Eric slowly gained consciousness, as his eyelids began to open. Immediately he could feel a sharp pain shot through his face. It was in the same area on his face where the soldier kicked him. He tried to touch it, but realised he had no control of his arms. They were both chained up to the ceiling he could not see. He could barely see anything. The only thing he could see was the bright moonlight illuminating through the window and unto his body. Eric tried to walk, but there was nothing to walk on. No matter how many times he fluttered his legs, he could not find ground. Then he realised he must be hanging. Where am I, he thought, as he squinted his eyes, hoping that his vision will be able to pierce the darkness. But he could not see a thing. He tried to call out to anyone, but he was responded to with silence. Then Eric took a breath, and instantly he was shocked. He took another breath and he could not believe what he was seeing. Cold vapor was coming out of his mouth, how is this possible, he thought, as sudden sounds began to shoot out from the darkness. Then suddenly he could hear the sounds of locks turning, before being met with 2 shadowy figures, standing at the doorway. Eric heart began to pulse. One of the shadowy figures told the other to stand guard outside before he proceeded inside, locking the door behind him.
"Wait. What do you want. Let me go." Eric said, as his heart beated faster, he began fluttering his legs, and began to try to free his arms, but the cold metallic cuffs around his wrist could not be simply broken.
"Calm down boy. I just want to talk that's all."
Eric's heart began to beat faster, he heard that voice before. Then suddenly a dull orange light, gave light to the dark room. It was just bright enough for Eric to see 3 feet away from his hanging body, but that was enough for his heart to lunge. Standing in front of him was the same colossal man from earlier, the President of South Sudan, Lual Arok Dengor.
Instantly fear was creeping up on Eric, his heart pounded and his body shook uncontrollably. Is he here to kill me for what I said yesterday, what is he going to do, He thought as he closed his eyes tightly, fearing the worse.
"Calm down. I really just want to talk."
Eric opened his eyes slowly and saw the president pull out a chair from the darkness and sit infront of him with a soft smile on his face. A expression completely different from the one he wore in front of the crowd. It almost seemed as if the President from the square, and the president in front of Eric were entirely different people, even down to the tone of his voice was different. This change strangely calmed Eric. Maybe he is not so bad, he unconsciously thought as he began to loosen up, from his tense muscles all the way up to his beating heart, they all steadied. Eric took a silent inhale of relief.
"Could you please let me go? And do you have my friend that was with me?" Eric asked.
The president smiled and responded with.
"I do have your friend, he is under our care. But whether he has a comfortable time or a uncomfortable one is up to you."
"What do you want sir?"
The president paused for a few seconds before ignoring his question and replying with.
"What is your name?"
"My name is Eric."
"Eric are you from here? You look like a foreigner."
Eric paused for a few seconds, he was unsure whether telling the president where he is from was a wise decision.
"I am not part of the revolution."
"I know you aren't. I made sure."
Eric paused again, before deciding to answer his question.
"I am from Ghana."
The president looked at him suspiciously.
"Ghana. You're far away. Why are you here?"
"We were just… we were just on our way to see our family members. We were just stopping here for a little bit."
"I see. So are you associated with the Nu'er tribe by any chance."
"Yes, my grandmother is Nu'er."
The president was silent for a moment before saying.
"Is she,... I'm sorry if you already told me, i'm bad with names. But what is your last name."
Thinking nothing of it Eric responded.
"GatKuoth. My full name is Eric GatKuoth."
The president eyes widened in surprise. Eric was taken aback by this. Did I say something wrong, he wondered, as a wide smile appeared on the president's face, followed by a laugh.
"It all makes sense now. You really are his son." He murmered, his palm on his forehead in surprisement, before letting out a chuckle.
It all makes sense now, you really are his son, does he know my father, Eric thought.
"Well that will be all." He said, getting up to open the door, but as his hands touched the door nob he heard.
"Wait." Eric said, stopping him.
"I will let you and your friend go after things die down."
"No. …Can I ask you a question."
The president turned around to face him, his attention caught.
"What is it."
"...Why did you have to kill them?" Eric asked.
A part of Eric was hoping that he was right about him. About him not being that bad. Eric wanted him to tell him some excuse, like they did the same thing to us, or they are people with bad intentions. He wanted to believe what he saw a few hours ago was in fact a act of justice rather than the act of beasts. But even then could that level of justice really be just justice or a fabrication of something else, something much blacker.
Eric stared at him, waiting for a answer. The president stared back at him, his once kind vibrant eyes became much darker, as if the light in his eyes completely vanished. The president smiled at him and said.
"Because I wanted to."
What, Eric thought immediately.
"I killed them because they were pests, spoiling my years of hard work I put into my dream. So I got rid of them. It's really simple as that."
Eric clamped down on his teeth. He could feel the fear leaving him and being replaced by anger.
The president once more turned around to open the door, but Eric once again stopped him with a question.
"Couldn't you have just lied to me." The words escaped Eric's lips on impulse.
The president turned around and to meet Eric's eyes.
"You wanted me to lie to you. …What good will it do you."
"It would make me happy. If you had just lied to me I would have been able to convince myself to look past it all. I could of came up with a rational reason for why it's ok." He said in a low breaking voice.
Hearing this the president laughed.
"You wanted to lie to yourself. …Eric what would that do for you, but make you blind to the world around you?"
Eric did not respond.
"Why are you so mad. Were one of the rebels someone you knew?"
"Do I need a reason to exercise my humanity?"
Hearing this the president chuckled.
"And you think that we don't."
"That's exactly what I think." Eric shot back, the president could here the flare in his voice.
He chuclked.
"And that's why you're naive. However you're just a kid, it's more than expected. But if you witness a couple murders and do some yourself you will eventually start waking up."
"I will never think the way you do. I'm not a monster and I will never be one."
The president smiled at Eric.
"Monster. Eric what is your definition of a monster."
He was quick to answer.
"A monster is a being that is grotesque in nature. A being that causes pain, suffering, and sarrow and does not feel remorse or guilt by their actions. That is why they are monsters and not human, because they abandoned their humanity long ago and took another much darker route."
"So by your logic Eric, most of human beings is that monster."
"No they are not." Eric shot back.
"You seen it for yourself this evening. Did you not see how quick I was able to turn the crowd feral."
Eric did not respond.
"Do you believe in freedom for all."
"I do."
"Then Eric wouldn't you say the path of the beast is the most free path to take."
"How."
"Think about it. Humans are burdened with morals and responsibility to each other. Wouldn't you say that is enslavement? I see it as a thread binding human beings to each other. And I always thought to myself, why should I be a slave to anything but my dream. It didn't make sense to me, and through that realization I was granted new masters, myself and my dream. And because of this I felt freedom I never once felt before."
"What is even your dream."
The president paused before saying.
"My dream. My dream is to have anything I want from this beautiful world. I want full authority over anything I set my eyes on, whether it be land, money, food, and even people. I want the level of authority to control their very thoughts, feelings, and reaction. I want to be a god amongst men."
"You are the ebondyment of greed."
"Yes. Yes I am, and I embrace it, but what about you boy. By your logic if I am greed, you are pride incarnate."
"What."
"You full heartedly believe your world view is the only correct one. And you consider anyone else who has a different world view than you, to be monsters. You consider yourself above man, and a part of one out of very few people who stay sane, despite the harsh world around you that you can only see." These all bare the face of pride.
Eric stayed silent for a couple of seconds before saying this.
"Even if your right it doesn't change the fact that you're a monster."
The president sighed, shaking his head, disappointed and slightly annoyed with Eric ignoring the truth. Then suddenly a smile appeared on the presidents face.
"Change of plans. Your not going to visit your family. Instead you're gonna have front row seats to witness it all. I will show you everything, as my retainer."
"You're mad. You're a mad man."
"Yes. I may be mad, but still I won't ever stop chasing my dream. Even if I lose my sanity in the end." He said reaching out, reaching out for something both of them could not even see.
His eyes widened. What he said was all too familiar to Eric. But still I won't ever stop chasing my dream. Even if I lose my sanity in the end. This made Eric heart skip a beat in fear.
The president clasp his hands and brung it back down. He looked up at Eric, and his once kind mask lossed it's colour, revealing what he truly was to Eric's eyes.
"I will await your answer in 2 weeks." He said smiling as he opened the door and vanished.
"Wait, 2 weeks. No, let me go." He said, trying with all his might to squeeze his hands through his shackles, but of course to no avail.
Suddenly Eric heard laughter. Immediately looking up he saw a soldier, looking to be in his mid 40s grinning and chuckling.
"You should of surrendered yourself to him." The man said chuckling as he approached Eric.
The closer he got the more Eric could see his facial features. He tugged at his chains in fright. The man in front of Eric had a gray beard with a bald head. But what really frighened Eric was disgusting scar near the man's left eye, it was pink and extended all the way down to the corner of his lips.
"Ok, here are the rules. We can stop anytime you want as long as you swear loyalty to our president, if you don't things will become worse and worse as the days go by. But not hard enough to kill you of course, I need you alive. If you last for 2 weeks, you win, but you might not want to win."
Eric's heart lunged out of his chest, as his body began shaking. The man noticed and chuckled.
"If you say you submit, we don't have to play."
Eric thought about it, sacrifice his morals, or continue to be adamant. He chose the ladder.
In anger Eric spat at the man's face, flying right to the man's eye. The man chuckled and said.
"Good. Now I can have fun."
Almost immediately, pain shot through his body. He could feel something warm dripping down his chest. Before he could even look down, the man turned off the light bulb, and again and again Eric felt pain stinging his body, until it was too much for him. He could feel the warm slimy texture of vomit, flowing down his chest, but still the pain didn't stop. Eric cried and screamed, but it only wondered through the silent darkness.