Kraal

Chapter 12: Rose

The hospital ward smelled strongly of antiseptic and my trainers squeaked on the linoleum floor. I found the boy asleep, his bed sectioned off by a pale green curtain. A nurse speaking with a patient at the next bed looked up curiously, so I told her that I was his sister.

Once I was satisfied that the coast was clear, I slipped behind the curtain, leaving it open just a crack so that I could look for any oncoming visitors. I didn't want to get caught up in any awkward conversations with the boy's family about how I knew him.

His face had been cleaned, but his eyes were still puffy and bruised, his lips swollen. The board above his bed told me that his name was Jack Davies.

I sat down in a plastic covered chair and his eyes flew open.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm Rose."

He scanned my face a little warily. "I remember you."

"Jack, I need to ask you about what happened last night. Why were you fighting?"

He looked away from me. "I can't talk about it."

"Why not?"

"The people who organise the fights are dangerous. If I talk about them, I'd be putting my family in danger."

"They're dangerous?" I watched Jack take a deep breath, his torso was bare and it was a patchwork of cuts and bruises. Just like... "Josh. Jack, do you know a boy called Josh?"

He said nothing, but I saw his eyes flicker to the window.

"You do know him don't you? Is he involved."

Jack shook his head. "You don't need to worry about Josh."

"And what about those animals that I saw? How do they fit into this, do you fight them?"

Jack's jaw clenched. "I think you should go now. My Mam will be here soon."

I jumped up from my chair. "Please, Jack, I-"

"I said I can't tell you anything."

"OK," I said. "Peering through the crack in the curtain to make sure his raised voice hadn't alerted anyone. "Well I'm glad you're OK anyway."

"Thank you," Jack said. "For everything."

I nodded and then closed the curtain behind me as I left.

Back home, I was surprised to find Josh in my room.

"What are you doing in here?"

He turned in surprise, my 'Kraal' photographs clutched in his hand.

"Rose, what is this?"

"What are you doing in my room?"

"I was waiting for you. Rose, why do you have these?" He held the photographs out to me, his brow furrowed.

"It's just my Art project."

"How long have you known about this place?"

"I found it when I arrived here last week."

Josh sat down heavily on the end of the bed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You need to get rid of these photographs. You need to forget that you saw the fights and you can never, ever, tell anyone about this."

I perch down next to him on the bed. "Josh, what's this all about?"

He sighed. "What do you know?"

"I found a boy in the woods last night, he was half beaten to death after taking part in an illegal fight with some kind of animal."

Josh grimaced. "Promise me that you won't say anything about this to anyone. Promise me." He took my face in his hands, his eyes scanning my face.