Land of the Setting Sun
5/27/2007 - James and the Peach
I threw myself under the already mountainous stack of bags, taking care to make sure no stray fingers or shoes were sticking out among the pile. Still, however little space I squeezed myself into, there was still the feeling that someone could spot me. Heavy footsteps began pounding down the stairs, and I sucked in some musty air, eager to not even let the raising and falling of my chest give me away. Quite a few of them had entered the hold now, and I became very concerned for Qara and Dr. Blythe, who were relatively exposed, if the scavengers decided to explore the back of the ship.
"Hey, Thomas, check out the back, would you?" Shit, well that wasn't good.
They stalked past where I laid, warm cheek against the wooden floor, and someone kicked the stack a few times. The bag above my head teetered precariously, threatening to expose me, and I could only watch. Luckily, it settled down and stopped rocking.
There was a loud scream, and a low chuckle from the bunks, they'd been found.
"Archbishop, two more in the back, some old nerd, and a young girl." came a deep voice.
"Well done, Thomas. Bring them over here." There was some commotion in the middle of the hold, right next to where I was laying. The screaming must have been Qara, and I heard someone's knees hit the ground roughly. "Anyone else in here, girl? I'll ask you before I consult Him, as a courtesy." Qara coughed roughly, before speaking.
"Nobody, you slimy piece of---" A gunshot echoed around the hold of the ship, and I jumped slightly, jostling the bags. Nobody seemed to notice. The kneeling person leaned back over their own shoes, back of their head hitting the ground. Through a gap in the bags, I could see Qara's dark hair strewn across the wood.
"Guess I should ask the geezer next. Well, old man? Anyone still here?" The frail voice of Dr. Blythe eked itself into the open space of the hold.
"From a fellow --cough-- study to another, I think it's fairly obvious you'll kill me regardless," he stated, "what are you doing here anyways, Daniels?" You can't see it, but you suspect a sly smile has spread across the face of the man with the gun. "Should've just stayed buried beneath your work, never tried to fly too close to the sun."
"Blythe. Of course. I don't know any other man who'd put a young girl's life behind his own."
"You flatter me. Well... go on and finish what you've started. You'll get nothing from me, and my contemporary knows well enough not to be in the same place I am." A second gunshot rung in the hold, and Dr. Blythe hit the ground, spectacles shattering. His head faced mine, staring into my eyes dimly. The rest of the scavengers left, and shut the hold door, but it was minutes before I moved from my spot, shaking. I was alone.
When I finally built up the nerve to push the bags off of my body, night had already fallen on the town of Miyazaki, dimming the interior of the ship. Seeing the bodies of Qara and Dr. Blythe sent me into another fit of helpless rage. My fingers dug into the sides of the ship, longing for some sort of sign, some sort of support. I went on for hours, picking at the ship with desperate hands. Hours turned into days, and without the will to live, I lost the will to eat. Even as I looked upon the barrels of rations, I reveled in the hopelessness of my situation, worshipped it.
Death found me hunched over a bag of preserved peach slices, practicing my patience and control. Patience was a virtue. I hoped even Death would be impressed at how far I'd come.
I threw myself under the already mountainous stack of bags, taking care to make sure no stray fingers or shoes were sticking out among the pile. Still, however little space I squeezed myself into, there was still the feeling that someone could spot me. Heavy footsteps began pounding down the stairs, and I sucked in some musty air, eager to not even let the raising and falling of my chest give me away. Quite a few of them had entered the hold now, and I became very concerned for Qara and Dr. Blythe, who were relatively exposed, if the scavengers decided to explore the back of the ship.
"Hey, Thomas, check out the back, would you?" Shit, well that wasn't good.
They stalked past where I laid, warm cheek against the wooden floor, and someone kicked the stack a few times. The bag above my head teetered precariously, threatening to expose me, and I could only watch. Luckily, it settled down and stopped rocking.
There was a loud scream, and a low chuckle from the bunks, they'd been found.
"Archbishop, two more in the back, some old nerd, and a young girl." came a deep voice.
"Well done, Thomas. Bring them over here." There was some commotion in the middle of the hold, right next to where I was laying. The screaming must have been Qara, and I heard someone's knees hit the ground roughly. "Anyone else in here, girl? I'll ask you before I consult Him, as a courtesy." Qara coughed roughly, before speaking.
"Nobody, you slimy piece of---" A gunshot echoed around the hold of the ship, and I jumped slightly, jostling the bags. Nobody seemed to notice. The kneeling person leaned back over their own shoes, back of their head hitting the ground. Through a gap in the bags, I could see Qara's dark hair strewn across the wood.
"Guess I should ask the geezer next. Well, old man? Anyone still here?" The frail voice of Dr. Blythe eked itself into the open space of the hold.
"From a fellow --cough-- study to another, I think it's fairly obvious you'll kill me regardless," he stated, "what are you doing here anyways, Daniels?" You can't see it, but you suspect a sly smile has spread across the face of the man with the gun. "Should've just stayed buried beneath your work, never tried to fly too close to the sun."
"Blythe. Of course. I don't know any other man who'd put a young girl's life behind his own."
"You flatter me. Well... go on and finish what you've started. You'll get nothing from me, and my contemporary knows well enough not to be in the same place I am." A second gunshot rung in the hold, and Dr. Blythe hit the ground, spectacles shattering. His head faced mine, staring into my eyes dimly. The rest of the scavengers left, and shut the hold door, but it was minutes before I moved from my spot, shaking. I was alone.
When I finally built up the nerve to push the bags off of my body, night had already fallen on the town of Miyazaki, dimming the interior of the ship. Seeing the bodies of Qara and Dr. Blythe sent me into another fit of helpless rage. My fingers dug into the sides of the ship, longing for some sort of sign, some sort of support. I went on for hours, picking at the ship with desperate hands. Hours turned into days, and without the will to live, I lost the will to eat. Even as I looked upon the barrels of rations, I reveled in the hopelessness of my situation, worshipped it.
Death found me hunched over a bag of preserved peach slices, practicing my patience and control. Patience was a virtue. I hoped even Death would be impressed at how far I'd come.
