No Peace for the Wicked

The next day, Maaden and I went hunting. We were aware of the heat, and Kyjuan as well, so we kept ourselves pretty careful. “I’m kind of bored.” Maaden exclaimed.

“Because we haven’t got anything yet, I know.” I told him. “If we just get a person, that’ll be fine by me.”

“I’m not eating a person, hope you know that.” He said.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” we were mostly silent, so we could hear everything. I listened, but I felt like all I could hear was the hawks in the sky. “What about a hawk?” I asked Maaden.

“No. Even if we get it, we’ll lose our knives. Some of them, but we probably won’t get it. They’re pretty smart, you know.”

“I know that.” I said. “I’m just hungry. And, I got it last time.”

“Just stop being a pain!” he said. “I would have no issue if I killed you,”

“You’re going to need me.” I told him. But I really couldn’t think of why, I just wanted to make an entrance kind of like that. Freaks people out, he did that to me. But, I really am hungry. I’m thinking about ignoring what he said and just get it myself. “Let’s go up that mountain.” I pointed to a large mountain, that was probably hard to climb.

“Like I’m going to climb that with the level of energy I have right now,” he said.

“Mountain lions,” I said.

“That’s not guaranteed.” He said. As soon as he said that, something rustled. Or someone. I squinted my eyes through some of the rocks, and I looked for a sing of life. I motioned Maaden to come with me. He followed, and I turned every corner. And, I was sure they knew I was here. It insured that when a knife flew past my head, marking itself into the rocky mountain wall beside me.

Kyjuan stepped out, and started throwing knives. I could swear he was getting them out of nowhere. “Duck!” I yelled to Maaden.

“You think I didn’t know that!” he called back.

I slipped on a rock, and I puzzled down, scratching my face and arms and legs, and I finally reached the bottom. Although hurt, I managed to get up, and try to hide. My leg was screaming in pain, and I considered just letting myself step out and die, but before that, I’d like to see my family. I heard a series of bad language, and it was Kyjuan and Maaden. I peeked out, and I saw everything.

Kyjuan was torturing Maaden. “Think you’re so smart? Tough?” he mocked, “Lost your touch?” he punched him, and let him drop. He picked him up by his shirt. “You can’t fight me! Or her!” Maaden was crying, and I could feel his pain, and I was truly scared. My eyes were wide as I watched in fear. “You can’t do anything,” he assured him.

He scratched his arms and legs with a knife, and threw him against the wall several times. “This is your death. You’re not going to have this worked out for you, let me tell you just that. With everything, and all of my heart, if you survive this, you’re going to be dead anyway.” his teeth were gritted, and he took his knife, and stabbed him before I could blink.

Maaden’s body lay there, motionless. A scary sight. He didn’t move. He didn’t get up. He didn’t do that laugh that I hated. He did nothing but lay there. Dead.

The cannon fired, and Kyjuan ran from the scene.

I took Maaden’s body to the other Careers. “What?!” Carmella pushed me down, and she took Maaden upstairs. When I relived from the pain of her pushing me back, I went up. “I’m sorry,” she was crying. “Maaden, I’m really sorry. Please forgive me,” she said. “I’ll grow up. For you. Please, don’t die. Please. Maaden, please. No!” tears were pouring out of her eyes, and I could tell what was going on. “I’m nothing without you. Why did this happen? I thought I found someone. Someone I loved. Someone who could care for me. Who respected me. Who loved me. Who I knew was there. Behind me.” There was a silence, of only tears. She turned to me. “You did this? Didn’t you? You skunk brat! Selfish!”

“Carmella! I really didn’t! I’m so sorry!”

She lifted me up, and started wrecking me. My face was bloody, and she stopped after . . .

@@@@@@@@@@@To Be Continued@@@@@@@@@@@@