Alpha (Jacob Seed X Deputy OC)

14 - The Third Trial

A couple of days my ass. I'd lost count of how long I'd been locked up now. The Peggies hadn't even been feeding me so much of my muscle mass had vanished. Just blinking seemed to take an extraordinary amount of energy up. The burning sun glared down onto me and I squinted, each ray seeming to pierce right through me. The body of the Militia member I had killed a week or so before was being scavenged upon by a wolf in the neighbouring pen. My stomach churned at the sight and smell.

'Seven days. Aw, you must be hungry.' My head whipped around and I saw Jacob. I was about to reach for him until I realised Pratt was present. Sitting down on a foldable chair, Jacob studied my body as I crawled towards him. Pratt placed a bowl of raw meat in front of me and I leapt on it, stuffing clumps into my dry mouth. Once the pasteurised mince-like sustenance hit my tongue I realised how hungry I was. 'Yeah. Did you know it takes ten days for civilisation to collapse?' Leaning his head back, Jacob allowed Pratt to tidy his beard up with an incredibly sharp blade. I chewed whilst he spoke, desperate for him to stop being so cold with me and let me out. 'Yup. You take away a man's basic needs and he'll revert to his primordial instincts in just ten days. Ah, it's a difficult thing to understand unless you've lived it...' Each time the knife glided against his skin I felt my eye twitch. If Pratt even dared to hurt him I couldn't be responsible for my actions. 'You know I was in Iraq during the first Gulf War. Eighty-second airborne. All-Americans. Hoo-rah.' He jested dryly, his stare devoid of emotion. 'One night, there was an ambush.' Reaching his hands out, Pratt splashed water onto them. Water, sweet water. It'd been days since I'd felt cool liquid slide down my throat. 'Me and this guy named Miller got separated from the unit. No food. No radio. Nearest base, two hundred clicks to the South so we just started walking.' Pratt handed the half full canister to Jacob who took it calmly, staring into the distance as he recalled the events of his story. I was transfixed, desperate to know what happened next. 'Well, by the third day I knew we were lost. Day six, ran out of water. Y'know what that's like don't ya?' He teased, taking a long tantalising sip from his bottle. 'Difficult to swallow. On the seventh day Miller's legs started going all wonky. Did you know your brain starts to eat your muscles in order to survive? That's why you're so God damn skinny.' Turning his chair, Jacob looked at my gaunt face head on and I tried to convey my desperation through my expression. It didn't work. 'And by the eight day, the wolves were closing in. And I looked at Miller and I could tell we were as good as dead. And I accepted that. And in that acceptance came clarity. You see, I wasn't just looking at Miller.' Reaching forward, Jacob helped me up to my feet though I knew if he was to let go of my shirt I'd collapse. 'I was looking at an opportunity. It wasn't something I wanted. It was something I had to do. It was... It was my test.' My mouth grew dry at his admission and I was thrown back to that day in the airport.

'Private Seed is missing. Assumed dead. He and his comrade Miller went dark a couple weeks ago.'

That was why he hadn't come home. Piecing his story together, my eyes grew wide. He'd killed and eaten his comrade to survive. No wonder he couldn't sleep at night. It all made sense. Everything made sense. I knew I should hate him. I should be repulsed by the very sight of him. Yet I didn't feel an ounce of disgust or anger toward him. Just pity and sadness. Jacob paused for a second, reaching his spare hand out to Pratt who handed him the music box. 'Now you see, Miller's sacrifice wasn't about me walking out of that desert. It was about bringing me here.' Releasing his grip on my shirt, I fell to my knees immediately and let out a quiet whine of pain. 'The weak have their purpose. You'll understand that soon enough.' He lifted the lid of the box slowly and I felt tears sting at my eyes.

'Please...' I looked at Jacob, begging for him to stop but I knew he wouldn't. 'Please don't...' Burying my face in my hands, I let out a choked sob.

'Cull the herd.' He instructed.

'Jacob please...' Removing my palms, I weakly tilted my head up to look at him. Red rimmed eyes pleading for their life, I caught his hand faltering over the lid of the box for a second. But it was too late.

Only you,
Can make all this world seem right.