Trouble's Always Watching Volume 1: Volume 1 (The Trouble Series)

by Courtney Smith

  “I figured that out for myself, but what makes you say that?” asked the inquisitive young man.

  “He was the person who put you in my cage,” informed the tiger. The juvenile clenched his fists until a trail of blood fell from them with crimson eyes. I see its time for me and Mr. Hutchins to have another chat!

  “I never thought I’d be in a position where I’d trust a tiger more than I did another human.”

  “I never thought I would ever be having a conversation with my food.”

  Trouble gave the animal a sideways, leery glance.

  “Nobody wants you! You still stink!”

  “You do not smell like sunshine and roses, either.”

  “I am locked in a cage with my feces nearly twenty-four hours a day. What’s your excuse?”

  “I am still not certain how I could have been so tired: I am usually a very light sleeper.”

  “I do not believe anyone or anything naturally slept as hard as you did, yesterday. I am surprised you had a pulse.”

  “If Hutchins put me in your cage, I don’t think he intended for me to have one.”

  “I am not trying to sound condescending, but you may just want to watch what you eat and who you accept items from. Did your friend with the red hair offer you anything to eat or drink, yesterday?” The boy jerked his head and clenched his teeth until enamel shards flew from his mouth. Trouble slowly returned his gaze to the feline with furrowed his eyebrows.

  “Yes. The same man with the red hair had given me some bottled water, but I saw him drink a bottle as well which is why I was not suspicious, then.”

  “He could have placed something in your drink and left his untouched,” suggested the observant tiger. The adolescent just slowly shook his head. I really need to hit something! I could break this cage and rip it open, but that would not help Mr. Scottsdale!

  “You may want to think twice about what you accept from him if anything at all.”

  Several footsteps were heard running into the area as Trouble opened his mouth. The light suddenly flashed on with a crowd of uniformed men with rifles and pistols running into the space. Mr. Scottsdale rushed ahead of the crowd, ran up to the cage with two men and shouted.

  “Quick! Unlock the door, and get the boy out!”

  “I don’t see why the boy decided to wander into the tiger’s cage and close the door,” lied Hutchins. The juvenile gave Hutchins a glance with squinted eyes and furrowed eyebrows. He rose to his feet and walked toward the crowd waiting outside of the door.

  “Young man, I do not know what possessed you to wander into a dangerous animal’s cage. Although that particular animal is pretty tame, you could have wandered into the cage of an animal that is not nearly as nice! You need to be careful! If another incident like this happens one more time, I will have to ask you to leave!” reprimanded Mr. Scottsdale. The young man frowned at Hutchins, turned around, and acknowledged Mr. Scottsdale by nodding his head, quietly.

  He walked through the door, past the crowd, and returned to his spot where his blanket was placed. He slowly lowered his body to a reclined position and glanced up at the moon. I come to a circus by train, pacify a raging elephant, anger a vindictive man with issues, wake up next to a friendly tiger of all things, and develop a reputation for being a reckless, irresponsible fool. Well, at least I am avoiding the rocks, lynchings, and racist sharecroppers.

  The teenager slowly and cautiously closed his eyes before seeing someone approaching him. Please! Not now! Oh...It is not Hutchins! Thank God. I will become a priest in exchange for not seeing him, again! Trouble immediately recognized the English man who opened up his establishment to him and respectfully rose upon seeing him. Mr. Scottsdale approached him and calmly spoke:

  “Listen, Trouble, I am not sure that it is a good idea to have you with us working close to the animals. I am going to put you in another area to make sure no accidents or incidents like the one we had earlier occurs, again. I do not need any bad publicity associated with the show or any nosy policemen looking for a reason to close my business or arrest me. Anyway, I am going to give you a very safe job.” The young man curtly and respectfully nodded in understanding.

  A softly lit, yellow tint housed a muscular man with silver hair and spectacles, who reclined in his hammock. He nearly fell out of his hammock with each passing thought and furrowed, facial expression. The boy works very hard, and he seems to have a lot of sense. I would have never thought that he would be stupid or crazy enough to wander into the cage of a potentially dangerous animal. Looks truly are deceiving. I'll worry about this in the morning! The man threw a book he was reading onto the ground before his eyelids yielded to fatigue.

  He snatched his spectacles from his face before remembering he needed to handle them gently as he set them upon a sack filled with clothes. Scottsdale slowly closed his eyes and allowed his mind to drift into unconsciousness. His eyes suddenly opened because of a mild sensation he felt upon his arm. Blurred vision barely made out a shape of a person standing over him. He proceeded to rise and rebuke the uninvited guest as he reached for his glasses.

  Scottsdale snatched his lenses from the sack and shoved them upon his face to see the intruder. He saw full, ruby-red lips contrasting with two, azure eyes staring enticingly in his direction. They glared enticingly beneath blonde tufts of hair reflecting the soft, amber light of the enclosure. She had a small, white blouse revealing the cleavage of her full, rhythmically rising and falling bust.

  The man swung his feet to the side of his hammock and slammed them into the ground. Fury and vigilance fueled each step until he rose one inch from her face. She walked along the side of his hammock and eased her fingertips along the side of his muscular arm. Mr. Scottsdale's legs buckled, and he collapsed into the hammock. The stranger sauntered into his space and slowly eased her smooth, shapely vanilla leg across his lap until she was sitting on top of his pelvis. Mr. Scottsdale immediately grasped the gorgeous intruder by her slender waist.

  He leaned toward her as he attempted to taste the full, sumptuous lips of his recently welcomed visitor. She gently yet suggestively pressed her lips against his. The English man’s blood rushed throughout his lower body. The hairs along his arm stood up. She intently focused upon the stranger, stimulating excitement in his body.

  Oh! Wow! It has been so long since I had this! I need... He felt his breath being drawn out of his body, but the pleasure he received from the thought of becoming more familiar with her completely destroyed his judgment and concern for his health. The English man fought to draw air through his closing windpipe, but he lost consciousness before he succeeded. He fell backwards out of the hammock onto the floor. The head trainer’s eyes were open without any type of movement, but his body was completely still.

  Thick, black smoke formed around the woman with a very alluring yet wicked smile upon her face. The plumes became very thick, and the room was filled with it for thirty seconds until it faded away. The smoke cleared as though no one had ever entered except the stiff entrepreneur.

  The moon's ambient glow illuminated the sleeping teenager beneath the stars. A fierce growl ripped Trouble out of his sleep. He stood upon his feet before his eyes opened in half a second. The bewildered teenager saw some objects with stripes moving into the shadows. Fierce roars and growling broke the silence of the still night. I truly hope that is not what I think it is! I am not in the mood for this!!

  The thickening air settled around his bristled arms' hair. He slowly turned around to see the amber eyes of a large, powerful, and striped tiger within a foot. Vertical pupils stared hungrily at him. The curious wanderer saw the ivory claws protruding from its powerful paws. The juvenile walked backward slowly as the unwelcome visitor approached him with each move. The creature leapt into the air in an attempt to pounce upon him, but the tiger landed on the spot where his target was only to feel stiff, warm clay.

  The agile prey performed numerous summersaults, backhand springs, and nimble movements to avoid the bea
st. The jungle cat crouched with its eyes focused upon his quarry. Its powerful jaws were clenched tightly, clear fluid fell from its mouth, and a tongue licked black lips indicating its desire for its potential meal.

  Trouble carefully watched the salivating mouth of his predator. Flashes inundated his throbbing mind, courtesy of his telepathic ability. The beast’s stomach felt like an abyss absorbing itself with the blood of its quarry being the only way to neutralize it. This thing won't stop until either he is dead, or I am churning in his stomach one piece at a time! If I go to the tree; it might follow me, but the branches will not sustain its weight. The uncanny rival leapt onto the top of a nearby tree; however, the creature followed him into the tree with the same demonstration of its own agility.

  So much for that idea; I obviously need a new approach. The apex predator leapt unto a few branches above its prey. Its vertical slits focused upon Trouble as if he were part of its eyes, and a single leap could guarantee an accurate pounce upon him, knock him off of the branch unto the ground, and use him to soften his landing, and have dinner at the same time. Trouble’s vision suddenly became hazy before his awareness slipped away from him.

  * * *

  Images of chains burning his ankles, lions tearing into his chest, dogs ripping into his legs permeated his thoughts. Shadowy forms slithered along the ground before holding his legs and arms into place as a he was being pulled into a flaming lake. Flames constantly jumped with many of the animals’ teeth severing bone, muscle, and sinew with each motion.

  * * *

  Many microscopic blood vessels burst inside of his eyes giving them a crimson hue. His muscles tensed with rolling sweat pouring down them. His brows furrowed, bloody streaks rolled from his clenched fists, and a thin, crimson light covered his body. The tiger winced slightly as it looked at its quarry.

  The predator sniffed the air to notice his game's scent had changed. The feline hunter noticed his quarry was still and posed as though it were ready to lunge toward it. The jungle cat instinctively turned in the opposite direction and ran. The beast suddenly arched its back upon seeing his quarry on the branch without noticing his movement. The tiger began to walk backward in an attempt to feel another method of escape.

  The young man had his feet planted, and the tiger instinctively knew he either had to kill the deadly, teenage threat before him or become his victim. The tiger salivated upon smelling the carotid artery pulsating mildly salty blood before leaping. It was suddenly over before the hunter realized it. He immediately saw a similar fluid on his claws and abdomen. Something was definitely wrong: this happened much too quickly.

  He landed on the part of the branch the young man stood upon, previously. However, the appetizer disappeared, again. Agony covered his whole body like a blanket, and his skin felt like it should be screaming. It suddenly realized this was the last moment he would ever experience anything. The tiger fell out of the tree and panted heavily with its chest moving up and down in rapid successions before landing.

  The pain intensified as his breathing rapidly increased. His vision showed his former prey standing over him with a glint of its own eyes reflected in his killer's sword before the final stroke. The blade moved too quickly to see, but he knew that darkness would soon follow. Trouble stood over the dead animal before darkness escorted it to permanent rest.

  I do not know how these animals escaped, but I am going hunting! He headed for Mr. Scottsdale's tent before hearing feral moans and grunts. Trouble's eyes toggled back and forth throughout the facility for signs of staff. He paused near a tent’s opening when he heard several feral growls. The scent of death permeated the air as he crept into the enclosure.

  Several lions leapt toward one another with their paws swinging, rapidly. The cats turned their heads in Trouble's direction and licked their lips, simultaneously. Some slowly crouched in the adolescent's direction while others charged him.

  Trouble tightened his grip upon the sword, squatted with the instrument poised, and lunged towards the cats. Some leapt as others stalked him from his sides to quickly surround him. They all leapt in his direction, but their paws were filled with soil instead of flesh upon landing. A few crimson flashes reflected in their eyes before feeling sharp pains in their heads and necks. Their last image of life was the adolescent walking away with their blood dripping from his blade before falling.

  The teenager walked slowly with his eyes peeled, blade poised to strike anything, and contracted calves to lunge or dodge, quickly. Every scurrying roach, cat, dog made his mouth drool as he tasted vengeance. He walked over to the area the tigers and lions surrounded earlier to see a completely disemboweled member of the circus staff laying on the ground. The young, supernatural hunter treaded lightly upon seeing another tiger through the side of his eye.

  Trouble raised his blade to separate the animal’s soul from its body. He suddenly heard a familiar voice filling his head.

  “I was hoping you would get around to killing me. I have been waiting a long time to have someone put me out of my misery." He dropped the blade as his eyes opened, widely. This was the same tiger that had befriended him earlier and spared his life while he was unconscious in the cage with him. The juvenile’s eyes returned to its original color, his muscles relaxed, and his fingers trembled. This tiger could have torn me up without a second thought! I cannot kill him!

  Tears fell from Trouble's eyes with trembling hands. I cannot kill this animal; this is the only being that showed me kindness recently besides Mr. Scottsdale, and it could have easily killed me when Hutchins placed me in its cage! I cannot do it! “What did you do that for? I saw how quickly you dispatched the other tigers! How come you can’t extend the same privilege to me? Is there a waiting list I forgot to sign?! You are willing to shove the blade into every other creature like me, and yet you are too much of a coward to drive it into me! Do you really want me to suffer?! Do you hate me so much that you would have me subjected to a life of serving people who killed my family and, practically, my very existence?!”

  Trouble shakily reached down, grasped the blade's hilt, ran toward the animal, brandished his weapon, but he stopped the blade's edge within a hair of the feline's nose: the creature did not budge, flinch, or even tremble one inch. This tiger really wants to die! I sympathize with him enough to put him out of his misery, but he does not deserve to die, especially not this way. He did nothing wrong! I cannot deal with the injustice!

  It raised its head and began to communicate with Trouble, telepathically.

  “I know you have an idea of what I am experiencing. I do not have anything to live for. Most of the members of my immediate family are dead. I have already told you about what happened to my mother. I do not know how many of my brothers and sisters are still alive to track. I would not even begin to know how to locate my own cubs if they are even still alive.

  It has been so long since I have seen them; I probably would not recognize them if I saw any of them unless they have the same scent they did as cubs. I have nothing to look forward to. My home is on the other side of the world! You act like some of the other humans who hunt us for sport and kill us! I thought you were different, but you are just as evil as the hunters who killed my life in India!”

  “Those tigers and lions attacked me!”

  “Maybe the first one did, but I saw the satisfaction you obtained from stripping him of his life, and you went in the area where the others were. If you were truly concerned about saving your life, you could have easily avoided them as opposed to searching for them. I believe you would have simply left as opposed to staying, fighting, and killing if it were truly self-defense.”

  “It is not the same.”

  “You do not have to explain; I can also see into your mind just as you can communicate with me. First of all, those lions and tigers you have just killed were not the same demons taking on the forms of lions and tigers you faced in Hell. Secondly, your drive to kill them nearly pushes you on the brink of insanity every time you do. F
inally, you are taking revenge against a group of creatures that were not responsible for your suffering, so it seems your indignation is grossly misplaced!”

  Trouble paused as the animal's words lingered in his mind. He is absolutely right! The animals have rights, and they did not kill my parents or torment me in Hell! Images of his slain mother and father dangling from a tree flashed throughout his mind. He had gone from victim to avenger and, finally, oppressor with the same hands he used to pray for God’s forgiveness and mercy. The last member of the La Salle Family realized he had become what he had despised the most: a senseless killer.

  I know people do not value their lives or those of animals these days, but life is still life. I guess this means eating raccoons, alligators, and snapping turtles is out of the question I am not trying to live off of bushes and leaves for the rest of my life! I could not tell what to eat and leave alone if I decided to pursue that regimen. The contemplative warrior was interrupted by the tiger’s thoughts as his own were flowing throughout his mind.

  “I was referring to needless killing. I cannot fault you for killing animals to sustain your life since I have never eaten anything that does not deprive another living creature of its life with the exception of a certain fruit for roughage. I do not recall seeing tigers that have eaten plants or their products with the rare exception of what I just told you. I am saying you kill, unnecessarily. It is one thing to kill in order to eat or defend yourself, but it is another to kill something for sport or hatred.”

  “I was wondering how come you were the only tiger that was able to communicate with me. I was able to detect the thoughts and feelings of the very first tiger that I have killed tonight, but there was not any kind of talking between us. Maybe, you can help me with that.”

  “What makes you think I know what was on his mind? Do you know what is on the mind of every man, woman, boy, or girl you encounter? Maybe you should have asked him before you dropped your sword into his head like an anchor. He may have wanted to eat you because of your size and what he may have thought was easy prey before he learned, otherwise. I cannot read his mind nor do I have a desire to.”