Progeny

Maybe

"We should leave before they try to finish us off. I don't want anyone else to die." He folded his burly arms and gave a firm nod. Whatever happens, we can not quit now.

———

We didn't rest that night. Some were afraid to wait around, and some were afraid to close their eyes. We walked until the sun peaked above the treetops. It was no longer chilly, but there was still a breeze. The climatic atmosphere felt nice, but the emotional one felt heavy. Everyone's head was down, and no one said a word. Darren was ahead of us, his head held high. His fist were closed tightly at his sides, and his jaw was set. There was a dangerous look in his eyes, an angry one. I seemed to always forget that he had friends. He knew those kids.

Darren stopped abruptly, his right fist was held in the air. After everyone came to a halt, he slowly turned around.

"Let's take a break" was all he said. Nobody spoke, but responded by sitting down. Only when I stopped moving, did I realize that I needed to rest. The unleveled surface we trekked on did not relieve my aching feet. I was sprawled out on the ground, silently begging the breeze to brush against my sweaty skin and cool me down. I began to stretch my limbs and unwind. My lips felt brittle, and my mouth was parched. I desperately wanted water, but my calves were too sore. I sighed heavily and tried not to focus on the pain.

I closed my eyes and took deep breathes. The sound of the birds chirping surrounded me as well as the smell of the vegetation. The river was still audible from where we were. We seemed to always stay near it. If we went to the river to drink and bathe, would the guards be waiting there? I shuddered at the thought. They were wicked men with hearts as dark as coal. They killed without hesitation: Women, children, entire families. They didn't care who the victims were. The ones who were meant to protect the kingdom, ended up being the ones to harm us. They wouldn't have just murdered a bunch of innocent people though. Axel gave them the order to do so. He's responsible for all that happened. The thought of him made my blood boil.

John came and sat next to me, but I didn't look at him. I was too tired to move.

"Look around" he whispered. "What do you see?" Much to my dismay, I sat up and looked around.

"I see a bunch of heartbroken kids who are afraid." We were the only ones talking. The others were too upset to speak, too devastated.

"Look closer." I rolled my eyes. What's this about? I strained my eyes to show him that I was looking hard. After not knowing what to look for, I turned back to him. He rolled his eyes at me and sighed.

"It's us. We..." he trailed off. "We are very few. Did you count how many were killed?" He asked.

"No, I didn't."

"14 heads I counted, and there are 10 of us left. Out of the 24 that escaped, only 10 of us are still breathing."

"What's your point?"

"All the girls stayed behind, excluding you and the other two, when we went to pick the berries. And the boys, who were too young, stayed behind also. Now look around, and tell me what you see." I looked again and understood what he wanted me to see. All the other girls were killed. If I hadn't taken Edith and Audrey with me, they would've been killed too. If I had decided to stay, I would've been killed as well.

"Oh" was all I could say. The little boy's were slaughtered because they didn't go either. Something tugged at my heart, and I looked up to rid myself of my tears. All that was left of our town's children was a bunch of older boys and three girls. More than half of the group were lost on the first night. Could we really survive three more?