Aleksander

I started this story and I'm just looking for some feed back on all this just so I know if its worth it to continue to keep writing it!


The cold wind blistered my skin as we walked down the jagged dirt road. I was not the only one walking though, I was in a group of chained together men and children. From the ages of ten all the way to eighteen. We are thieves, so they call us. I for one had never given a thought of stealing in my life. It was all a set up, but I swear when the chance comes it’s over for them. Those people took my life away, my family suffering.
When I was first taken I was a mere ten years old, I had no choice. I was to either be taken or my family killed. I had to go, for my families sake. So they took me, a white child into labor in the caves. Searching for something lost. They would never tell us exactly what we were looking for, only that we would know when we found it. Digging night and day we slowly dyed off. When someone would die, another was brought in the very next day. I am the only surviving member from my group that I started out with. Now I was going to be killed, my life's end coming as I walked down a road to nowhere.
There was seven of us, walking towards death. All wearing signs of our names and crimes. My wrote: Daniel. Crime-Honesty. All I had wanted was to save another. To let a new person live, while I leave the caves forever. On to happiness. Strange, I would have given my life to another, but now being forced I want away.
“Move faster you pigs!” A guard said, whipping the first kid in line.
I will being dying at a simple age of fourteen. Four years of working in caves, almost never seeing the light of the sun. Bruises on top of bruises, cuts that wont heal. Breathe growing weaker by the moment as we step forward towards our ever looming fate. Where the only promised happiness is sleep. So our bodies can heal. So everything will be new again.
“You there, boy! What is your name?” The same angry guard said pointing to me.
“I’m Daniel.” I said shortly.
“Daniel? I have of you before, the stupid child who never gives up and just dies.” The guard said smiling.
“That is me sir.” I replied once again.
“Sir? Oh-boy you don’t call me sir. You call me master!” With that the guard whipped me across my feet.
I didn’t care what the guard did to my broken body, he was only making his fate deeper than it will ever be. If I got out of this, he will be the first to go. It seems as if people don’t know all the bad things I have done in my life too. I have made a child die from his own picket. Not with my hands, but with my thoughts. I discovered with my anger I can do things I never would have believed possible. Things that no ordinary person could do.
Someone tripped, at the very back, yanking us all back with fierce pain. I landed on my side as I went to the ground. I looked to the boy, he must have been only nine. He had worry written all over his face. The guard was coming.
“You! Were you the one that fell?” The guard asked.
“Ye-yes umm, Master.” The boy squeaked out.
The guard unhooked him from the chain. Taking out his sword he stabbed the child. The child didn’t even scream, letting the sword run right through him. I looked to the guard, he had no expression.
“What are you looking at? Start walking!” He yelled returning to the front.
I looked down at the boy. Name-Ian, Crime-Tripping a guard in the court yard of Derisn. A tear dripped down my face, He like many others here never did a real crime, only given a crime.
We had reached a cross road, one side lead into a dark forest that I have never seen before, the other lead into the mountains. I hoped for the forest, the mountains meant more rocks. My feet could only handle so much in one day. We went towards the mountains, I had no choice. I had to follow this group of people I barely knew and the guard. We only walked for a short time before I could see our fate up ahead. Seven gallows lined up, only one would be empty.
I looked around to the people surrounding me, I wanted to know there names and be able to speak to them. Give them comfort before our deaths came upon us. We came closer and closer to the wooden gallows. I could see blood stain painted on the wood. I could almost hear voices of those who lost there lives to these human killers.
We arrived at the gallows. Silence was all around, then I heard the sounds of crying. I looked back and say a boy no older than I crying without holding anything back. I was saddened by him, this trip to then end of the world was almost peaceful.
“Would someone shut that darned boy up!” A man wearing a black cloak and hood, standing up by the gallows, “And where is the other? There was supposed to seven boys, not six!”
“Yes I know, but the stupid boy almost killed another and had to be killed,” the guard that had brought us here said.
Lies, everywhere surrounding the boys and I, even the guards. I could feel the pain, of the boys. Another strange power I had somehow been given, I can feel. Not just physically, but through emotions. At that moment I could feel the sadness within the guard that had killed Ian. This wasn’t the guards choice of action, but had to feel strong among the others. I felt anger and remorse that a man couldn’t be himself. Even within friends he had to act.
“You boy! Get up here, you go first.” The guard on the gallows pointed at me. I just stared at him, “Move it boy!”
“N-no,” I said, I wasn’t going to go first. I wasn’t ready, I couldn’t.
“What did you say to me boy? I said get over here!” The guard yelled at me.
The guard that had transported us here started walking up to me, I could feel him in worry. Slowly he tried to evade me. “Ahhhh!” He yelled, I turned around, stepping to the left. The guard tripped and fell. I stepped on his back. I stole his sword, it was still red from blood of Ian.
“I will not die, nor will any of these people.” I said back to the guard standing on the gallows. The guard I was standing on was trying to escape. I would not let him. I would not kill, but I will not be killed.
“Go!” I yelled to the other thieves. They all ran, but one. I looked at his sign, Name-Daniel Crime-Father stole from another man. He was here to save his father.
“What about you?” He asked.
“Don’t worry about me, I am worthless, go!” I wanted him away. I couldn’t bare to see a man with his justice to take his place, see me die. The guard that was on the gallows was inching forward.
“No, run now. You can make it!” He said.
Both he and I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it, going against two guards that wanted us dead. “Just leave!” I commanded him. Then he did something I will never forget, he ran up to the guard that was walking towards me and tackled him. My mouth dropped, but I let up on my foot. My big mistake, the guard that was under me rolled out from under me and stood up. Even with with sword I knew he would still be able to kill me. With all the other people scattered away, I knew this was my last chance to make a get away. Yet I couldn’t leave this boy, who had given his life for mine, I owed him. I slashed at the guard, I hit. He went down, I had taken cut his leg. Nothing serious just to get him out of reaches. I ran over to the fight between the boy and the other guard. The boy looked at me.
“Why don’t you leave?” He asked.
“Why don’t you?”
“Both of you shut up, or this is doing to hurt a lot more than I plan.” The guard said.
The boy ran forward, “Here!” I yelled I threw him my sword that I had stolen. The boy caught it and impaled the guard right in the chest. He pulled out the sword. The guard fell forward to the ground. Eyes rolling in there sockets, until at last his finally breath left him.
“I can’t believe it, I thought we were both dead when I jumped on him.” The boy said.
I smiled, “Thank you for helping me, without you I probably would have just taken death.” I admitted.
“Why, wouldn’t you just want to fight?” He said.
“I don’t fear death anymore, after what I have gone through.” I said. We started walking away from the torture zone.
“I have loads to tell you. By the way the name is Jonathan. Oh and my “crime” was sticking up for my dad.” He said smiling, “I wish I could see them again.”
“Maybe we can someday, someday.” I trailed on.
“You really think so?” He said.
We were now approaching the area between the cross roads. My feet dying, but I wasn’t going to show any pain for my new friend.
“Oh-my-gosh, my feet kill. Don’t yours?” Jonathan said, “lets just stay by these trails.” He said sitting down. I smiled again, he was awesome, honest and has some humor.
“You like to smile don’t you?” He asked.
“Well I haven’t really been given the chance in four years to smile, let alone barely breathe.” I said, thinking about my true freedom, I had to listen to nobody anymore, and here I was sitting on the ground between to roads. One leading to new discoveries the other to life at the end, a grim fate between wants and needs. Now sitting here on the soft grass ground, where I have never been given the chance sit in four years. I was filled with more joy and happiness then I have ever before.
“So tell me where do you come from?” Jonathan asked. Laying down and staring up onto the stars.
“Well I was born in Ulian, a small town in Hildar. When I was ten, I was walking through the streets and a man took a book from someone else. I saw it, but everyone thought it was me. I told them about it, but they still wouldn't believe me even with all the evidence. Hence the.” I held up my sign, “Honesty part.” This time Jonathan smiled.
“I like it, and your Daniel?”
“Yep.”
“Well in that case Daniel I am in need of some serious sleep. Good night” With that he rolled over. I stayed there, looking up at the stars, beauty beyond beauty as I looked at each one of them. I saw the uniqueness of each one, and how we are all alike in many ways.