6 Chapter VI
A week had passed since Luke and Ekon had their talk with each other. Ekon attitudes have changed a lot since then. Sure Ekon still had deep hatred towards those who had made his life hell, but besides that, he is healing.
"Yo E, Come here," Luke called out to him. Ekon then walks over to him, where he was sitting with three other miners.
"Hey, guys' Ekon greeted.
"I see that you have changed a lot since last week.' Luke said
"So what's up?" Ekon asked.
"Nothing much. Just chatting," Luke replied
"Aight then," Says Ekon.
"Say, what would you do if you got out from here?" one of the miners asked.
"Honestly, I don't know. Got nothing waiting from me out there, and frankly, I don't even have thought's on getting out of here, despite how much I hate being here but, better than nothing, I suppose." Ekon answered, earning a confused glare from the others.
"Alright then." the miner said
"I never got your name," Ekon said
"Oh, sorry, my name is Karl Williams," The miner replied.
"Aight, Karl. So how long you been around here?" Ekon asked
"Well, about four months, for starting a bar fight," Karl giggled.
"Just because of that?" Ekon asked, giving him a confused glare.
"Yep," Karl answered.
"Okay then." Ekon then got up and began walking away from the group.
______________________________________________________________
"Hey Jaycent," Carson called out as he walks towards Jaycent, who was staring at the wall filled with Pictures pinned to the wall.
Jaycent then turns his head towards him before replying, "Hey."
"So what intel we have for the raid on the mining site?" Carson asked.
"Well, the place is heavily guarded now due to the recent case of some of the miners attempting to escape, but they failed, and the guards executed them the next day, well at least based on our informants, of course," Jaycent said still staring at the wall.
"Do you think he is still alive?" Carson asked. Jaycent then turns his head towards him before asking, "Who?"
"Ekon," Carson answered.
"If he were still alive, I wouldn't hesitate to look for him even if it takes me across the states to find him. But honestly, part of me still believes that he is still alive. Somewhere and if it were true, then I'll be waiting for that day to come." Jaycent said.
"You know, you never told me how you two met," Carson said as he began to walk closer towards Jaycent slowly.
"Well, we go way way back, 12 years to be precise."
______________________________________________________________
"Help!" Jaycent screamed as he was dragged into an alley by three guys a little older than him.
His body came crashing down into a puddle of water shortly after being thrown by the three bullies.
"Well, well, Jayct, didn't I told you not to come around here?" one of the bullies said as he let out an evil grin on his face.
"Please, Kevin, I didn't mea-" before Jaycent can even finish his sentence, Kevin stomped Jaycent face before kicking the back of his head.
Jaycent vision started to become blurry, and everything around him began to darken. He also started to cough out blood. All he can see was Kevin walking behind a barrel and proceed to grab a 4x4 plank and slowly walks towards him. "Any last words?" Kevin asked, still having that evil look on his face.
Kevin was about to swing the plank to his head when suddenly he froze, and his eyes filled with terror. Jaycent couldn't figure out what causes him to be in such a state until he heard a voice yelling at him, "Hey! do you want me to do the same thing I did to you last time you were around here?!"
"N-no," Kevin stammered, His body still shaken up with fear. Whoever this guy was. He sure wasn't someone to be reckoned with. "Good, Now, SCRAM!" Kevin then dropped the plank and ran away with his pals following him shortly afterward.
Jaycent then tilted his head a bit to see a figure walking towards him and kneeling. in front of his battered body afterward. "Hey, look at me," the person said. Jaycent then looked into his eyes to see him glaring at him with a deeply concerned look." You'll be alright" his vision then blurred, and he slowly went unconscious before eventually the darkness. Engulfs his eye, and he went into a state of deep sleep.
___________________________________________________________________________
Jaycent then would wake up in what it seems to be a living room. He then slowly turned his head to see a woman sitting beside him, tending his wounds. The woman then noticed he was awake and smiled. "You're awake." Jaycent then tries to get up but winced in pain. "Hey, take it easy" the woman then helps him to get into a sitting position."Where am I?" Jaycent asked.
"Well, you're in my apartment, young man." The woman said, "How long was I out for?" Jaycent asked, "oh, just a couple of hours, here have a drink" The woman then gave him a cup of tea. Jaycent then sips the tea before looking at the woman again."Thank you, miss?"
"Aileen, What's yours?" she asked.
"My name is Jaycent." shortly after, Jaycent could hear footsteps coming into the room. The door then opens, revealing a teenage male who looked slightly older than him.
"Ah, I see he is awake. Honestly, you are quite heavy." The teenager said
"Ekon, where are your manners?" Aileen said as she raises her eyebrow at Ekon.
Ekon chuckled, "Sorry, mom," He said before walking towards her and kiss her on the cheek.
"Thanks for saving me," Jaycent said to his savior.
Ekon giggled. "Don't mention it. You're lucky I found you in just a nick of time. Otherwise, you're a goner."
"I saw his looks when you came, and I heard you saying something about wanting to do the same thing you did to him last time?" Jaycent asked. Giving Ekon a confused look.
"Well, he and I have a Not-So-Good history, yes I know who he was, and he knows who I was, and that's why he is afraid of me," Ekon said.
"What did you do?" Jaycent asked.
"Long story short, I was once part of his "Thugs" until I decided that he went too far, and we got into a conflict with each other resulting in him breaking a leg and losing some teeth," Ekon continued. "But if you want to hear the full story, I'll tell you the next we meet," Ekon said.
"Sure"
_____________________________________________________________________________
"What's so funny?" Jaycent asked, seeing Carson giggled
"Oh, Nothing, I found it funny that Ekon could do such a thing considering the way he looks," Carson said.
"Don't judge a book b-" "By its cover, okay, I get it," Carson giggled.
"Well, I got to go," Carson said as he begins to turn around, leaving Jaycent alone.
Jaycent sighed. "I miss you, bro. I hope you're still alive," Jaycent muttered before exiting the room.
__________________________________________________________________
"mmmhmmm....why can't they just shut up!" Ekon mumbled due to the commotion he hears outside, "Fuck this" Ekon then gets up from the bed and wears his clothes before walking toward the door and opening it to reveal groups of angry miners shouting at something.
"Hey E," Luke called out to him.
"What's going on?" Ekon asked.
"Well, the miners are on strike," Luke answered.
Ekon gave a confused glare toward Luke before looking around. "Strike? why?"
"Well, just this morning, the bastards gave an announcement saying that they had increased the quotas that we have to provide due to wartime needs, and if we don't provide it on time, they will decrease our food ration, and they would give other "Sorts" of punishments," Luke said.
Suddenly a gunshot could be heard, which stunned everyone. "Everyone back to work or suffer the consequences." Ekon looked to see the one talking was the same guy who ordered Francis's execution.
"No!" one of the miners said
"what was that?" the man asked, giving the miners an evil smirk.
"No! we won't listen to you anymor-" before the miner could finish his sentence, another set of a gunshot could be heard.
The miner then began to kneel, and shortly after, the rest of his body falls lifeless to the ground. "Let me make it clear to you. Lowlifes one more time, I would not hesitate to give death to those who disobey my direct rule! now, if anyone of you wanna join him, step forward; if not, then go back to your units." The miners then began to disperse, and shortly after, a couple of Russian soldiers would drag the dead miner's lifeless body away.
"This could not go on," Luke said.
"Well, there is nothing we can do. Escaping is not an option anymore. all we can do is follow what the fuckers say." Ekon then turned back and went inside his unit.
Suddenly flashbacks of Francis's death started to come back at him.
"No, not again" Ekon felt dizzy and walk over to his bed. "I just need some rest...yeah...just a bit of" before he could finish his sentence, Ekon collapse on the floor and went to deep, dreamless sleep.
_________________________________________________________________
Ekon woke up a few hours later to see a few concerned faces staring at him.
"Mornin sleepy head, you got us worried," Luke said. Ekon looks around to see that he wasn't on the floor anymore but was on his bed instead.
"Why were you worried," Ekon asked, giving Luke a confused glare.
"Well, usually, if someone was sleeping for a day, it's fine by us but, you were out cold for two days," Luke said.
Ekon Jaw dropped, shocked due to what he said, staring at him with disbelief.
"What happen anyways," Luke asked.
"I don't know. I just felt dizzy right after...you know, and uh, everything went black," Ekon explained.
Luke smiled before putting his hand on Ekon's shoulder "meet me if you feel better, now you should get some more rest" Luke then went out of the room.
Ekon sighed before laying down on the bed before slowly drifting back to sleep.
___________________________________________________________________________
A week later
"Hey Luke, can I have a chat with you? Privately" Ekon asked.
Ekon then led Luke to his room. "Sit down," Ekon instructed while pointing on the chair beside his work table. Luke complied then sat down. "Aight, so what do you want to talk about?"
"We can't keep living like this," Ekon said
Luke gave him a confused glare. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, we can't stay here. We have to leave this place somehow. I don't believe in their promise of "Work for Freedom" or whatever bullshitery they want to add up next, but what I know is, sooner or later, we would no longer be existing once we are no used to them." Ekon said, having a frustrated look on his face.
Luke began having to think about his statement. Ekon wasn't wrong. Sooner or later, Bluelight and the Russians might as well wiped them off the face of the earth once the miners no longer be a used towards their cause.
Luke sighed. "So what are you proposing? Escaping? it's impossible."
"Well, not exactly," Ekon replied, earning another confused glare from Luke, "but before we could discuss what we should do, I suggest recruiting those who want to join us," Ekon added.
Luke hesitated for a second before he let out a sigh. "You better know what you are doing." Luke then got up and went out of the room.
_______________________________________________________________________
Ekon can hear a knock coming from the door. "Come in." The door then opens, revealing Luke alongside Karl and eight other miners. They all went inside the room and gathered around Ekon.
"So we heard from Luke that you got a plan for us to get out of here?" Karl asked.
"Yep," but it's risky but, it "Might" work," Ekon said.
Karl sighed. "Let's hear it first." Ekon nodded took a deep breath before answering.
"Spark up several riots across multiple sectors, which would cause the guards to leave their stations. Head off to a meeting point of our choosing and eliminate any remaining guards before escaping with a makeshift explosive."
One of the miners laughed sarcastically " So you want us to start a riot?! You're not serious, aren't you? You expect us to try to convince others to take up arms and fight back like it will be a fucking glorious revolution and expect them to believe us like that?"
"Well, it's not exactly a revolution, isn't it?. It's not like we are going to overthrow the nation. For goodness sake, we are just trying to get off here!" Ekon said.
Ekon sighed. "Look, all I'm trying to say is, if we don't get out of here, most definitely we are all going to get killed by them once we are of no use for them."
"What makes you think like that?" Karl asked.
"I don't know, just a feeling," Ekon sighed in frustration before continuing. "But after what happen in the past months and how they started to treat us, in their eyes, we're aren't prisoners. We are more to slaves, and we are expandables."
The miners begin to have thought's on what Ekon said. Ekon can hear whispers amongst them as they discuss with each other whether to agree on Ekon or not.
Luke then walks to Ekon after discussing with the miners. "We'll give your answers in two days" Ekon nodded as one by one began to leave his room.
___________________________________________________________________________
Two days went by. Ekon still waits for his "Partners" to give him their answers, but the more he waited, the more he felt like he won't be getting any answers soon.
Ekon then heard a Knock on the door. "Who is it?"
"It's me, Luke" Ekon then walked towards the door to unlock it "come in," he instructed.
Luke then walked into the room and sat down on a wooden chair beside Ekon's worktable. "We would be meeting the boys and the rest of the miners tonight at the Crooked."
The Crooked is a pub within the facility. The place is mostly known for the constant occurrence of fights. "You better know what to say. Otherwise, we won't get any help." Luke said before he got up and went outside.
________________________________________________________________________
The nightfalls and Ekon made his way to the Pub alongside Luke.
Once he arrived, He notices everyone staring at him. "Relax," Luke reassuringly whispered to Ekon.
Luke looked towards "Boys" The miners then nodded at him before Luke glanced back at Ekon.
"Well, Ekon, after discussing with the miners, our answer is yes, we will join you, but there's a catch," Luke said.
"The rest of the miners here haven't know what the plan is, and so I told them that you would explain to them." right after Luke finish his sentence, groups of miners began to walk towards them.
"You must be Ekon. Call me Bill," Bill greeted.
"So what's the plan," Bill asked.
"Well, like I told Luke and his pals before. Spark up several riots across multiple sectors, which would cause the guards to leave their stations. Head off to a meeting point of our choosing and eliminate any remaining guards before escaping with a makeshift explosive."
The miners all burst into laughter, earning them a confused glare from Ekon. "I'm fine. When it comes to makeshift explosives but starting a riot? Even if we do want to start a riot and would be the cause of our inevitable end. What is there to die for?"
Ekon looked at the miners with a rather annoyed look. "What is there to die for?" before looking away from them.
"We have been oppressed for too long and tortured by those who thinks they are our masters. Well, guess what! THEY ARE WRONG!" Ekon then looked back at them.
'I bet you all realized it. Look what you are holding now!" The miners looked to the tools they are holding.
"Imagine, those tools you are holding we used to smash the heads of those that kept us locked in this hell! Those rats won't understand unless we take action!" Ekon said as he begins to calm himself down.
Ekon sighed. "I don't know about you, but I rather die as a free man, die trying, than to die in bondage but Now the question is, would any of you willing to do the same?" Ekon's words manage to stunned everyone inside the pub.
For once, he felt like there is more to his life, to his hardship, than he could ever imagine. Ekon looked at Luke, who smiled at him and nodded.
The miners then began to whisper to one another before nodding to each other.
"Well, if it is my destiny to die here, at least I die fighting," Bill said along with a couple of miners yelled in agreement behind him.
"I other words. We are with you till then end, boss." Luke said.
Ekon smiled, knowing he had to earn their absolute respect and trust not just as a friend but as brothers in arms.
"So when will we start" Luke asked
Ekon turned to look at him. "Soon."
_____________________________________________________________________________
"Mmmmm hmmm...Who the heck is it?" Ekon mumbled as he heard knocking coming from the door.
Suddenly the door shot open, revealing three Russian soldiers who came rushing at Ekon, which startled Ekon.
One of the soldiers soon dragged him off the bed and handcuffed his hands before forcefully making him stand. "Let's go!" One of the soldiers said before the soldier nudge Ekon's back with the tip of his KS-23M Shotgun barrel, signaling him to move.
_____________________________________________________________________________
After walking for 20 minutes, Ekon caught Luke, Bill, and Huey kneeling with their hands cuffed behind their backs on the same stage where Ekon loses the person he called "brother."
The soldiers soon forcefully shove Ekon down to his knees amongst Luke and Bill.
"What happened?" Ekon asked, looking at Luke, who was unhappy.
Luke rolled his eyes. "Well turns out one of the miners told the guards. about our plan."
Ekon looked to his left to see the same officer responsible for Francis's death walk up the stage stair.
"I see that most of you still don't follow my warnings, and so I will make these four fools as another example of your foolishness."
The Soldiers began to point their rifles towards Ekon and his friends.
"No!" The officer Ordered, "He is mine to take" The officer then pulled out an M1911 Pistol from his holster and points it at Ekon's head.
"𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵" Ekon Thought to himself. At this point, he doesn't even care about life. He wasn't afraid to die as he got nothing to lose anyway.
"Ready!" The officer said as he looks towards the soldiers on his left and right.
Ekon closed his eyes as he knows that this would be the moment darkness would be the only thing he sees afterward.
Before the officer and the soldiers could fire, an explosion occurs outside the facility, which startled them.
"What was that?!" The officer said while looking towards the direction of the explosion.
A second explosion echoes through the facility. A few moments later, Ekon could see a Bluelight guard rushing towards them as if their life is at stake.
"What is happening?!" The officer asked, giving him a troubled look.
"IT's THE RESISTANCE!" out of nowhere. A rocket landed near Ekon, close enough to throw him and everyone within a 10-meter radius of the ground.
Ekon would push himself off the ground and turned around to see the officer getting himself up before running towards him to tackle him, pinning him to the ground.
Ekon then grabbed a rock that was lying beside them and began to smash the stone to the man that had taken the one he called brother. Ekon repetitively struck the officer's head until there was a pool of blood streaming down from the head of the lifeless body of the man he despises the most.
Ekon would feel him pulled from behind only to realize it was Luke. "C'mon, we got to go," Luke said as he proceeds to uncuffed Ekon. Ekon would get up and spit on the officer's corpse before him, Luke and Bill, alongside the rest of the miners, rushed towards the main building where the main gate is located.
They kept on running, and never once they look back.
Just before they reach the main building, a Russian soldier caught up with them "Остановка!" The soldier yelled while pointing his 5.45x39mm AK105 carbine rifle in their direction which startled them all into a halt.
Suddenly, Bill would come rushing to the soldier and tackling him down to the ground. While in the process, the soldier managed to fire a shot that hit Ekon's chest. "EKON!" Luke soon dropped to Ekon's side. "Stay with me, buddy!" Ekon's vision begins to blur and darkened. Just before everything starts to turn dark, he could see someone come rushing towards his side. "Step aside-my God...Ekon!" The man said before everything around starts to fade away, and he fell unconscious.
____________________________________________________________________
Hey, guys, it's Raofel. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I haven't uploaded any chapters because I'm busy and trying to get some inspiration. Anyways make sure to vote and comment down below. Also, make sure to follow my Wattpad account.
