Prologue
I woke up to the sound of screaming. I am lying on my stomach as my back is still raw and bloody from the last whipping. But I don’t regret it.
Poor Nigel would have died if I hadn’t helped him. I tried to sit up and see which poor soul was being beaten to death for no more reason than to try to survive. My back was searing with pain, but I clenched my teeth and sat in a kneeling position.
“That fool tried to escape! He knew it meant death still he tried. What a moron!” A voice said behind me. I didn’t need to turn to see who it was. I recognized the voice. It was the old John. He is the oldest person here. He had been shoveling dirt in these mines since he was a little boy and trust me that was long ago. Age and Failing health had turned him bitter not that he was any nicer when he was younger, but I guess you have to do what you could to survive.
“Shut up old man. Don’t you have better things to do like dreaming about marrying the overlord.” I said back to him. The rest of the people in the large hall were starting to rise from the screaming.
The old man just laughed. The screaming stopped suddenly. Everyone started talking amongst each other, but no one dared to raise their voice above a whisper. A shape scooted closer to me. I focused my eyes to see who it was in the gloomy dark of the hall. It was Ken. My closest friend. And when you think about it my only friend. He is like a family to me. We were both orphans when we were sent here in these mines eight years ago. It didn’t take long for us to all but adopt each other. Because in this hell hole of a mine you need someone to watch your back, or you would be murdered without anyone batting an eye.
“How are you feeling?” He asked gently placing a hand over my shoulder taking care not to hurt me. I could see his features etched with concern. I smiled faintly and said, “Never better.” Ken just sighed and shook his head.
The huge wooden doors to the hall opened and the guards entered dragging a body between them. It was a man but was difficult to tell exactly who it was as his head was bowed down and he was covered in blood. The guards dumped him unceremoniously in middle of the room. Another guard entered the room dragging a woman with him by her arm. The woman was sobbing furiously and holding the torn shards of her dull dress over her body covering her modesty.
The guard violently pushed the woman in the room and said menacingly “If you vermin tried to resist us ever again, I will feed you to my dogs limb by limb.”
He glared at everyone in the room. Everyone quickly looked down. I am still glaring at the guard with murder in my eyes when Ken slipped his hand in mine and slowing shook his head, I Clenched my other fist hard until my knuckles turned white but bowed my head as well. I am feeling ashamed of myself, but Ken is right. There is nothing I could do right now other than starting a fight with the guards and getting myself killed but that doesn’t mean I have to feel good about it.
Finally satisfied that his domination has been established and the guard turned back to leave the room. On the way out he kicked the injured man in the stomach and left. The other guards followed close behind closing the doors behind them. For a long time, the only sound that could be heard was the silent sobs of the woman and the laboured breaths of the man.
The women quickly gathered around the woman to covered her with whatever spare cloth they could find. I got up and started towards the man as did the others to help him up. I am walking towards him leaning on Ken but gods it hurt to even move. When I reached the man, he was already turned over and I finally recognized him. He was Murphy. I started to ask him what happened but then realized that he was in no condition to answer. Others started to help him as best as they could with what little medical supplies they had. I turned towards the woman who was Murphy’s wife Daniela. She was still sobbing. Ken went to her and gently asked her, “Are you okay Daniela? Do you need anything?” He really is too pure for this shitty world.
“Stupid girl! Why in the hells name do you went outside when you know well enough that the guards will punish you?” Snarled the old John. And here comes the remark which I knew would come. I swear one of these days I am going to kill this old bastard just to have little peace of mind.
“Go to hell John. Can’t you see she is already scared.” said Marie. At sixty she is almost as old as the old John, but she is the most respected person here. She is like everyone’s mother.
Then gently she asked Daniela, “Are you okay child? What happened?”
“I was returning from my shift when one of the guards grabbed me and then he…...” Daniela started crying again. One of the little girls bought some water in a broken flask and offered it to her. She drank water between the sobs and continued “He forced himself on me. Suddenly Murphy came and pulled him away from me, but the rest of the guards were there, and they quickly restrained him. Then they held him there and raped me one by one before him. Then whipped him to punish him for disobeying them.” She started crying again. Marie folded her in her arms and tried to calm her down.
That’s it they have gone too far this time I will kill them all. I will give them the most horrible death anyone could ever imagine. I started towards the door, but Ken got hold of my hand and slowly shook his head. I couldn’t believe it. He wants me to stay quite even after this. I snatched my hand and turned on him. “You still want to kneel to them and do nothing while they treat us worse than animals.” I screamed.
Everyone paused what they were doing and stared at the doors and me fearfully by turn. Old John laughed and shook his head. Everyone is silent, I could hear Murphy’s laboured breathing. But only he is looking at me like I’m not mad.
It was Marie who break the silence by fearfully whispering “Talk slowly Regulus or else they will return.” I can’t believe my ears. After everything that happened with Daniela and Murphy, she is still afraid of the guards rather than being raging against them.
I looked at her slowly and said “You’ve seen what they did with Daniela. How long do we suffer this treatment, Marie. They beat us, rape us, torture us, make us work until we drop dead, and we take it all in without saying anything.”
I looked at Ken then and said, “We need to do something, anything.”
“What good it will do Reggie. They will beat us at best or kill us all if they are in the bad mood. You tried to help Nigel yesterday look what they did to you. It was your luck they didn’t killed you.” Replied Ken.
“Nigel is a 10-year-old kid Ken he should be playing with the kids his age not slaving in this mine. And they were whipping him for stumbling over a rock. FOR FUCKING STUMBLING! Someone had to help him or else those bastards would have killed him just like they killed those girls last year or have you forgotten about it all.”
Ken flinched. He remembers all too well how those little girls were brutally murdered by the guards.
“It’s our life now Regulus there’s nothing we could about it other than suffer it quietly” Daniela said while rubbing her eyes. She stood up and limped towards Murphy and started tending his wounds.
I am frustrated. I want to hit something or rather someone. I can’t stand to stay in this room any longer. So, I walked towards the door and walked out of the room. The room isn’t locked. Unlike some unfortunate people we could walk out of the room at night not that anyone would wander out at night. Everyone is so exhausted by the days hard labour that all they could do after the shift ends is to collapse anyplace, they could lie down.
After exiting the hall, I arrived at the corridor. It was a long corridor containing doors to the other sleeping areas. I don’t know where I am going.
I arrive at the courtyard. It is the small opening between the buildings only large enough to show the glimpse of the moon hanging above. I need to go out of here to someplace alone or I will go crazy. I walk towards the staircase that would take me to the grounds where the herbs are grown. I walk down the staircase taking care to avoid the guards. Finally, I reach the garden its empty as I thought it would be. I walk up to the big oak in the corner and started to climb it. Its hard to climb but I have climbed it thousands of times, before with Ken and now I could climb it inn my sleep. I reach to a big wide branch horizontal to the ground at about 20 feet in height. I reach over the branch and sit down. It is safe up here there is no one who could see me here as I am hidden from all sides by thick branches and leaves. The night sky is visible, and I could see the stars shining in the sky.
I have always been fascinated by the night sky. I don’t know why but it has always attracted me. Whenever I stare at the night sky, I feel all my worries and problems slipping away. Your problems start to feel insignificant when compared to the big sky. YOU start to feel insignificant when compared to the sky. The world is so big, and I am nothing but a simple man struggling to survive. The world won’t stop if I drop down dead now. No one would care. Yes, few might mourn me for some days but eventually they will move on.
The sweet scent of the herbs is carried to me by the gentle breeze. I have always liked to come here and just sit whenever I am feeling low. I have calmed down enough to think.
I might have reacted strongly, but it was justified wasn’t it. Why should these monsters be allowed to hurt us so much. Why are we slaves? What sin have we probably done to warrant this punishment? Not that I am a religious person.
The answer is simple we lost. We lost a war against our mortal enemies and now they are ruling us making our lives living hell. But it was not us who fought the war then why are we being punished for war that our king started.
The rest of the people have given up on their freedom but not me. I would not kneel and suffer slow and painful death. I can’t bear the thought that these invaders invade our home, ruin our families, make slaves of our people, rape our women, kill our children and we should be grateful of their mercy that they have not killed us like the animals we are. NEVER!
These people have lost all the hope, but I have not. I have suffered enough I won’t take it anymore. I will make them for the suffering they have caused us. And if I die I will at take down as many of them as I could. This is what my parents would want me to do, or I think they would think so as I have never known them. I always wonder what they were like. As far as I know I have always been an orphan.
My earliest memory is of an orphanage when I was around 5 years of age. At that time the war was going on for around 11 years and it would continue for another 2 years. I remember the warden of the orphanage a kind old lady who used to say that the people who die don’t leave us but rather they get turned to the stars and they watch us from above.
Whenever I want to talk to my parents, I just talk to the stars and pretend that they are there listening to me. So, that’s what I do now.
