A deep and scary voice was heard from behind. The fifth one was right behind him. The man turned around. The servant could feel the man's warm breath on his forehead or hear his heart's beat.
The skinny man took a few steps back and kept himself away, then held his hand in front of the fifth servant to say something but the servant whispered a word quicker.
Once the whispering ended, the skinny man was thrown into a corner and he could no longer move his hands like he was paralyzed.
How was that possible?! Just what happened?! Man tried as much as he could to move his hands but they felt heavier.
The other servants came close to the other two that were in the middle slowly. The alley was ugly and unsightly and there was no light except one little street lamp with orange light at the beginning of the alley.
There were many colored paintings on the walls. Paintings like a rotten human skull or a fire dragon.
There were also writings like: "Long Live the Manchester" and "Manchester the Hero"
The rain stopped. a few raindrops were dripping from rusty fences and clouds disappeared quickly as if the rain hadn't even happened.
Anyway, servants were coming close until the fifth servant pointed at others to stop. It seemed he was the leader because others obeyed him.
As the fifth one lowered his hand, the skinny man kneeled before him. His knees hit the ground so hard that made a loud voice.
Surely the man wouldn't hit his knees this hard. A mysterious force had sewn the man's feet to the ground like a skilled tailor.
The fifth came close. His hands were covered with Gloves that were made with a rare Philippine dragon's skin, just like the other servants.
The leader put his hand on the head of Benjamin Kane -the brown-haired skinny man- mockingly and to break his pride, said:
"Poor man…"
Benjamin Kane as if courage had been injected into his veins again and having nothing to lose, pulled his head from under the servant's hand, then spat on his face.
"You damn traitor!" said Benjamin.
The servant punched Benjamin's face with absolute rage. It was so fierce that broke Benjamin's nose and two of his teeth and his face became bloody. The blood was dripping from his mouth like a running river.
"How dare you?! You lowly man!" The servant looked at him with anger.
Benjamin grinned meaningfully and answered:
"Being lowly is far better than being the devil's lackey, shame on you!"
It made him even angrier. His black eyes turned red out of rage:
"We should get rid of people like you that are a shame to us,"
The servant paused a moment then continued:
"You could have had a longer life if you didn't get yourself involved in this matter."
"I don't think that you would even believe it yourself," said Benjamin with a grin.
The servant got silent. He was angry. He held his hand towards Benjamin Kane and whispered something.
After the whispering ended, the sound of Benjamin Kane's right-hand breaking overfilled the air. His wrist was completely broken.
Benjamin was withering in pain but didn't scream. He endured the pain so the servants would not be happy to hear his screams.
Gilbert Balthazar, the leader of the Five Servant Group said:
"I have a request from you, do you know what is it?"
Benjamin who was in pain didn't say anything.
"As I predicted, let me tell you myself," continued Balthazar.
Balthazar took the hat off his head. His face was covered in scars, big and small, deep and shallow. There was a deep scar on the right side of his pig-like nose that vertically divided his face and lips into two unequal parts. There couldn't be seen even a single hair on his head, flat and hairless like the palm of a hand. His black and soulless eyes weren't like the other ones.
"Where…is…that…kid?!" said Balthazar after taking off his mask.
Benjamin didn't answer.
"I said…where is… the kid?! SPEAK!" repeated Balthazar with more emphasis.
Benjamin remained silent.
"Okay, you chose the hard way," said Balthazar with loath.
The leader held out his hand to the bony Benjamin. This time instead of whispering he shouted:
"Acanus Physitus!"
Benjamin's screams echoed through the air. He could no longer hold back his screams. It was like a huge mountain of pain fell on his shoulders.
"Where is that boy?" asked Balthazar again.
No other sound could be heard from Benjamin aside from his screams.
As Balthazar put more strength into his hand, Benjamin's screams escalated.
Benjamin was a young thirty-something years old and he could tolerate much pain but… this pain was like no other.
It was as if all the bones in his body were struggling to break and suffer. After a few seconds, as Balthazar lowered his hand, Benjamin's screams decreased.
"You better reveal his location and put an end to this suffering," said Balthazar.
Benjamin smirked. The servant continued:
"No one even cares about you, don't you see?! You're just a bait. They abandoned you to die. Why are you gambling your life for their sake?!"
Benjamin laughed so hard that his body was shaking. It seemed these words hadn't affected him.
"You are also just a slave to her," said he with laughter, "She doesn't care about you either. If necessary, she'll sacrifice you immediately, you yourself know it very well,"
Benjamin's words didn't affect Balthazar's dark and cold heart as well.
"I don't fear you Gilbert, but I want to see desperation in your eyes so listen well…" continued Benjamin.
Benjamin took a deep breath and said with calmness:
"You can't reach the kid anymore, he has already left the country,"
Maybe you think these are all lies but Balthazar knew better than everyone that his old friend was anything but a liar.
"Even if you torture me it won't work because even I don't know where the kid is. I'm just a bait, remember?" said Benjamin
Balthazar was screaming out of anger. Iron fences inside the alley were trembling with fear and owls were flying away.
"I have nothing to do with you anymore, it's time for you to meet your maker… if they even exist," told Balthazar to Benjamin.
Servants approached and circled Benjamin Kane. They held their hands toward him and said an incomprehensible sentence together.
The last thing Benjamin Kane saw before his death was a beautiful full moon in the sky. In his last moments, he thought of his friends who were always kind to him, and they placed him in their family.
That night Benjamin Kane told his life's only lie. Tom Martin was still in England. Benjamin knew his death was not in vain.
If Tom Martin survives, he could be a glimmer of hope for the people's terrified hearts. The people who await miracles, waiting for someone who can save them from this darkness.
Maybe many years later Benjamin Kane's life story would be written on different books as someone who was one of the first devotees of the "Light Movement". Or maybe not.
All these imaginations depended on that kid. The kid who didn't know there are people who sleep in hope of his existence. The kid who didn't know how many people sacrificed their sweet lives for him.
Who really is that kid? Why people died for him willingly?