Huntflare

Chapter 1

 

     It’s a fairly standard day, there's a moderate wind blowing, and the flowers are vivid.  Well they would be, if we had any.  I live in a dry, sand -filled town, with nothing to look at but tumbleweeds. I’m peering out of  a window belonging to a particularly shabby looking apartment building. Although I've never stepped foot out of this prison, I can tell from the grime- encrusted window frame and chipped pieces of stone. Looking out below me, I see small clusters of people gathering around the town plaza.  Adults stand talking to one another as the children bounce off the walls in excitement, all waiting in anticipation for the reason they have come here in the first place.

     I close the floral blinds and turn to get ready for the “big opening.”  My dad is all for it. I think it’s a bunch of bull.  I’m the leader’s daughter and I just turned sixteen. This is the age when girls become “woman” and are able to be married. What pisses me off, though, is that every other girl gets to fall in love and get married in their own time. Me, I’m stuck being presented to everyone, and each guy gets a chance to fight one another to get my hand in marriage. The last man standing wins and I am handed over to them. That’s what this really is, but my dad says it’s an honor and should be appreciative to the men wishing to love me and treat me well. I cannot say anything against this because in this town, a woman is forbidden to speak unless she is directed to.  In this town, if any rule is broken, the person responsible is thrown into the desert, banned to never return.

     I hold my breath as I prepare myself to open the door.  No human other than my parents have ever seen me before. Not even my brother, who I only know exists because my mother told me in secret.   I step into the sunlight and everything around me is like nothing I have ever seen. Looking out the window it was dull, boring, and almost unbearable to look at. Seeing it first hand, it is downright ugly. It’s even more drab than I thought. I see there are plants, they're just dried up and withered to practically nothing. I could now see every particle of dirt and dust clinging to their clothes, their tangled, messed up hair. Their ribs are prominent due to starvation.  I look under my feet and see the stage is just a plank of wood held up by a bunch of mudbricks. I look farther into the distance, hoping to see some pretty houses. Wrong again. Most of the houses are made of more mudbricks. Why am I not surprised.

     I hear a low whistle and my attention is brought to the crowd. Some of them are nodding appreciatively, some nudging each other by the elbow. Out of my left ear I hear a father tell his son: “toldya she’d be somethin’, didn’ I?” I twiddle my feet nervously, anxious for this to be over.  I make a quiet discontented noise in the back of my throat so no one could hear. Wish I knew what I looked like. Here, girls cannot look at their reflections. Even as toddlers girls aren’t allowed to.  I looked over my shoulder to see my dad slowly walking up on the stage, taking his sweet time as if he had nothing better to do. He probably doesn’t.  Finally, finally he walked across the stage to my side. “Presenting, my esteemed daughter, soon to be wed, Meria Hathway!” he nearly shouts this, making sure every citizen hears.  “MAY THE BATTLES COMMENCE!”

     I stand in horror, watching the bloodbath in front of me. At this rate, the fight will be over in a few minutes.  my father's voice rang out “Isn’t this just grand? What a show!” I jump ten feet in the air out of shock.“I’ve never seen such a turnout! You ought to be proud of your future husband, whoever he may be.” I can’t believe it. He’s beaming. He’s happy they are murdering one another; happy dozens of lives are being taken. Outraged, I spoke my mind. “But father, what will we gain from this? I don’t want to marry a sinner.” He gives me a grave look and in barely a whisper he murmers “I will let you off this one time.” I look down in shame; I have forgotten women are forbidden to speak. “And daughter, the man who survives will not be a sinner; he will be a winner, a brave, strong, dependable young man.” I pass a sigh off as a yawn. As I predicted, the fight lasted not fifteen minutes; one man was left standing. But he was weak from blood loss, he will die in a matter of minutes. Oddly the crowd is still cheering, as if the fight was still on. And then I see him. He was a brutal looking man; scarred and stronger than any person I have seen through the window. My eyes squeeze shut, but not before I see the knife sink into the dying man’s heart.

Author's Note

Well how is it so far? Feel free to review, rate, or just read. I would love some constructive criticism please. short chapters, but still working on it.