The Eye

A Story by RIO

The man descended the stairs noisily, taking them two at a time. The fate of them all clearly depended on how fast he could reach the phone. He passed the girl’s room, making an effort to be even noisier. Her life was in danger; he couldn’t tell her, not wanting to risk his own neck but perhaps he could warn her in some way.

The phone was a tangible reminder of all their woes. Every house had one; it had become something of a necessity. He hesitated, taking a deep breath that did nothing to calm his nerves. His fingers closed round the phone. If only there was a way he could squeeze it into oblivion, then maybe he’d be able to pick up the pieces of his shattered life.

He pressed the lone red button, waiting with bated breath. Maybe he should just drop it now while he still had the time. No one would ever know. But they would; they’d already seen. It’s a wonder they hadn’t come yet. They were putting him to test to see if he would remain loyal.

A single word, “yes?” was uttered from the phone without much depth or feeling.

“D-door f-four,” he stammered, a tear caressing his cheek. “Uptown Alley. M-Madeline Fields.” His voice cracked as he spoke his daughter’s name, and his heart broke as he heard the dead tone of the phone, signaling the end of the conversation and the beginning of sorrow for him.

He turned then, seeing a figure on the stairs. She walked down, stopping at the foot of the stairs and he suddenly wanted to hold and hug her, to assure her that everything was going to be okay. But he couldn’t, so he didn’t.

“Maddie…” he paused, searching for the right words. How could he tell her he’d more than signed her death warrant? He’d condemned her to evil, made sure she had no future… “We…we have a kid on the way. Your mother…she can’t go through pain at this stage. They’d kill us if we didn’t…” Madeline crossed the landing, wrapping her arms around her father and feeling his warmth, his sorrow, the rise and fall of his chest as he sobbed uncontrollably.

“I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.”

I’m not staying, Dad.”

“What―”

“Don’t worry. I’ll let them see me so they’ll think I heard your call and escaped. They won’t harm you or mum or…or the baby.” Her voice was surprisingly firm. “But I can’t let them take me, Dad.”

A violent bang on the door echoed through the quiet house, alerting its occupants to the danger that was about to be invited.

“Dad. It’s not your fault,” she said in earnest. I got the tattoo. I’m the one that angered The Eye. I put us all in danger. I’m sorry.” Her father let go of her at the sound of more violent bangs. She watched her father move towards the door and she raced towards the window on the opposite direction. A gust of wind blew through, fanning her dark hair which framed her angular face. It was a chilly night and the smell of the sea that she was much accustomed to drifted in. She’d heard that The Eye couldn’t see that far north and she would use the sea as a means of escape.

When she was younger, she’d constantly imagined her father being carried away by mean, burly men in black with giant guns for weapons. But today, these burly men didn’t burst through the door for her dad. They were there for her. This wasn’t how she imagined herself dying.

“Madeline Fields,” one started to say. “We hereby― hey!” she didn’t wait to hear what was left of his speech.

She jumped.

She hit the concrete, sustaining grazes to the knees and elbows but she preferred to focus on the task at hand. She’d lick her wounds later. Hoisting her backpack on her back, she began her flight, preferring to stick to the various alleyways around the neighborhood. She darted into one, checking her back for any tails. There wasn’t any. She looked ahead and ran straight into one of her pursuers. She had only a few seconds to recover from such a shock and she threw out her fist, landing a punch to his jaw. A slight frown was the only indication that he’d been hit. She tried again, this time making sure she put as much force into it as she could. Madeline never hit her intended target. He caught her wrist and twisted it round her back, then pushed her to the ground, pinning her down with his knees.

“No.” She struggled against his weight, but she felt like an enormous boulder lay on her, threatening to crush her. Footsteps approached them and she saw shiny black shoes, its owner standing directly before her.

“Did you really think you could escape The Eye?” Shiny Shoes had a booming voice which managed to successfully translate the tone of incredulity in his question. She did what anyone would have done in her situation- or so she hoped. What more could she do, being held down in this manner. She spat on his shiny black shoes.

He knelt down and his face met hers. It was drawn, bland and betrayed no emotions. A lone scar marred his cheek, starting from his left eye to the bottom of his lip. He gave a sudden smile, a hand reaching into his jacket pocket.

“No,” she said again when she saw what he pulled out: a vicious-looking syringe with a needle that looked like it could break the skin of just about anything, no matter how tough it was. His smile became wider, revealing a set of pearly whites.

“You can’t run, and you can never hide from The Eye.” She gasped when she felt a sharp prickle on her neck. Instant dizziness flooded her mind, and the last thing she saw was the man with the scarred cheek, his face the perfect picture of smugness. Then she succumbed to the darkness.

She was in what seemed to be a cellar, the only source of light streaming in through a gaping hole in the ceiling. She was propped up against the wall and could hardly see far off. The light seemed like a spotlight, illuminating the middle of the room but bathing the rest in darkness. A boy sat dejectedly a few feet from the light. Something about his demeanor and appearance seemed familiar to Madeline. She crawled towards him, her legs feeling heavy. His head shot up, fear igniting in his eyes.

“It’s okay, Miles. It’s just me. Madeline.” It was disconcerting to see him this fearful. He’d always kept up a tough reputation, his illegal tattoo parlor further elevating his status as a ‘toughie’.

“Madeline? Jesus!” He shrugged her hand off his shoulders, his face contorting to a scowl. “They got you, huh?”

“Turns out that tattoo wasn’t such a great idea,” she replied.

“Well they wouldn’t have got ya if you knew how ta hide it. And now I’m in this hellhole coz of ya. You really outdone yourself this time, Maddie.” He stood up, leaving her on the ground. “Always wantin’ to do stuff, runnin’ ‘round like you owned the bloody town. Coming into my parlor wantin’ a lovely little tattoo, acting all tough―”

She stood up then, as angry as he was. “I’m acting all tough? You’re the one with the tattoo parlor, you idiot!” She pushed him hard on the chest, emphasizing her anger. “I was just trying to live my life freely, which obviously can’t happen ‘cause everyone’s so scared of the eye.” She paused, tears springing to her eyes, out of anger, frustration, hurt, she wasn’t so sure. She thought of her dad, forever watching his back, his words and his actions. “I thought I could actually do it. Be free…” Her voice trailed away, inviting and welcoming silence.

A glint in the moonlight caught her eye but before she could investigate a shrill sound pierced the air. She looked round, perplexed, only to see that Miles’ look of confusion mirrored hers. He moved towards the source of the sound. She saw him pick something from the ground and a few seconds later heard him say, ‘hello’. He was quiet for some time, and then he looked up at her sharply, as if seeing her for the first time. She heard another phone ringing and trailing it, found it next to the wall. It looked like a walkie talkie, with a big red button in the middle. It vibrated with every ring, heat emanating from what she thought were the speakers. She pressed the button, putting the phone to her ear.

“Madeline Fields?” a throaty voice asked.

“Yeah?” She could kick herself. Why hadn’t she feigned bewilderment at the name?

The voice spoke. “You and the other candidate have been offered another chance at life by The Eye.” A slight pause, then, “Pardon me. One of you has been offered a second chance at life.” She took a sharp intake of breath, turning to face Miles, the phone still glued to her ear. The voice continued. “Both of you have to fight to the death. Come out victorious and you prove that you are worthy of life. Life The Eye is willing to offer. There is a weapon in there. Use it or he uses it. Kill or be killed.”

She slowly lowered the phone when it was clear that the conversation was over, her eyes still fixed on Miles. She knew he knew. He’d been told the same thing. She didn’t need to ask him.

She remembered the glint she’d seen and her instinct told her that had been the weapon. She fixed her attention on her tattooist.

“Miles? Please, listen to me. We don’t have to do this.” As she spoke she looked round, searching frantically for the weapon. There it was. Miles’ eyes followed hers.

“Miles, wait.” It was a race to the knife, both putting their all into it. He got there first. She retreated, willing him to drop the weapon. He brandished it like a sword, hands shaking violently. Sweat dotted his brown forehead and his dark eyes were alert.

“I have to do this, Maddie,” he said when she rose both her palms in surrender. “Don’t you understand? I d-don’t wanna die. What? Of course you don’t wanna die too but…I’ve got a bright future ahead of me, y’know? I’m so sorry.” He lunged at her, swinging his knife in quick menacing arcs. She dodged the first, then the second, her feet moving of their own accord, fear and adrenaline lending them swiftness. He took another swipe, this one catching her on her lower belly. The cut wasn’t deep, having been made by the tip of the knife but it hurt. She gasped, beads of blood dropping to the ground. Her attacker seemed stunned at the injury and for a fleeting second concern lit up his face. Then his eyes hardened and he approached her. Her last thoughts were filled with that of her family, of the sibling she would never see; of the mother she would never again kiss. As the cool blade of the knife pierced her skin and sunk into her flesh, she surrendered-not for the first time that day- to darkness and death.

The man swiveled in his chair, his white hands gripping the sides rather tightly ‘til green veins stood against his ashen skin. He forced out a cough, his emaciated figure trembling.

“Well, he wasted no time in killing her,” he said after his coughing fit had subsided. By his side stood a man, serious and pale, with a scar across his cheek. He’d captured the girl and brought her here and he’d watched her death with nothing short of interest.

“It seems fear for his life spurred him on to take the girl’s life,” he said.

“Ah, fear. The word itself accomplishes so much without you having to lift a finger. It is the only voice the people hear, the only language they listen to.” He paused, his chest rising and falling with every breath. “And it is the only language I speak.” He sighed when he noticed the frown on his face. “I see you have so much to learn. My father taught me all I know so it is only right I bestow some knowledge on you…

“Think Columbus, founder of the New World inhabitant by Indians. They’re wary of him. As a result of the superior technology of the Europeans, he knows there’s an eclipse coming so tells the naive Indians that he is a god and will make the sun disappear if they don’t bend to his will. They don’t believe…until the day of the eclipse. When the sky darkens and the sun is nowhere to be found, Columbus is hailed as a god and showered with gifts and respect.”

“I…don’t see how…”

“The Eye, boy, The Eye. Don’t you see? Giving credence to myth. There was a time when this town we live in today saw desolation. Murders, destruction, theft- all springing from the liberal attitude of the people. My father’s father saw all these things but how could he change them?” A skeletal fist banged the table. “You invent something that instills fear in the minds of the people. Place a few phones in some houses, tell a few people about an all-seeing eye that watches their every move, sneak in a few rules and kill a few wayward people and you have gained the compliance of an entire society.”

“You…you mean there’s no Eye?”

He got a knowing smile for an answer and he watched his father press a button on his phone. “Congratulate young Mr. Miles on his victory,” he said. Then, as if as an afterthought, “however, The Eye has watched his every move and has deemed him unfit to re-enter society. He is a troublemaker, and we all know what becomes of troublemakers. Therefore, do away with him.”

THE END