A dream I had
Aug. 14th, 2019 01:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
feotakahariThere's five of them, standing by the old tree on the hill, getting ready to hang the stranger.
Ricardo's slinging the rope over the branch. During the war, the Council trained him to assassinate enemy VIPs. When he gets drunk, sometimes his lips get a little too loose, and he admits to me that he's tired of shedding blood. But the Council paid well for his son's schooling, with the implicit threat that they have full control over whatever happens to the boy. So whenever some stranger is suspected of smuggling banned texts or passing unwanted messages, Ricardo's the one they go to first, to tell him to round up a posse.
Nicole's holding the stranger still, along with two men I don't know that well. She's a big bear of a girl, but tender-hearted. Not the type you'd normally see doing this. But she's a true believer in the Council, and no matter who they told her to kill, I doubt she'd ever say no.
Little Nate's just standing back, eyes wide and legs twitching like he half-plans to make a run for it. It's his first time killing someone, so they won't have him doing much. They just want to toughen him up a bit. Maybe next time he'll hold the stranger. Maybe not. The boy's got a lot of growing to do before he can hold anyone who won't escape.
No one bothered to tell me about the hanging. They think I'm weak, and frankly, they're right. I could never beat Ricardo or Nicole in a test of strength. But I have something they don't: an illegal sword, hidden from before the war.
Ricardo steps forward first. Probably thinks he has the best chance of disarming me. Maybe a true hero could take him down without hurting him, but I barely even know how to swing this thing. The best I can do is go straight for his chest. With a spray of blood, he drops and doesn't rise again.
I don't know if this is right, killing people I love for the sake of someone I don't even know. The Council will probably catch him soon enough, so all I'm doing is adding more bodies to the pile. But there's no time to think about it. Bring down Nicole next, then the other two men. Move quickly, before they can calm down enough to plan. Then cut the rope. For the moment, the stranger's safe.
Nate looks like he's halfway to pissing his pants. If I don't kill him, that means he'll tell the Council all about me and my sword. But there's enough blood on the ground today. When he runs, I don't follow.
I fall to my knees and try not to vomit. Hanging's an ugly death, but at least it doesn't smell like this.
"I hope you know a hiding place," I tell the stranger, "because I have no plan for what to do next."
"There's . . . there's a cave," he says cautiously. "No one else knows about it. It'll be safe for now."
He leads the way. Whatever he was before, he's definitely a rebel now. I guess I am too.
Ricardo's slinging the rope over the branch. During the war, the Council trained him to assassinate enemy VIPs. When he gets drunk, sometimes his lips get a little too loose, and he admits to me that he's tired of shedding blood. But the Council paid well for his son's schooling, with the implicit threat that they have full control over whatever happens to the boy. So whenever some stranger is suspected of smuggling banned texts or passing unwanted messages, Ricardo's the one they go to first, to tell him to round up a posse.
Nicole's holding the stranger still, along with two men I don't know that well. She's a big bear of a girl, but tender-hearted. Not the type you'd normally see doing this. But she's a true believer in the Council, and no matter who they told her to kill, I doubt she'd ever say no.
Little Nate's just standing back, eyes wide and legs twitching like he half-plans to make a run for it. It's his first time killing someone, so they won't have him doing much. They just want to toughen him up a bit. Maybe next time he'll hold the stranger. Maybe not. The boy's got a lot of growing to do before he can hold anyone who won't escape.
No one bothered to tell me about the hanging. They think I'm weak, and frankly, they're right. I could never beat Ricardo or Nicole in a test of strength. But I have something they don't: an illegal sword, hidden from before the war.
Ricardo steps forward first. Probably thinks he has the best chance of disarming me. Maybe a true hero could take him down without hurting him, but I barely even know how to swing this thing. The best I can do is go straight for his chest. With a spray of blood, he drops and doesn't rise again.
I don't know if this is right, killing people I love for the sake of someone I don't even know. The Council will probably catch him soon enough, so all I'm doing is adding more bodies to the pile. But there's no time to think about it. Bring down Nicole next, then the other two men. Move quickly, before they can calm down enough to plan. Then cut the rope. For the moment, the stranger's safe.
Nate looks like he's halfway to pissing his pants. If I don't kill him, that means he'll tell the Council all about me and my sword. But there's enough blood on the ground today. When he runs, I don't follow.
I fall to my knees and try not to vomit. Hanging's an ugly death, but at least it doesn't smell like this.
"I hope you know a hiding place," I tell the stranger, "because I have no plan for what to do next."
"There's . . . there's a cave," he says cautiously. "No one else knows about it. It'll be safe for now."
He leads the way. Whatever he was before, he's definitely a rebel now. I guess I am too.
