“Akuma, wake up!” A familiar voice calls out to me, its urgency echoing in my mind.
(A girl…? It must be my cute childhood friend who I promised to marry when we get older. Yeah. It sounds just like her… Wait a minute. I don’t have a childhood friend.)
“Finally, you’re up.”
“Oh... It’s just you Jacob.”
“Gah-! I’m not sure I like your tone.”
(When did I even pass out…?)
When did I even lose consciousness? I tried to rub my temples to jog my memory, but my arms felt trapped, bound together by something unyielding. There was something sturdy keeping them together, as well as the constant sharp sounds of metallic shackles.
“Metal…chains?”
“Oh yeah… that. That’s gonna be the least of your worries, trust me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look around, Akuma.”
Summoning all my 7-year-old strength, I propped myself up against the wall, now sitting shoulder to shoulder with Jacob.
My heart raced as I took in the scene before me.
Kids of all ages, all sizes and races sprawled out within a giant cell. I’d guesstimate about a thousand. Most were still asleep, but a handful, like Jacob and me, were awake and scanning our surroundings.
That’s when I noticed the black-striped prison onesies we all wore, grimy and stained, some even marked with blood. It almost seemed as if there were another batch of kids before us, who wore these exact outfits.
“What… is this…?”
“I asked myself the same question.”
***
In a distant galaxy, on a rugged planet strewn with jagged rocks, two figures journeyed side by side. One was a tall, muscular man, while the other was a strikingly tall woman, her wild hair and eccentric attire marking her as a mad scientist.
“Hold on, Iphicles. Megara is trying to reach us.” She called out, her voice cutting through the stillness. With a swift motion, she activated her watch, and a holographic image of Megara flickered to life before them. “Heyy Megara-” she began but was abruptly interrupted.
The urgency in Megara's voice sent shockwaves through the air, leaving both Victor and Iphicles momentarily speechless.
“IPHICLES, WE NEED TO-” Victor started, but Iphicles was already ahead of her.
“I know.” he replied, determination igniting in his eyes. In a heartbeat, he wrapped his arms around Victor's waist, and together they zipped off into the vastness of space.
***
I couldn't say for sure -with there being no clock in here- but it felt like three hours had slipped by since I found myself in this dismal place. In that time, pandemonium showed its head.
If they weren’t crying their eyes out, then they were fighting over the stale, cold bread given to us for lunch.
In this case, it was the ladder, and the ones fighting were a younger kid who looked about 5 and an older one who couldn’t be any younger than 12.
“Hey, get off me!” Commanded the bigger one.
The younger kid was desperately scrambling under him. My guess is that he must’ve taken his bread.
Sigh. Why must people fight over such trivial things.
“NO! NO! GIVE ME MY BREAD!!”
“Why do you need it. I’m older so I need it more.”
(If you have enough energy to argue, then do you really need the darn thing?)
“Hey, Akuma, shouldn’t we stop the-”
“Hey, little one. If you want, you can have my bread.”
“R-Really?”
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“Yep.”
His eyes sparkled as he grabbed and feasted upon the small loaf of bread I offered.
“Shank you, Misher” he thanked while chowing down.
Such a cute reaction was enough to warm my heart.
It’s not that I wasn’t hungry -because I was definitely starving- I just wanted to do what God would have wanted. Ya know?
“Attention Prisoners!”
“!”
Our gazes locked on to the voice coming from the cell’s gate.
The voice came from a man cloaked in black.
“…Unfortunately, we cannot ascertain which of you is the AntiGod. So, starting now, you lot will kill each other, and the last one left will be allowed to leave.”
*Clap
The walls around us flipped over and displayed an armory of short-ranged weapons.
It was like they purposefully picked tools that would cause the most carnage.
“Who are you, Mister? And where are we?” a kid from the front asked the guard.
“I am a humble member of the Cult of Salomon. As for your second question, don’t worry your pretty little head about such matters.”
(What is this guy even talking about?)
“Now then…” he went as he grabbed and sat in nearby chair. “Chop-chop. Get to the butchering already.”
“…”
For a moment, there was an awkward silence in the air.
(Does this guy really expect us to fight each other…? We’ll take bread from each other, sure, but c’mon man we aren’t that cruel.)
“*Sigh… I see. So, you all need some incentive, huh? Very well… Currently, you all are in a dimension created by Master Goldilocks. Not only does that mean, you all will never see your families unless she allows it, but it also means no one, and I mean no one, will be coming to save you children. Soooo. If you plan on leaving this place, I suggest you give me a show.”
“W-What about these chains?” a kid from the right asked.
He must’ve said a joke that I couldn’t hear, because the guard started laughing hysterically.
“Oh, that’s what makes this fun, prisoner. Now don’t keep me waiting.”
“W-We won’t do it. You can’t make us!” another child shouted.
The kids all around him shouted “Yeah!” in agreeance.
(It’s just like I thought. These people aren’t that cruel. And why would they be? After all… They were made in God’s image. The same God I hold so dear to me.)
But the guard simply smiled and adjusted himself more comfortably in his seat.
“*GUAHHHH!!!”
“!”
A loud squeal of agony was heard coming from my right side.
“*GUAHHHH!!”
“!”
Another scream, this time to my left. And it was followed by many more.
(Don’t tell me… No. It couldn’t be.)
“Hey mister… Will we be alright.”
The boy who I had given bread was trembling head to toe and tugging onto my side for protection.
Grabbing his arm, I started walking back to the spot I came from. As we walked, I asked:
“Tell me. What’s your name?”
“I-It’s Adam.”
“Well then, Adam. Don’t worry, as long as we believe in God, we will be saved. Okay?”
He simply nodded his head to agree. He must’ve been too scared to speak.
“Alright. We should be safe here.”
In the back of the cell, there was a group of older children. I figured they’d be the last ones targeted since the smaller kids were easier prey.
This was the spot I was sitting at, before I gave this kid my bread.
“Hey… Akuma”
“Hmm? What is it Ja…cob… Umm… Jacob?”
“Yes?”
“Why… Why are you holding that club…? And why is it covered in blood?”
“…”
“…”
“Hey… Akuma”
“Yeah...”
“Did you hear what that guard said?”
“Which part?”
“The part where he said no one would be coming to save us.”
“Well, yes, I did. But that just isn’t true.”
“What makes you so sure? What makes you think anyone would be coming to save a bunch of unimportant kids?”
“Jacob, you can’t think like that… Listen, even if we were unimportant to other humans, in the eyes of God we are all-”
“JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!!! *Pant. You know, ever since I met you, you always go on and on about God this and God that. And I’ve gotta say, I’s always pissed me off when you did.”
“… Jacob. Just put the weapon down.”
“And what if I don’t? Is God gonna save you?”
“You know that’s not how it works. You have to have patience-”
“WELL I DON’T HAVE ANY!! WHY CAN’T HE COME NOW?!! I WANT HIM TO SAVE ME NOW...!! Hey I know… If God won’t save me now, then maybe I should just ask the devil instead. I bet he’d help me out in a heartbeat.”
“JACOB DON’T!”
While we were arguing, Adam -who only moments ago, was too scared to even speak- mustered all his courage and shielded me from Jacob.
“Don’t hurt Mister. He says God will save us all so please don’t hurt h-”
*WHACK!!
It was as if this singular moment, lasted an entire lifetime.
The arc that his powerful swing drew.
The way Adam’s head bounced in the direction of that swing.
The way his body flopped to the floor and bounced three times.
Hell, even the warm sensation covering my entire face.
Over and over, Jacob continued an onslaught of strikes to ensure the little boy was gone for good.
*WHACK!! *WHACK!! *WHACK!!
With each strike, Adam let out a small squeal as if he were crying for help. And with each blow, that warm sensation covering my face got hotter and hotter.
It was clear as day. You didn’t need to be some child prodigy or genius born once every generation to know it.
Someone had to save this child.
But who? Just who was supposed to save him?
Was I supposed to save him...? No… That can’t be right. That’s God’s job.
…Right?
O father above.
I’ve prayed to you every day and every night.
But this time I come with no prayers.
I come with a question.
Just what do you expect from me?