Reverse (mxm)

Nonsense

Another day began at dawn after a fitful night of sleep. The birds were even more restless atop his cage, and Abel couldn't blame them. He felt sluggish and tired, even though he had to have slept for at least a few hours before the sun woke him. He licked his lips to try to hydrate them, but there was no saliva left in his mouth. One vulture above him squawked, making Abel glance up and roll his eyes.

"Sorry, buddy, you still have at least a few more days, though this sun is getting to me."

The bird turned its head and loosed a large amount of droppings down onto his hair.

"Thank you for sharing," Abel grumbled, shaking his head to try to dislodge some of the disgusting feces from his hair before it dried.

Hearing something behind him, back by the jail, he turned and noticed the magistrate sauntering about with a bucket. Each time he passed an outdoor cage he tossed a handful of whatever was in the bucket on the ground inside of it. When Abel narrowed his eyes and noticed that the men were scrambling for the stuff and shoving it into their mouths, he assumed that it must be food.

More like slop.

Hunger deserted him as he looked at the mush. When the magistrate finished with the two rows of cages, he turned and looked up at him. Abel held his gaze as his cage swayed in the breeze slowly. When the magistrate set his bucket by the door to the jail and headed down the pier toward him, Abel shifted uneasily in his cage.

What does he want with me now?

When he walked right past him over to another lever system and began lowering a different cage, Abel understood. The remains of clothing and pecked bones were inside. Once the cage set down on the pier, the magistrate unlocked it and began tossing the bones into the water below. He took the shirt and braise, tossing them over his back before straightening with a grunt and looking up.

"Yer a quiet one, ain't ya?"

Blinking, Abel shrugged. There was nothing to say.

"Do ye feel guilty 'bout what ye did?"

How was he supposed to answer that? Was he feeling guilty for not killing his female self? Instead of answering, he just continued to stare. When the man got no answer, he shook his head and turned to go back, retrieving his bucket before walking inside of the jail.

The day passed without another sight of the man. The birds were flighty and a bit more frustrating than the day before, but Abel managed to keep them at bay with a few well-placed punches. By sunset, however, the top of his head was whiter from droppings than anything else. The jail had quieted about an hour prior, and Abel was wishing that he could rest as well. His energy was gone from fighting the heat and birds for two days straight. It made him tired, but also on edge.

A few more days. I am already not feeling thirsty anymore and my stomach barely growled today.

He knew the signs of dehydration and starvation. Had heard of them plenty of times from people on the streets, having asked out of curiosity when he was younger. Each time he could, he would offer food to the hungry, but most times, his father stalked him too closely to let him 'feed the rabble.' Shaking his head, he grinned as he thought about himself at that moment. He was a rabble. Starving to death just like the people in the streets.

When darkness fell, he moved onto his side and tried to rest his head on a folded arm to keep his cheek from the feces on the bottom of the cage. He had somehow managed to keep the bird droppings from most of his face, only having gotten a small amount on his right brow when he hadn't ducked his head fast enough. He slid in and out of a doze, usually awoken by a bird tugging at his hair or a peck to a finger when it slipped too close to the edge of the cage. A sudden jarring movement shocked him out of his slumber at one point. Abel rasped out a near-mute scream and looked around, confused. At first he suspected that a large bird had just landed awkwardly, making his cage sway and the chain grind. But there was no bird. Not a single one remained above him, though he could see several gulls fleeing from his cage, startled.