Clyde is 12 - 1931

1931

The light glints on the metallic silver skin and casts reflections that lightens the dark cavern in which Clyde found himself in. The pistol is really a beautiful thing to behold and Clyde religiously polished it with a special lotion he had fingered from a gun shop a while back. As he examines the pistol for nicks, a part of his mind recoils from the memory of whom had owned it and what had happened for it to have fallen into his possession at such a young age.

The pistol had been his dad’s, now it was his. Clyde slid the pistol into its holster and jumped down onto his feet upon hearing someone call him from outside of the barn he was in. His mind went back to what happened that time.

After the crash about two years ago, they had hidden in the surrounding shrubs and small trees, it could not really be called a forest, being city boys, the mobsters had only half-heartedly searched through the shrubbery and once out of sight of the gruff voiced man whom Clyde suspected was their leader. The men stopped searching all together and proceeded to crouch on a spot and lit cigars.

Their odd stretching would have been funny had he not been in such dire straits, one of the men was faithful however and kept searching diligently, he made a lot of noise, comparable to an elephant stomping about, farting here and there. Clyde and his sister were able to change positions since they could hear him from a long distance away.

A short while later, the men all returned and reassembled by the wreck, after brief discussions, one of them peeped perfunctorily into the wreck one last time and then they were off.

Clyde waited for as long as he thought it would be safe, totalling to five minutes of tiresome knee bending, which to him felt like a lifetime before they emerged from their hiding place. They were lucky, the mobsters were truly gone now. Clyde kept his sister close behind him, got onto the road and saw blood stains sprawled across the road but their parents were nowhere in sight. Only his father’s hat, laid abandoned near the blood puddles, evidently having been knocked aside. Clyde had his sister stay put and went over to get it. He knelt down, tearfully and brought his father’s hat up, adjusting it onto his head. It didn’t fit his small head so well but he adjusted it and returned to his sniffling little sister, May.

His heart sank at the sight of his sister as the last words his mother doted on him replayed in his head. Her voice echoed on and on. He had to be strong, he repeated in his head as the sunset’s light glimmered in his eyes. Clyde tried remembering what his father had said, but found he couldn’t recollect much. It annoyed him that he couldn’t remember, so he stopped trying and figured it’d come back to him another time.

Clyde shook his head and turned away before his sister May got a chance to really see what was up ahead. May asked for their parents, Clyde didn’t answer. He didn’t know how. The concept of death hadn't ever been explained to May though Clyde knew, due to the many talks his father had with him over the course of the three months they had been fleeing. Never was it mentioned to May. She didn’t know that once a person died, you’d never see them again.

"Where's mommy and daddy Cly?" May asked him again, shaken up. She felt her brother grip her hand tighter.

"I want mommy and daddy ..." He heard her say softly.

Completely lost and unsure of where to go, Clyde decided to return to the wreck for the night with his sister. It was the only place the boy could think of. Soon his sisters stomach grumbled and she fell asleep in tears on his lap. Hearing her stomach grumble, he had May lay back and promised to come back, she was frightful of him leaving too far and didn’t want Clyde to go away too, being the only one she had left. Clyde promised that he wouldn’t, he proceeded to search out of hunger and not due to any sudden bouts of wisdom, he chose to check inside of the car.

Inside, he found a packet of crumpled biscuits, a pistol belonging to his father, a tankard half filled with water and some sandwiches his mother had hurriedly thrown into the car during their headlong flight from the restaurant. He moved down and awoke his little sister, urging her to gather strength and eat. May didn't want to, due to being half asleep. It wasn't until he tricked her, that she ate. Clyde told her that they'd need strength to find their parents. That was all she needed to hear. Though he already knew they were dead, he didn't tell her, out of fear that she wouldn't eat. May believed him and with that, she soon sat up.

He shared the sandwich with his sister and kept the biscuits for later. For that chilly night, they sat by the wreck snuggled up close and May soon fell asleep again, tired and distraught by their experiences.

“I might die, but I won’t let you die … I’ll make sure . . . you’ll see this world, become better“ Clyde whispered, resting his head down on top of her head. His father’s hat tipped up between the two of them.

Clyde valiantly fought to keep his eyes open too and keep watch over her but he soon fell asleep too, for after all, he was still a small boy albeit a brave one. When he consciously woke up next, he found himself in sweats. He thrashed around unable to breathe, strong hands gripped him through a dark cloak that had been thrown over him. His struggles soon earned him a sharp whack to the head and he subsided dazed as his vision faded to black but a sharp realization jolted him back into consciousness.

"May! Where's MAY?!" That question keeping him awake. His heart throbbed in a panic.

He heard faint thrashings from his right side and a part of his mind not as dazed as the others identified the sounds as probably emanating from his sister. He was hefted onto broad shoulders after the cloak was tied securely and holes cut over his face to let in air for him to breathe.

Once placed down, Clyde opened his eyes weakly and felt his arms pinned to his back, with wiring tightly keeping him from moving them around.

"Cly? ... Cly I'm scared" He heard his sisters soft frightful voice. He pressed himself beside her, reassuringly.

"It's okay… don't be" Clyde's head flew into a flur as he contemplated how to get free. There was literally nothing the boy could do, only wait for the unknown.

He was able to catch just a glimpse through the cut hole and it seemed to be night-time, time soon blended into one and he had no recollection of what transpired after.

The next concrete image he had was of arriving at a sheltered cove and lamps burning blearily all around, the shadows seemed to leap and dance around with the flames that burned all around him, their captors knocked on a door in a specific pattern.

It was slowly opened and a head devoid of hair poked out through the open aperture, the conversation that ensued was too low for Clyde to hear, they were literally mumbling, soon a parcel exchanged hands and they were delivered to the man.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

They had been kidnapped and then sold. Flashing out of the memory, Clyde stepped out of the old barn. A breeze blew his soft dark brown hair around, making him adjust his coat. He took in the morning daylight, that gave his pale cheeks warmth amongst the grim hues of a far mountain pass.

Rousing from his reverie, he scuffed; his breath visible that chilly morning and checked his pistol one more time. After which he gently re-placed the silver pistol back in and settled back on his haunches. Clyde heard a whistle coming from the distance and knew who it came from. He walked across the grassy field to start work for that day. Him and his sister had been bought, trafficked into a gang to do labor and other tasks. That gang known as Galdo, offered the pair temporary sanction.

Though it didn’t take long for the very gang that had bought them, to fall on lean times as the depression swept to their town as well. Due to this, the Galdo gang needed to devise new ways of earning dough.

Thus their need for the little ones, became greater. Gaining more little ones meant you’d have more income. They taught the children to pickpocket any passers through the town, posted them as orphans roaming the streets, asking for alms that were brought back to the gang. This all diverted attention while the gang stole what they could.

This worked for sometime but soon however, things got so bad that there was nothing to steal and the entire gang was without food, the children had been perpetually hungry of course, this was different, no one had anything to eat. The sickly members of the gang soon succumbed to their ills and died.

The rest of the gang butchered the corpses without blinking and fed on them, the kids were just delighted to have meat to eat even if it tasted strange, was stringy and very tough. Clyde didn’t let his sister eat any of that, nor did he. He kept his morals intact, recalling his mothers guiding words to not let the world impact him badly.

All throughout town, this went on. Once the meat was expended, the gang now actively foraged for corpses from the dying town, the fresh ones more preferable.

The Galdo gang had become cannibals. Looking back, those were the tougher days. Transitioning, he reflected. Even though the memories of those times were terrible, something good did come from it all.

During this time, Clyde met a boy there who soon became his friend. His first friend, mainly because they were around the same age, his name was Caesar. Seeing as the situation grew progressively worse in that town, Clyde made his plan to escape with Caesar and his sister. If they stayed any longer, their fate would be just the same as it had been for the other children who were picked off nights before. The rest were essentially awaiting their turn to be eaten, like caged chickens.

Gradually over the following week, the gang became careless, there were few now and often only one guard was left standing around to watch the children.

It was during the final night, that Clyde devised a devious plan to pretend the kids had caught a bug and so the gang left them out of the daily ramblings assuming the children had gone crazy. They left one to guard them all.

After hours of being alone and hungry, the guard contemplated grabbing one of the kids but knew he’d be punished to death if he did so. Ironically, there was a rule of not stealing. From the corner of the cell, he directed sights at May. Sights that Clyde caught on to.

The guard whittled with one of the bars, scraping his finger along its form and stepped away, internally battling with himself on whether he should take the chance. Could he eat the girl entirely before the others returned? He wondered, sitting down in an old chair, made of horse skin.

Inside of the cell, Clyde felt the tension rising. He had to escape, soon or else something terrible would happen to May. Would he bring himself to kill if it came to it? He asked himself. It was wrong .. he told himself. Having his sister around wouldn't make it any easier. For her to see her brother slaughter another being. At that moment, Clyde was reminded that he didn’t have bullets for his pistol. He'd have to use the knife he had stolen from a butcher earlier that week. The decisive moment drew closer with the moon shining into the small window inside of the cell compartment.

The guard after mumbling to himself and pacing back and forth, jolted off of his seat in a flurry. Such a hunger couldn't be contained any longer. His fingers jammed into his ribs. " Don't you blame me! I had to eat you, I had too!! " He shouted at the air, slipping gradually into madness. His thrashes continued as if he were fighting someone. He couldn’t stop the twisted urges he had developed, any further. On impulse, he decided to take the risk again. His attention shot to the cell. He hurriedly unlatched the cellar door and stepped in as the children pressed up against the corners of the cell as soon as they heard the slam of the door, where the guard fidgeted, scratching the side of his neck. His bloodied fingernails were clear as day.

Out of all of the children, the man reached out and attempted to pull May by her hair straight away. Without thinking, Clyde pushed through after retrieving the knife he had stolen. His mind switched over and went blank for a few seconds. He heard the other kids screaming all around as he saw blood splatter over the knife he had in hand.

The initial stabbing, caused the man to flinch and fall back as he shook his hand around in visible pain. The warm blood oozed out of the wound, leaving him in dire shock. Before he had the chance to get back up onto his feet, Clyde heard Caesar tell him to stab the man again.

Not thinking it over, Clyde ran in and thrust the knife into the man's chest, remembering when he had seen another gang member do the same during an evening fracas with a rivaling gang. The man reached up to choke Clyde. He used all of his strength to lift Clyde off of the ground and slammed the boy down as he threw an onslaught of curses out over the weeping of the onlooking children. Saliva flew out of the mans mouth like a rabid animal, slapping across Clyde’s face as he did so.

Clyde struggled to breath, his little sister ran over and tried hitting the man's leg but the man kicked her aside with ease. Clyde’s heartbeats increased upon witnessing this. His kicks to the man’s chest, proving to be fruitless. His sights became hazier but the adrenaline of anger filled him up, keeping him fully aware of what was going on. " I can't die! " The boy repeated as he clawed at the man's arms, nearly tearing one of his own nails off. It was no use, the man only grew angrier and amplified more pressure into choking Clyde, who could hear his heartbeats in his ears, the thumping got louder in his head.

Just when he thought he’d pass out, the man grunted and fell over, releasing Clyde from the choke he had him in. Caesar had stabbed the guard in the back with the knife Clyde had dropped and jumped him, getting him in a weak choke hold and clawing at the man’s eyes, and managed to get him off of Clyde.

“Clyde!” Caesar shouted.

Clyde gasped for air, flopping over. “ The knife! “ Caesar shouted. Clyde lunged straight for the knife as the man brought his hands over to choke Clyde, but it was too late. This time, Clyde stabbed him through the jugular, tearing the knife down and back up over again. Not stopping until he felt the man’s hands lose their strength.

With each jab, his eyes swelled in frustration for what he resorted to. He continued on and on, until the man was no longer a threat and staggered off of the bloodied man.

Silence befell the cell.

“ Monster .. “ One of the terrified children, mumbled within the huddled crowd.

Clyde looked down at the hay at their feet, then stared at his bloodied hands, ashamed. “ If I hadn’t done it ... he would have gotten my sister …. “ He mumbled, adjusting his mafioso hat with regret that there was nothing else he could do.

“ But now we’re all dead because of you! “ Another of the children responded.

Caesar shook his head and spoke up “ If he hadn’t done something you'd all be dead! We did something instead of nothing! Our fates are inevitable here! Now we’re free to go “ The other children flinched, trembling by his risen voice and shaking fist.

“ He was the monster … “ They all heard a weak voice from within the huddled crowd. The children moved over and stared at a skinny girl that was up against the corner.

“ Rachel? “ Caesar mouthed, having not noticed her up until that moment.

Clyde wiped away his tears and took the hand Caesar offered.

“ Thank you .. Cly “ Rachel weakly said. Clyde recognized her.

He no longer felt any remorse for the one he had killed, recalling what he had done the previous night, to Rachel in particular. He felt terrible for not having done anything then and almost as if she had read his mind, she told him “ It’s fine ... “ Her words sank.

With the man dead, Clyde told her that they could go now and told the other children to come with him, but none dared move, not even Rachel who was far too weak to even stand properly. Her knees badly damaged.

“ No … I can’t .. I'm far too weak to walk ... I can't feel my knees .. I’ll be dying here night, I know … But you have a chance to live ... so make the best of it “

There was little time to waste now.

" Come with us, reconsider. I can carry you, if you stay here you'll only die " Clyde made a final attempt to go for Rachel, but Rachel weakly pushed him away, shaking her head. Clyde attempted to convince the other children to assist him in taking Rachel but none stood up to leave with him.

" None of us will survive out there! I ... I rather stay here AND DIEEE!!!!!" One shook his head furiously, followed by cries. The children reminded Clyde of the harsh conditions beyond the cell. There'd be no guaranteed food to allow them all to maintain the energy needed for travel. It'd be too much trouble to feed more than twelve. They knew it and chose to rather await their fate.

Caesar reminded Clyde they had to leave, at that moment, glancing at the opened door. Each second counted if they wanted to escape. With little choice, Clyde bid Rachel farewell, leaving the knife behind at her request.

Clyde stepped off and grabbed his sister. Minutes later, he heard screams in the distance coming from the old building; but didn’t dare return.

Along with Caesar, they took off into the night.

They were free and made good of their escape, not looking back at all.