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semper
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tag team // ems Sept 27, 2015 18:40:04 GMT -5

Post by semper on Sept 27, 2015 18:40:04 GMT -5

sewanee clark

I ain’t too sure what I’ve gone to town for. Maybe for some nails; I know the fence has been needin’ fixin’ for quite some time. Fortunately the horses an’ cows haven’t escaped yet but I’m pressin’ our luck. Sooner or later they’re gonna figure out that they can get out. Other things have had my priority, but in the little down time I have, I assume now’s the best time.

Thing is, though, I don’t know where the hardware shop is. Usually I’d make whatever I needed but I don’t got any materials for the nails. With my hands in my pockets, I meander down the street, lookin’ through windows, when an agonizingly familiar voice catches my attention.

”The fuckin’ street rat. Thought we done squashed you back then at the post. Broke into any fancy houses recently? Need anythin’ for your sister?”

Bitter anger swells up as I turn around to face a Peacekeeper that I wish woulda died with the orange leaves on trees. That same menacin’ glare, that same sneerin’ smirk, that same superior aura while he’s lookin’ down his nose at me. Lookin’ for just ‘bout any excuse to exercise his authority in a bad manner.

”Aha! I see you still got the whip marks. Mighty fine one you got on yer face there -- want some more?”

I’m seethin’. Instantaneously I’m blisterin’ mad; just his face makes me wanna spit fire an’ gouge his eyes out. He’s noticed this, too, ‘cause he’s reachin’ toward his belt where a coiled whip is situated on his hip, just like he’s beggin’ for me to react.

I wanna hit him. I wanna deck him. He ain’t no bigger than me; I can easily take him. Though, I’ve got things good now: I work for Mace, I got some money comin’ in, I can take care of my sister properly. I don’t gotta steal no more. As much as I miss the thrill of runnin’ under the cover of night with bagged goods, I’m free from that.

Do I really need to let this guy get under my skin? If I walk away, I’ll be alright. I can go home an’ throw rocks at trees ‘til I feel better. I can keep providin’ for my sister. If I stay, I might get picked on by this shitty excuse for a Peacekeeper.

I’m halfway with turnin’ around when a loud crack splits the air an’ a fire bites my back. My eyes go wide when pain’s rippin’ through my skin like cat claws; back archin’, fingers curlin’, an’ I’m howlin’ a long string of words that needn’t be heard by those who were around me.

In a flash I’m whirlin’ with teeth bare an’ a hellfire anger. He’s got a shit-eatin’ grin on his face that I’m about to wipe off forcibly. I know he knows it’s comin’: he raises the whip again but I’m comin’ at him full force. My right arm’s liftin’ an’ I see his eyes go that way -- my left fist comes up an’ boxes his jaw with a sound akin to thick branches breakin’. His head snaps up an’ his body follows. I take a step, lift my foot, an’ drill it hard against his belly to throw him back, roarin’.

“Don’t you come at me again!”

i hear the mountains calling me home

Knuckles
Librarian

4,983 POSTS
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last seen Nov 14, 2024 16:08:02 GMT -5

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tag team // ems Sept 27, 2015 19:33:00 GMT -5

Post by Knuckles on Sept 27, 2015 19:33:00 GMT -5

I ' M F A L L I N G A P A R T

KRAYGON TRUUS

LEAVE ME HERE FOREVER IN THE DARK.

For the first time since the journey home, I've found myself standing in the middle of the town. Shops sit on each corner. People meander about flowing into one store before exiting into the streets once more. Constant chatter buzzes through the air. Peacekeepers march about, and all I can do is listen as their boots click together. Step by step. One after the other. The same tune echoes throughout my mind. Inch by inch.

Chills run down my spine, and once again I'm lost. Sitting in the corners of the detention center awaiting a fate that never came. Death would've been nice, yet they kept me alive.

Time stands still now. It doesn't exist, and why I'm ever out in town, I don't know. I can't answer it. It only brings myself into the open with them. But they don't come after me. I'm alone lingering in the shadows watching as people go on with their lives like nothing has ever happened. It's all a dream trapped within a world.

But my life has ceased to exist.

All that's left is a shell of a man who once had dreams of living forever and protecting his family, yet I failed at that - I don't got any clue how mama and papa survived.

But as the shadows grow larger and larger, I see a man standing in the distance face to face with a man of authority. One of those men dressed in white. A shield. A gun. Everything a peacekeeper would need to protect himself against the criminals in the world.

Good doesn't exist anymore. Everything good is wicked. Every person is waiting for a chance to strike back, yet the fear of death has them unwilling to move. Perhaps this man is different. He's not backing down when the peacekeeper removes the whip from his belt. He's standing his ground. It's amazing finding someone different. Someone that doesn't care about the good in the world.

Shame, though, because he's backing away, turning down a good fight. A chance to show the world that someone isn't afraid has once again slipped through the grasps of a coward.

Until a loud, violent crack filled the air quickly followed by angry words. Words of hate. And I'm back in the interrogation room. As the peacekeepers destroy my body time after time forcing me to talk to them, and even the answers wasn't enough. I couldn't make them stop. It didn't matter that they had just killed sweet Esme in the hunger games. No, nothing mattered. It all changed. Pride didn't exist anymore.

Grabbing a garbage can lid I run out of the shadows. Step after step. My heart leaps inside my chest as my eyes focus on the man sucker punching the crap out of the peacekeeper. For a moment my mind is clear of emotions. And as the peacekeeper comes soaring backwards, I take my chances. Slamming the lid into his head as hard as I can, I find myself cackling.

They said I'm a criminal. They said I've betrayed the loving president. They said I deserved to die. But they didn't kill me. They kept me alive. And now they must pay.

table by elegant

533 words

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe

semper
Retired Staff

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tag team // ems Sept 28, 2015 20:44:21 GMT -5

Post by semper on Sept 28, 2015 20:44:21 GMT -5

sewanee clark

I’m tryna not move ‘cause it feels like fire tearin’ through my back. Even the air’s touch is like fuel to it. A scowl’s on my face an’ I’m hissin’ through tight teeth, tryin’ hard not to even move, but that’s impossible. This pain’s got me as restless as a stir-crazy horse; I arch one way, then the other, hopin’ an’ prayin’ that I’ll find some posture that eases the pain, but it don’t.

The bastard deserved what he got with tauntin’ me like that. I’s just lucky that he wasn’t wearin’ his helmet an’ armor or it’d been a fatal mistake t’ lash out. Maybe he’d been on break, or somethin’, but carryin’ that whip around still? S’like he expects to still have people kiss the quicksand he’s walkin’ on.

My eyes are shut tight for a moment before they open to see some feller goin’ after that Peacekeeper with a metal lid of sorts. Dunno what he’s goin’ for, but I don’t make any move to stop him. I’ve got a hand on my knee an’ I’m wigglin’ every way for the damn pain to stop, straightenin’ up some to see if it’ll work, though I’m pleased t’ see that the Peacekeeper is still down for the count. The initial kick to the stomach sure did put him in the right spot for this stranger to start walin’ on him.

I can feel my shirt stickin’ to the welt an’ blood on my back. Fortunately I think the fabric stopped the brunt of the strike but it didn’t hurt any less. My eyes are still waterin’ from the hornet-like sting an’ I’m ready t’ just leave--

The ground meets me with a rush an’ I get a mouthful of dirt. Somethin’s got weight on my back, though I feel a hand press t’ the back of my head. A joint’s pushin’ the gash an’ on my spine uncomfortably.

”Assaulting a Peacekeeper; that’s a crime, boy.”

The deep voice is right next to my ear; the grip on my head an’ hair tightens an’ it lifts me up just enough t’ slam my face to the dirt. A daze finds me before the guy grabs the back of my shirt beneath the collar an’ hauls me like a limp bag across the ground. My face is hurtin’ an’ I can’t really tell if there’s anymore Peacekeepers so I don’t know if they got that other guy though I’m sure someone’s after him if he hasn’t been caught already. I hope not.

I’m dropped to the ground an’ the unmistakable click of a pistol sounds with one order: ”Take your shirt off and hug the pillar.”

Punishment’s always quick for attackin’ an officer.

I’m glarin’ up at the man, fingers diggin’ into the dirt.I’m tryin’ not to give in ‘til he pulls the hammer back on that glistenin’ silver gun; reluctantly I then take my shirt off and toss it at him, scootin’ up to the pillar I’ve become well acquainted with. The man’s not too kind at all with lockin’ my wrists into place an’ givin’ ‘em a hard yank to make sure they’re snug. A scowl’s crossin’ my face while the man pulls back out of my line of sight.

i hear the mountains calling me home

Knuckles
Librarian

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tag team // ems Sept 30, 2015 12:05:01 GMT -5

Post by Knuckles on Sept 30, 2015 12:05:01 GMT -5

I ' M F A L L I N G A P A R T

KRAYGON TRUUS

LEAVE ME HERE FOREVER IN THE DARK.

Rage boils throughout my veins as I stare at the man in white. Oh how I want to kill him. To smash his brains in right now to set an example. A beast roars inside me, and all I can do is stand still with sweat dripping off my brow. My jaw clenches shut, and my eyes narrow. It wouldn't take much to kill him. To make ground beef out of his brains. A meal for a beast. A meal that I am deserving of. I made a promise in the detention center, and it's one I plan on keeping. Truthfully, I won't stop until every last one of them has paid. Her death has gone unnoticed, and I'll be damned if there's go unnoticed.

The lid falls from my hand crashing against the ground. Scanning the area I find the other boy on the ground trying to move around. I can only guess the amount of pain he's feeling right now, but I can't stay here to help him because people are watching. Soon every one of the peacekeepers in the district will come this way. Getting caught again isn't something that I want, yet I'm frozen in my tracks.

Without speaking, I turn around heading back into the distance from where I came. All I can do is watch as the man pushes him towards the ground and throws him around like a sack of taters. My entire being screams to run, but I don't move. I'm back in the cell and they're tearing my cellmate from the cell. Dragging him away forcing him into another life. His screams echo throughout my mind. He begged me to save him. To help him, but I was powerless just like now. I can't do nothing to help the boy.

Boots click against the ground, and I know what it means. In the back of my mind the keys jingle together, and they're coming closer and closer and closer until they stop moving in general. Beads of sweat roll down my face. Frantically I search for somewhere to go. Somewhere to hide. A place where they won't find me, but they'll always find me. Crouching down behind a garbage can, I pray they won't find me. I pray they move on.

It's silent. Nothing makes a sound until the garbage can in front of me flies into the air. Gritting my teeth, I stare into the eyes of a peacekeeper. My first instict is to run away, yet when I make the slightest movement, his hand reaches for his gun. "Go ahead and run. You're best off dead anyway."

All the blood flees my face leaving me a ghostly pale as places the gun right to the back of my head before pulling me to my feet. "One false move, and I pull the trigger, kid." The gun is ready to fire, and I know that he means business. Truthfully, dying is better than living in this place anyway. Esme would be there. I could finally see Esme again, and that sounds great. It's what I want, but the one thing keeping me alive is sweet little Evelyn.

"Move!"

Step by step we're moving forward. My hands shake at my side, and it takes all I have to keep my entire body from shaking. The hall that leads to the interrogation is long. Each step grows faster, and the hall never ends. But only this time it doesn't end in front of a door. No, it ends with me standing in front of a whipping post.

And it turns out the other guy wasn't safe either.

All I want to do is run, but they've already done the unthinkable to me. What else can they do?

"Remove your shirt."

What if I don't want to?

"I won't ask you again."

Slowly, I throw the shirt over my head showing the entire world what's left of a man who has died to himself.

"You will be joining your buddy over there." The peacekeeper cackled, and all I could do was laugh with him.

table by elegant

680 words

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe

semper
Retired Staff

2,354 POSTS
last seen Jan 1, 2014 0:57:11 GMT -5

tag team // ems Sept 30, 2015 14:46:30 GMT -5

Post by semper on Sept 30, 2015 14:46:30 GMT -5

sewanee clark

My cheek’s pressed to the splintery wood of the pillar an’ I’m seethin’. I gave in too easily to the bastards, though I figure it’s ‘cause I now have somethin’ to lose. Still, at least I got a good uppercut an’ kick at the guy before bein’ knocked to the ground.

There’s still a commotion goin’ on around me an’ it ain’t long before the stranger’s strapped to the pillar beside me. Damn kid should’ve ran -- hell, he shouldn’t have helped me in the first place. A mix between a sympathetic an’ disappointed glance is given to the guy: he’s scrawny like a newborn foal, covered in scars like me. I ain’t never seen another public whippin’ since mine those years ago, but who knows? Maybe I just missed it. Maybe he was whipped too for somethin’. An’ given how he took pleasure in bludgeonin’ the first Peacekeeper, I’d believe it.

I hear scowls an’ mutterin’s comin’ from the first Peacekeeper as he’s talkin’ to the other two who took us down an’ my heart’s startin’ to race. The man’s got a vendetta against us now; they all do. Attack one guard, you get him an’ his buds all breathin’ fire down your back. Not to mention that, to retaliate against people hurtin’ or attackin’ a Peacekeeper, they gotta regain their status with the citizens. Put the fear of God into the people once more. Don’t let no one even think about speakin’ out or swingin’ back or steppin’ outta line.

One of them Peacekeepers starts a monologue to anyone that’s watchin’. Though we haven’t officially been arrested, it was very apparent to everyone else in the Square that we done broke the law. Everyone knows what we did. All the man’s gotta say is that we attacked them an’ we’re gonna be punished with too many lashes to count. I acted alone, so really, it should just be me here at the posts, but this strangers here too.

I give him another sympathetic look. ”You shoulda run, kid.”

It’s that initial whistle an’ crack that scares the tar outta you with the first lash. Since I’d already been struck, the pain ain’t too much like an explosion, but it sure as hell is close. I wince against the jagged wood an’ fail to bite back a yelp. I’m also pretty sure I know which one of the three Keepers is whippin’ me cause the lashes are relentless, comin’ one after another, not givin’ me any time to brace for the one to come. My back’s raw, already slick with hot blood, an’ my entire body’s shakin’, riddled with a paralyzin’ pain that leaves me breathless an’ wheezin’.

It’s like he’s actually tryin’a whip the skin right off my bones.

The kid’s not been any luckier; I hear his attacker’s whip snap repeatedly as well an’ my heart goes for him. I grit my teeth an’ suck in a breath.

”You’re a yella-bellied coward, Keeper!” I holler, earnin’ just a brief pause in the strikes for myself an’ hopefully the kid as well. ”Don’t you gotta be able to fight to be an officer? You’re weak, you’re pathetic--”

A lash quiets me an’ the Keeper’s hollerin’. ”Look at me, boy! I said look at me!”

Heavy breaths are heaved before I cast a hellish glare over my shoulder at the man--a rushin’ blur of brown an’ black comes my way an’ there’s a flash of white-hot pain that tears through my face. Slammed back against the post, it puts me into a daze.

His aim’s improved a lot.

I dunno how many lashes came after that. The pain’s got a hold of me an’ I’m fallin’ limp against the sharp wood, seein’ the kid tied to the post beside me just once more before I succumb to unconsciousness.

i hear the mountains calling me home

Knuckles
Librarian

4,983 POSTS
Pronouns: he/him
last seen Nov 14, 2024 16:08:02 GMT -5

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tag team // ems Sept 30, 2015 16:15:14 GMT -5

Post by Knuckles on Sept 30, 2015 16:15:14 GMT -5

I ' M F A L L I N G A P A R T

KRAYGON TRUUS

LEAVE ME HERE FOREVER IN THE DARK.

Fear runs through my veins as the peacekeeper pushes me towards the ground giving me a mouthful of dirt. I hate it, and oh I want to kill him. If only I had hit a bit harder. No, that wouldn't work because I would only end up arrested for murdering a peacekeeper, and that is much, much worse. Bile sits on my tongue, and I can't move as he grabs my hands and quickly locks them into place. And again I'm on my knees in the interrogation room coughing up blood pleading with the men to stop, but my pleas only fall upon deaf ears.

Listening to the peacekeeper address whatever crowd is around only brings fear to my exposed body, and I'm not sure what all it means. I've never witnessed a public whipping before. The only one I witnessed was behind closed doors in the detention center as they welled on me over and over until all that was left was a bloody mess. I hated it. Everything about it, and here I am again.

And the boy's looking at me like he knows what's about to happen, and I can only prepare myself for the pain that's going to come in a matter of seconds. Yet one of the peacekeepers is still speaking towards the crowd. He's shaming me. Making me feel like some sorts of criminal, but that's all I am. A criminal. I have a record that I wish would go away. Perhaps this wasn't the best decision, but I made a promise. I promised myself I would destroy everyone of the peacekeepers because they destroyed me. They ruined my life.

"You shoulda run, kid."

I did try to run. I tried to get away, but they caught me like they did before. Only this time I didn't try to run away because they pulled a gun on me. Snarling I turn my gaze away from him. Teeth clench tight against once another as I close my eyes. It's always the anticipation that's the worse because I know what's coming. I know in a moment the whip will peel into my fragile skin, and that pain will come follow behind it. Just breathe. It'll be -

Crack!

Liquid fire surges throughout my back as I draw myself closer to the pole. A loud yelp flies through my lips. The pain isn't something I could prepare myself for. The whip slices into my skin tearing away at my flesh. A hot, sticky liquid gushes down my back and tears sit on the brim of my eyes. ("Esme hated you. She never loved you. She only pretended.")

My blood boils. Rage surges throughout my veins as I fight against the chains holding me to the pole. They're standing in front of me. Taunting me. She's on the screen, and they're holding me down. Tears fall down my face. ("She died because of you. It was all your fault. You killed her, Kraygon.") No. No. No. I didn't kill her. No. Another loud crack fills the air as the whip eats away at my skin. I'm trying to take deep breaths, and I'm trying to control myself because people are watching. They see me even though I can't see them.

One after another they keep coming. It feels like someone has set a match to my back. The flesh is hot, wet, and sticky, yet it's not done yet. My breaths are shallow and ragged, and I can't stop the water from falling from my eyes. It's the same as it was before. The white floor beneath me is stained red, and they're leaving me there. Hoping that I die, but I can't see nothing. I just hear what they're saying. ("How does it feel, Kraygon, knowing that you killed her? It was your mistakes. You hated her. You wanted her dead. And she wants you to die too.")

No. No.

Please stop.

And it all ceases for a moment as the boy beside me screams at the peacekeeper. My hands shake against the shackles. Each breath hurts. It shakes my entire body. It destroys what's left inside of me. And all I can do is listen. If only I could tell him not to be stupid, yet I can't because it'll only end worse for me, and the officer is already angered. He's using fighting words. Carefully glancing over at him, I cringe as the whip slices into his face. I'm screaming at the top of my lungs. Trying to fight against the pain as tears fall freely down my face.

The lashes keep coming over and over. I'm amazed that I still have any flesh left on my back after this. Fire eats away at my skin only the scent of burning flesh isn't there. It doesn't exist. No.

I want to reach for him. To tell him that I'm not leaving.

Yet when I move the lashes rain down on me. I'm breathing hard. Trying to suck in as much as air as my lungs will allow, but it's gone. ("She hated you, Kraygon. She hated you. How could she love a foolish boy like yourself? After all, you screw everything up.") My vision is going blurry, and I can't hold my head up anymore. I can't do anything. Fighting against the chains isn't an option anymore. All sounds buzz in my ears. ("I hate you!") It's growing darker and darker, and the whip is still going. It's still pounding against my back. ("She'll never forgive you. She hates you. She will always hate you.")

Esme, I'm...

sorry.

table by elegant

933 words

Last Edit: Sept 30, 2015 16:18:14 GMT -5 by Knuckles

lest we forget [the characters]

credit to Zoe

semper
Retired Staff

2,354 POSTS
last seen Jan 1, 2014 0:57:11 GMT -5

tag team // ems Sept 30, 2015 18:05:00 GMT -5

Post by semper on Sept 30, 2015 18:05:00 GMT -5

sewanee clark

Everythin’ hurts. Comin’ ‘round to my senses, I really wish I’s still unconscious. Part of me even wishes I’s dead.

This is so much worse than the first time they whipped me. The cold air’s bitin’ my back with needle-like teeth an’ I can’t move. The slightest motion sets off a pain rippin’ through me with feral clawin’ an’ an all-consumin’ hunger. My burnin’ face feels swollen an’ I’m sure it is; that crack across it really messed up my eye an’ I’m pretty sure somethin’s up with my nose. Each breath I take makes a raspy, wheezin’ sound, an’ when my ribcage moves, I whimper.

I dunno how many lashes we got. If illegal poachin’ gets someone ‘bout forty, who knows how many attackin’ a Keeper will get you? I lost count early on an’, frankly, I don’t remember much. Last thing I saw was the whip comin’ at my face an’ then it just went down from there. The pain, though, that’s a constant; even if I’s unconscious, it felt like I’s feelin’ pain still. The void-like darkness had that element of cringing an’ I’m almost sick to my stomach with how bad it hurts.

Swallowin’ with a sandpaper tongue against a lump in my throat, fightin’ back that gapin’, yawnin’ sensation in the back of my throat, I take a deep breath of the cold air an’ move, raw wrists tuggin’ against the chains.

Even above the pain there’s the shiverin’ from chill of night. A few crickets are singin’ but not many. Fall’s a-comin’ an’ they’re startin’ to disappear before the cold takes hold of the region. I’m kinda thankful of the cold, too, ‘cause it’s helpin’ ease the tiniest bit of pain, but it ain’t much. I’m still wishin’ I’s dead an’ I’m pretty sure there ain’t a shred of skin left on my bleedin’ back.

”Kid--” My voice’s like a croak an’ the dry throat ain’t helpin’ none. Turnin’ just slightly, I try lookin’ in the direction the kid is in. Can’t see him too good in the dark an’ with my swollen eye but I’m sure he’s there. I don’t think they’d’ve let him go an’ just leave me. That wouldn’t convey the message they’re wantin’ to make. My numb legs aren’t cooperatin’ an’ I kinda just flop to the side ‘round the post, tryna pull myself up but failin’. Arms too weak, I’m layin’ against the chains an’ they’re bitin’ into the skin of my wrist like a noose.

”You awake?”

i hear the mountains calling me home

Knuckles
Librarian

4,983 POSTS
Pronouns: he/him
last seen Nov 14, 2024 16:08:02 GMT -5

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tag team // ems Sept 30, 2015 19:00:45 GMT -5

Post by Knuckles on Sept 30, 2015 19:00:45 GMT -5

I ' M F A L L I N G A P A R T

KRAYGON TRUUS

LEAVE ME HERE FOREVER IN THE DARK.

Where am I?

My eyes slowly open, and I look around. Cold air bites into my back making the raw flesh explode into pain again. My hands try to move, but I'm stuck against the chains holding me. Part of me expected to wake up in the cell I was locked away in for so long, but I'm not there. No, I'm still in the middle of the district square attached to a pole. I've experienced pain like this before. Pain that should've killed me, and dying would've been best as it would allow me to join Esme once more.

But in death I wouldn't feel pain. Every time I inhale pain shoots throughout my entire body, and I grit my teeth together trying to hold on and not scream in the middle of the night. It wouldn't be the first time, but I don't wanna show them I'm weak. I done messed up, and I can't make it any worse. Yet every breath causes my back to scream in agony.

The sounds of crickets rattle through my ears. It's my favorite season. I would always sit in the middle of the field with my family, and together we'd have a roast. A bon fire and cooking up some of our favorite meal together. But I don't even know if they've done it anymore since Esme died because I was taken away. What would Ma say if she knew I was in trouble again? Surely she'd be disappointed, but she doesn't know what I endured in the detention center. This is minor compared to what I went through behind closed doors.

My breaths catch in the back of my throat barely making it into my lungs because it hurts to breathe, and I'm making a weird sound. To make it all worse the cold burns my lungs. Makes it feel like a match was lit inside my lungs setting them on fire, but I know it's from the cold air. It happens a lot, but this time it's because I'm actually gasping for air. I didn't have much skin to begin with, and I feel like it's all gone now. Like there's nothing left but a rotting corpse.

"Kid-" I can barely make out the sound of the boy's voice. Lifting my gaze from the ground I slowly turn towards him. Gritting my teeth, I fight against the pain because I want to know who he is. Who is this boy that I helped when he attacked the peacekeeper. Must have his own reasons. Hell, I know that I do. "You awake?"

I want to say no, I'm not awake, but that would give it away, and I don't have the strength to even make jokes right now. It hurts. Everything hurts, and I want to go home. Ma can help me. Pa can make it feel better, but I'm stuck here in the district square chained to a whipping post.

"Yeah. Imma wake, but I wish I wasn't." My voice is dry and raspy, but it's like that because it feels like I've swallowed a mouthful of sand and hadn't had nothing to drink in days.