm enveloped the area. A flock of dust nestled under my eyelids. Somehow my eyes are having trouble adapting to the natural light, I squinted, and tried to refocus. I’m right, we are in the hot desert of Arizona. But who cares where we’re at, I can smell the fresh air! I inhaled deeply, and coughed up the dust that entered my lungs. I wanted to breathe in more gallons of air but it’s difficult to do with Colin tugging us out like animals. Rat didn’t look interested in this place, but I peeled my eyes like a kid at a museum.
This place is a real community with real people who actually believe in the Abundant One’s bullshit. There are brick roads, the houses are made of cheap wood, and there’s even horses in carriages! Just the sight of us caught the community in an uproar. Their faces grew sour at our sight.
“What is this place?” I whispered under my breath.
Rat whispered back. He mentioned their fear of the modern world, the fear the Abundant One implanted on them.
Colin ordered us to shut up. Those close enough to smell us, hid their faces with their clothes. The entire community is dressed and fit to cast in a medieval movie. Even their faces are dirty, their eyes look dark,
worn.
The crowd doubled, at least 200 people led the way towards an ugly dirt path. They hauled us to the center of their town. Instead of a marbled figure of the Abundant One, they have a burning stake. Chills crawled up my sweaty spine, we passed the fire pit holding ashes of whomever burned in agony. The good news and that were not going to join that pile. We passed the center of the town and approached the next competition with being worst or the same as the burning stake. My stomach churned, and twisted inside. These bastards actually built one. The gallows.
I blinked twice to make sure we didn’t time-travel back into the ancient 1700’s. Colin pulled us up the bloody steps of the gallows. My feet smeared the jelly slime of oxidized blood. Rat almost slipped on the hot boiled pieces of torn tissue and erupted organs. The platform is wide, with a hang stand, and four torture tables. How ironic that I studied past cultures, and now I’m here reliving the age of witches and execution—ancient style. A dark burgundy shade smudged a trail on the wooden platform, possibly one of our inmates body dragged off the gallows.
Thick, oily, rotting blood dyed the entire floor. I can feel the jam underneath my toes, among them could be Timothy’s blood.
Colin pulled us near a torture table with sharp rusting tools. The odor of the rotting pieces of human flesh almost made me vomit on Rat’s back.
“Let’s just kill them now.” said Colin.
Ethan reminded Colin that he shouldn’t do anything without informing the Abundant One. He pushed us against the back wall of the gallows.
“We need to follow the rules. First the sinner, then we can decide how to execute these guys.”
“Why? What’s the difference!” snapped Colin.
“The Abundant One never wanted to execute anyone today. What do you think he’s going to say when he finds out we dragged these two out? Let’s do what he want’s first. I’ll be back, have the guards border the gallows in case they try to escape.”
While Ethan left, I persisted my curiosity of the area. This little peasant village is ridiculous. The ‘villagers’ look like Leonardo Da Vinci scraped them off his paintings. The women are in their long tattered dresses, with brown mud like bonnets covering their tangled hair. The men in grey slacks look no better. Their handmade straw hats ruined their intention to look like a nobleman. Apart from this gloomy place, something else caught my eye. Barbed wire is surrounding this entire community, it doesn’t look like it’s for protection, rather to keep everyone in.
After brooding, I checked up on Rat who sat on the floor, chained next to me. He appears to be enjoying this medieval freak show as much as I am. His face lit the dark bruise Colin gave him, I have never seen Rat this alive. Each sag in his face lifted to generate more smile wrinkles. Colin unexpectedly clapped his hands, and ran a bell that hung over the corner of the gallows. A crowd approached the gallows. The villagers grew to 300 count. They walked out of their homes in rags that matched the desert. From the look of their eyes, they look miserable of this place.
“Poor tainted souls.” whispered Rat “Forgive them Lord. Forgive them.”
“Are you serious Rat?” I said in disbelief. “Don’t you see the blood around you, what they do to us? They can’t even protect Michael, who was one of them! I’m sure no one made any complaints when Timothy got executed—maybe they enjoy this kind of stuff!”
One after another they began to whisper among themselves, the fear I saw in them suddenly turned into bitter looks. Colin heard Ethan call for him, rapidly, he observed us.
“You boys be good and stay put. Make one move, and our righteous community will split you apart. Now that I said it—I don’t really mind if you disobeyed.” he snickered.
He walked out of the stage and entered a church made of a black bricks. As the only thing erecting out of this village, it perfectly faced the burning stake, and gallows. My eyes followed the trail we took to the gallows, the path to our underground prison is pathetic. They must not take us seriously, the entrance is just an old shack leading downstairs.
The crowd shifted their eyes to each other. The air became tense between them, and us. Perhaps they’re telling each other how fowl we are. Just the expression on their face makes me feel like I have shit in my face—I probably do. A heavy set man in a tunic unfit for his belly snarled at Rat. He reached down on the ground and flung a rock at him. It hit his face, but the rock crumbled, it’s a dirt clod.
“You thought you could take our souls didn’t you Calvin? You devil worshiper!” The bubbly man coughed with congested phlegm.
Rat let his head bow like he was in prayer, and repeatedly whispered sorry. This community knows Rat.
“Devil worshiper!” said a woman in ashen hair.
She looks too old to have a newborn in her arms. For villagers who looked like bums, they have their noses too high to judge Rat. Trent continued to blare out hostile words. So far he’s the most aggressive in the crowd.
“Judgment will finally fall on you!” he said coughing up more phlegm.
These people are not miserable, they’re weak, fragile and sick. I don’t need to look closely to see the dark circles in their eyes. The abuses continued, but Rat kept silent, wiping his tears with his knees. He finally looked at the crowd and gripped his own heart with his shackled wrists.
“I’m sorry!” he cried. “I was unable to help you, may the God of Abraham expose your false preacher and have mercy on you!”
To them, it seems like Rat just cursed their mothers. The villagers gave from here, dozens joined the fat peasant at swung dirt clods. Some flew at me, but I dodged them by holding my fists to my face. We didn’t do much to get the crowd rowdy, shouting, and cursing. The ones who had lost their voice were the elders who kept empty glances.
Colin and Ethan finally left the church announcing the Abundant One’s presence. Colin looked at us with a childlike smile, with eyes of a volcanic sun. I suppose he got good news. We are going to be executed.
“The Abundant One has agreed to execute you both, after the ceremony is complete.” he finally said. “After all these years, this crazy pastor will finally be executed.”
“So it seems.” said Ethan, uninterested.
The thought of dying has become a dark sore on my heart. A part of me wants to go back to the cell, back to prison, back to Michael, Ryan and Terrance! At least I’ll be able to live another day—right?! The Arizona heat finally got to me, sticky sweat began to seep down my brow. I’m not ready to perish with a fanatic like Rat. Nor by the hands of an occult leader, and his corrupted people. The crowd instantly grew quiet, the Abundant One has arrived. He climbed up the bloody steps of the gallows, unbothered by blood staining his white robe. He passed us like we didn’t exist, and raised his hands towards the sky.
“The time we have long waited for has arrived.” the Abundant One called out. “I have seen it, my faithful followers, where a great power, and evil soul inhabits our holy land. You have seen it yourselves, how this evil monster captured the innocent to coat itself. You may all rest tonight, because today we will complete our ultimate cleanse!”
The crowd cheered and clapped. They beamed, and hugged each other like it was suddenly everyone’s birthdate. Rat and I could barely look out of the gallows. The impatience to see Shadow got to Rat, he scooted closer, but I moved him back by pulling the chain connecting our bonded hands. I warned him if he made any sound we will be dead. Rat pulled away from my grip.
“I thought you wanted to see Shadow.” I teased.
“I do, I do!” he whispered with ecstasy.
“Then don’t do anything that will stop us from seeing him”
“Bring out the Vermin!!” cried the Abundant One.
“Now’s your chance.” I smiled.
We can’t see anything, but we can hear the crowd react in union. There are gasps, crying, and hateful words screeched at Shadow. The thrill made us stretch our neck towards the old shack that imprisoned us. Rat swayed further to see, I followed the same example.
“He’s really real.” I whispered under my lips.
Rat’s reached for my shoulder and gripped them.
“I told you—I told you.” he whispered.
This excitement feels like the trips I spent in ancient lands, uncovering old relics. Blinking is now out of the question! I have to see him in order to believe in everything. I want to feel the relief that despite Shadows imprisonment, one of us can be free!
Even in my dark pessimist views towards him, I secretly wanted him to be real. My legs have started to shake with adrenaline, Rat and I simultaneously rose to our knees. The crowd is still blocking our view. We were in such a daze with seeing Shadow that we didn’t notice the blow Ethan put to our backs. He pushed us back to the wall, and threatened to shoot us right now. We obeyed. Shadow’s on his way to the Gallows anyway, we don’t have to go to him, he will come to us.
The Abundant One silenced the chanting crowd again, the whispers, and rustles faded. Only the wind whistled by, there’s no sound except the clanking shackles, and an iron ball rolling on the same gravel we walked on. Each step he took is awfully slow. Rat and I continued to stick our neck out like a turtle. The iron ball is growing closer, and closer. Two frozen faced guards came up the gallows and signaled Shadow to come up.
“This is it!” whispered Rat.
Any moment Shadow will try to escape once again. That is how Terrance, and Ryan perfectly described him, a man with a strong desire to be free. Maybe he will help us escape as well!
Instead of looking for Shadow, I couldn’t keep my gaze of Rat. He trembled excitedly, and smiled like he never has before, together, we share that same smile. His lips cracked, and bled as he saw Shadow come up the steps. Watching the priceless expression of Rat’s face is satisfying enough, but then he jerked back. His face fell, and his eye brows shrank. Rat’s reaction frighten me, so much that I looked at Shadow myself. I froze when I met him. How can I believe what I’m seeing!
The Birth (The Black Wing Book 1) Page 25