Cassidy
Resounding like hungry birds' screams, disputing a prey among themselves, soldiers' jeering shrieks, over the whip's biting sound, outraged me. At the idea of Kim, defenceless, getting flayed by so-called justice's beaters, compassion submerged me, as I came to a dreadful conclusion.
If anyone from Newman High listened to his malaise, Ulk Tazer's vultures would not be torturing him. His restless search for answers would not have forced him into fighting for a greater cause that he blindly embraced. In his quest for a reason to love, he ran into the government's wall, by taking the law into his own hands, seeking to unravel the truth about his missing mother.
"Will you make the right decision?" a shifty mouth beside me asked.
Harbouring a devilish grin, Koji Sullivan stood by my side. His insisting glare made my skin crawl, realising he could get rid of me at point blank if he so desired. Under my tee-shirt, my heart pounded wildly, terrorised.
Devilishly, he grinned of satisfaction to have aroused in me the fear of losing my dearest one in a blink. "What will you decide?" he wondered aloud.
"I... I'll..." I stammered weakly.
"Will you let him meet his death" - he leaned over me to get closer to my face, violating intently my personal space – "or will you save him?"
Shame of betrayal clasped me, self-loathing, faced with an impossible dilemma between reason and compassion. Altogether, I was a seasoned leader with great responsibilities bestowed upon me and Kim's faithful friend, self-asserted protector, which tested my leadership's legitimacy.
Unable to bear watching his retribution, it killed me to behold the sight of his flesh being crushed, like mashed potatoes. Culpability rubbed salt in my wounds whenever he smothered a cry of pain.
Humbled, I measured the full extent of his devotion to duty. Looked down at my feet, feeling unworthy of the gift of living, whereas he was going through that much pain in my stead. If I were braver, more dedicated to the continuation of SLACK, with or without me, I would, and I should have been the one in that deathly chamber. Heartbroken, I ached to rescue Kim, when Commander Sullivan ordained, "Fall out!"
***
Newman's picked scapegoat was a loner with boyish traits who never talked to anyone. An extreme distress oozed from him. He blended in the background, apart from his tied back dip-dyed hair with ultramarine lowlights. His eyes, lightless, emulated the obscurity of the deepest seas. Rumour had it that he had always been a loner since middle school. During recess, alone, he took refuge in himself, often sitting on the main hall's outside stairs. Today, he was desperately looking for something.
Beside me, Jefferson laughed lightly, "Look! A weirdo has randomly appeared!"
"If I were you, I'd not give a shit, Jeff," Eliane cackled.
"All right, let's decamp sweeties!" Jefferson proclaimed.
"Cassie! When you're done staring, mind to join us?" Alisha nagged me.
I half-heartedly acquiesced, "Wait up, I'm coming!"
"Don't bother! Thickie's not willing to blend in, after all," Eliane mumbled, gauging the poor one with disgust. "That jackass' not worth your time..."
As I looked at his curved back, wondering if I should or should not go up to him, Jefferson grabbed firmly onto my forearm, glaring at Newman's black sheep.
"You better stay away from that guy who's a problem magnet!" he warned me too.
"Who knows!" I interjected, shrugging, as I picked up my bag from the ground.
YOU ARE READING
When the birds stopped chirping
Science FictionA promised land meant to self-destruction in a glimpse, a brainwashed society led by a corrupted government: this is what, thirty years after the Exodus, Heavensgate has become in the eyes of its citizens. They long wished to obtain prosperity after...
