Dellings Secrets of The South

Chapter 50

Sakura

I stared out at the commander strolling his way towards us through droopy eyes, feeling my entire body dragging me down. I wanted nothing more than my bed but I knew that even when being under the covers, sleep would not visit me. The only thing awaiting me there in that room was unbearable silence and the bitter stench of vomit ta the corner of my room. I was too petrified to go out to the bathroom last night so I just laid it there, not even making it to the window.

"Listen up," the commander half yelled half spoke, watching us the way I presume wild beast watches their prey. Like the mere sight of our fear would bring joy to his unbearable hunger for pain. The younger ones were always more salacious, eager to inflict pain just like he was.

From the red spots on acne on his round cheeks I doubted he was any younger than me, any younger than Dimitri.

"There's buckets on the second floor of the sleeping building," he continued, "fill it up with water then bring it down here."

Before he could finish talking, concerned whispers buzzed in the crowd, all of which were anything but happy. We all knew what buckets indicated and it was never anything good.

"Go." He ordered, taking a small step to the left, barely clearing our way and the boy closest to him obeyed. He walked towards the building and we all followed behind one after the other in a straight line.

"I can't believe they're having us do this again." A girl murmured to her friend whilst we made it to the room, all of us taking turns to pick out a bucket and continuing over to the tap.

A boy was the one who answered, getting extra close to practically hiss in the girl's ears with annoyance. "At least is a bucket and not the river."

But would it really matter though? It didn't matter how wide the water was, if your head was underneath, it would drown you.

It took us less than five minutes to hurry back, even when being extra careful to not spill any that the commander might have us lick off the floor. In the same area we stood earlier, we placed the buckets down and stood behind it, arms straight at our sides.

"Kneel." He ordered. We obeyed.

Without saying anything else, he began strolling, leisurely taking his time as we walked around each and every single one of us. Step by step, seconds by seconds, the silence penetrating through our ears, sending shivers of fear and dread down our spines for what would come next, and then it happened.

In a rush he slammed a boy's head straight into the bucket, pushing down with all of his strength the muscles on arms were bulging out. He grinded his teeth with force, a despicable smile pulling his lips towards his ears and a new light of excitement shone in his eyes.

If it wasn't for the boy's hands breaking his fall, his entire body could've fell forward and even now as those hands kept him up, I could see that he was struggling. The mud caused by the splashes of water were sliding his hands forward, pushing his head further down to where his shoulders were touching against the opening of the bucket.

And the commander started counting. "One, two, three," slow and unrushed, purposely taking more than one second for a number, "Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten."

I blinked when a giant burble popped from the water, signalling the release of air or in better words the intake of water.

We lost one, the last time we did this.

I could feel the terror of everyone around me, the entire atmosphere had changed, filling up with panic and worry, not just for the boy but for ourselves, because we were going to go next. And if the first one did not make it, what would convince us that any of us after him would?