Chapter Four

Chapter Four

"The fear of death, follows from the fear of life."

-Mark Twain

The waves rose and fell in almost sinuous movements, oblivious to the disturbance they caused. The evening sky drowned in dark colours, with the storm clouds raining endlessly. The horizon was invisible, for where the sea and sky met there was nothing but darkness.

A large conning tower penetrated the water's surface. It slowly rose upwards, dragging it's previously submerged body with it. The submarine glided through the sea, unperturbed by its ongoing tumult. The large metal container was inconspicuous to any onlookers, but there were none. Simply a mirage. It floated onwards, racing the tide down the embankment of the Jixaw coastline. It cleared The Upper Grove in merely a few seconds, and No Man's Land in even less. It slowed when it reached the waters around The Lower Grove though, as if in hesitation. It turned against the heavy current to face the land, and stayed that way for a few moments, before suddenly disappearing, leaving nothing in its wake except for the crash of waves as they collided and the clap of thunder as the storm went on. 

x

"There was a storm last night." said Felix, half expecting Exodus to shoot him for stating the obvious. 

"Any damage?" Was all his commander asked.

"Nothing extensive…" Felix hesitated, his eyes darted from where Exodus sat to the handgun on the table next to him, "But…"

"But what?"

"The boy…he's been having nightmares."

"So?" Exodus' hand twitched towards the gun. Patience was not a virtue of his.

"He's been trying to kill himself." Felix took a step back as Exodus rose from his seat. He thought of running 

but knew he had a better chance of living if he stayed.

"How exactly has a child of no more than ten been trying to kill themselves?"

"He refuses to eat - and - and he tries to cut himself with his chains and-"

"And do you know why?" Exodus asked.

"Well his sister - his sister hasn't been back for a good few weeks so I only presume he believes her to be dead and he wishes to be so also." Felix's words were rushed and barely coherent out of fear.

"Bring him to me." Felix fled with Exodus' words, eager to escape. The warehouse stood in silence for a while, with only the soft rainfall breaking the grim serenity. Felix was back with the boy in a matter of moments. He dragged him in on his knees, handcuffed and gagged with a dirty cloth. The smell emanating from the boy's body itself made his eyes sting and his head throbbed from a self-inflicted wound. 

"Please," Griffin screamed, as soon as the cloth was out of his mouth, "Kill me! Kill me so I can be with my family!" He was hysterical. His eyes bulged with dementia and his body gyrated vigorously. He kept screaming incomprehensibly for a few minutes until Exodus finally yelled for silence.

"You want to be dead?" Exodus walked towards the young boy, pistol in hand. His eyes were dead as he twirled the loaded machine in his fingers, as if it were merely a toy.

"Yes…please…" Griffin had began to sob uncontrollably.

"YOU WANT TO BE DEAD?" Exodus' yell was the last thing to be heard before the gun went off. And then silence. "You want to be dead? Like him? Huh? IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?" 

Griffin quaked in horror as the murdered body of Felix lay next to him. His tears froze as his body turned cold. He looked up at his captor as the blood began to surround him, seeping deep into his ragged clothing, and even deeper into the tresses of his mind. Griffin could not bear to look at the dead body but he already knew what it looked like; it was the vision of his innocence leaving him. Up until then he had been preserved in a bubble of hope, but Exodus has suddenly popped it while it was floating in midair. Although he was a child of no more than ten Griffin was sure of something; he no longer wanted to be dead, but he sure as hell wanted Exodus to be.

Author's Note

sorry it took so long, but please REVIEW HARSHLY!!

Reviews

[FantasyLover24601]

Oh my God. I feel really, really scared for Griffin! I hope his sister can make it back to him in time! I remember last that she was deterred by some other people and I remember not being too sure about their motives. It's been a while between chapters and then my life got ridiculously busy, so I wasn't able to read this right away. It was a great read, if a bit shorter than usual. However, a lot of details are not really needed here. You got the point of fear across pretty well.

[T. Logan]

It's been a while since you updated last, but it's still really good.

[Matt Evans]

I like the sense of fear this evokes! It's been a while Ace, but still a good read, as usual. :)

[Gretchen Clarke]

Ouch. A 10-yr-old just pwned an adult. XD That's what makes this book awesome! Please write the next chapter quickly! I want to see how else Griffin pwns Exodus, or anyone else!
All funny bussiness aside, this is amazing. The insanity of Exodus, the fear in Griffin.... it all fits like a puzzle, showing us the true picture.
Keep up the great work!