(Mar '16) Prompt #2 - Saddle Up

[Naraness]

March's 2nd prompt is the phrase: "Saddle Up"



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[m139]

"Alright guys, buckle you boot straps, it's time to saddle up!" The voice from the overhead speaker went off, and the white lights clicked on.

As if that line was not used out the first time we heard it. The six of us all tumbled out of our beds though, even as the door closed, and began to get ready for the day. Thirty minutes later, the door clicked, unlocking and sliding open. We all filed out into the hallway, and joined the other people coming out of their doorways as we headed for the cafeteria.

After we had all received our rations, we began our meal in relative silence. All that could be heard was the clinking of the metal spoons upon the bowls and the occasional thud of a cup placed down a little more loudly than normal. Probably by mistake though. When that one guy tried to do Morse code... well, let's just say it didn't work very well.

You see, around each of our wrists, and our ankles, are little unbreakable bracelets, anklets, whatever. Point is, we do anything- anything that they deem wrong and BAM we get a nice little shock. Varies in intensity and duration, but it always has the same point: don't you ever think of doing that again.

And they would zap you for everything. One step out of line, one word. Everything. It had gotten to the point where no one would even turn if they heard a scream or yelp. It was just, so common.

And there was no need to really. I mean, we felt no need to. There was no connection between anyone of us. I mean, I did not even know the names of the others in the room I slept in. All I knew was there numbers, and only because it was stitched into their shirts. All I knew were faces- faces without any real identity that I knew.

I had not heard a human speak for days- maybe over a week? I do not know. None of us were allowed to speak and they- whoever they were, always spoke to us through speakers. As if we were not even human enough to appear in front of in person.

But then again, we had given up trying to speak to each other. We had given up basically caring about each other. If the person next to me fell to the floor writhing in painI would not bat an eye. It kind of scares me how un-human I have become. It kind of scares me how much we all have accepted it, too. And how quickly, too. We were here for about a week before the first eyes began to gloss over, and the man inside us began to become a machine.

Sure, most of us fought it. And some of us held out for a considerable time. I made it almost three weeks before I stopped even trying to speak. And it was even longer before I stopped turning at the pain of another human being.

Still, I gave in. We all gave in. Well, almost all of us. There was David. I never, as long as I live, will forget David.

At the beginning, he was just like the rest of us. I assume- he was in a different room than I- that he woke up in a strange place, in a strange place, a little groggy, just as I did. I assume his next action, like mine, was to try to articulate a question, only to be cut off by a slight shock in the right wrist, which he then examined. And, seeing the thin white slip around it, he probably brought up his other hand to remove it, only to notice there was another slip there, too.

The next bit of time was probably a bit of a mess, at least it was with me. I remember trying to speak again, and again getting a small shock. Soon, the connection was made in my mind that I should not speak. But all that was forgotten when I finally had a chance to examine my strange surroundings. I remember first realizing I was on a bunk bead, with the ceiling so low above me. I remember first realizing there were other people around me and trying to speak with them only to remember I could not. I remember first hearing the speakers come on, and I remember the orientation. I remember the first time we wandered blindly into the hallways, the directions sent from above, the constant ting of the wristband.

No one really protested too much, not the first day. We were too busy trying to pull ourselves out of the stupor we found ourselves in. It was a mix of stupor, shock, and whatever drug they had put in us.

It was only the second day when people started protesting, when they tried to start breaking the rules.

And then, the shocks became more intense. You could tell who was rebelling more- their screams were always louder. And there was nothing you could do, not even after they stopped, not even after they were broken down and crying in a corner, for that was against the rules, too.

All you could do was ignore it as best as you were able. At first, it was hard. But then- scarily- it got easier and easier.

And so, eventually, we all gave in. All, of us, except David.

I remember his name. He was the only one who would consistently say his own name. I remember him writhing in pain, screaming not mere screams but his name through the pain. I remember him rushing over to other people, who were screaming, sometimes almost making it before he was on the floor, too.

I remember his last words, too. Three consecutive days, he screamed in them. The first word was "I" the second word was "love" and the last word was "you".

They killed him for that. They killed him right in front of us. But enough shocks into him so that he was screaming with such pain that all heads were turned. And then, slowly, the screaming stopped. His body became limp, and in the silence, all could hear the final sigh that escaped his lips.

I shall always remember that sigh. I think we all shall. I think it may be the one thing that keeps us sane. Maybe because it reminds us we can still be human? Maybe because it shows there is somehow hope? I do not know. All I know is that I remember him. David was a man of great courage.

But, I'm not quite sure why I think so strongly of it. After all, I am only me. And what can I do?

[Griff]

1003 words

Hana woke up with a groan, the wound in his side twinging with a familiar jolt of pain, waking him up. It had been three days since he was hurt, but after a day of resting he was back on his feet, however slowly. He combed his red hair off of his face, ignoring how stuck it was due to sweat.

Crawling out of his old burlap tent, Hana shuffled over to the fire, keeping his hand on his side, limping slightly. It was early morning, with the sun barely rising, the sky was beginning to turn a beautiful coral color. It was a sharp contrast to the normally bleak and cloudy skies. Hana sat observing the sky, occasionally shivering in the cold morning weather.

Turning his head, Hana saw Mika step out of her tent, completely dressed in light adventuring gear, with her putting her hair up in a ponytail. Seeing him sitting up, she asked, “You’re up? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

Hana raised an eyebrow before responding, “I could say the same thing about you, where are you going?”

Mika rolled her eyes while she grabbed the sword next to the fire. “I’m going out early to find some jobs. Wanna’ come?”

Nodding as soon as the question was asked, Hana got up, wincing slightly.

Noticing, Mika halted him, and replied with a stern look, “You’re still injured, so no adventuring today. You can follow me, but only because I’m sure you’re bored. No jobs for you though, okay?”

Hana nodded again, with slightly less vigour as he followed Mika into the large town.

Walking through the town, Mika and Hana browsed through the shops and market squares to start, hoping to find a “Help Wanted” side. It was by far the worst part of adventuring, but it had to be done. The jobs never really paid much, but they were by far the easiest to get and complete. Most of the tasks were cleaning, with one job even being to get something off of a tall shelf. That job didn’t even pay, it sucked.

These days it was hard to even get to a sign job, Mika and Hana weren’t surprised when after an hour they still hadn’t found one. Hana had sat down to rest, and Mika started pacing.

“What are we going to do!” Mika yelled as she ran her hands through her hair.

“Mika, calm down,” Hana said, trying to get her attention, “There are a million jobs, they’re just hard to find. This town might not have any, but we’ve only looked in the urban areas. What about in the farmlands?”

Sighing, Mika pinched the bridge of her nose before responding, “Fine, but it’s a long walk.” She pulled Hana up and they started walking down the main street, slowly passing through the crowded city life and making their way to the outskirts. The outer edge of the city was the agriculture district, which occasionally had jobs. It was better than nothing.

After another hour of walking they found themselves in the farmlands. It had been a few weeks since they were out of the city, so Hana and Mika were unprepared for the amount of plants, fields, and just pure, fresh air. Mika was practically giddy at the change of scenery. Breathing in deeply and absorbing the sun, Mika was glad that Hana told her to come here, even though she’d never admit it.

Hana was sitting under a tree to rest when he heard a yell. It was far away, but he could make out a woman’s voice yelling, “Stop! Gwen!”

As soon as he heard the yell Hana’s head shot up and in the next second a stunning brown horse ran past him, it’s mane glistening in the sunlight as it shot past him at extreme speed, the saddle on its back beginning to fall off. Turning his head he saw a small woman chasing after it, but she was far behind it, she hadn’t even caught up with him yet.

Jumping into a standing position and breaking into a sprint, he chased after the horse, ignoring the pain in his side. He hadn’t ran so fast in years, it was fun, despite the protests from his side.

Mika looked up and gasped, muttering an assortment of various curses as she saw Hana running after a horse of all things. He didn’t seem to care about the stab wound in his side, which pissed Mika off more than anything. Breaking into a sprint, she ran after Hana.

Hana had caught up to the side of the horse and attempted to climb onto it. Grabbing the top of the saddle, he put his foot in the stirrup and jumped onto it, shakily landing in the seat. Out of breath, he panted as he pulled the horse to a stop. As the horse turned, he saw Mika stomping towards him.

“You idiot!” She seethed, watching Hana climb off the horse holding the reigns. Forcefully pulling up Hana’s shirt, examining the stitches in place on his side.

“Relax,” Hana muttered while chuckling, hoping to calm her down. “It’s fine.”

Mika frowned while examining and prodding the inflamed skin around the stitches. Dabbing at the small trickle of blood escaping the wound, she lowered his shirt and hit the back of his head. “Little shit.” She mumbled unapologetically.

Grumbling, Hana started pulling the horse towards the owner and smiled a little when she ran up to them, out of breath.

“Thank you--” the young woman wheezed, “--for getting my horse back. I would’ve lost her forever, my parents would kill me!”

Smiling, Hana replied, “It was no trouble ma’am.” He was always the charismatic one.

“Um,” the woman said with a hint of embarrassment in her voice, “Would you like to join us for dinner? We have a lot of food.”

“Definitely,” Mika interrupted before Hana could respond, “Would you happen to have enough for three?”

“Of course.” She replied.

“Then we’ll be there,” Mika said, grinning broadly.

[Kris]

"Did he try-", Wilbert said slowly as his pale skin began to blush. I didn't know if it was from anger or embarrassment.

"It was about three days before we needed to set off. He... He tried...", I hugged myself, feeling the food about to raise up my throat, "He said it was natural... that I needed to get used to it since we were about to be partners".

"So... you learned about... the method...", he blushed more.

"I kinda wish they told me that before having someone sneaking to my room so late at night...", I smiled, "Don't worry, nothing happened. I screamed and reported him, but... since it kinda regular issue... and he was an higher officer...", I swallowed, "The only option I had left was transferring... and it did not escape me the fact that they were punishing me somehow for daring to report...".

Wilbert sighed, "I know who they gonna team you up with... I can't say that I don't feel like this is indeed some kind of a punishment".

"Is my partner that bad?", I asked, somewhat worried.

"As a person? No, the guy has a good heart, and he knows how to play cards... but he is damaged product from the future and very hard to work with".

"From the future?", I asked, curious.

"Oh yes, much much much further in the future. Think 1000 years from now, and it shows. Not right away, the guy looks like every second person while in suit, but he is rebuilt, and seen his share in life. You will find it hard to work with, and from what you told me, you may need to work hard to actually accept you... He won't take just anyone".

"They want me to fail you think?"

"The government would rather have you obeyed. You are considered a toll to these people, and reporting higher officer by doing what he thinks best to support the mission, even if it's against every human right, is a cause to worry. If you fail again they may just sent you back to be locked in where you were as you proved to be inefficient. The world is advanced but with all the possibilities people are still very much limited... much more in your partner's future time. And your kind are even more limited... I feel for you, I do... But I rather you know the facts, I believe I owe you this much".

I felt horrible as I carefully placed down the knife and fork I was holding. I didn't feel like eating any more. This was another horrible test to see if I am allowed to keep my freedom or not, "Thank you", I was able to utter under my breath. It was better I heard the truth now than being hit by it. The world was not kind to my kind.


***

It was raining the next two days and I still felt discouraged from talking to Wilbert. It felt like the sky was crying with me, as if the whole world was sharing my suffering. I find myself mostly lying on the king size bed in the cabin, wondering in my thoughts, thinking about my family and about my sister. She had been doing it longer than me. I wondered if it was hard for her like myself. I hadn't seen her for such a long time. I wished she was here so I could talk to her.

At the end I decided to pull myself together. After all I could have just went on crying and sobbing about my poor fate, but I was much more cheerful person than that. Beside the ball was still in my hands and I planned to actually play my cards as best as I could and keep my freedom. I found so hard to get this chance, and I had to seize it with my two hands.

Wilbert was in the living room, leaning on a couch and scrolling his eyes on a very slim tablet. I could have imagine him reading from... what was it... newspaper? the paper like thingie they used to read from in the past, for he looked like a old man in one of a very old pictures I saw from my parents photo album that barely survived time. I am glad I told them to scan it and back it up.

"How are we, Miss Zamir?", he asked as he noticed me, carefully sitting as to allow me to take a place beside him.

"Better", I said as I took my sit and smiled gently, "It has been raining cats and dogs outside, hasn't it?".

"Indeed. Caused much trouble and flooding, amusing that even in the future we are facing such problems, is it not?"

I scanned his tablets and noticed news headlines. He was probably getting update with the world with it, "You keep talking about the future as if you are not part of it, and I couldn't help myself wondering about your strange attire".

He grinned, "Have you now?"

"Why yes", I announced, "Could it be that you are too from the past?"

"Back in my days we had newspaper, and we usually drank tea with biscuits while blaming our government and talking aloud with fellow comrade about the crisis of our nation and illegal immigration. Now we still talk about the crisis of our nation, but we often drink water and eat food substitutes to keep our body healthy and in good shape", he laughed as he saw the smile upon my face, "Also paper is history... much like myself", he smiled as he looked carefully into his watch, "You better be ready, we should be ready to saddle up and prepare yourself. We should reach the station in few hours, I want you to look the best you can"

"First impression is the most important is it not?", I smiled and winked carefully.

"Most important indeed. Let's go show the big goons that we can create the best team of officer and temporals we can, even if they cannot appreciate them as we do".

"You are very kind Wilbert", I smiled and as I was heading to my section of the room I was happy to finally meet someone I could place my trust in, which was for my kind... so rare.