Ethan woke up completely sore the next day. His bones were begging for more rest to be able to recover from the previous day's brutal assault. Ethan would have loved nothing more than to keep laying on his be...' wait a second..this ain't my room' Ethan realized as he looked around.
His gaze finally landed on his mother who was snoring lightly as she slept. Her head leaned against the back of the sofa. ' I can't believe we slept here yesterday. Dred didn't even bring her anything to cover herself against the cold with'.
Ethan shook his head as he thought of Dred and what he had done yesterday. ' I'll get you back one day Dred, you just wait ', He promised silently as he got up from his position on his mother's lap, making sure he didn't wake her in the process.
Ethan rose unto his feet and nearly fell over again. He definitely would have fallen into his mother if he hadn't held unto the sofa just in time. The sofa shifted back slightly under his sudden weight and Mrs. Brunson frowned in her sleep as she felt the movement but didn't wake.
Ethan let go of the sofa and turned to make his way toward the groceries scattered on the floor. His legs were weak and there were bruises all over his arms. He was sure his stomach was worst but that inspection would be done later in his room.
He knelt by the groceries and let out a big sigh as he picked them off the floor. A good chunk of the veggies was squashed but the rest were okay. ' that baboon deserves to starve. He has no respect for food in today's tough economy, Ethan shook his head as he looked at all the wasted food.
He made his way to the kitchen and put the groceries in the fridge. This should last them some few days until he made enough money to buy another.
He then made his way back to the veggies on the floor and swept them into the small dustbin he had brought from the kitchen.
After tidying up, he made his way to his mother's room. He was careful since he didn't want to meet Dred anytime soon.
He wasn't fit enough to have another go at him and he was worried his mouth would betray his thoughts about Dred if he was to meet him again, but upon knocking on Dred and his mother's door for thirty seconds straight without answer, he gathered courage and pushed the door open.
Just like he expected, Dred was nowhere to be seen. Ethan was sure he had left early in the morning whiles he and his mother were still asleep.
The clock on his mother's dressing table read 7:50 am. By the side of the bed, his mother's crutches lay on the floor. He picked them up and made his way back to the hall. His mother used to have a wheelchair back in the days but Dred sold it to pay his debts and got his mother crutches instead, saying that it will help her get in shape.
Ethan made his way to his mother with the crutches. He knelt by his mother and shook her gently. "Mom.." he called.
"Mhmm... Ethan. What is it?is it Dred?" Mrs.Brunson asked her son as her eyes flittered across the small room, looking for the big man she had come to loathe.
"Calm down mom, he's not here. I already checked. he must have left early in the morning whiles we were asleep."
"Oh..okay then", Mrs. Brunson visibly relaxed as she heard this.
"I brought you your crutches mom. It's still early, I'm gonna go to bed in my room soon. You should do the same", Ethan said as he passed the crutches to his mother who took them without a word. he then helped her onto her feet and stood back to allow her to pass. He could tell she was exhausted.
The position in which she slept yesterday also didn't help much. She looked pitifully thin and weak. Ethan wasn't sure if it was the lack of proper food or something else that was eating away at her health.
"Go to sleep Ethan, everything will be fine when you wake up", she said as she reached him and placed a quick kiss on his forehead before moving away towards her room.
Ethan watched her go with pain in his heart. He wished he could do something about her condition but knew it was impossible.
The car crash that had killed his father 11 years ago had rendered her incapable of using her legs again. Apparently, it was much more complicated than that but as the doctor himself said, it would take a miracle for Mrs.Brunson to use her legs again. Ethan was a lot of things but he was no miracle worker. He could only hope for the best as he turned and made his way to his room.
Ethan's room was small, just like every other room in this apartment. His bed was just opposite the door with a nightstand beside it. There was no lamp like other people had in their rooms.
He threw his school bag which he had picked from the floor outside under his bed and walked towards his small closet.
He quickly changed from his bloodstained hoody and jeans into his pajamas, walked back to his bed, and threw himself into it. He was asleep in seconds.
In the sandy desert of Mali, a group of about 40 people, made up of 15 men and the rest women were journeying to the small town of Demba.
At their head was a tall light-skinned man with tribal marks across his face. His name was Sadat and he had a large machete tucked into his belt. He along with with the rest was from the nearby town.
They were journeying to Demba this early because today was a market day. A day where all the nearby towns met to trade and have fun. In a post-war community like Demba and its surrounding towns that had lost more than they cared to say. Every little good thing was a cause for celebration. The fact that they could still trade just like in the old days was enough for the people to celebrate.
Sadat himself, along with 10 of the men weren't here to trade. They were escorts hired by the women to protect them on the journey from their town to Demba. Protection was needed from the vagabonds who roamed the desert.
They would rob and kill without a thought if it meant they would get some goods for themselves. The people were very wary of such thugs hence the need for escorts.
As the group neared the town, the women gave shouts of joy. Some of the men even joined in but Sadat was silent. He didn't know why but his stomach was doing flips.
Maybe it was the fact that the town was dead silent even at this time of the morning or because there was no one at the town's gate like usual. All the same, he didn't like what his hunter's instinct was telling him.
"What is it chief?", Pinnu, his trusty confidant asked. " Something's wrong Pinnu. Something's very wrong" Sadat answered.
"What do you mean, chief? If you're talking about the guards, I'm sure they're probably sleeping somewhere". Sadat shook his head as he heard this.
"Nabil, Niman !!!" Sadat shouted. Two young men quickly jogged to his side. They looked identical. "Sir!!" They both shouted in response. "Take one person each. Go to the town, spread out and check if everything is all right, then come straight back to me. Do u understand?" Sadat asked seriously.
"Yes sir!", The two men quickly went about their task. Each picking a helper and moving quickly towards the town.
The people behind Sadat were now murmuring among themselves as they witnessed Sadat's strange behavior. Some thought he was over-reacting, others thought there must be a reason behind his actions but none thought of asking him personally.
Sadat was a scary person by nature and his tribal marks didn't help his case. Sadat on the other hand was gripping his machete tightly whiles waiting for his boys. Just as he decided to head into the town himself, he saw them running full speed towards him.
Even from this distance, he could see the panicked look on their faces. They were coming at him like breakless vehicles.
Niman was the first to reach the group. As he got near them, the panicked man tried to stop his legs from moving at once. The result, he landed hard on his face whiles kicking dust everywhere.
Sadat rushed to Niman's side and held him steady. The young man was shaking. His eyes looked mad and his teeth were chattering. Sadat himself was very worried, "Hey, look at me. What is wrong? Is everything okay?", He asked the still shaking Niman who slowly lifted his head. He was crying.
"Th..they..they are dead sir. Every one of them is dead sir. They have been ripped into pieces. There's blood and gore everywhere in Demba sir. Blood everywhere!!!" Sadat's blood went cold as he heard this. A loud wail echoed from behind him as the women started sobbing loudly.