THIRST IN HELL

CHAPTER 7

Exactly after the two hours, one of the officers led me to an open field. The other captives had been assembled there, untied now but still heavily guarded.

They were being addressed to by a tall muscled being. A badge on his uniform indicated his high rank while his despising speech confirmed it. He opened a long papyrus scroll and started to read. 

" Male and female beings, you are about to start a new life here, a new long life. I need you to know that you are no longer normal beings. Henceforth, you are just slaves. So, here are the rules that every slave must observe.

One, your right to die or to live lies in our hands. It's illegal  for you to kill youself, but very legal for us to condemn you through the law.

Two, you can not attempt to break free. That one... that's disloyalty and the penalty is death before the public.

Three, a slave can not involve in marriage relationship, intimacy or sexual activities, seeing that as I said earlier, you are not  very normal hence the widespread of your breed is nothing to be entertained.

Four, you can not complain, you aren't children, Neither can you incite each other, strike or anything like that. I would be wise enough not to try such if I were a useless slave like you.

Now Slaves! Have you all understood!"

He suddenly paused, for effect and to wait for a response.

It amused me to recall that dwellers in mundane world used to say that there are no rules in hell, only fire. But here we were now, faced by the plain reality, that rules are everywhere. Whether among living things or nonliving things, some sort of rules will have to exist for any two to be able to interact.

"... Here now are the slaves rights.

It's your right to surrender to us any valuable you possess instead of being forced to.

It's your right to volunteer as a ransom for one of us. In such case, you will be given a more descent burial.

It's your right to work as hard as you can for your masters. You can only rest during the holiday, and on the night hours, from seven to six pX time or when your immediate masters find it necessary.

Got that slaves!

Good! let's continue, shall we?"

The monologue and misuse of word slave continued. I was no longer interested in him.
'pX time' whatever the hell that means, I will remember to find out. I had already heard what I was waiting for. The available free time, I had laid perfect plans for that.

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The hard work started early the following day. It involved carrying heavy stones, gravel and other construction material on our back to the building sites.

The masters were cruel and strict. The kind that like to stare at you as you work without blinking, as if you are a potentially explosive experiment, and mostly seeking for a single fault. They also liked to whip us every now and then.

By the end of day one, we were completely exhausted and drained. I just longed for a place to lay my head. In the evening we were directed to our individual small cabins. The gate was then locked and heavily guarded. I later observed that, this was a routine.

On the night of day two, I started carrying out my plans. I approached the other slaves and persuaded them to join in my secret night classes. The grapevine took over and news spread among the slaves like a wild fire.

By the end of day three, beings started to attend. The classes were set on random days, and were only one hour long between eleven and midnight, hopefully helping to avoid suspicion.

My major topics were on the power of unity. The first objective was to stop cases of slaves hurting and intimidating each other.

"Unity is strength," I kept telling them. "And if unity were a shelter, then respect for each other are the pillars."

"If any kingdom fights itself, it can not stand." I quoted and recalled reading that from a certain valuable book which many beings kept but rarely read.

These sessions went on and on for some few weeks and slowly, ever so slowly,  just as the great oaks grow from a small acorn, I noted some slight positive change. Tick.

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I also started to enquire where Glutton used to keep his value stones. It seemed that nobody knew. My guess was that the stones were hidden somewhere in the ruins of the old empire. Then I remembered that Glutton had a worker and decided to enquire from him.

Glutton himself was now dead and almost forgotten. Actually, he died a few days before the raid. Died of a widespread disease that the doctor said is a poor lifestyle disease. I had found it very ridiculous that a wealthy being could be living a poor lifestyle, but wealth and wisdom are not synonyms and that fact really itch.

I was also very naive at the time on the meaning of a good lifestyle. My idea of it was eating sweet delicacies, living in excessive luxury and doing no hard work.

And what is living a good lifestyle?

To date, I believe that a good lifestyle is minding the longterm effects of what passes through your throat, panting with sweat before a daily bath, avoiding trouble with others and sleeping daily like a happy cat.

I looked for Glutton's worker, only to find him to be just a chip of the old block. Forever craving for extreme wealth so as to outdo the others and then show off.

"Before I tell you where the stones are, you have to promise to share his wealth with me. Also, you must give me something as a deposit ," He said conclusively.

I just stood there expressionless, wondering whether the something mention here was supposed to be a bribe, a gift or a payment. I should have known that it is birds of the same feather that flock together.

One thing I knew was, whatever the case, the worker had just hit a dead end because my interest was not in possessing Glutton's ill-gotten wealth. I just wanted my rune stone back.

Judging by this worker being, It is easier to squeeze juice from a desert stone, than to receive a service from beings who have gotten used to receiving bribes, especially if you are not willing to bribe them. The worker was very careful not to give away any information, even as I left him.