Skiels ✔[Complete]

Part 8

We are back in the kehes. My body aches all over. I roll to my side and find Heros sleeping. At least, I hope he is sleeping. His face is caked with dry blood and the bruises on his arms are purple. I want to cry and hold him and apologize for dragging him into this, but it's too late now. Way too late. I was somehow still alive. Heros hadn't killed me but that meant I had to undergo severe punishment. I was dreading this. I try to raise my hand above my head but find that I am bound to Heros with the same shackles that had bound Noir. When was that? How long had we been here?

He groans and opens his eyes. They look so innocent but once they land on me, they burn with the same rage I had seen in the Zima's eyes. He lunges out to slap me again, but something stops him. Maybe the wounds and injuries on my face. "I understand," I say with effort. It hurts to talk. He scowls and starts to scoot away but the shackles limit his area of movement. He grunts as they cut into his skin and crawls close to me. Turning his face away from me, he brings his legs closer to his chest. He rests his chin on his knees and glares at the floor. I don't attempt to break the silence. It's better for both of us to collect our thoughts. I lie back down but something pulls in my thigh and I screech. A shrill, high-pitched voice leaves my mouth, something I didn't think I was capable of. I double over and Heros is hauled down on the floor with me. He stays silent and lies down beside me, as I breathe slowly; each breath paining. I stay like that, staring up at the ceiling. Heros keeps fidgeting beside me and it's really irking me.

"Stop that!" I snap at him.

"I can't," he yells back. "I have to use the washroom."

"What's a washroom?"

"Oh my god. I have to pee! Urinate. Let stuff out of my system," he enunciates.

"Oh. We don't have washrooms," I say, remembering the word from some book.

"Where do you...excrete, then? On the streets?"

"The jepas are not a place for you to....pee. We don't need them. We don't eat anything, so excreting is out of the question."

"This is so dumb. Let me go. Why am I even here?! That Noir woman is gone. I don't want to be here."

"I really cannot do anything. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. It's all my fault."

"You better be," he says angrily. He mutters something in his language and sits up, pulling me up. I stifle a gasp and get up, my legs throbbing. Heros doesn't look back and walks back and forth, from one corner of the cage to the other. The Zima is cruel when it comes to punishments. I wonder why.

We are still walking around aimlessly when the guards arrive. I am lightheaded and I just want to sleep. The guards place some objects on the ground and leave. I am grateful that they leave without injuring me. Maybe they see my pain, but that's impossible. They wouldn't care.

Heros rushes to the objects the moment the cage closes. I fail to keep up and trip, falling face first. I shriek as I am literally dragged across the floor. Heros exclaims something and runs back to me. Placing his hands under my armpit, he puts me back on my feet. "I'm sorry. I got excited. They brought some things from the human world! There's a bucket, food, water, and some medicine." He points the things out.

I breathe in sharply. "That's great." This only means that they are in no hurry to let us out. I sit down and watch as Heros starts eating. He offers me some but then remembers what I said and keeps on eating. He gobbles down, his chubby cheeks red. His lips are cracked. He raises the container to drink and stops when it is empty.

The medicine, he says, is for his wounds and forces me to apply it. I do, but it gives me no relief. "I don't think it works for me."

He laughs. He seems to have forgotten that he was supposed to hate me. "It won't work immediately. Leave it on. It won't hurt...well, not as much as these." He gestures to his own wounds. I nod, but I doubt it will do good. Skiels heal on their own. "It feels better already." He smiles as he puts the tube down.