Chai on the Mountaintop

Secrets Shall Consume

Darkness befell the mountain. As the cold crept in, I put on my jacket and awaited Velu's return. It had been some time now and I was starting to get worried. I kept troubling thoughts at bay and tried to see what was happening. I looked around for a weapon, just in case and found an axe in the back. I got out of the jeep as quietly as I could and inched towards the gate. Sure enough, it had been pried open. The ground was wet now and moving quiet was almost impossible. I entered the village and carried down the stony central path. I suddenly stepped on something and I looked down. The gatekeeper. The large man didn't seem so tough now. I knelt down and checked his pulse. He was alive alright, but whoever was in there was strong enough to knock him out.

I gulped and continued walking, clenching the axe. I reached the first house and moved into a lane (of sorts) that ran beside it. Just then, I heard two gunshots. Loud and separated, followed by the sound of automatic arms fire. Seemed Velu had found the intruder and he was armed. I started to tremble as I moved in closer to the sound. It was unnerving, silent and dark as I walked towards the village centre. I got near the circular stone structure and looked around. None of the houses had their lights on.

"DUCK!" someone shouted and heeding the advice, I hugged the ground. Rapid shots of fire went over my head. In the faint glow of the moonlight, I saw a man, dressed in a jumpsuit holding a rather large gun running toward the gate. He was bleeding from his leg. "Mr. Hess! Do not let him get away!" another voice shouted. It was Velu, holding his right hand as blood oozed from it, limping toward me. "He's getting away! Run after him!" he ordered as his face turned to a scowl. Scared that he might use the gun on me, I sped after the intruder.

I ran back the way I came and spotted him moving to the gate, swearing and cussing as he tried to run. I turned into the lane of the house next to me and decided to cut him off just before the gate. My heart pounded as I blazed through the path. I turned the corner to the first house near the gate and I crashed into him. "Agh!" he screamed as he hit the floor. He looked shocked to see me.

"Alright, just stay down and nobody has to get hurt" I said although I sounded very scared. He looked at me, shaking like a leaf with a rusty axe in hand and scoffed at me. He slowly reached for his gun which had fallen from his hand. Desperation and anger coursed through my veins. If he reached his gun, he wouldn't hesitate to use it. I had no choice. I had to save myself.

I swung the axe at his face. It made contact and he fell writhing in pain as the wound gushed blood. I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. Repeated swings fell on him until his screams turned silent. I did not know what kept me going. I was shocked, not by the deed itself, but how natural it felt. It didn't feel perverse or sickening. It felt ordinary, like breathing. As my final blow tore through him and I realized what I had done, I fell to the floor. His nonchalant body had an eerie glow from the moonlight.

"Mr. Hess!" Velu hollered as he moved closer. "Did you catch-" He turned silent as he saw the gory scene. "I asked you to stop him, not turn him into dog food!" he yelled as he rested his injured leg. He covered his mouth and looked at me. "I had to" I said "I had no choice".

Shock turned to realization. "Is there anyone here?" I asked the mortified veteran. He having also accepted it, answered "No, everyone's out. We have to clean this up. We can't let anyone know."

"What?! Why? We didn't do anything wrong here. This was in self-defence! I'm sure the police will understand." I reasoned.

"Just shut up! They don't care! We won't see the outside world again if they know" he said. Fear resonated in his voice. I gathered he wasn't talking about the police. He was scared of someone finding out.

I wanted to ask who he was referring to, but I stayed silent. "The villagers return in 3 hours. We have until then to deal with this." He said.

I disposed of the axe in the stream that ran from the mountain top through the side of the village. Velu dragged the body to his jeep after putting a tarp on it. "Where are you going?" I asked him. He didn't answer. The jeep left with the second victim. As the sound of the motor faded, I cleaned the site with the bleach Velu had given me. I was sure this wasn't the first time he had done this as well.