Hate

Reki lies perfectly still under his parents' bed. It is dusty, and he is struggling to suppress a sneeze. Whenever they played hide-and-seek, Rochefort could always find him quickly, especially if he started sneezing uncontrollably. But to be honest, without his little brother, Reki would have been bored to death. Here in the house of his parents, Captain Henry and his wife Morgana, the atmosphere was set by dull "prison guards", as Reki called them. Two tough pirates, Bard and Jack. Rude people, according to Reki. Nothing could hide from their lurking eyes. His parents, the King and Queen of the pirate city; Cotumo, clarified that whenever they were gone, Bard and Jack couldn't leave their boys a second out of sight.

From the hallway comes a muffled cry that ends in shocking chatter. Startled, Reki reflexively stands up and hits his head against the wooden base of the bed. Rubbing his hand over the painful area, he did not lose sight of the doorway. He can't see much from his spot under the wide bed. The bedroom curtains are half-closed to keep out the oppressive heat. A ray of sunshine illuminates part of the knotted carpet at the foot of the bed. Glowing fluff swirls in the bright daylight. Reki bites his lower lip. He suddenly feels very alone. His parents had left on one of their boat trips. It wasn't one of Reki's favorite outings. Rochefort, on the other hand, loved it, but according to their mother and father, he was still too young. His father had forced Reki to come three times, but in the end, Reki convinced him with the excuse; "Rochefort cannot be left alone." With great disappointment from his parents, they finally left him with Rochefort.

The bedroom door squeaks open. Reki's heart pounds in his throat. He sees two feet shuffling in. The gold buckles that adorn Rochefort's black boots glow brightly in the sunlight. There was a second cry, followed by a heavy thud, as if a bag of flour had been thrown on the floor. The tinkling of metal follows. A sword? Reki holds his breath. Rochefort's shoes remain nailed in front of him. Heavy footsteps approach. "Rochefort" hisses Reki. "Here quickly under the bed"! Rochefort didn't respond. Reki hurries out from under the bed and grabs his brother. With a diving motion, he disappears under the bed again and puts his hand on Rochefort's pink lips. The creaking of leather and softly tinkling fabric resounds again, and the room door is flung open roughly.

In the doorway, Reki is surprised to see a pair of armored shoes. Neither Bard nor Jack wore them! A sour smell fills the room. 'Where are those rats' curses a rough male voice. "Ah, Rochefort", Reki growls softly and removes his hand from the biting boy's mouth. A giggle escapes Rochefort. "Shh," Reki whispers and puts his arm around Rochefort again. He gently puts his hand over the toddler's mouth again.

We're going to play hide-and-seek,' Reki whispers. Rochefort nods eagerly and Reki waits tensely, hoping the pair of shoes will leave the room soon enough. "Where are those children?" "I don't see them, do you?" "We can't stay too long. Look behind the curtains ... or under the bed." Reki presses himself against the wall, as far away from the edge of the bed as possible. The worn-out shoes went towards the window. . The curtains are pulled open with a jerk. The incoming light passed over Jack's lifeless body that adorned the doorway. Nothing concealing and merciless. A dark wave of blood shoots from his slit throat, glistening in the sunlight. Jack's green eyes stared lifelessly into nothingness. Reki feels his body tense. He tastes bitter bile in his throat and briefly gasps for air that isn't there. "Nothing" grumbles the man at the window. Reki watches anxiously as the man kneels down and puts his hands on the floor. One hand held a razor-sharp dagger, red with Jack's blood.

Before he can react, Rochefort slips from under the bed. "Roch" Reki whispers hastily and tries to grab the boy, but he is too fast. "There you have one of those street dogs" sounded again. Rochefort screeches and walks to the door. Reki tries so hard not to scream himself. The shoes bridge the distance to the door. Two-year-old Rochefort falls to the ground with a thud. He's trying to get under the bed again! Reki looks his brother straight in the eye. Rochefort's eyes are large and filled with tears. The young pirate is grabbed by the legs and pulled away. Rochefort screamed out. A rough hand grabs him by the hair. Reki has to watch helplessly as his brother's dark-haired head disappears from view. "Yes, this is one of the boys", a man's voice speaks from the doorway. "You know what we're here for, hurry up, I'll help you." Reki swallows. He hears a pleading cry. A hand prevents his brother from screaming for help. The cry rises in tone and is colored with panic. Reki closes his eyes for a moment. He knows he has to do something. Otherwise, Rochefort is dead. "No" he roars and emerges from his hiding place. Adrenaline flows through his veins as he stares at the two villains in their crimson eyes. Rochefort stares at his big brother. Six years old but as brave as a giant. Reki knows it's hopeless. He knows he can't win this fight. They are bigger, stronger, and more cunning than him. Reki is, after all, only a kid. Those men before him must have been in their forties. What is he going to do? And yet? He can't just let Rochefort die. He must try! Rochefort looks trembling into Reki's bright blue eyes. Pearly red blood ran down the two-year-old's face.

'There" roars the left bandit. Reki stares at the fat man's face and swallows.' Let go of my little brother," he orders, trembling. A burst of laughter echoes from the slender intruder's long throat.' Why are you telling us what to do, boy," he asks. He grins and continues, "Vladimir, the boy thinks he is brave enough to tell us what to do. "Vladimir laughs out loud." I think this kid thinks he's tough, Malik"."Vladimir chuckles. Reki glares furiously at the attackers, thinking hopelessly about how to get his little brother out of their grasp.

"Reki" Rochefort wails. "Sh Rochefort, everything will be fine," Reki says. Malik sniffs amused. So, boy 'laughs the last one and with one smooth movement he slides the dagger down Rochefort's larynx.' No," Reki shouts hopelessly. Bright red blood flows from Rochefort's slit throat.

Laughing, Malik throws the corpse to the ground and points his knife at Reki. "Next," he mocks as Vladimir surveys the trembling toddler. Tears sparkle in Reki's eyes as his gaze remains frozen on Rochefort's corpse. Why had they killed his brother? Why couldn't Reki do anything to save him? Rochefort's wet eyes stared soullessly at the wooden ceiling.

"Don't hope you get rid of it as fast as that little rat" Vladimir growls and hits Reki hard on the nose bone. Malik laughs and hits Reki's eye socket as Vladimir holds the boy tight. Weeping, Reki moans as Malik repeatedly drops his fist on the six-year-old's slender face. Dark red blood runs down his face and settles in the roots of Reki's inky locks.

In the distance, deep voices approach. Moments later, there is a banging on the door; the wood creaks in protest. "Quick!" a voice calls from the hallway. Reki shudders when a final blow breaks his nasal bone. The child slowly closes his eyes and gasps. "We'll be back for you later", Malik growls and brutally drops the body on the dark wooden floor. Malik stands up abruptly. The noise in the hallway had increased. Reki secretly looks with one eye at Vladimir's outdated shoes. Slowly, they walk away from Reki's broken body. "Oh Reki" whispers a soft voice and a warm hand brushes his hair over his shoulder.