The Knife Thrower

Chapter 31

I must have fallen asleep at some point because I am awoken to the door being opened. I sit up stiffly, back aching from the hard table. Someone walks in with a candle and tells me to get up. He takes me by the shoulder and escorts me out the door, where two other Rats are waiting to grab me as well. They don't trust me. I don't blame them.

We walk down the corridor and turn right, then left, then left again and go down four flights of stairs. By the time we reach the bottom and come to the door, the Rats beside me are gasping for breath, holding their aching sides. I have barely broken a sweat.

We walk inside and I close my eyes from the harsh light. The government have so much money they don't need candles. They have this thing called Electricity that lights up the entire room and burns your eyes. They shove me forward and my shins bash into something hard. A step.

I climb up three steps, onto a raised circular platform. I stand in the middle and look at the people before me.

A sea of fifty people stand before me, all glaring at me coldly. I can't see any familiar faces, except Blake's, who stands to the left of me. But I avoid eye contact, for every time I look at him a pang of hurt goes through me, making my eyes water. Two Rats come over to me and bind my wrists to two poles on opposite sides of me. I stand with my hands bound, feet spread slightly apart and push my shoulders back. I will not be intimidated.

Another Rat walks towards me and I expect him to speak to me or make sure my wrists are properly bound. Instead he keeps walking and punches me in the stomach. A groan escapes my lips and I bend forward as much as my bounds will let me. I hear one of my ribs and my vision goes blurry.

The crowd cheer and laugh at me. The Rat pushes me back up straight and punches me in eye. Pain shoots through me and my eyes water. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to keep the tears away and trying to ease the excessive pain. Thank goodness for my hoody.

"You get 'em tiger!" The crowd roars, laughing. I glance at Blake but he just stands there stonily, staring at a wall. The Rat punches me over and over, either in the gut or in the face, and sometimes kicks me in the shins. By the time he stops I can barely feel anything and my head is swimming. I gasp for air, tears running freely down my cheeks. The pain is so intense it takes over me, burning my insides. I don't even know what exactly hurts because everything hurts. Heck, I can barely recall my own name!

The Rat walks away, calling out about how that should teach me a lesson and I am such a wimp. The crowd laughs and chatters excitedly, like they are at a sports game. Maybe they are.

A tall, skinny man in his late forties puts up his hand and the chatter dies down. He walks towards me and I flinch, waiting for the next blow. Instead he stops at the bottom of the stairs and looks at me intently. I bow my head, trying to cover most of my face with my hood.

"Hello. It is nice to finally meet the legendary Knife Thrower." He calls out in a low, booming voice that sends shivers down my spine. I stare straight ahead, refusing to make eye contact.

"Well, aren't you going to be polite? You are the guest of honour." He says and the crowd goes crazy. They laugh and boo and mock me. He lets it go on for a good minute before singling for them to shut up. Still I refuse to talk.

"Fine. I see you are nervous. Let's starts with something easy." He says the next part really slowly. "What. Is. Your. Name?"

"As long as we are asking questions, why are you so eager to find out?" I shoot back, spitting on the ground. This gains me another punch to the stomach and I feel two other ribs give way.

"Why, you are going against the government, the laws. That is why. We can't have that behaviour continuing, don't you agree?" I don't answer. He stares at me and takes a step forward.