Revenge

An Eye for an Eye

Speaking the names of his family brings a tremor to his voice. He deliberately left their names for last, anticipating the effect it would have. This is it; the moment of truth. This is what these mens actions have set in motion. He flicks the last saliva moistened match stick onto the pile of clothing before a burning one joins it. As he steps off the tree stump, he makes his way back to the second detonator. The smell of natural and artificial fibres burning the clothing to a mere pile of ash replaces the smell of the charred bodies of his people. This is the smell of justice. He is not afraid to turn his back on these men. If any of them dares to try anything, his snipers will shoot them in the legs or arms, just like the two negotiators who are now slowly but steadily bleeding from their leg wounds.

There is a quiet sense of anticipation in the air. Even the wildlife in the area is hesitant to make a sudden movement. The eerie silence signals the calm before the storm. Armond knows that the moment he steps on that detonator, there will be a deafening explosion, accompanied by the deafening response of ever wild creature in the area. Two more steps and his vengeance will be completed. He will not look back. He will not give these men another thought. Only a cursory reference will made to them in his report to his people. Then, their punishment will become part of mythology, a warning of what befalls monsters like them, who were slain by the bravest of men in honour of their own dead.

The explosion rocks the hills and Armond is nearly knocked from his own feet by the force of it. When the cacophony of sound dies down, Armond does not turn back. His part in this chapter of history is over. His next chapter lies in the rebuilding of his community. Half of his men will remain here, while the rest of them begin the journey home. Those who stay behind have volunteered for this last part of the mission. It will be gruesome, and they will be scarred by what they see. They will watch over the prisoners, now stranded on a piece of earth, surrounded by an abyss. Who will eventually succumb to the demands of Mother Nature. Without clothing, they will be scorched by the sun. Yes, there are vehicles under or behind which they can seek shelter, but the heat will leave them parched. With no weapons, they are deprived of mercy killings. Their journey to death will be excruciating but just. Weakened, they will wish for death long before they actually meet The Reaper.

The watchers, will only begin their journey home once the last of General Scarlet and his men has made his journey to the underworld, where they will continue to burn in the fires of hell. Armond knows that it is not likely that that his own men will ever return to them. They will likely go mad as a result of watching the suffering of their prisoners, and end their own lives long before they reach the borders of their community. These brave ones, will also live on in mythology. They will have ballads composed in their honour, which will be sung until the last embers of the last fires of their people finally die down.

His next chapter, however, begins back with his people. He has a destined role to fulfil, after all. He will oversee the appointment of a new council of elders, and then, the appointment of a new queen. A young woman with a predetermined destiny, just like Corinna, to be the mother of their next generation.