CHAPTER THREE
*
”The demon they say isn’t the one told by midnight with two horns made of spiked sharp edges . He isn’t one who is adorned in red apparel and teeth as fangs as he is the shadow in the night. No, the demon is one who is close to you, as near as the breath to your skin, as visible as the hands placed upfront of the you and equally as deadly as poisonous snakes. The demon is her/him whose smirk is all but evil, whose joy resides in your pain.. Whose happiness is so much that your death would be exhilarating. The demon.. Sometimes is your shadow of that which you see behind yourself…the demon is beautiful as equally handsome, that is why one is easily minded by its disguise. So what do you do when you are constantly faced with it? Do you run? No! you don’t run. If you desire to tame it.. You don’t run.. If you desire to be a reflection of that which they made you fear.. You don’t run. You stand.. And wait for it to make it’s first move..You let them make all the moves.. You embrace it.. Whatever is being thrown at you, why? Like a flower you are blossoming…you are becoming. And when you are ready.. They won’t see you coming…
Because you would take that fear in which they taunt you with, you would take it like something tangible you would hold on to it, sip it, savor it’s taste you would wield the power within your hands and then you would use it again’t them. For man’s greatest weakness is his mind; you capture that fear in his mind, you capture and control his body. You win. For the enemy fears that which doesn’t retreat from them.. you take their fear, they fear you instead”
******
-Stephanie Egberike ( Itchyfingers)
-Jan. 06th Sunday 7: 48 pm, Nigeria, Africa
ROSE
*
Latonya smiles when the girl steps forward.
‘So the dear girl desires to die doesn’t she? ” she spat.
The girl says nothing. Latonya stares at Becca, Becca smiles.
Sighing she turns back to the girl. The door opens, a guard walks in carrying a stray of apples. He drops it on the table and then turns away.
“Grab an apple and put it on your head,” Latonya orders . The girl looks at her.
Becca stares at the girl and then chuckles. This girl really has no fear. If she knew what Latonya was capable off, she wouldn’t be disobeying a direct order.
“I said.. Pick up an apple and place it on your head girl. ” she points to the Apple on the table.
The girl stares at it, she walks towards it and then grabs the red one. She places it on her head and then faces her.
Latonya smiles as she fishes out a knife from her pocket. She makes a stance and then faces her, she raises her voice so that everyone in the room could hear her “Lesson one.. Focus.. Aim.. And then throw. ” she tells them. Then she stares at the girl whose eyes hadn’t left hers. “You move just a little, you die. You blink. You die. Anything you do other than standing still. You die. Understood?”
The girl is quiet. She stood. Latonya didn’t like it the silence. It felt like the girl was mocking her. She could bet her ass that the girl could talk. But then again, it didn’t matter. She would ensure the girl doesn’t make it past this stage.
“Very well.. ” she stares at the girl with the apple on her head. Then she backs her speaking over her shoulders to everyone who watches ”You must always be prepared to get a target even with your eyes closed, even with your backs turned..so that you were never be caught unawares”
”But…what if the knife hits her instead of the apple?”
”Good riddance to bad rubbish” Latonya replies over her shoulders, there was a gasp, Becca smiles rubbing her lips.
”Do not think about nothing when you are in danger, you only think about how to escape..and for the purpose of this training, the girl with the apple on her head is my target, she is the enemy..and i, wielding nothing other than a knife need to be set free..so all i have to do is kill her..anyone want to count for me?” she snickers still backing them
Silence.
The girl, whose head steadily seated the apple stares at the back of Latonya, her slender body, the poise and confidence in which she stood…knowing what she was capable of. Her eyes flicks to the knife she held, the shinny sharp surface glowed from the reflection of the sun rays sipping into the room they were in, and the black head of the short knife which she held seemed to fit her, like a rugged edge to her fineses.
The girl stood, watching the lady called Latonya, from her back, she oozes of confidence. That confidence, makes the girl curious. That confidence she also desires.
”Waiting! Who is count, let’s go, five..let’s go girls, you know i hate to be kept waiting” she says over her shoulders
”But, she could die if the knife hits her” a girl from the crowd says fearfully
”Anyone makes a fuzz, would join her, i said count damnit, my patience is wearing thing” she shouts
”Five” the other girls backed together in fear staring at the girl with the apple on her head and the lady Latonya with a knife backing the girl. They continue to count ”Four” at each count, their voice waver, a gasp, a tiny sob ”Three” the crying began
Becca chuckles, she is staring at the girl, she frowns,
”Isn’t she scared?” she whispers to herself.
”Two!” the voices came as a whisper
The girl, she is staring at the knife, she is staring at the lady with the knife and all that is playing in her head is..
What is fear really? What does it mean, how does it feel? Does it feel like that moment my mother was raped till she was without strength? That feeling i had within me when i was made to watch and there after forced to undergo such pain? Is that..that feeling when i saw my father killed..tossed over the cliff and hearing faint breaking of his bones…
Is that, that constant feeling of being raped by different men since she got here. What is fear? being tossed in the tank of ice, left to die..the struggle, the pains…that ache within the chest and the crushing of the bones..is that fear and what it feels like?
Then, i must have felt it all..but why am i still here, standing? The if i must have felt fear and i am still here, then what Is death that i should be scared off? .. Or is death, is the actual thing scared of me..or would it miss me so that it leaves me still breathing? Is death, buried within the tips of the knife? Then, if it is my time today i welcome it…i would meet my Papa and Mama, and i would rest..
But if i do survive it…i would take that which wields death and make it my own, and the faces i do remember and cannot forget, i would send them to hell. I would not be afraid..for fear is a thing of the mind, i can handle it..but if i live today, then death is an extension of fear..i would make it my weapon.
”One!” came the whisper,
Layonya chuckles backing everyone, and without a second’s breath, she turns swiftly, too swiftly…she swings her hand, and lets go of the knife
There was a gasp, screams..cries..
The girl, whose head seated the apple didn’t flinch, didn’t blink, didn’t breath.. in a flash, she sees the knife, like light of speed headed towards her, right to her, she didn’t blink
Fear…
She read somewhere, it did mean ”False Evidence Appearing Real”, and in some other places..it said ”Forget Everything and Run”
But she liked this one better ”Face Everything and Rise”
What is death really? If it doesn’t kill me today…it will be my weapon! And because i am not afraid to die, i do not fear the knife that smiles thinly at me.
Then Death, she tells herself .., if you win today, it would be my peace, if you don’t, those who threaten it would wish they didn’t.
Her lips curves into a smile, just then..
She stood, without blinking, she waited for impact, she sees the knife come straight at her, above her head and then slices through the apple on her head, it breaks into two equal halves, the knife continues on his speed journey and dives right into the wallboard behind her, dangling.
The screams stops, Becca walks to the knife, pulls it out of the wall and then walks to the girl, she stares down at her.
She had a smile on her face, and she was staying at Latonya’s face which is filled with shock.
Latonya drops her hands and then walks to the girl ”Have you no fear?”
The girl stares at her, the smile in place
”Have you no fear?” she repeats, her face a mask of surprise and her voice filled with anger and hate for this girl who doesn’t speak or refuses to.
”Do not smile, do not look at me, cast your eyes down right this instant you little maggot!” she spat, angered that the girl refuses to cower in fear and crying, that the girl stood in the face of impending danger and was smiling, she didn’t flinch, she didn’t move. It bothered her.
99.9 percent of the time she tried this trick with other girls, they always moved or cried, 10 percent of the time, they didn’t survive it because they were scared, the knife hits them and in most dangerous places…a few survived with injuries..she had one, a scar on her neck. She peed herself , she was 18 then, but this girl was barely fifteen and her eyes were cold and focused, a thing she was never when she was first brought here. It took her years to master all that she knew, it took longer years to become who she was, and she rose, climbing up the ladder and she became one of his very experienced and trained assassin, one of his favorite too, next to Becca. And when their trainer was killed, she and Becca was given the position. 18 years Later, they have trained other girls like this ones, some fulfilled their purposes and were killed, others died in training and a few lucky ones stationed in other cities. She earned her keep, and she worked hard for it, but this girl. Thus girl seem to threaten all of that with her unwavering eyes and unflinching fear.
Maybe that’s why this girl makes her blood boil so, maybe that is why she was hoping the girl to move, the knife was sharp enough to end her. A tiny movement and the knife would have missed its course and sliced her throat, but the girl..like a statue stood there unflinching
What manner of girl was she, what manner of girl who refuses to die. Or was death partial to her plight and taking sides?
She reaches out and then slaps the girl hard across the face as she continued to stare at her ”Stare down you bitch!!”
Becca frowns, the girl is unresponsive, but it was obvious she understood, why doesn’t she speak? Why wouldn’t she obey? Does she really have no fear of what Latonya could do to her? Both of them were trained the same way, but Latonya was the worse of them all, everyone knew not to cross her, especially when she was angry, like this, should could kill without batting an eye and no one would question her, even Boss liked her more than the but of them and sometimes he lets her have her way in her anger.
”You superior is speaking to you Girl, why do you not obey?”
The girl ignores Becca, her eyes are on Latonya
Latonya didn’t like it, it angered her even more, she drags the knife away from Becca, intending to plunge the girl with the knife, Becca stops her
”Latonya, what are you doing?”
”I should end the child, she makes my blood boil. She dares to out-rightly disobey me?..i shall end her”
”Stop it, we do not just kill them just because we are angered..every girl here is watching, do not lose your cool over a child”
”Is that a child ? she is a demon, look at her eyes, cold..see how she stares as though they have a mind of their own, i would rip your throat out your bitch” Latonya spat
Becca struggles the knife away from her ”Latonya stop it!”
Latonya seeing that she couldn’t pull the knife away from Becca, she reaches for the girl again, pulling her by her shirt, a hand above her head to slap her again
”Latonya!”
They turn to see Henry Davich. Latonya releases the girl, she and Becca stand back
”Boss!!” Latonya and Becca exclaims
”What is going on here?”
”We..we were training them” Latonya answers, how come they didn’t hear him come in.
Henry Davich makes his way to them, he stops right infront of Latonya and then stares at her, he could see the anger in her eyes, it has been a while he saw her this angry when she trained the little ones.
”Why do you have that look?” he raises his hand and then caresses her face, she swallows
”I do not have any look Boss” she tries to smile, he didn’t
”That murderous look, you know i really don’t mind it Latonya, i infact welcome it for very important purposes..hmm?”
She nods
”Now, again, what is going on here?”
”Training!” she repeats
He nods staring away from her, he turns to Becca
”Is there an issue?”
Becca shakes her head , ”No Boss, everything is going on well..”
”Ah! I see”
He turns to the dozen of girls holding onto themselves in fear
”How is your training going?”
Someone sobs, ”I want to go home”
There were sniffs
”I do not want to die, please, i want to go home”
”We want to go home, please”
The girls are speaking out, crying, pleading, everyone but the girl who stood beside her, her eyes glued anywhere else but him.
He raises his hand to his lips, the hall is quiet as though fear of the unknown made the girls obey and stop them from crying.
He turns to the girl beside him, she didn’t flinch or notice that he was standing right next to her, others would cower in fear knowing who is his and what he is capable of, especially the girls who knew he showed no mercy in his anger…
He is staring at her,
This was the girl who survived the ice tank…the one Latonya had said she won’t make it because she seemed weak.
He remembers her, he remembered he told the guard to string her up with the girls after that. She still survived.
He smiled.
He is staring at her eyes, they are cold, unflinching cold, and they were staring at Latonya.
He chuckles turning to Latonya
”She doesn’t like you Latonya”
Latonya stones the girl a murderous look , without thinking she spoke ”I do not like her too..”
”Ah! the truth comes out then” he laughs looking around, he noticed the sliced apple in two separate half beside the girl to her feet, he looks behind her and noticed the knife hole on the wall-baord, he looks around for the knife, he turns to Becca and Latonya.
He turns back to the girl
”Give me the knife Becca?”
”What do you want to do Boss?”
Henry Davich turns to her, she quickly hands him the knife.
”Give me an apple” he says to no one in particular
A guard rushes forward with an apple, he hands it to him, Henry takes it and then smiles, staring at the girl she still wasn’t looking at him, as though he didn’t exist.
”Come here Latonya” he orders
He steps forward, a smile on her face, Boss probably wants her to do the apple-knife-slice thing again. She was the best at it. Maybe, she would slip off, this time ensure to slice the girl.
He turns to her and then smiles ”Do not move”
Surprise fills her eyes, even her voice shakes ”Boss, what are you doing?”
He laughs, he caresses her chicks, then he takes the apple and places it on her head ”Do not move Latonya” he repeats
”Boss?” Becca frowns, what is he doing?
Henry takes the knife, he goes to the girl, her eyes are fixated on Latonya.
”Do you want to try girl?”
That got her attention, her eyes shifted from Latonya and landed on him, then it goes back to the apple that seated on Latonya’s head.
”Do you want to try girl?” he repeats
She didn’t answer, instead she looks at the knife he held in his hand, Henry pushes it to her, she takes it without hesitating
He chuckles
”Boss, you are not seriously going to let that girl throw that knife are you?” Latonya asks, she is refusing to believe he would do that ”Henry Davich?”
He turns to her, his eyebrow raises ”Why? Do you fear death Latonya?”
”No!” she answers
”Good!”
”Boss?” she asks again, this time, the tone of her voice changed, it wavered
Becca comes to him ”Boss, she would throw the knife, with an inexperienced hand, it would hit Latonya..you can’t let her do this” she stares at the girl, her eyes seem to sparkle, she stares at Latonya, there was fear in her eyes, she turns to Henry ”Please”
”One more word from you Becca, you wouldn’t like my response” he points to Latonya ”Not another word from you too, if you think you cannot stand this..there is the door, take the apple away from your head and walk out that door, but you and i know what’s behind that door when you make such decision. So what would it be? Obey me..or behind that door?”
Latonya has slight tears in her eyes , she is quiet.
Becca backs away in fear, she turns to Latonya, Latonya pleads with her eyes, But nothing can be done.
Latonya stares at the girl, she is playing with the knife, her eyes fixated.
***
CONTINUE READING STORY AT THE NEW SITE -HERE
ROSE – CHAPTER THREE
PS: KINDLY FOLLOW THE NEW SITE, NOTIFICATIONS SHOULD SOON STOP HERE AS THE SITE WOULD BE TAKEN DOWN.
THANK YOU!
LET’S MOVE TOGETHER.
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