Hornet

Chapter 4: Shot Heard 'Round the World

Lets step back for a minute. As you know, there has been a rebellion. I, of course was not happy. But what, exactly, were the details of this revolution? How did it start? How is this Jamie figure? Don't worry, I'll answer these questions. In doing so though, I must step away from my own story, and put you in the eyes, of one Jamie Sinceramente.

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Jamie's eyes squeezed shut as the sound of a whip repeatedly hit the poor man in front of him. The sickening crack! the weapon made as it flew through the air made Jamie want to cower in fear. He didn't want to follow through with his plan anymore, and he imagined his limp body dangling from a rope after he was caught. He couldn't think like that though. That's the way everyone thought and all that did was show their leader that they were at her mercy. No, Jamie told himself, today that all ends. Today she will know that the people are back on their feet. They couldn't sit and watch anymore, they had done that seven years to many. And so he took a step forward, almost breaking through the crowd. The only thing that stopped him was the sound of quiet sniffles on his right. He turned to the noise, seeing a little girl, who couldn't be more than five, crying silent tears next to him. Jamie couldn't turn away, he just couldn't help it. He bends down and quietly asks the child what was wrong.

"Th-that's my- my d-daddy," The girl answers, her eyes red and puffy from the salty tears that wouldn't stop coming.

"You know what?" Jamie asks her and she looks up at him with big green eyes. "I'm going to save your daddy ok?" The little girl nods and her eyes light up.

"Really?" She asks, hope in her voice.

"Really," Jamie answers. "What's your name?" he asks her.

"Ann Marie," she tells him, almost happy, but the girl had just seen her father whipped. Happiness wouldn't be coming to her for a while.

"Alright Ann Marie, do you want to help me?" She nods her head vigorously. Jamie felt bad for putting her in this situation, but the likelihood of her getting caught was slim.

"If you see any more bad people coming to us, I want you to scream as loud as you can, alright?"

Ann Marie nods and she tries to make her face as serious as possible. She salutes him and says "Yes sir," just as she had seen soldiers do before.

Jamie smiles at her scrunched up little face and pats her head. "Be good my little warrior." he says as he stands back up and looks over the crowd to the scene. Ann Marie's father was lying on the ground, blood poured from the slits in his back, but they continued to strike him. If you looked in the man's eyes you could see the life draining from him as consciousness slipped away. Jamie reached the front edge of the crowd.

He took one step forward.

Then another.

The soldier heard his footsteps and turned to face the man moving closer to him. As the Jamie looked into the soldier's eyes he shivered. They were cold and unforgiving. The soldiers were trained to be merciless. They had no feeling or conscious and this man was no exception.

The soldier stepped toward Jamie.

Jamie reached behind him and grabbed the hilt of the dagger from his pocket and pulled it forward.

There was a gasp from the crowd. They knew what was going to happen next. And they knew Jamie would not make it.

"I give you one chance to step back into the crowd." The soldier hisses. Jamie stands still.

"Well then it looks like I have no choice." The soldier says raising his whip.

"You can kiss my ass." Jamie says through gritted teeth as the whip comes flying down. Jamie barely dodges it, and he raises the dagger by his ear. He flung it forward, though his timing was off and as the whip rose again it knocked the knife off its path, although the whip was now left hanging by a few threads to the handle. A moan comes from the man behind them, but no one dares come forward and help him. Jamie tries kicking the legs out from under him, but the soldier catches his foot and twists it, knocking Jamie to the ground. The soldier kicks him in the gut and his eyes bulge. He gasps like a fish, unable to collect air from his winded lungs. The guard was ready to continue pummeling him, but just as it seemed all hope was lost, the perfect distraction came.