Every man went and took a seat. The chief was seated infront of all of them on a larger chair. The atmosphere was tense as the last elder came in.
He received angry glares for arriving late. Just when the chief was about to blurt out his complain a small figure found his way to them. He was holding a walking stick. One of the chief's.
One hand was on his back and he bent slightly. He found his way and went to take a seat at the far edge of the table. He placed his stick on the ground like the rest. Obviously it was Marx.
When the elders saw him, they laughed. This Marx brought laughter everywhere he went. The tense atmosphere dissipated with that laugh. The chief was boiling in his own rage.
The tense atmospherehe had created had disappeared by the work of the same brat who had made him do it. He heaved and looked at Marx. He was regretting dropping his stick when he waked out.
That was supposed to be the village chief's sign of leadership. After everyone quietened, the chief took long to speak. The atmosphere was getting tense again just as he wanted.
But he seemed to have forgotten the brat among the elders who did not know what was happening.
"Old man Jairus. Did you call us here just to seat down? We have other issues to attend to."
If Marx had reached the breaking the voice stage, everyone would have wondered who had said that. But his voice was still feminine. Every eye landed on him and they wondered how he had come to know the chief's name.
Only the Elders here knew his name. Who was it that had leaked it. They now understood the reason for the meeting. Someone had given a gun to a kid.
They would never dare call the chief by his name let alone calling him old man. They respected him as the founder of the Village. Yet, that brat was calling him old in their midst.
Jairus was once again caught up in his rage. He could only blame himself. He was the one who always brought the kid to the meetings. He should have shown him that the area was out of bounds.
Also the tense atmosphere he had tried to create had been destroyed. That brat was probably going to kill him soon.
"Fellow old men, don't you get bored sitting here when old man Jairus just wants our company? Don't you have work to do?" Marx asked.
"Marx, you should leave the elders' circle. You are too young to worry about what they are doing. Go play with your friends," The chief said. His tone was slightly irritated.
Marx stood up and left but as passed close to Jairus he paused.
"Old man Jairus. If you want to discuss what I think you want to, then don't forget to tell them about the bet you lost. Keep your honour and taste the bitter fruits of your defeat," Marx said and left like he came. Slightly bending and one hand on his back. The right hand using the walking stick.
***
Every night, since Marx could read, his grandmother had made it her personal task to teach him. He could write and also read. He learnt about the history of Earth from his grandma.
She made him promise that he would keep it secret. The younger generation did not know about it since it was forbidden. His grandma had accidentally had a slip of the tongue and after he had pulled the heart strings, she told him about it.
Since he learnt that people had left earth and headed for other planets, his desire was now to leave. By ten, he had started widening his exploration zones and would sometimes disappear for a week.
He came to believe his grandmother when he one day saw the fallen city. He explored everywhere and he saw a bicycle. The thing immediately caught his attention. From how his grandmother described, he was sure that it was one.
He picked it. It was old but it was still functional. He did not know how it was used and so he carried it home. When his grandmother saw him, she sighed. How had he always managed to penetrate the village defenses?
They usually forbid people from leaving but Marx had proven that he was like an eagle and he could soar above the clouds rather than take shelter. When he had disappeared for a week, the whole village was alarmed.
It then became normal for him to disappear. Even with the increased security, he still left. Everytime, he would come back the normal way and get captured. Today, he had come with foreign object.
The chief and his wife came to him and were delighted. Maybe, they could get their hands on the remaining usable things. Since he had proven that he was an uncaged bird, he was punished by leading others to the city and bringing anything of use they could find.
But first, his grandmother said that he was to rest for a week. At that time, she would teach him how to ride the bike. Marx was delighted and was able to ride it with the first few tries.
He went round the village several time announcing that he would be taking a team of ten volunteers with him the following week to find things they could bring back. He said that the selection would take place in three days.
Three days had passed and twenty kids of his age had come out. Among them were four boys and the rest were girls. Marx was quick to take all boys and he then picked five more girls.
He told the rest of the girls that the ones he had chosen were not officially going to be in his team but the boys were. He told them that he would take another group of five girls each time he went on a mission and gauging from their abilities he would choose them his official team.
He told them that those who worked hard would become captains and form their own squads. The first round was successful and each person came on a bike. They also had various things such as dead watches and others had dead phones.
Marx announced the second group and that they would get back on road the following day. Also, the chief said that every bike one got was his but the extra ones were going to be taken by him.
Also the techs they brought were usually handed over to the chief. Marx went back to his room. On the study table, there was a laptop. On the table was a bulb that lit orange. He was more amazed about how advanced human technology was.
He had asked his grandma how the laptop operated but her answer crushed his hopes. Electricity. Even their village used fire. He asked what electricity was and when he was told, he almost gave up. But he had made it his personal mission to find electricity. He had once found a battery that could only light the bulb.
***
Time flew by and he was fifteen. He was now 5'7 tall. His face had matured slightly and his features were refined. His blue eyes usually appeared to glow when he was around fire. Also the whole village had come to know the chief's name but no one dared to call him.
Still, he was on his quest for searching electricity. He had made the others captain and now he worked alone. Many were the times he could see computers through glasses but he could not get in.
He had tried breaking the glass but he was never successful. The glass was even though then the wood they used in building houses. Even the heaviest stone he could lift could not make it crack.
He gave up and rode back home. He stopped on his way and packed the bike on the side of a tree. He wanted to pee. He went to tree base and relieved himself. Suddenly there was a thud behind him.
He quickly cut off the process and put him back in position. He turned and acted casually as if he had been doing nothing. He almost cursed at what he saw. There was a lady who appeared to be in her mid forties.
Her dressing was slightly different from the normal way they dressed. It was like she was wearing a blue metal. Her head from her neck were the only visible parts. Standing infront of him, she was like about his same height.
Looking closely, she appeared to be on the verge of death. Her mouth appeared to be bleeding. Suddenly the metal suit she had been wearing disappeared. That was when he saw the stab on he chest.
There was also another one on her navel. She fell on her knees and Marx rushed towards her.