Alfinians Rise

Assignment

The morning crowd roars with anticipation, and I cringe at the noise. My head is pounding and my limbs feel like lead. I know my face is swollen and dark circles that are surely halfway down my face by this point. I couldn't sleep. Every time my eyes drifted closed a new nightmare would haunt me. At first, it was simply me pulling the trigger again, and I would jolt awake as the gunshot would ring. Then, it morphed into more, I would look up and find myself in Brud's place, looking up at Zuili as she smiled before pulling the trigger. But the worst of them all was when I looked up, and Xayben was the one holding the gun. 

After my futile attempts at rest, I finally caved and wandered around until light brushed across the distant runes, only then did I return and get ready for the day. Today is the day I can finally be free from this hell hole and escape the impending inevitability of being discovered. 

"Wow, who chewed you up and spit you out," Zuili says as she bounces over to me, seemingly undisturbed by the events of the previous day. I'm honestly envious. 

"I'm not in the mood for jests Z." I grumble, lifting up my fingers to press against my temples in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure. 

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Daxt remarks, appearing from out of nowhere with a chunk of bread in his hand. I watch as he rips off a bite with his teeth that's much too large and proceeds to chew with his mouth open. Gross. 

"I couldn't sleep, okay?" I reply defensively, my arms thrown up in surrender. 

"Cut her some slack okay guys, it was probably her first time taking a life," Myeela says softly, ever the hero as she emerges from the crowd with her twin brother at her heels. 

"As if you could even call it that. That guy was a monster, I don't even think you could say he had a life worth taking." Daxt says through his mouthful of food.

"Hey don't talk with your mouth full, you're spitting crumbs on me," Zuili bites. 

"You should be grateful, most women would pay for me to spit on them," he winks. The group groans in unison as he shamelessly rips off another chunk of bread and continues chewing in that horrendous manner.

"That's disgusting," Shaheen chimes in. 

"Yo, anyone seen the Sarg today?" Sidoli asks, his large frame casting a shadow across my own. I sigh inwardly at the momentary relief from the little light that is shining down through the murky skies. 

"No, why?" asks Zuili.

"Apparently he got into some kind of tussle last night, his neck is covered in bruises." 

"Maybe he just had some rough sex. I would definitely peg him as the type to be dominated in the tent, if you know what I mean," Daxt says, still spitting crumbs as he speaks. 

"Why does everything always have to be about sex for you?" I ask.

"Because sex is always the fun answer," he retorts. 

"Okay that's it," Zuili exclaims, clearly fed up with being spit on as she yanks the remaining chunk of bread from Daxt's hand and chucks it as far as she can into the dirt. 

"Hey! I was eating that," Daxt whines.

"Yeah well I was tired of bathing in it," She bites back, turning back to face me. "Are you sure you're okay Evi?" 

I don't have a chance to reply however as the guards announce the Sargents entrance. We all quickly form into our formation, with me at the front and my team lined up into two rows behind me. Directly behind me stands Zuili with Myeela to her right and Shaheen to her left. In the back row is Sidoli, Daxt, and then an empty spot in the middle where Brud once stood. Glancing back over my shoulder another pang of guilt hits me as the gunshots ring in my head once more. However, I'm pulled from my own misery at the sound of murmuring. Turning back towards the front I can barely contain my own gasp at the disheveled sight of the Sargent.