Alley aftermath

Arriving in front of my shed, bloodied and exhausted, I cast one final wary glance around to ensure no one was following me. Finding no pursuers, I pushed open the flap and swiftly stepped inside.

It seemed like everyone had already fallen asleep, but that was about to change. Little Fish was the first to stir at my abrupt return.

"Huh? who's-..." He stop his words when he saw my current state, eyes wide open with shock, he began waking everyone up one by one.

I disregard any thoughts and worries about the consequences of my actions and plainly walk forward before sitting myself in the corner which is also my sleeping spot.

By now, everyone had been roused from their slumber and was beginning to gather in front of me.

"Carillus, what happened?"

"What's with the blood, Saragonian?"

"There's so many blood on you, are those even yours?"

"Are you injured or something?"

"We were wondering why you're so late, Carillus. The fuck happened?"

Arde was the first to question me, followed by the others. However, I simply shook my head, allowing their words to wash over me without me uttering a single response towards them throughout the entire exchange.

Will you fuckers just go away, I'm too damn tired to answer all of you.

Can't you all see I'm trying to clear my mind and numb myself? despite my overwhelming desire to lash out at them to keep them quiet, I maintained my composure. After all, they had been my companions in this brutal quarry the entire time.

Well that was until Little Fish pushed his way through the crowd and fix his gaze on me. Without any warning, he reached for the neckline of my tattered tunic and forcibly pulled me up to my feet.

Taken aback by his sudden action, I locked eyes with him and instinctively recoiled beneath the intensity of his penetrating gaze.

There's an aura of intimidation about Little Fish that I struggle to grasp now; I can't help but harbor a subtle fear in his current presence, sensing an undeniable heavy aura that now accompanies him.

"Where were you?" He ask coldly.

"You know already, helping Erik for extra food." To my surprise, I replied to his question without a hint of stuttering, my response delivered with a blank expression.

He emitted a disapproving "tsk" sound, his gaze drifting down to the dried blood adorning my clothing and the bruises all around my body before returning his attention to my face.

"So, uh, where's the food?" Before I could even conjure a plausible excuse, he fired another question in my way, "And what about your pickaxe?"

Oh right.

"I lost-..." he suddenly interrupted me before I could continue my words.

"I'm not a fool, Carillus, and neither are you." His voice carried a touch of frustration. "I don't understand what's going on with you, but let's not ignore the fact that you showed up a few hours late than your usual time, despite your lessons with Gulfram and the extra shifts you've taken on for others."

I should've cleaned myself up and taken everything into consideration before arriving in here. I'm such a fucking idiot.

Realizing my mistake I fell silent and lowered my head, deliberately trying my best to shut out any thoughts or memories, fearing the memory of what had occurred in that alleyway to resurface in my mind.

Despite the euphoria coursing through me at that moment, a sudden wave of confliction washed over me as I made my way to this shed.

"Not to mention," Little Fish continued, suddenly interrupting my thoughts, "the blood and bruises on you... And your arm."

It appears I'm left with no other option, I must tell everything. Given my current state of mind, any attempt at deception and excuses would end up in failure, Little Fish would see right through it.

Exhaling a heavy sigh, I commenced narrating the sequence of events from the time I stepped into Erik's quarter right up to this moment.

As I explained, my gaze briefly met Arde, who was dispatching one of our fellow miners outside, presumably to retrieve something. Yet, I paid it no further attention, staying focused on my narrative.

When I was finally done, I have suddenly realized that I am now already on the verge of tears.

Huh?

Blinking rapidly, I wipe the now forming tears in my eyes before eventually setting my sights towards the gathered miners in front of me.

Their expressions ran the gamut from surprise to anger, with Little Fish himself visibly seething with pure, unbridled rage.

Before we could exchange a word, the shed's flap just burst open, and in walked the miner Arde had sent, with Gulfram, Roslik, and a couple of other familiar miners I might've seen around before.

Roslik himself was even carrying a wooden bucket filled with water.

The instant Gulfram laid eyes on my current state, he didn't hesitate in demanding the miners standing before me for explanations about what had happened to me.

Little Fish however, turned his back towards me before suddenly approaching Gulfram, Arde also standing besides him.

As I watched Little Fish and Arde start narrating what I had previously told them to Gulfram, I let out a deep sigh. Gradually, I slumped against the wall behind me, sliding down until I was seated on the ground with my back resting against the wall.

Meanwhile, Roslik approached my direction with measured steps, setting the bucket of water down right in front of me. He then retrieved a small cloth from his back, dipping it into the water for a few seconds before pulling it back up and began squeezing it.

"Take out your-..." Before he could continue his words, I surprisingly find myself suddenly shouting to interrupt him.

"Shut up!" I unintentionally scream, silencing everyone in the process.

W-What did I just...

Before I could find a retort to his words, Gulfram suddenly broke away from Little Fish and slowly made his way towards my direction.

"G-Gulfram..." I could only say his name. After all, an overwhelming sense of embarrassment and humiliation had envelop me from within and is forcing me to hang my head low in his presence.

"Don't worry, it's just us. We're not going to do anything to you, I promise." I stared at his eyes for a few moments before I finally relented.

He's right.... it's just them and it's already over, why am I being like this?

Drawing in a slightly shaky breath, I started to remove my tunic, leaving my ragged pants on. As I stood there, shirtless, I wrapped both arms around myself, filled with anticipation for what was about to transpire.

Without warning, Roslik tossed the wet cloth in my direction. Startled by the unexpected move, I awkwardly caught the cloth with both hands.

"Clean yourself." Roslik blankly stated.

I gazed at him for a few moments, blinked a couple of times, and then followed his words obediently, beginning to rub the wet cloth all over my entire body.

As I went through the process, Gulfram began to inquire about what had transpired in the alleyway. Despite the burning embarrassment within me, I made a conscious effort to collect myself and answer his questions as truthfully as possible.

The questions kept coming, and they seemed endless. The other men inside the shed watched the interrogation with quiet interest, except for a few hushed whispers that occasionally broke the silence.

"So you just left the bodies there?" Gulfram asked. By this time, I had also finished cleaning most parts of my body.

Clicking my tongue, I just nodded in silence.

"Show me where it is," Gulfram's voice carried a hint of anger, though I doubted if it was even directed towards me.

I hesitated for a moment, but then my gaze drifted towards Little Fish, who simply nodded with a reassuring smile. Arde and a few others, including Roslik, mirrored the gesture. With a renewed sense of reassurance and a hint of comfort, I wearily exited the shed and retraced the path I had taken earlier, with the rest of the miners following behind me.

As we embarked on the short journey back to the alleyway where I had killed my would-be rapists, I couldn't shake this strange sense of detachment from the situation. In theory, I should have been a bundle of nerves and overwhelmed with panic, but oddly, I felt none of that. The last time I had truly felt fear was when Little Fish had forcefully lifted me to my feet.

Perhaps all I needed was a good night's sleep, then maybe tomorrow I'd wake up feeling much better.

Maybe all of this is just a big bad dream.

Maybe I'm just going crazy..

Maybe...

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath, simultaneously trying to clear my mind of such thoughts.

After a few more minutes, we finally reached our destination. As we entered the alleyway, a wave of relief washed over me when I saw the two bodies exactly where I had left them.

"You killed them hard, boy." Gulfram suddenly remarked, walking up beside me.

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CHAPTER DONE!!