STRANDED 007

I opened my eyes and saw myself lying face down. Pain was working its way all over me and I felt deader than alive. I should be dead. Why did I wake up again? I put my good hand down and ever so carefully, I raised myself to sit. I looked around, amidst pain, when it began to register to me slowly.

I sniffed. I was at the infirmary again.

"Awake?" A familiar voice reached me. I didn't have to turn to know who it belonged to and I rolled my eyes in disgust. I stood to my feet, ignoring his gesture and headed to one of the doors that looked like an exit; at least, that's what it looked like alongside two other doors.

"Hey, hey" he came over to stop me from leaving "where are you going?" He asked but what did he care? A sudden anger exploded within me and I turned to him sharply, staring him in the face with a defiant look.

"Poterico, dockta du killer? You... You, doctor and killer?"

"What makes you think you can talk to me?" He asked with a frown but I didn't care. He'd better end this once and for all.

"Kill me now." I snapped "you bad... All you bad! All you innocenta cava du megapara"

"Lower your voice" He said firmly through clenched teeth but I was mad. Never been upset my whole life but something made me want to strangle him. Take a knife from somewhere and stab him in several places till he fell dead. I hated him and I didn't care if I was breaking the rules at that point in time. I just wanted to make everyone of them feel what it was to be a worker.

"Tu so fan? You, you... You killer. Bad killer. Hurt." I touched my chest "I not shut up so, kill if you want!" I turned around and headed for the exit but he grabbed my hand and with one swing, he threw me back into the room. Withdrew a sword from his stack and pointed it at me, almost an inch away from my throat.

"Yes. I should kill you" the cold metal touched my skin but to my surprise, I wasn't scared. "You don't talk to me, I talk to you. You don't defy me!"

"Yes. Kill me. I hate you! All you!" Tears leaked my eye "all you bad. Kwenta sara du nevaara dasta bikra dasta. I not care! I hate you!" I said even at blade point.

God! What the heck was wrong with me? If this is what confidence was, I sure as hell don't want it. The pain was still thrumming through my system and even then, I still ran my mouth.

He withdrew the blade from me and hung it back on the shelf. "You are not going to last!"

"You too. You not too last. You die too. Clay killi me, you walk away. Me to die. You leave me to die. You bad"

He seized my neck and drew me close to him. "You are weak and stupid. Get out" his breath smacked my face "you start training tomorrow" he released me roughly and I coughed in pain.

He will regret it.

                             ***

I entered the dorm late in the night. Thirty minutes past sleep time but to my surprise, Ruth and Red-head were still awake. As soon as I entered, they rushed to me.

"Hey" Red head threw his hands around me and hugged me but I withdrew too quickly. The sores on my back still hurt.

"You got us worried boots. What did you do?" I looked at her and she was really worried for me. I smiled ruefully for their kindness.

"I have six days to die" I responded.

"Oh Twenty two." Red-head helped me sit on my bed "you defied?"

"What defied?" I asked "punteco defiando? What...what defied?"

"He means... You didn't do what they ask you to do?" Ruth explained

"Oh" I understood that. "No. Me, no killer. They parante mega para innocenta"

"They asked you to kill?" Red-head gasped in horror. "Omigod. That's awful"

"Si. On-full, megapara innocenta"

"No, it's awful not on-full" he corrected

"Oh... Auful!"

"Forget it. You need to rest dear. They'll be tough with you from now on."

"I say to black soldier. You bad. You know, you doctor, you killer? You know. Make no sense. I hate him black soldier. You bad. Samanto recanso. Puerico innocenta"

"Okay, I'm lost" blinked Ruth then she turned to Red-head. “I don’t understand a word she says. It is really a disease not to speak English”

"Black soldier... Atom. doctor, killer? Bad beat me sixty"

"Oh she meant Atom."

"You know him?" I asked

"Everyone knows him. He came from Athena when he was just two. Best fighter you can ever find. People said his ancestors were from Dome too" Ruth settled beside me.

"Better than Disha?" I asked

"He'll kill Disha with a blow" Red-head added.

"Why doctor?"

"Atom started out at the games. The game is like a gladiator's fight. The commanders just do this for fun. They make a lot of money out of it. They'll pitch two creatures against each other. One has to die."

"Like me, like Clay?"

"Yeah..." Red-head croaked. "But we are looking at a much tougher fight. It happens in a stadium, a lot of people came to watch from outside world." He paused then began in a whisper "rumor has it that Atom was pitched against his own brother. Atom killed his brother. Instead of being promoted to commander, he remained a soldier and chose to work at the infirmary. To help people" Red-head paused again "do you even understand what I'm saying?"

"Si. Small." I responded "Atom is good person? Why killer?" I queried

"I don't know." Red-head shrugged "I guess he still loves the taste of blood"

"Don't mind him." Ruth interjected. "I see you haven't learnt anything yet"

"What she say about?" I turned to red-head. I didn't understand a thing Ruth was saying.

"Anyone who is caught speaking about this spends a night out in the cold."

"What slotter-aws do?" I persisted. I need to understand this place before I could adapt

"It's simple! We all have colours. See this one..." He pointed to his red vest. "We are potters. Mould with clay, builders and sometimes, we wear green and work with people like Ruth."

"I get it"

"Green like Ruth are farmers" he explained "blue are miners. Looking for gold, diamond... Black like you are guards, security, killers."

"Why security?"

"You ask too many questions!" Snapped Ruth but Red-head stopped her.

"Let her. Sometimes, we have wars. There is a far away kingdom that wants to overtake this one. Like pirates. They destroy everything and take hostages. We fight wars too"

"Oh." I nodded. Now, I was beginning to understand. I sighed in fatigue "so, black are protectomando?"

"Yeah. Right... Like protectors and commandos. They undergo several hard training, tougher than the rest of us. For example, if I wake up late and I don't work, the black workers would kill me... For example, if Ruth gets pregnant, the black guards would kill her... We have rules, you know."

"Baaad" I croaked exhaling deeply.

I was beginning to understand why the blacks were taken to the edge of the cliff but what I didn't understand was why we were doing this at all.

Why do we kill each other? Why do we have to work so hard? Who were the real masters? What kind of life are we living?

Not saying any more, I lay to sleep on the hard bed, my back facing the ceiling. I had to prove some people wrong. If I was going to last, I would try my best to.

                                   ***

I woke up very early, before anyone so I could work out and train myself on how to attack and defend.

I found my way to the pit in time. The place was dark but through the midst of darkness, I heard a voice reach out to me

"You are late"

Late? I blinked. What kind of person wakes very early to tell me that? I looked around and there he was.

Atom closed his eyes then opened them again in exasperation. He pulled a switch and I could see his face. Instead of wearing all black, he wore a white vest and black combat jean; something different from all other people that belonged to the black. He looked more of a white soldier but, that didn't surprise me.

He took solid steps towards me and when he was close, he paused "if you want to survive here, there are things you should know" his voice was firm.

"First. Look me in the eye when I talk to you. Maybe not others. Two, you get here as early as two. Three, don't talk to me except I ask you to. Four..." He paused then took a step away from me "you'll do whatever I tell you to do. Five... I'll tell you when you need to know" he turned around "Come" he said and I moved over to the bag-like things that hung from the ceiling. "These, right here" he touched one of the bags "are punching bags." He moved over to another machine. "These are treadmills" then he moved to wide berth that contained series of pain-inflicting equipments. "This is the main pit. You learn how to use your blade here... Is that taken?" I blinked "do you understand?"

"Si" I understood a little.

"We'll start with the bags" he retrieved a bandage from a shelf and asked me to wrap it firmly around my two hands. Then we set to work.

The bags were heavier than I thought. They seemed stuffed with something like gravel for as I punched, they stood still.

"What are you doing?" Atom asked "you punch like a baby. Punch harder!" He yelled and I increased my pace. With every throw, I received blisters. My hand peeled from the effect of the punch. It went on an on till Atom could take it no more.

"Stop!" But I didn't want to stop. I was going to prove them wrong that I wasn't weak. I had survived ten years in hardship. I survived. That was strong enough. "I said stop..." He spoke again but I kept going at the bag: using my fist and elbows. I wanted it to die, I just wanted it to die. "Stop it!" Atom grabbed my shoulders and pulled me away from the bag, so that I faced him.

I froze. Him too.

He withdrew quickly and licked his lips in frustration. That was the first time he laid his hands on a worker without inflicting injury. He ran a hand through his hair and scoffed "are you crazy?"

"Comfa..." I wanted to speak

"I told you not to talk to me"

"You... You question me"

"Shut up" he took a bold step towards me "shut the heck up." He told me. "You are weak and you won't last"

I scoffed within me. Did he just stop me to say that? What was his problem? Was he a psycho or something? He turned around and walked down the huge corridor till his back faded.

"What his problemo?" I blinked, returning to the bag. I continued to punch.

After four good hours of tearing my palms, Den and the other black guards arrived. I smell Den, I smelt trouble.

"Hey Dome!" He gave me a jab from behind. "I see you are here early." He looked around "what happened, Atom got tired of you?" He queried then laughed hysterically. I tried not to pay attention to him "didn't you hear me Dome?" He gave me another jab but a harder one making me slam my face into the bag. I turned to him sharply.

"Oooh, angry?" A sly smile formed on his lips "do you even understand English?"

"Tu bian astada du para Den." I said with an expressionless look on my face. It meant "you are going to die by my hands soon Den" in Dome language but he didn't understand.

"So, now you talk back to me? Who gave you the audacity to?" He said but I bowed my head. My mouth was getting sharper these days. The confidence I didn't have in Dome was consuming me in Elsewhere. Just when I was waiting for Den's wrath, Atom surfaced.

Without acknowledging Den, he came directly to me "are you through?" He asked

"Si" I responded

"Time for the furnace" he said huskily "follow me"

I could see anger etched in Den's face and within me, I smiled slyly. This was just the beginning.

"You won't last here Dome. The black soldier has a record for failures. You'll soon be on that list." Den yelled but Atom ignored him and we both headed down the huge corridor, out of the pit.

I followed Atom till we reached a small, half wrecked building that was situated at somewhere that looked like the back of the fields that led to the hills. The furnace was the opposite way, I wondered where he was taking me.

We entered the building and to my surprise, the inside was habitable. What looked a wreck had transformed into a huge living space.

"Sit" Atom commanded but it felt weird.

"You say, we furnace"

"Are you going to argue with me now?" He raised a brow. "Sit!"

"This is no furnace. This is campetron differenta"

He ran a hand through his hair and retrieved a first aid box. "I no want pity. I want furnace"

"You want to go to the furnace looking like that?" He pointed to my blistered hands. "You think I pity you? I don't care about you. To me, you are a creature at the lowest part of life. I am your master and you are my slave..." He paused. "If you want to go to the furnace, you have to be fit. That is not fit" he pointed to my hands.

"But..."

"I said not to talk to me!!!!" He yelled then took a deep breath. "Sit" he pulled a chair but I didn't sit. He called me a low-life. I heard that loud and clear. A lot of people had said that to me but if felt even more humiliating and true when it rolled out of his lips. "You defiant little monster" he said. He ran a hand through his hair again, dropped the box on a table and turned his back on me "what do you think this is?" he asked in a gentle voice "do you think this is a joke? Creatures spend their lives here and they still die at the end. It's not about living, it’s about surviving!" He scolded me like an errant child. Turning back to me, he continued " Is that clear?!" He was really angry. I have never seen him so pissed at me. Yes, sometimes, he frowned, but I have never witnessed total emotions on his face except now.

"Si" I responded

"Now sit and let me fix you up" he took my hand and started undoing the bandages. "If you want to strike, you'll lift this up" he raised my left elbow to my face. "And you hit with this... Like this" He took my other hand and jabbed it against his chest. "You can repeat process with the other hand. It reduces the pressure on your wrist but works for your biceps. It fits the muscles on your arm. You still have baby fat to lose" he said quietly. 

I sat there wondering what kind of being he was. He was a cold hearted bastard, he was just like the rest but now that he spoke, he sounded soft, making my head muddled. I shouldn't trust him; trust should be the last on my list. After all, he made it clear that I was just as lowly as I could be and he was my master. I bit my lip then a sigh escaped my throat.

"You want to try?" He asked to my surprising

"Ye?" I wasn't expecting him to tell me to try jabbing his chest. I blinked but there was this expressionless look on his face. "Si" I said quietly and stood to my feet. I raised my left elbow like he said and held out my wrist but I hesitated. He was my master, how could I punch him?

"Look" he told me "bend your elbow and punch harder" like that would make me even dare to try. I took my stance but he stopped me before I tried   

"Your knees" he corrected "standing like that would make you lose stamina." He grabbed my waist and shifted me in position making if feel even more awkward for me. "One leg front, the other back" he released me and stepped backwards to show me how to stand.

I tried mimicking him and held my leg firmly to the ground "ready?" He asked.

"Ye?" What? I asked, still confused about the whole thing. He just grabbed my waist and made an invisible metal drop to the bottom of my belly. I felt uncomfortable as cold chills ran up and down my spine.

"Are you ready?" He asked, expressionless. Then, I figured that he didn't care.

"Si" I responded

"Take your best shot. Right here" he pointed to his chest. I hesitated again. He adjusted my arms again and waited for me to shoot but I just stood there panicking.

"What's keeping you?" His voice was stern, piercing through my hair pores and igniting my bones. I swallowed hard and closed my eyes and with all my strength, I aimed, shoot!

I punched him in the chest and every part of me vibrated. I opened my eyes slowly in a wince to check the effect of my blow on him but to my amusement, he was still standing on the spot like I didn't hit him at all. Then, the pain in my wrist began to register. Was he made of metal or something? I looked up at him and he was just as unfeeling as he was minutes ago.

"I told you to bend your wrist this way" he held up my wrist and twisted it in the right angle. My hands vibrated against his touch and I quickly withdrew. "If you keep punching that way, you'll get your wrist dislocated" he pointed out. "Do it again" he told me.

Again? I blinked. I should go through the process again? I heaved a sigh then stood in position again. I felt time was being so slow because I wanted this to just pass.

I closed my eyes again but before I could jab him, he held my hand and quickly, my eyes flew open. "Don't close your eyes" he said softly. "Look me in the eye. I am your enemy, I want to fight you. Would you close your eyes and let me win?"

"No" I shook my head

"So, open your eyes" he told me. What was his obsession with eyes anyway? I wondered as I stood back in position. Ready... I jabbed at him and to my surprise, I didn't feel the pressure against my wrist and it sounded with a huge thud.  This was amazing. I felt like I just swung a blow at an elephant and it landed with a thud. Only that the elephant was black soldier and he still didn't move an inch.

A smile grew on my lips subconsciously as I touched my wrists then, I looked up at him. He raised a brow in mockery knowing I felt good on the inside. "You still have a lot to learn" he croaked.

Must he sound like a prick every time? "Now sit" he commanded and I did without complaining. He reached for a cotton swab and cleaned the bruises on my palms ever so carefully. I watched him adroitly apply antibiotics to the surface and disinfectants making question pop up and down in my mind. I watched him for a while; he could be gentle if he wanted to but he chose to be a thorn in the flesh most times.

He was quiet the whole time and the silence stretched then, one of the questions that tore my chest open flew right out.

"What is a Athena?" I asked. I have heard commander said I belonged to Athena and it only registered when Red-head told me Atom belonged to the same Athena.

His glare met mine and I realized I was breaking a rule. The silence between us stretched for few minutes before he cracked.

"You won't listen to me, would you?"

"Me sorry" I croaked

"You are still doing it"

"Ye?"

"Forget it" he dropped my hands. "Hold them out and let them dry" he told me and went into his inner chamber to get a bottle from a shelf. I looked around and concluded that this was his living space. He opened the cork, drank from it and returned it to the shelf. Then he came back to me "Athena is a place."

My eyes widened and my mouth spoke "a place. Like Dome?"

"No. A place like heaven"

"Haven? What is a haven?" I had said only to realize I had spoken again. He hesitated then scoffed; he was tolerating too much.

"Heaven is a place where you can talk whenever you want. It's like huh... Paradise... You know what paradise means?"

"Oh pentoriso, paradise. Like garden, beautiful garden..."

"Exactly. How did you know?"

"I dream it. I see a creature, female... She tell me it's a paradise"

He nodded then retrieved his blade from the rack. It was a long blunt blade that looked more like an iron rod with a handle.

"So, Athena still alive?" I pressed then he turned to me sharply drawing a sword. What seemed to be a blunt iron rod became a sheath for a sword and he pointed it at me, almost an inch away from my eye.

"That's enough" he said in a husky tone. "Athena got destroyed. End of discussion" he withdrew his blade and put it back in its sheath adroitly. I nodded, fearing for my life. It was that part of him that scared me.

"You fear too much" he noted. "Look" he raised his sword. "A black warrior's blade is its best friend. Bring out your weapon let me show you something"

I blinked

"Your blades" he stressed and quickly, I un-belted it from its pouch. "If you have a knife, you should know it well so, you'd be able to use it to your advantage." He attached his sword to his belt "let's go outside".

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