Survive Or Die

Chapter 23 - The Pit

She is water
Soft enough to offer life
tough enough to drown it away
- Rupi Kaur
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Aria's POV
I fall back into my throne and wrap my coat around me to keep out the chilling breeze. "Go find out all the people that left camp the day Celia said," I tell Archer. He nods shakily and hurries from the room, stopping at the door.
"Aria," he says, whirling around to me. "Are they really gonna hurt us?" His small voice barely makes it across the room.
I feel my face soften as it does only for him. "No. They can't hurt us..." I pause, "and even if they try, you can protect yourself now," I add hesitantly.
He nods and hurries from the room.
Archer returns half an hour later with about eighteen people, men and women. He scurries to my side and I order them into a line. A few look curious, a few look bored, and some look scared.
"What this 'bout 'en," one of the guys say.
I ignore him. "Hunters, on my right." Eleven people dash to my right, leaving eight people whom, as far as I'm concerned, are not Hunters. I stroll up to the first with an expression of stone upon my face. "You are?" I ask with my chin tilted up.
It's a girl who looks no older than fifteen with beads in her dark hair. She is practically shaking with fear. "A-Annabelle W-Wright," she stutters, her large, dark green eyes look full of fear, like a deer before it's shot.
"What do you do?" I shoot.
"I w-work as-as a build-builder."
"And where were you four days ago?"
"What-what happened four days-days ago?"
"Where were you?"
"I was-I was helping Co-Collin with-with tiding up A-Archers training area."
I turn to Archer. "Go get Collin." He nods and leaves the room.
I move on, leaving the trembling girl behind. "You?" I ask the next person; a guy with long, curly orange hair and fair skin.
He surveys the room, taking his time. "Simon Limak. Builder. Four days ago I was helping some Hunters with a fox they had caught. Anything else?"
I glare at him and move along. This time it is a taller man with dark skin and terribly cut brown hair. "Name?"
"Joshua Curtis. I'm a..." he looks around, slightly embarrassed, "medic. and I was doing my job four days ago. Like I'm supposed to." He crosses his arms, meeting my glare with one equally angry. I move along to a girl with tattoos covering her arms and messy, dirty, pink hair.
"Name's Mary Anne St Jane. I'm a survival expert. Who do you think taught these losers how to make fire?"
I raise an eyebrow. "Four days ago?"
Something flashes her features. "I... I was practicing my knots in the woods. Anything else?" She hisses.
And so I finish the line and move to the hunters. Collin dashes in half way through to confirm stories. They all give pretty much the same stories; they were hunting four days ago and have no idea what is going on.
I finish and stand, facing the group. "Mary Anne," I call. "Polly, Simon, Chris, Isaac, Joshua, Becky and Rachel." They all shakily step forward. "Which of you stole from The Hopi Nation and decided to start a war?"
The room is so silent I could hear a pin drop, and the tension is thick enough to slice with a knife.
I step forward to Sarah
, a small girl with dark hair, who looks worried as ever. "What were you doing four days ago?" She gave me a very shaky story of how she came across a pond with some mates and they spent the day catching frogs.
Suddenly she bursts into tears. I take a step back, shocked. "It was Isaacs idea," She cries. Isaac stands across the room looking murderous.
"You are so d-" before he can finish I order Collin to take him to the 'jail cell'.
"Anyone else?" As the hours drag on I find myself awaiting the next break down. I end up with four panicking teenagers and three casting loathing glances at them. "P-Please, Heda," Polly babbles. "It-It was a joke! I never- I never meant any-any harm, I- I did!"
I glare and shake her off, pacing the line of teenagers. "You trashed their camp, you stole their food, you-" I turn to glare at her, "you killed killed her bird."
"And I'm 'bout ta kill some'em else," one of the murderous looking ones - Rachel - snaps.
"So," I continue, ignoring her, "the ideal punishment would be banishment- obviously- but, as there are so many of you, I will be forced to concede another punishment." A breath of relief sweeps through the room. "But," I continue, "I will banish three of you." The room instantly becomes tense and cold. I even hear a small whimper from the crowd. "Of course Isaac will be banished. The question is: which two of you will follow him."
Mary Anne steps forward, looking sheepish with red ears. "Okay okay, so four days ago I weren't practicing my knots," she confesses, throwing glances around the room. "I had found a little spot, ya know, in them trees. And it uh... there was a 'lil deer there ya see. She needed help and I uh I helped-" she narrows her eyes "- you got a problem?"
I shake my head and purse my lips to stop from laughing. "You all get four nights in the Pit, no food, no water, no communication, and three days hard labor." There are a few groans and some winces. "Everyone that has been given a pardon can leave. That's: Annabelle, Sophia, Joshua, Ben, Jameson, Mary Anne, Robert, and Darcy. Leave." They willing hurry from the room, not casting a second glance in our direction. I summon the seven other guard to collect the rebels and put them in the Pit- a few holes with just enough room to sit down and a hand made roof over the top, made from vines and branches and by a few people with a lot of spare time on their hands.

I wake up that night to a loud, sharp scream. I sit up in my bed, alert and ready. I'm dressed and out the door in a few short minutes. The scream stops and abruptly starts again, echoing through the halls and frying my brain. The scream of terror and fear. I sprint up the stairs to Archers room and throw open the door, expecting to see a Fleshy feasting on his arm or something, instead I find him safely in bed. His sheets are strewn on the floor, his small face is contorted in fear as another scream tears through his throat. It stops with a small whimper and he curls up into a tight ball. I walk to his side and kneel down beside the bed. I give him a sharp shake and, when he doesn't wake, I shake him again. He stirs but wakes. His fist flies up to my face and his limbs fly everywhere. I catch his arm and restrain him. He looks around with wide, scared eyes. "It's okay. It was only a dream," I say quietly, letting go of him. He bites his trembling lip and nods.
"She was dying, Aria. I-I saw her die again. And again. And-and again." He gulps and bites his lip harder. "She..." he squeezes his blue eyes shut. I sit on the edge of the bed and pull him into a hug. "It's okay to cry," I find myself whispering. I feel his strong body shake with silent sobs.
"I yelled at her," he says, his voice cracking. "I yelled at while she bled to death."
"I'm sorry," is all I can say. He pulls away and sits, watching me.
"She-She was amazing. Smart, funny, bold... she w-was stupid too, of course. She was a-always t-taking chances where the-the odds were not in o-our favour," he chuckles. "But she was brilliant. Alaska, that was her-her name. God I miss her, Aria," he whispers.
"I know."
"Thank you," he suddenly says.
"What for?" I question, my eyebrows furrowing together.
"For-for giving me a chance. For saving me and-and giving me a h-home." He hugs me quickly and yawns.
"I'll always protect you, Archer. You're not going to lose me and you shouldn't thank me for that," I say, standing up. Are you okay now? Would you like me to stay?"
His lips pull into a slight smile and he yawns again. "No, its okay. I'm okay."
I place a small kiss to his forehead and stroll from the room. I hear him scamper into bed as I close the door. I stand there for a moment before walking back to my room. How dangerous, I think to myself as I journey up the stairs, to finally have something worth losing...
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Heyo
I hope this chapter is okay enough. I hope I'll be able to update more as I have internet for the next two weeks yay!
Aria - 29
Celia - 25
Thank you all so so so so so so much for the 400+ reads! Each new read I get means the world to me!
I love you all heaps!