Sam was limping through the forest of Nyungwe. He was seeing many different exotic animals on his travels. And luckily, they bolted off the moment they saw his cloak. He was wearing the entire hide of the old king around his body. Not only does it ward off other predators, it is helping to keep his body warm.
Sam has been having cold-sweats. He feels like he is freezing, yet is sweating like crazy. He still feels like his blood is boiling. The venom was obviously still running rampant in his body, fighting with his immune system to keep him alive.
Sam was currently about to cross Rwandas borders, into Burundi, a small African nation right next to Rwanda, after 6 days. A lot of those days were spent in agonizing pain from the bite. Trying to overcome it.
His condition was not improving. However, thanks to his skill in first-aid, he isn't getting worse. He feels pain all over his body, both from the wounds and from the snake bite.
One thing he noticed when going to a nearby river, was that his hair was changing. He was going to get more water to boil, using the bones of the old king to make a nifty little canteen.
When he saw his reflection, his hair had little stripes of white between the brown. He was shocked. He heard of this. It's when the body endures so much stress that the hair greys faster. It's seen in prisoners. He had seen many supposedly young PoW's that he had to rescue for a mission that were all grey, so it's not impossible.
He ignored it and decided it was better to keep moving. He welcomed the hair change as it would make it harder for the Pale Hand to recognize him that way. But when he remembered his mother and her beautiful brown hair, he felt like he lost a precious gift from her.
After a more days of walking, stopping, enduring, repeating, he reached the edge of the Rwanda border. He knew this because he could see that a border was made between the two nations. Luckily, he was sneaking through Nyungwe Forest and that continues into Burundi, making it an excellent place to cross into Burundi.
Despite his assurances that he was on the right track, it didn't make his situation any less dangerous.
———
Sam was once again in a cave. He crossed into Burundi. He was sure of it. Now he had to cross through Burundi and reach Tanzania. It was going to be a harsh trip. It may take weeks. So far, it took him 6 full days of travel through Nyungwe and now he was in Kibira National Park.
It was beautiful. Sam's been feeling better after crossing into Burundi. His fever started to break, and he could now walk longer before resting. His condition was still very critical. He still felt his body screaming in pain, but he is growing used to it. The damage done by the venom has stopped spreading, he just had the ankle that he needed fixed. Likely through removing the dead flesh from necrosis.
"I need to hurry. I need to find a place that is away from the Pale Hands influence. That is with the UN affiliated nations. Only Tanzania is the closest nation that has a lot of UN peacekeepers stationed. They can help… they can help…"
Sam was tired. Another whole day of struggling. Every step felt like he was stepping on glass and his body was still screaming in pain from his wounds from the fight with the old king. He was sure his cauterized wound was infected. Despite cauterizing it, he still feels agony when the wind touches his back.
Luckily, his disguise has worked as most predators freaked out seeing the hide of the old king, so all Sam had to do was struggle.
But rest was important. And he decided to allow himself some rest for the night.
———
"Hey, Sam. What do you think? Do I got it right?"
An Irish boy asked Sam, who was watching him perform a roundhouse kick.
For the past few weeks, Sam and the other quirkless kids have been training. Ruthlessly training. Everyone was always tired and survived on the minimum amount of sleep that will keep them alive.
So far, all eleven kids have shown potential and the instructor actually praised them. Well, almost all of them.
There is always the runt of the litter in a group, and that runt happened to be the young boy named Charles. His hand, hurt from the scorpion, was never the same after the sting. Even weeks later, he can't use it as well as before.
Sam, however, has been giving him help. Even teaching him some of the higher level stuff the instructor taught to those who completed the basic phase of his training regime.
Seeing that Charles was likely crippled, he decided to teach him some kicks he think Charles would benefit from.
The other kids have already lost hope that Charles would survive here, but Sam wasn't giving up on him.
"Sam…"
Charles stopped practicing the kicks and earnestly looked into Sam's eyes.
"Yeah?"
"The others… they think I'm doomed… honestly, I think I am too. Why waste your time with me when you could be bettering yourself and increasing your own chances for survival?"
Once again, Charles questions what Sam is doing.
Sam just sighs.
"Honestly, I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for me."
That shocked Charles.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… I don't want to become what these assholes who put us in this hellhole want me to become. A mirror of themselves. By abandoning you and coldly throwing you away, I feel like they would win. And I don't want them to win. So keep on struggling, Charles."
Charles smiled.
"Thank you… and also thank you for not being a cheesy wanker that says 'it's the right thing to do.' That is just bullshit."
Sam and Charles laughed.
———
That night, something happened.
Ring!
Ring!
Ring!
Something loud started ringing in the room. All the kids quickly got up.
"W-why is the alarm sounding?!"
"Isn't it too early for us to be sent to a battle ground? I just started on fire arms! I'm not ready!"
"Oh no! I'm scared!"
The kids were freaking out. They all remembered that they were in a bunker surrounded by active warfare. Now it seems they have to get ready for action.
Before they could continue to lash out in fear, Sam shut them up.
"You idiots! Shut up! Complaining won't do anything! We are stuck here! Only fighting will save you! Don't worry! We can get through this!"
The boys who were freaking out, calmed down. Sam was right. Complaining and crying was pointless. They know how ruthless the instructor was. He wouldn't care enough to save their lives.
"Well spoken, Suzuki."
A loud voice is heard from a speaker.
"I-instructor!"
"You have the right idea. Right now, we have some Somalian pirates coming up on this area. Our mission is to stop them from
Reaching the villages. That's our purpose. To protect the villages and cities from Somalian pirates. You are all newbies. I don't expect much from you. If you all die, me and some others will clean up the rest. So live or die, I care not. But if you live, I'll keep training you. Now move, or I'll kill you if you refuse to move."
With that, the alarms stopped and the voice of the instructor over the loudspeaker was silenced. All that remained was the afraid, but resolute breathing of the children.
"Let's go."
Was all Sam could say. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't scared. He was horrified and wanted to go home. But he knows the consequences of succumbing to fear. He can tell that the moment he allows fear to control him, he's a dead kid.
With that they all got ready to confront their first enemy.
———
The battle was long and tedious. Many Somalian pirates arrived near the main land. They figured out they are in Djibouti. Right by Somalia and right by the sea. The pirates are very troublesome for the delivery routes and mercenaries get a lot of work escorting the ships that deliver cargo. Somalian pirates were constantly coming and going, and the government of Djibouti was having a hard time making profit from the stolen cargo. So they hired mercenaries to deal with the pirates that come to plunder the cargo before they get onto transport ships.
This was their job. To protect these cargo holds from invaders. That's where the bunker is. Right under the main cargo hold. The government of Djibouti granted them access to the bunker.
After the first armed conflict between themselves and the pirates, 2 kids ended up dying. Sam saw it. Personally. Charles was having a hard time and was only able to use a pistol in his good hand.
To make matters worse, some of the pirates had quirks. At one point they thought they were done for, until the instructor came and killed them before they could reach the cargo hold.
"So… 9 left… good. I'll make you 9 stronger. Congratulations on passing the first test. You had to survive your first battle. More battles will come, but those pirates will lick their wounds before sending more."
The 9 survivors were standing in front of the large storage building that holds very expensive goods that the government needs for profit. Many pirates reached near them, but they all managed to hold them off. Barely. The pirates were clearly just kids like them. Ragged and dirty. Likely forced by others in exchange for food.
The moment Sam thought that he nearly puked. They were probably just trying to survive.
The other boys were just as shaken. They had to accept they took lives. Lives of kids and adults. They were dismissed and went into the bunker. They went to their room and saw that 1 bed was gone. Only 9 beds remained.
At least Sam didn't need to sleep on the floor anymore, but just like that, the kids they spent these past few weeks with died. Just like that, they were forgotten.
Sam just sat on his new bed, feeling the warmth of its previous user. He felt like breaking down in sobs. He killed people. And he watched two kids he had come to know die.
"This is hell…"
———
Sam woke up.
His body was sweaty. He looked at his scarred hands and realized he recovered another memory.
"So… that bomber guy wasn't the first guy I killed."
He was so young too. He tried to imagine hands that small holding a gun. He couldn't.
"Was I just 5 or 6 years old?"
Sam couldn't help but feel dread. He was 16. Meaning for 10 years, he was forced to live in this hell.
"Before Rwanda… they sent me to Djibouti. Where else did I go?"
He felt that some clarity was coming back.
"It seems my memories are coming back. Why were they gone in the first place?"
Sam was curious. He wanted answers. And he had a feeling he would get them soon.