The wagon had stopped In front of its destination. The two men stepped out and walked around, so that they could open the cage doors.
All three of the captured were still asleep because of the food deprivation. Their lips were dry as the desert ground; they had rips in them, where blood spilled through.
Even the spilling blood that leaked from their lips had been mostly hardened and dried. Every single time that one of them swayed their tongue across, they would taste the flavor of iron on it. In comparison, it was nothing different than just licking on the steel bars; both were completely disgusting.
After the men had opened the cages and none of the three had woken up, the Flesh Hunters took their spears and swung them on the steel above their sleeping bodies.
The loud clattering sound startled Jhon into a state of wariness. He let out a small scream as he lifted his head.
There were multiple slaves pinned in a line on the stone walls; their hands with holes as large as an eye.
The lair was inside of a vast cave. From the outside, it seemed like it would have many layers inside of it. Above the entrance was an empty line, with many cages on it.
Along side the walls were corpses inside and outside of cages. The crows were feeding on their already rotten flesh, dried-up blood and intestines lying all around the floor.
As Kean and the others slowly marched inside the lair, he felt something wet and squishy under his feet. He lifted his leg and looked down beneath him, only to see what was an eyeball.
Immediately he was disgusted by it, but also he was terrified of how that could have happened and also if it would happen to him.
The sound of the birds gnawing away on the already rotting flesh, the flies surrounding the remains and resting on the open wounds. the rib cage was visible, even from afar. The chest was ripped open showing all its organisms, and by some unlucky wonder, the injured one was still breathing. Every single breath was visible and heard from the body itself.
The stinking odor flew across the air, stinging the nose upon smell.
It stinks! What did these people do to deserve such a punishment? I really don't want to end up like that.
Levyn closed in on Kean and whispered to him.
"Psst. Hey, I heard that the unworthy get chained to the wall. What that is supposed to mean is still unknown to me."
Unworthy? Of what? How can I become or maybe even stay worthy? I think that should be one of the first thing I need to learn when I'm inside.
"You all better start moving, or we will serve you as supper! So hurry up inside!"
One of the Flesh Hunters shouted at them to hurry, swaying his spear behind their backs. He slightly poked the sharp tip into their skins,
creating small cut wounds on their backs. The dirty air that entered inside made the little pain turn into a slight burn.
In front of the entrance were multiple mounds of bodies; they were just thrown on each other. There was no method to piling them up whatsoever.
Hundreds of maggots were seen crawling around on their flesh, making its way deeper into the body. The sound of the creatures wiggling on top of each other, then they made their way into the skin, moving underneath it to reach the brain.
What was seen by Kean and the others was something truly disgusting and saddening, being treated no better than animals.
Their lives had no meaning other than working to death; there was not a single ounce of respect to them before and after their lives.
When one had stopped being useful, they were thrown out and replaced by someone younger. That was the way of the slave; that was what was displayed Infront of Kean.
Poor guys. They spend so much energy to survive in there, just to end up like this out here.
The lair entrance was inside of a small pit, hidden by dirt and wooden structures. Above the pit was the endless forest, leading to a place of graves. The bushes and leaves surrounded the outlines of the the pit. A deep darkness surrounded the entrance and a rough scent lingered from the swaying wind.
All three of them had already known that such a place would be cruel, but on that day they saw with their own eyes what actual cruelty awaited them inside the narrow passages of the lair.
This smell is terrible, unbearable even.
Kean who had already lost hope for a good life was confronted with a future that anticipated him. His mind was filled with so many unhealthy thoughts, that the pure stress of them would shatter his insanity.
He was weak and so was his body, a fragile and worthless slave he had become. He knew that if he slacked behind, he would surely meet his demise.
---
"Alright, alright. I'm walking, so just please stop poking me with that spear."
Jhon who had been walking at the same pace as the other two, was repeatedly stabbed with the point of the spear in his back. The wounds weren't that lethal or great, but they were surely deep enough to leave a slight scar behind.
Sweat was running down his body, and his steps became weaker. Jhon thought that if he didn't stop them from being so harsh right from the bat, then the two kids wouldn't last long inside there. They would have surely collapsed before starting with the labour work.
The leaking blood had been slowly drying onto his skins and simultaneously on his already dirty and outworn blouse. Every single movement that he had done with his torso teared the semi-dried blood apart.
A small stinging pain formed around his whole back.
He ground his teeth and endured all the stings with the best of his strength. He didn't want the others to see him hurt already, seeing the eldest of their group already fall to his knees, it would surely bring their hope down.
Levyn who had been walking mostly in the center of the two, kept slightly bumping into Kean. He couldn't fully control the motions of his body like he wanted to, he lacked the strength to do so, and with that he also had been brought down to a mental level where he could have shattered at any moment.
But even though he felt like walking was an impossible deed, and containing clear thoughts were something that he was not capable of—
He still wanted to stay on his two feet, with his chin up high, a posture that screamed of strength and endurance, so that Kean and Levyn would not fall into a deep despair right upon the arrival.
He wanted to hide his struggle in order to make theirs more bearable.
Even as they marched right on in, the men with the spears went silent, just as their steps did. The three looked behind them and saw the forest, which meant freedom.
They were already inside the dark and misty lair. The sound of wooden doors sliding on the ground as they closed. The roughness of it was unnoticeable.
They stood witness as the light from the outside slowly vanished and left nothing but a memory behind.