Loretta of the Lamp

Intruder

Hard to tell if it had been several hours or only several minutes, but something had woken Loretta, and it wasn't just her own discomfort.

Akil had ceased to snore, or even breathe for that matter, he was completely silent.

Nothing moved.

And yet, something was there.

Then she heard it, the scatter of rocks under a misplaced foot step. She leaned forward, eyes open and back rigid, her whole body alert.

And so was Akil, in the darkness his eyes were open, watching her with one finger pressed to his lips for silence.

She breathed in, and out.

Suddenly, in one fluid movement, Akil was up on his feet and across the small space, down the stone steps to the floor below.

"Hey! Hey–" came and exclamation moments later, in a male voice not Akil's own. This was followed quickly by, "Easy now! Is that necessary?"

A head, and then the body appeared at the top of the stairs, but neither of them belonged to Akil either, he came up behind the intruder, holding a knife to his throat with a steady hand. At the top of the stairs Akil dropped the knife and shoved the man across the room. He wasn't prepared for Akil's strength or speed and he went flying, landing shoulder first against the far wall. His head caught the rebound, and he was knocked out cold.

"Was that really necessary?" Loretta echoed the intruder's words as she observed the slumped form on the floor.

"Necessary? How was I supposed to know he would knock himself out?"

"You threw him against a stone wall."

"He's an intruder. What do you think he was doing, rummaging around in the ruins of a derelict house after dark?"

"You think he was looking for us?" she asked, aghast. She looked over the silent body carefully. Despite the shock of warm brown hair covering his face, Loretta could see just enough softness of youth to believe he was not much older than her. He wore light clothing, none of it too impressively kept. His sandals were well worn, and his feet cracked and dry from large amounts of walking. From the angle he was lying at, scrunched up against the wall, this was all Loretta could make of him.

Akil didn't reply to her question, as though the answer was obvious. Instead he strode forward and bound the man's legs and arms behind his back. Then he hauled him up by a handful of hair, and shoved a rag of dirty cloth into his mouth.

"Gross," Loretta muttered. She felt sorry for him, he was still completely unconscious.

"If I don't, when he wakes up, he will yell until the whole neighbourhood is awake and looking for us," Akil explained, clearly feeling judged for his actions.

"I know," she said in a quiet voice, "Just lay him on his side so he doesn't choke."

As Akil did what she asked, the man suddenly woke up and began to struggle. Akil snatched up the knife and held it to his face, "I'll take the gag out, and we can talk. But you must remain silent unless I ask a question. Do you understand me?"

There was fear in the young man's eyes as he nodded agreement.

"If you cry out, I'll either cut out your tongue, or slit your throat, which ever seems easiest and quickest in the moment. Do you understand?"

He nodded vigorously.

"Please don't," Loretta began.

"Shut up," Akil barked at her, hardly turning.

He angled the young man's chin upward with the blade of the knife and stared wildly into his eyes as he pulled the gag out. Loretta noticed he made a point of keeping the rag in his hand as he said, "Now speak. Why are you here?"

"This is my home," the intruder said. "I don't know anything."

"This is not your home." Akil replied flatly.

The man looked at the knife in his hand, and stuttered as he said, "My family home, I was born here."

Akil just stared. There was more to the story and he was waiting, impatiently.

"We moved from Hikari, ten years ago. We went to Misbah. There is nothing left for anyone here. The walls fall to ruin, and the Jin wait outside every night." His tone was pleading and afraid.

"What are the Jin?" Loretta asked, looking to Akil for the answer.

"Shut up." Akil growled at her.

She bit her lip.

"This is not your home." Akil repeated.

"It is! I swear it!" his voice rose an octave, and his tone turned to pleading, "I was born under a tent on the roof up those stairs, I played with the chickens in the yard down there, my mother and sisters, they slept every night on the floor where you stand now. I don't know what else to tell you."

Silence fell, and Akil let the silence remain for a long moment before he said in a quiet voice, "Why are you here?"

He paused before responding, and Loretta wondered what he was considering. "A wedding," he admitted finally, "My second cousin. I brought a gift from my mother and gave it at the feast. I don't have money, but this house is my own, so I have stayed here while the wedding celebrations took place. I intended to begin the journey back to Misbah tomorrow," he dropped his head down onto his knees, and Loretta thought he looked truly pitiful.

Clearly, so did Akil, "What is your name?" he asked.

"Bennou. People call me Ben," he replied.

Akil crouched down, rolling the dirty, saliva soaked rag back into a ball before he said, "Well Ben, try and get some sleep," and shoved the gag back in his mouth.

Ben did not even protest.

Loretta didn't talk to Akil, she didn't want to. She was unable to help her feelings of disgust at him and pity for Bennou. Though she knew the discussion had been necessary, and had to happen just as it did, Akil's face and expression had been ruthless, and it shook her.

She stared at the intruder called Ben for a few minutes, and Ben stared back, with his long brown hair tousled across his face, and his brown eyes unreadable.

When she finally looked away, she pulled her blanket over her head to avoid eye contact with Akil.

Today had not been a good day, as far as days trapped inside a lamp went.