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The Thirst
publish date:
2020-08-21 09:27:55Year of the Lilies
Torrid Season
Unknown Place
Unknown Place
•Mavli•
AS THE DAY PROGRESSES, the heat of the Torrid Season becomes more apparent. And the stench of our unwashed bodies becomes more unbearable. My nose burns and itches at the smell. What have we done to deserve this?
The naked girl in the cage beside mine is still eating rigidly and staring at nothing ahead. Her slender fingers grab the bars of the wooden cage tightly. I wonder how she manages to sit with perfect posture when we are in so much pain.
Swarm of flies buzz enthusiastically around us and a generous number of them hover around the scarred boy's face. He doesn't make any move to chase them away but sits perfectly still, almost unnaturally.
Sweat runs down my face and body and my underarms are damp and clammy. My throat is parched and there is no saliva in my mouth. The heat becomes unbearable, too much to take. I glance at the naked girl again, she too is covered in sweat and beads of it dots her forehead and lines her upper lip but she doesn't even move or jerk. A couple of flies buzz around her but she seems totally oblivious to it.
Staring ahead, I manage to catch a glimpse of the rider. Only the back of his head though. And ahead of our horse-pulled cart is another cart. How many of us were captured? Is Kintil now a rubble of stone and dirt? Just the shadow of the majestic kind that once existed. I've heard about raids and wars since my childhood but never has Kintil been raided. The last war took place when my parents were children and my grandfathers had to join the army and defend our Kingdom.
I force my stiff neck to succumb to my wishes and twist back so I can catch of glimpse of the other captives. Suppressing a cry of pain, I quickly take in all the faces I see; male, female, adults, children. Thankfully, there are no babies in sight and no elderlies.
That means my parents are probably at home. I pray it's so and the elderlies are safe. Except that Mother and Father are hardly elderlies, they are still very strong and able-bodied. I just hope that they had somehow escaped and are safe.
A croaked voice is heard from behind me, it's deep but broken — the voice of a pained man. "I want water!"
I'm astonished at his bravery. Though I doubt that his request would be granted but that shows that the man is a soul that refuses to be broken. That gives me joy and pride.
"I'm thirsty, I need some water!" He says again, louder this time. I twist and turn to catch a glimpse of him but I'm unsuccessful.
"I need water too!" The high-pitched voice is too familiar. I turn to the naked girl, her jaws are set and her eyes are dark. She turns to me, holding my gaze and I don't find the strength to look away. "Aren't you thirsty too?"
I blink. Is she talking to me? This is the second time she has spoken to me. I struggle to find my voice, I open my mouth to speak and the words that roll out are unfamiliar and thick. And my mouth stinks with such a strong stench.
"I am." I say to her.
"Then demand for some!" She urged me. Her high-pitched voice and the deep one chorus their request one last time and unbelievably, the cart comes to an abrupt halt.
I hold my breath. The girl and man fall silent, waiting for the outcome of their request. A bulky form comes to view and my heart makes a jerk: the face is unmasked, without the gold masks that made him a demon. But even without the gold mask, the man is still a demon, any human being who can capture another human being and subjects the person to such torture is a demon.
He stares straight at me, I release the breath I've been holding and stare back at him. His eyes are blank; no life, no emotion. He's head is shaven and has a dark shadow of hair. His skin is as dark as burnt wood. His mouth curls into a wicked snarl.
"You called, miss?" The sarcasm in his tone is insulting. I withhold the urge to spit at his ugly face.
"I did," the naked girl speaks up. "I'm thirsty."
"I'm thirsty too!" The deep voice calls out from behind.
I turn my eyes away from the demon. I don't want to see him, I don't want him to see me.
The demon chuckles,"I'm afraid we are suffering from the same predicament." His chuckles fade off as he walks away.
Our cart resumes moving again and I sigh, I'm really disappointed. For a moment there, I was anticipating water to quench my thirst.
"I'm so sorry," I mouth to the naked girl. She turns her eyes away.
I pity the thirsty man who voiced out his thirst. I wish I could create a storm like Isla and quench all their thirsts. I don't let my thoughts wander after my sister. I don't want to reopen the wound of my heart.
Loud retching catches my attention, I turn to my side and watch the naked girl vomit. She throws up creamy coloured watery substances. She continues to retch until I'm sure her stomach is empty.
Not being able to watch anymore, I lean to the right side of my wooden cage and stare at the blurry ground as the cart moves closer and closer to our doom.
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