Blackbird

Chapter 9

The path to the fire was dusty and dry. I found myself rethinking my decision to find out about this fire. What if it was something I shouldn't be seeing?

I turned a corner, and stared.

All around me where metal cages, stark and small. A noose hung in the main cage, swinging in the breeze.

Encrusted in blood.

I felt sick and covered my nose with my hand. The place smelt like rotting entrails. In most of the smaller cages, corpses lay, but in the distance I could hear the faint rythm of music. I decided to take a look, but promised myself that if things got too bad, I could always take off, back to the comfort of the treehouse.

As I weaved my way through the cages, I could see a live man in a cage, looking like he was having a fit. There were other men and women there too, all laughing and clapping around a fire, it's light reflecting off of the man's eyes. They were full of pain. I thought about turning around, but not before I saw what was truly happening. There was another man in the cage, with a whip. He was the size of a bull, by the look of it, and was whipping the man in the cage when he slowed down. True to my ears, there was music, some speakers in the corner of the cage, blaring out it's revolting sound. The 'slave' (at least, that's who I thought he was) in the cage was screaming to come out. As he stretched his hands through the bars of the cage, I could see he hadn't eaten in a couple of weeks. The slave weakly tried to smile, but he was trembling as he jerkily repeated his choreographed routine.

The man was clearly about to collapse, so I decided to step in. Before I could, however, the man knelt, raised his hands as if in prayer, and closed his eyes.

The men and women watching cheered.

Money was exchanged.

And another man was put in the cage.

As I was watching this, I saw that the cage had a sign on it. The sign was old and obviously used often. It has one word on it.

DANCE.

Wild gasps escaped from my mouth. In the crowd of onlookers, I spotted Arbor and Ilva.

How could they just let this happen!?

"Stop it!" I shout, unable to take it any longer, stepping out from behind a cage, "Stop!"