Not the End of Us.

The Place Where He Belonged

People were gathering around the disco ball, the lights were pointing the ball making it shine and giving it a look of lasers around the room. There was no way to know for sure if it was night or day down there, only the entrance was illuminated by the sun from far away during the day, the kids inside had an intern clock, they guards change shifts automatically.

Ben had been watching carefully the behavior of everyone inside, as well as the chords and the areas inside this small camp, the camp of the others. He spotted some with spikes, this ones seemed to be the ones in charge, they weren't much, like 15-20, he heard some of them talking about their experiences being on a harness, he figured they were the ones without a physical mark, only an internal one. There were more of this kind of kids/ guys, but Ben also heard some saying they were there for fun, for the rumors, some of them had lost everything because of skitters; what everyone inside that camp had in common, bust mostly, had in common with Ben, was the hunger for revenge.

It was different, even if Ben felt joy as them, these kids wanting more and more, all Ben wanted was for the feeling to go away.

He didn't know what to expect for this tradition, he had some ideas of what could be, but he surely never imagine what actually happened.

When everyone was already around and behind the disco ball, Ben spotted the ones with spikes on the center, the group of people form the letter C, expecting someone to came from that space, then he saw Diane, who grabbed Ben close to her placing him in front row.

-Diane: You need to be close to me.

The place was filled with a lot of voices, some of them were shouting excited for something. Then Ben saw Marco and Jasper followed by the noise of some chains and a familiar sound.

The two strong guys with spikes on their backs, were dragging the skitter they captured with some big and heavy chains, the skitter was making a cry for help, an awful cry, and was staring at everyone on that group with fear, and Ben realize that this was the first time he saw a skitter with that kind of fear.

-Diane: Don't let him be on your mind.

Ben was petrified, his eyes were open as much as he could open them, he didn't know what was next, but he knew, thanks to screams of happiness of everyone, that it was no good for that alien, and it definitely was something Ben never seen before.

The two guys dragged the skitter to the center of the group, the people around were screaming words like 'it's your time' 'get him' 'kill' 'die'. They tied the chains in some place on the ground, making the skitter impossible to run away, but having the small ability to move around at least to look at his opponets.

Jasper then, gave Diane a blade, those kinds of blades you only see on movies, and Diane went to the center, close to the skitter, the skitter who was dying of fear.

-Diane: We are the others!! Not them! This morning we went hunting, and as promise to you, My brothers and sisters, we got a pretty good catch. Besides the opportunity of having the great Ben Mason among us tonight, we killed three bastards out there, and even if you want them all here, at the court of the others, we live happily by our rules, our same goal, to destroy the bastards who destroyed us. Skitters fears us now! This is our planet, this is our fight! Not the adults fight! They don't understand us.. So we took our weapons, and we took action by making this creature suffer!

The crowd was screaming, agreeing with the words Diane said. Then Diane rise the blade and look a the roof, Ben notice that the lights made the effect of stars in the roof.

-Diane: We thank the stars for this opportunity and do this as a warning for other eyes out there!

-Crowd: Yeahh!!!

Diane stared at the creature for a second and then at Ben.

-Diane: As promise...You will tell us, where the red eye is.

The skitter made an awful scream as an answer.

-Diane: You will give up eventually, and we will not stop.

She took the blade strong and cut one of the creature legs in half, splashing blood around and filling the place with the skitter scream. Diane pass the blade to another guy with spikes who did the same, and then to another, who just make a cut in the creature's eye.

Diane went to stand next to Ben.

-Ben: You are torturing him.

-Diane: We make them wish they were dead. We enjoy this, it makes us feel more alive, it give us in a way what they took, power.

Ben started at the scene for a while, watching different kids hurting the alien, this was more than torture, this wasn't human anymore; and Ben knew how they felt, but he also learn that this kids forget about their humanity, they were already on the point Ben was scared of ending.

Diane took the blade and she gave it to Ben.

-Diane: You need this, finish this.

Ben was hesitating staring at Diane's face, begging in silence she didn't force him to do that. This is what Ben wanted all alone, all since that first day he got out of camp in search for skitters, in the search of him killing them, making them suffer, but he was so scared this time, he was watching in what they ended up turning. He didn't wanted to forget why he was doing this, it wasn't only because of him, it was because of the people he loved, the people he lost, and for the ones who lost everything. He realize then that his anger could took control over him, putting him on this darkness and non returning and as much as he wanted to believe he wanted that darkness, he didn't; it scared him in a way it should scare everyone. He had spikes, he wasn't normal, but he still wanted to be human.

Ben was going to use his anger against the red eye, and only him,to prove him wrong, but then Diane put the blade on Ben's hand.

-Diane: Do it for you mother.

The anger took control of Ben, he stared at the alien, almost dead, crying, screaming, begging with the look.

-Diane: Make them suffer as they did to you.

He was staring at the creature, pointing at it with the blade, the memory of his mother come to his mind, as well as Charlotte, as well as his father, and Maggie, and his brothers. He thought it through and he decided this was the last time he felt weak, he had the power now. He was going to end this for himself and for the ones he loved, bust most importantly for the humanity left on earth.

Ben gave a big scream and then he cut the head of the skitter, leaving the body to the kids and the head rolling on the room. He got the blade up, he was staring at it, the sound of the kids shouting seemed so far away, he was shaking just staring at the blood on the blade, Diane came from behind whispering to him.

-Diane: You belong to us after all.