Bat Family Times

~Bittersweet~

They ripped at his clothes, yanked his hair, and hit and bruised him til he thought it was the end. All to be seen was darkness with the feeling of being broken.

~

Jason gasped, eyes wide trying to get rid of the events that had taken place in his nightmare. Slumping back into the ground, he looked into the sky. 

He often dreamed, as it was all the freedom he was granted. But there was the price of lost hope in dream, one that he paid almost every night. The only thing of value he ever had was his family. But they had been taken from him in the worst way possible.

~

Jason biked his way to the court house and sat with the other students in his class, until the next court session was in order. Just recently he had been allowed to watch the court hearings and executions. Each day, the class was brought into a classroom that saw into the courtroom and had to take notes on the crimes that were committed. He lived in the police district, so he learned what people should be arrested for such as vandalism, stealing, and keeping secrets from the government.

As they walked to the room, Jason had a bad feeling fill his stomach. Dismissing it as nervousness, he sat in his normal seat in the very front. The teacher walked at the head of the room and clapped her hands together to gather the small children's' attention.

"Alright class, today we have a special surprise!" she said plastering on a fake smile to accommodate her fake cheeriness. "Today we will watch two court hearings and executions. Make sure to record notes for each." She took a seat at the small desk in the back as the two defendants walked in and had a seat.

Jason watched the defendants closely as they held hands. They must be married, he thought.

"Order in the court! Calling the case of the people of the Morð (the name of the society) versus Sheila and Willis. Are both sides ready?"

Both the troubled couple and the rest of the court nodded. Jason was rooted to his seat, his pencil sliding out of his hand. Those people, they were his parents! Questions filled his head instantly as his eyes frantically watched the room below him.

A man stood up, saying, "Your Honor, ladies, and gentlemen of the jury: the defendants have been charged with the crime of withholding information and supplies from the government. The defendants had been suspicious and a house search was done. They were arrested on discovery of stolen goods from the government. The defendants are guilty as charged." He finished, glancing at the couple before sitting down and waiting for the reaction of the judge.

The judge looked over the notes and hit the gravel twice. "I find the defendants guilty and are sentenced to death." There was a moment of silence, both in the court and the classroom. The judge continued saying, "Court is adjourned."

The judge turned to another figure in the room. He spoke with a monotone saying, "Find their child and have them brought in." The room emptied quickly and the class turned to the other window to watch the execution.

He watched as his family was put down onto the platform and felt numb. The slice of the metal sounded and he watched the life leave his parents eyes. His family was taken from him in less than a minute, and for what? He hadn't even known his parents had been doing this. Why would they, knowing the consequences and what they would leave behind in their wake, do this?

He sat in silence until class was dismissed, afraid of what could happen to him if it was discovered those were his parents. He ran out of the building and kept running til his legs collapsed beneath him. Hugging his knees to his chest, he cried. He cried for what felt like hours and nobody noticed his absence.