This story I came up with a while back but haven't written it seriously until now. I don't know where this story is headed yet so that's why it wasn't posted before. Have fun reading a college student's crazy ideas. Pretty sure this was inspired after watching the show Blacklist. An episode got my creative juices going and I came up with the idea of the boys being in this situation.
As always I don't own the boys just any original characters present.
Also I made up words. Because I'm weird like that. You can thank my incoherent dreams.
There lived a community that was embedded deep in the forest in Arizona. They were led by a man named Enoch, a man who led his flock of followers, claiming the word of God commanded them to separate themselves from the evils of the world. There they lived without technology and distance themselves of the worldly desires. Enoch also preached that a man could take unto himself several wives, the ages of the bride never the issue as long as they were just beginning their periods. The first years of the community, there were no problems with the arranged marriages and polygamy. That was until there became an increase of boys and fewer girls being born.
That was when a decision had to be made and Enoch decided that for them to continue, they would have the young boys draw straws. The one that was chosen would be thrown a party where he'd be the guest of honor. When the celebration ended, that boy would be awaken and stripped of his clothes and be thrown out of the community walls where he'd have to fend for himself or die trying. None of those children were seen again so it was always assumed that they were taken into God's kingdom early. For years, this routine was done and the numbers of males to females finally smoothed out.
One year, a woman came into the community, asking to join along with her son. Enoch looked the woman over and was pleased at what he saw. The boy, he didn't give much thought to.
The woman, the name she gave was Miranda Stewards, was a lovely woman in her mid-thirties. She was clever and her mouth was pleasing to look at. Enoch, who was built like an ox and rugged looking, appreciated the delicate features of the fairer sex. Though he had told himself that he wouldn't marry until he saw to his flock all settled, that would take years, and she was right here.
"I have no doubt you have some other motive in joining our little community." Enoch said after sitting down to a bottle of expensive wine with Miranda.
"Motive? You think my intentions malicious?" Miranda asked innocently.
"That we shall have to wait and found out."
They saluted one another with their flute glasses and drank. They talked late into the night before retiring to their separate rooms. Her son shifted in his small bed, half asleep. At eleven, he was curious about everything around him and knew enough from his mother's teachings to understand what was going on. What was going on was simple. Somewhere in this community, was something that caught his mother's attention. He had caught the words, mine in one of her conversations to one of her 'friends' back in the city. If there was a mine around here with something valuable inside, he had no doubt that his mother would find it and come up with some way to get it and herself out of this hippy community. The part of what would happen to him was what concerned him now. His mother had always told him that it was his job to look out for himself. Several times he'd had been left behind to fend for himself. He had no doubt that she'd do the same here. The leader, Enoch was a huge man and looked like the kind to get physical if he was angered.
He stared up into the darkness of the room, studying the noises outside the window. The crickets and cicadas were loud tonight. It was almost too loud to fall asleep to. His eyelids slowly became heavy again and he closed them, falling into a deep sleep.
The days following their arrival, he noticed the progress in the relationship between his mother and the leader, Enoch. Men usually fell quickly for his mother, but this man had a surprisingly good resistance. He didn't quickly decide to marry her the first week after their meeting. It took a half a month before the engagement was declared. Miranda's son, Ezra, stayed out of the way. It was almost like they didn't come together.
Ezra drifted through the community, keeping a low profile and pretended to be innocent and naïve. Though it was his mother's plan to find the mine, she would wait until she married Enoch and then got the location of it from him. He figured he could find it first. A few strolls through the community walls. Sneaking into the main office to look over the map of the surrounding land outside of the community. The map had crude images which made it difficult to interpret what was written on it, but he guessed that it was about five miles out.
A noise outside of the office had him quickly put the map back in its original spot and then creep up next to the window to look out. After waiting to make sure the area was clear, Ezra slipped out of the office and closed the door behind him. Assuming the appearance of just casually walking, Ezra made his way back to where he and his mother stayed. He didn't see the person who had seen him sneak out of the office. The figure remained hidden until Ezra was out of sight. They ran across the main street towards where Enoch was with some other men, who were in a meeting.
Enoch was pissed, after hearing from one of the boys that the new boy, the one belonging to his beloved fiancée was seen snooping around his office. Normally the offense would lead to a beating as a punishment, but he didn't want to be seen unfavorable in Miranda's eyes. He would hold out a little longer and then, he would make sure Ezra was the one to draw the short stick and be sent out of the community walls.
The wedding was a grand celebration and the happy couple were congratulated by all in the community. Ezra sat at the table with the rest of the boys. He hardly talked to any of them before now, but he figured since they were to spend dinner at the same table, he'd make an effort.
"So this is what a wedding here is like then." He smiled politely, "Very extravagant. One would hardly consider it much different from the weddings in the normal world."
"All those who don't live in the community will burn in hell for their sinful ways. They will choke on their own blood as they scream. Enoch is the next Noah and all who dwell here will be saved." Said the oldest boy at the table. He had been fixing Ezra with a glare the whole meal so far.
"I see."
"Even those who pretend to be devoted, their true ways shall be revealed in the light from Enoch and they shall be cast out."
"How does one determine their 'true ways'?"
"They who secretly go about sinning, believing their actions go unnoticed. However, God sees everything and He speaks to Enoch. Enoch will separate us from the black sheep so the whole community shall not be taken with them in their sin."
Ezra forced a smile, "A very cheerful thought for an occasion such as this." Picking up his fork, he began eating. He had decided he didn't want to hear any more of these crazy people's beliefs.
As he casually looked around the tables, he noticed that the boy was still looking at him. It unnerved him a little, okay a lot. He made a mental note not to be alone with this boy or any of his friends. The thought of him being killed and tossed out the walls came to mind.
Months passed and everything appeared to be fine. Ezra continued to keep a low profile, but he could tell that Enoch for some reason didn't like him. Whatever it was, the man never did anything to him. About a week before Ezra's birthday, there was a meeting of all the members of the community. The boys were all to line up in front. Ezra wasn't sure what was going on, but he remembered the stories he had been told by some of the younger children. From what he had heard, this hadn't happened in years. There didn't seem to be a large population of boys though to justify doing this. Looking up at Enoch as he stood in front of him as he selected a stick, he knew why this was happening. Ezra didn't look at his right away, watching the other boys down the line pick theirs and checking to see if they had picked the chosen one. He felt his heart racing in his chest as he held onto the stick with clammy hands.
When Enoch called them all to show their sticks, Ezra just stared at his in disbelief. Even though he had taken into the account that it might've been the shortest stick, he found that he had the longest one among the boys. A reverse selection? His eyes grew bigger in panic and he looked to his mother for help, but she wouldn't make eye contact with him. Why would she? She had always told him that he'd have to take care of himself. To look out for only him. Ezra had held onto a slight hope that she would intervene, but being the wife of the leader, he doubted that'd ever be the case.
The gathering cheered and pretended it was an honor to be selected. Food was prepared and they treated Ezra like he was royalty. They even offered him some wine to drink. It wasn't like this was his first time drinking the stuff, but he figured he might as well, probably being his last time ever. They draped him with fine linens, music playing and people danced about. Ezra tried to find his mother, but she was always with Enoch. He didn't want the man to be around when he tried to talk to her.
At night when everyone returned to their homes for bed, Ezra stayed up. If he was to be kicked out, then he'd take all of his things and run away. He waited until he thought everyone was asleep in the house before stealing himself away. The fires along the road helped to guide him, though he felt exposed out in the open. He had just made it to the huge gate when someone grabbed him from behind and covered his mouth. Ezra struggled against the hands that were holding him. He dropped his bags and tried to kick, punch, anything to him escape.
More hands came to grab him and he suddenly began to lose what small advantage he did have. Ezra had managed to bite the hand that was covering his mouth, but the action cause him to be knocked up alongside his head. Ezra blinked, feeling disoriented before he couldn't stay conscious any longer and went under.
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The first thing he noticed when he woke up was that he was cold and damp. Pushing himself slowly into a sitting position, Ezra saw that he was in the middle of the woods as naked as he was when he first entered the world. The morning dew had gotten all over him and the cool breeze along with a wet body had him shivering. Wrapping his arms around himself, Ezra checked for any wounds before determining that the only thing he had was a splitting headache and a busted lip. Getting to his feet, he looked around for a possible clue as to where he was. He couldn't find the wall of the community which made him nervous. Picking his way through the jungle, avoiding painful rocks and sticks, Ezra tried to find civilization. His body was still cold and his hands were so tight around his body that they were leaving little pink marks behind.
"Hello? Is anyone out here?" he called out, hoping that if anything, someone would find him.
His call was met with silence. Ezra trudged on, occasionally stepping on something sharp and reeling back, only to step on something else painful with the other foot.
"If I survive any of this, my first call will be to the police to report those hillbillies." Ezra muttered to himself.
A snapping twig had him stop and become alert. The sound came from further out.
"Hello?" he called out again, this time hesitant. It could've been a wild animal. Possibly a bear or maybe even a mountain lion. Did those live around here? "Whose out there?"
Nothing happened and Ezra was about to chalk it up to being extremely on edge, but then he heard some rustling.
"I know you're out there. Show yourself!"
The noise continued, getting closer. Ezra took a step back, but then stopped when he saw a figure appear. It was…a boy? Their hair was long, covering their eyes and they wore rags for clothes. Crude looking spears were shaped from branches and the skin that was exposed was either covered in some type of color of dirt.
"Hey." Ezra shifted in his spot, "Can you help me?"
The boy crept closer, spear held in both hands. He was about five inches taller than Ezra, his hair a tangled mess of dirt amongst the black. Blue eyes gazed at him, analyzing to see if Ezra was a threat. Another noise nearby brought another boy into view. He was shorter than the first with longer hair that was brown. He was scrawnier and had a makeshift bow and arrows. The 'paint' on his skin was the same color as the first.
When they opened their mouths to speak, Ezra was confused as to what they were saying. It didn't sound like English or any language he had heard before. He would later call it gibberish. The boys talked to each other and then to Ezra, expecting him to do something.
"I don't know what you want me to do. I don't understand what you're saying."
Ezra recoiled when they grabbed him with grubby hands. Their grips surprisingly strong. Even the smaller boy had a vice grip. They pulled him along as they walked through the forest.
"Where are you taking me? Hey! Where are we going?" he demanded, but they never said anything.
They pulled him along, ignoring his protest or complaints when he stepped on something painful. They pushed him forward when he slowed down to catch his breath. Not until they reached a tight cluster of trees that had huge roots that were above soil level did they let him rest. Ezra looked at his new surroundings. In the trees, he could see little bridges and rope ladders. At the base of the trees, he saw a tunnel. The older boy pushed him towards it and said something in gibberish. Ezra moved forward, bending down to go inside. He tried not to think of the fact that he was crawling on all fours naked, into a dirty tunnel.
To his surprise, the inside was bigger and hollowed out. There were little Knick knacks that were scavenged and a little fire going on. Little beds were made up around the space and it looked like some food was cooking. Ezra's stomach growled at the thought of how hungry he was. The taller boy pushed him towards a place to sit and then set his spear down. He spoke to the other boy and said something with the word 'Sakiss' that sounded almost like a name. It was the only word that stuck out to Ezra. The younger boy nodded and disappeared back out the tunnel. Ezra drew his legs close to his chest as he looked around in wonder around him. Another boy came out from somewhere Ezra didn't quite see and sat down near him. He was pretty young looking and he looked curiously up at Ezra.
"Hello." Ezra tried with a smile.
The little boy said something in gibberish before turning to the oldest boy and saying something else. The older boy returned with two bowls of food. It was some form of soup. It didn't have that much of a taste, but it was still better than nothing. Ezra listened to the conversation going on between the other two in the room, trying to decipher what they were saying. Apparently, the little boy said something about wanting more food. The older boy complied and asked Ezra the same question the little one did. Ezra shook his head, and said he was fine.
Voices coming from outside were soon placed with new faces and the boy from earlier. Now there were six boys in the little space with Ezra. Ezra looked nervously at each of them. The one who looked like he was in charge sat quietly while listening to the boy from earlier. Ezra again tried to understand what they were saying. It helped that the boy was using gestures as he spoke. From what he could gather from what he was saying, the boy was calling him 'Fufu' and pointing towards his face.
Was that what they were calling him? Ezra didn't really appreciate the name, but the others were nodding and repeated the name.
"Sorry, but I will not be called 'Fufu'." Ezra frowned.
"Fufu." Pointed the boy and nodded.
"No Fufu." Ezra tried in a more simplified response.
"Na Fufu." The boy nodded with a smile.
"No!"
The others didn't seem to understand why he kept saying the same word over again. Ezra looked to one of the boys, the one who from what he could guess in the light was dark skinned, and tried to say something in gibberish. It was worth a try, was it? What was the worst that could happen?
The boy frowned and rattled off something in gibberish that Ezra could only guess was an angry tangent. The only thing he caught was a haughty 'Fufu' at the end.
Ezra let out a groan, "There is no way that you all have forgotten English unless you've grown up in the woods without hearing an actual syllable."
"That is the language of our enemies. We do not speak it." Came a cool voice that surprised Ezra.
It was the boy who had remained silent during the whole ordeal. He had been watching in amusement as Ezra struggled to communicate. The one who was the leader. Sakiss was it?
"You speak English? Please I need to get to a city, a town, anywhere out of these cursed woods." Ezra pleaded.
"We do not venture from these woods."
"Okay, but you could just point me in the direction."
"Why would I do that?"
"I know you don't have to, but if you help me, I can give you access to a lot of…" Ezra paused, figuring these boys probably didn't care about money, "soap… and food. Lots of it."
Sakiss seemed to be considering it when the scrawny boy addressed him. He spoke to him for a minute before turning back to Ezra.
"You will not be leaving. It is for your safety if you wish to survive. Out there in the woods, there are many dangers. You'd be dead your first night." The leader stood up, closing off any argument, "Your name shall be Fufu."
"No I don't want to be called Fufu." Ezra said exasperated. "My name is Ezra."
"Zavin believes you have a pretty face for a boy. That's what the name means. Pretty boy." Sakiss smiled.
Ezra looked to the scrawny boy named Zavin who smiled back at him as if he was all things innocent.
He was introduced to the rest of the group. There was Sajoha who was the oldest boy. Then there was Sadocna, the boy Ezra accidently insulted. Next was Sabuck, the other tall boy and the one who found him. Last was the youngest boy, Zaza.
Ezra began to notice a trend in the name and while he sat with Sakiss, he asked about it.
"Our language is pretty basic. 'Sa' means big and 'Za' means little. My birth name was Chris. Since I am tall, I have the name Sakiss. There is Josiah we shortened his name to Jo and ha. Nathan we added 'Doc' because he is the healer of our group. There is Vin and Buck. Last is little JD. Since he's our youngest and small we call him Zaza which means 'little little or baby."
"So wouldn't I be called something like Saez or Sara?" asked Ezra, immediately regretting the last one.
"You wouldn't have a 'Sa' attached to the beginning of your name because you're short."
"I'm eleven!" said Ezra, incredulous.
"And would still be the third youngest. You'd be called Zaez or Zara if anything. Zavin has named you already, so there's no point in discussing this."
"But I said that I didn't want to be called Fufu." Ezra groaned.
"Yes well 'no' means 'me' or 'I' here. 'Na' means 'you' and you said me right after that so you basically accepted the name."
"So if I said 'nu' or 'ne'?" Ezra tried.
"You'd be saying nothing or 'we'."
"Your language is for some reason very complex. I feel you all chose what you want to mean something. I don't even think you all are saying the same things sometime." Ezra grunted.
"You will learn to pick it up." Sakiss (Chris), chuckled.
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Recap on fake names so you won't get lost:
Chris is Sakiss Sa means big Za means little
Buck is Sabuck Ahbae means to hurry
Josiah is Sajoha Sicama means silence/ calm yourself
Vin is Zavin
JD is Zaza
Ezra is Fufu
( Anything else used besides these will probably only be mentioned once and have the meaning there.)
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Ezra woke up to Zaza (JD) calling for him in gibberish, using the stupid name 'Fufu'.
"Go way." Ezra muttered as he turned in his makeshift bed and tried to go back to sleep.
JD keeps talking to him, speaking more urgently and saying something that included Sabuck's name. Ezra sat up, and watched as JD attempted to explain while using gestures. From what Ezra could gather from frustrated flaps of the little boy's hands and fumbling motions, that something happened to Buck.
"Where is everyone else?"
Ezra listened and watched as JD explained that Chris was with Vin hunting, Nathan and Josiah were out at the gardens. He was apparently the only home to help.
Getting out of bed, Ezra pulled on the animal skin clothes that Josiah had made for him. It was only big enough to cover his more private areas but that was enough. His knife he also grabbed, given to him by Vin. He followed JD out the tunnels and out into the forest. It was day time, the light streaming through the trees. Ezra couldn't believe that he had been here with the others for almost a week. He followed JD through the forest, where he had last seen Buck.
"Ahbae!" JD called after him. "Ahbae, Fufu!"
Ezra had quickly learned that that meant hurry, and he ran faster.
JD weaved through the trees, Ezra sometimes losing him before he appeared again. When they finally made it to the spot, Ezra saw a small stack of sticks lying on the ground as if they were dropped there.
"Did you see any signs of a predator? Uh…Bahu?" Ezra asked, using the gibberish word for bear so the boy would understand.
JD shook his head and began speaking fast while he gestured to a set of foot prints and then the pile of sticks.
Ezra walked over to the foot prints and recognized that they were a great deal bigger than any of the other boy's feet with the obvious sign of it being a shoe print. There was also blood, but it didn't look like the person wearing shoes was hurt.
JD continued to say something, saying Buck's name and he began crying.
"Sicama (silence/ calm yourself), Zaza. We'll find Sabuck." Ezra patted JD on the head.
JD nodded and Ezra went back to looking at the prints. He pulled out the knife and stayed alert as he followed the prints.
It traced all the way back to a campsite and Ezra felt his heart begin to beat faster. Campers! They'd be able to take him back into the city!
Sniffling beside him, made Ezra remember what he was doing right now. They had to find Buck first.
A woman stepped out of the tent and walked over to the campfire. She looked like she was boiling water for something. Ezra inched closer and was about to breach the campsite when he stopped short when a man came out of the tent. The talked to the woman with him about a boy and Ezra knew it had to be Buck.
Ezra turned back to JD who was glued beside him, "Stay here." He whispered, praying the boy would understand.
Ezra pressed forward and waited until he was close enough before making himself known.
"Keep your hands where I can see them. I don't want to hurt you. I just want the boy you have in that tent." He said as calm as possible while holding up his knife.
He felt silly doing this, but showing any kind of kindness to an adult was viewed as taboo. That and he was barely wearing anything and probably looked filthy.
The couple were alarmed at seeing him, but stayed where they were.
"Calm down son. There's no reason to point that knife at us. We're only trying to help your friend. We've tried telling him that."
"Yeah well they don't like adults. So I need you to return him now."
"He's hurt." The woman tried to reason.
"I'll see that he gets help." Ezra adjusted the grip on his knife, "Please, you'll make things easier on me if you do."
"Is there someone who hurts you out here?" asked the man, serious.
"What? No. I just need to get him back safe."
"We came across him when he was injured. He had a stick in his leg." The woman explained.
"What?" Ezra lowered his knife in disbelief.
How was that possible?
"Fufu! Ahbae!" JD called out, peeking from behind the tree he was hiding behind.
Ezra rose his knife again, "Whatever happened, we can handle it ourselves. Now give. Him. Back."
The woman looked to man and then to Ezra sadly. The man went into the tent and brought out Buck. He was sweating bullets and his face was pinched in pain. A clean bandage was wrapped around his leg.
"At least let us carry him to where you're going. He can't walk on his leg."
Ezra tried to think of what to do. He knew that they wouldn't be allowed in the perimeter of their house, but maybe they could drop him off where they found him.
"You can carry him part of the way. Afterwards you'll have to leave him and go."
Ezra grabbed JD's hand and pulled him along. He didn't want to listen to the little boy's insistent gibberish calls about him breaking the rules. He told him 'sicama' several times but JD would only be silent for about a few minutes before saying something else.
"Where are your parents, if I may ask?" asked the woman.
"I'm not supposed to be using English. So please don't ask me anymore questions."
The couple stopped asking questions and they walked on with little talking. Most of it was JD repeating Chris's name several times.
Ezra finally turned to the younger boy, "Zaza, sicama. Nit voca Sakiss."
JD didn't seem all that willing to stay quiet, but nodded.
"Pretty impressive that you all have your own language." The woman spoke up finally. "What's it called?"
"I call it gibberish. I'm still learning it. Not sure if I'm saying everything correctly or not half the time."
They reached the spot where JD had left his stick pile and Buck was attacked.
"You can drop him off here. I will see that he gets the rest of the way safely."
"Are you sure we can't help you all the way?" asked the man.
"Yes. Thank you for your help." Ezra smiled politely.
"You know your friend may get an infection. It would be best if we take him somewhere where he could get it checked out."
"I doubt that suggestion would persuade the others, but your concern is felt and appreciated."
The man and the woman looked at one another sadly before the man set Buck down and they said their goodbyes before leaving.
Ezra waited until he couldn't see them anymore before running over to Buck.
"Sabuck, are you alright?"
Buck muttered under his breath about home and Ezra helped him up and allowed the taller boy to lean on him heavily as they hobbled back to their tree.
Chris and Vin had returned while they were gone and looked agitated at finding the others gone. Chris ran to help carry Buck.
"What happened?" he asked Ezra in English quickly.
"He was found with a spear in his leg." Ezra grunted as he struggled to keep both Buck and himself from falling to the ground.
JD spoke in rapid fire gibberish, no doubt adding the part that Ezra left out on purpose.
"Zaza! Sicama!" Ezra said through gritted teeth.
"There were adults here? And they took Buck."
"They helped him. They found him wounded and brought him back to their camp."
"And you let them take him back here."
"Part of the way. They'd never see our tree. I didn't tell them anything." Ezra pleaded his case.
Chris sighed, but didn't say anything else. Vin ran and brought back Nathan and Josiah. Nathan got to work quickly, preparing herb teas for Buck who was in a lot of pain. While the two boys worked on the other, Chris moved away. Ezra followed him.
"Chris? Chris! What the heck is going on? Who's out there throwing spears at us? I thought we were the only ones out here."
"Well we ain't." Chris said gruffly.
"Care to elaborate." Ezra rose his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest.
Chris rolled his eyes and walked off, only to return with a little container. He stuck his hand inside before pulling it out again and smacking Ezra on the face with the same hand.
"Ow! The heck!" Ezra complained, holding his cheek.
Chris ignored him and dipped his hand back again before running that hand over Ezra's chest.
"These are our colors. The colors of our clan. There are several others with different colors. They will attack anyone who is wearing a different color and will hold captive anyone who doesn't have any color until they agree to join their side." Chris rubbed the extra orange on his own upper thigh, "There are those who are peaceful while others seek to destroy other clans."
"You can't be serious. You're just telling me this now? If Buck didn't get hurt, when would you've told me?"
"You didn't seem interested in staying here, and actually participating. While I will overlook your laziness in not supporting the clan, I will not have you putting the others in danger."
"I didn't—"
"You took Zaza with you to where adults were. What if they took him? I know you want to leave and if you so desire to, I'd let you go."
"So you're so selfish that you'd keep the others out here with you, is that it?" Ezra frowned.
"We were discarded. Thrown out to die. By adults. If they were to take us and bring us into their cities where sin is great there, we'd be exposed to it."
"You can't possibly still believe in that Enoch crap after everything that's happened!" Ezra scoffed. Then he remembered that it was probably all the boys had ever known. They probably never seen the city before. "I'm sorry Chris."
"We have to stay closer to the tree. If another clan is getting bold and coming closer, it's best that we're ready for an attack." Chris said before walking off.
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Nathan stayed down below with Buck who was still slow in his recovery. Ezra picked up the slack in gathering herbs and food from the garden with Josiah. Vin and Chris did patrols which were now closer to the tree, not taking any chances of someone slipping pass.
Josiah looked up at Ezra who was playing with the carrot he had in his hand. He was brushing off the dirt, but his eyes were staring off.
"You alright?" asked the older boy.
Ezra was startled out of his thoughts by the deep voice. He rarely heard Josiah speak English that is always amazed him that Chris and him weren't the only ones who knew it. Josiah had explained once, that everyone except Vin and JD remembered how to speak English. Vin had stopped speaking after being casted out by Enoch and the boys could never get him to say anything. That was when they found out that Vin had trouble forming words. That was when they started to speak gibberish. JD was still really young and hadn't learned that much English. He soon forgot what he had learned before being thrown out. Ezra had tried to teach Vin in secret, how to speak in English, but for some reason his tongue couldn't form the words correctly. It then became clear Vin may have had a disorder and it effected his ability to form proper words and his best way to communicate was either through gibberish that his friends had been able to learn to talk to him, or through hand gestures. Vin probably didn't know sign language, so that probably another barrier.
"Ezra? You alright?" Josiah asked again.
"Huh" Oh I'm perfectly fine, though the others make me feel like a traitor for exposing JD to adults."
"Zaza's transition was hard like Zavin's. Where Zavin was extremely quiet, Zaza cried all the time. He cried for his mother every night until he fell asleep from exhaustion. Sabuck was always there to comfort him. I'm sure, behind Sakiss's harsh words, he's just trying to protect the younger boys from experiencing that pain again."
"What about the rest of you? Don't you want to leave these woods and do whatever you want?"
"We do whatever we want now." Josiah shrugged.
"I mean without having other clans who will attack you."
"Like I said, we've all experienced different things when we were kicked out of Enoch's land. The other groups are just trying to survive, hoping they would be brought back in. They do their best to separate from those who they think are sinners."
"Sounds like some pretty messed up crap if you ask me." Ezra said gruffly.
"Yeah well, I never said I agreed with everything my father preached."
Ezra turned to the older boy, mouth gaping. "Yes, Enoch is my father."
"Do the others know?"
"Yes." Josiah sat down with a grunt and tossed the bag he had filled with food to the side. "I was the first to be tossed out, and I was out here for a while by myself. When I found Sakiss, I was relieved to see a familiar face, but then to be kicked out wasn't something to celebrate. We built this place of refuge. Sabuck eventually came and then there were others. However most didn't stay, not wanting to associate with those who didn't follow the teachings of Enoch as seriously as them. They believed that there was still hope to return. Clans slowly began to form and we had to set up territories. Sadocna joined us soon after Sakiss assumed the role as leader. Zavin and Zaza came soon after."
"Why didn't you become leader? You're the eldest, aren't you?"
"I am. However, I think my family has led long enough. At the beginning the others wanted me to lead, but I didn't want to follow Enoch's teachings."
"So you let Chris take over because he would?"
"Sakiss isn't like that at all. Like many of the boys out here, Enoch's teachings are the only thing he knows. I was lucky to have a few memories before this all started. Chris was an orphan who was adopted shortly before joining Enoch's flock with his adoptive parents. From what I recall, his birth parents were abusive and neglectful. So, his view of anything before Enoch was bad still. That's why he will believe in them. The only thing he cares about is not having the others suffer at the hands of any adult."
Ezra wondered if he could consider what his mother usually did to him; leaving him behind and having him fend for himself. Was that the same as Chris? Even when he was selected to be kicked out, she didn't do anything to stop that from happening. Was that how the others felt. Chris, who was adopted by his parents. The ones that chose him to supposedly love him, had let him be thrown out.
Adults were pretty messed up, now that he thought about it.
Ezra was to take Vin's place in patrol and Josiah was to take Chris's. He held onto his spear and kept watch for any signs of movement. It was boring, but that was good. That was safe.
When he had returned to drop off the food and herbs, Josiah and him had checked in with Nathan to see how Buck was doing. Apparently, the wound was healing, but he had a fever which was growing worse.
His thoughts went to several possible scenarios. Some of which ended with Buck dying or being disabled from the fever. There clan was small already. If he were to be kicked out after the thing with the adults, would they be alright if another clan attacked? Would they all be killed? Would the younger ones be taken? What would they do with Vin since he couldn't speak properly.
"My mind is a pretty dangerous place to be in right now." He reflected.
Ezra continued his watch and probably would've relaxed enough to sit down if he didn't hear something. Alert now, he looked for the source of the noise. It was little further out.
"Sajoha! Ahbae!" Ezra called out. Josiah was by his side a minute later. "I thought I heard something coming from that direction." Ezra pointed.
"Alright, we'll investigate. Stay close. If it's another clan. We have to make sure we don't get surrounded. We may only be able to do a scout mission."
Ezra nodded and the two of them set off in the direction of the noise.
What they found wasn't what they were expecting at all. The woman who had found Buck was being attacked by another clan. The man was lying on the ground, not moving. Josiah bit his bottom lip, trying to decide what to do.
"What are you waiting for? We have to help her." Ezra hissed.
"She's an adult."
"But she helped Buck. The least we could do is return the favor, right?" Ezra reasoned.
Josiah thought about it before nodding. He picked up his spear and ran out with Ezra close behind him. The other clan, the blue tribe, was thrown off by the arrival of another clan. One that was actually defending the adults. They also weren't prepared to face off against Josiah who was much larger than any of them. After they had fled back to where they had come from, the woman ran to the man.
"Orrin! Orrin, are you alright?" she asked, cradling the man's head in her arms and resting it on her lap.
Josiah looked the man over and only saw a few scraps but a nice size bump on his head.
"He should be fine."
"They aren't safe out here on their own."
"What do you suggest?"
"Take them to our place."
Josiah chuckled, "You aren't serious. Sakiss would have kittens if that happened."
"It's to prove a point as well. Help me?" Ezra pleaded.
Josiah looked to the man and then to the other boy, "Fine. You better know what you're getting into."
The older boy began pulling the man up and started carrying him towards home. The woman got up and looked frightened. "What are you doing? Where are you taking him?"
"Somewhere safe." Ezra smiled, "You helped our friend so we shall return the favor."
The woman then recognized Ezra and nodded. When they made it back to the tree and to home, Chris was standing outside with everyone besides Buck. Chris held a knife in his hand and looked dangerous.
"Chris, let me explain—"
"Our one rule Ezra. No adults." Chris growled.
"They saved Buck."
"So it justifies you bringing them here?"
"He was injured. They were attacked by another clan."
"Not our problem." Chris growled.
Ezra frowned and walked up to Chris and stood to where there were a couple inches between them. "We are indebted to them. Now I don't know if you forgot what that means, but you never be indebted to anyone. You pay them back. Always."
Chris looked to the man and the woman and then down to Ezra. His glare never wavering.
"Sadocana. Goshnuit (Go see to them)." He growled out the phrase.
Nathan ran back into the tree and came back with a bag of supplies before moving towards the man. Josiah sat him down on the ground and moved to the side to make sure Nathan was alright.
Chris continued his glaring competition with Ezra. "I hope you're satisfied in ruining everything that we created."
"Chris, I'm not trying to oppose you. I'm trying to show you that not every adult is the same. These adults saved your friend."
It didn't seem to matter and Chris moved away, going back inside the tree.
The woman watched with interest how the children all interacted with one another. The younger ones kept their distance and spoke gibberish to one another. The one treating her husband seemed to be knowing what he was doing.
"Thank you." She said, hoping the boy would understand.
The boy only frowned up at her, not trusting her. When he was done, he retreated to the tree with the others. Josiah stayed outside with Ezra and the couple.
"Your friends don't seem to like us." She reflected.
"It's cause you're adults and adults are bad." Ezra sighed, "We've all been hurt by them."
"Is that why you ran away from home?" she asked carefully.
"We didn't run away. We were kicked out. Left to die in the woods."
"What?"
"It is the teachings of Enoch. He was the one who chose those who were to be kicked out. His law still governs those who were outcast. Anyone outside of the community are sinners and should die. Any adult is viewed as an enemy." Josiah explained.
"That's horrible."
"The others found me after I was kicked out. They've protected me. I'm not like them. I've only recently been a part of the community before being banished into the woods. I know of other things besides Enoch's laws. They don't. That's why they don't leave the forest." Ezra sighed.
"But what about the winters?"
"We know how to survive them." Josiah said confidently.
"When we saw your friend, we didn't know what to think. We were going to take him back with us when we returned home from our camping trip. We had no idea there were so many of you out here. I convinced my husband that we should try and find you all, see if we could persuade you to come back down with us. Those boys came out of nowhere and attacked."
"Different clan."
They looked up when Chris came back out of the tree and walked over to them. His arms were crossed over his chest, obviously still pissed.
"You can stay the night. After, you leave." He turned and walked back to the tree.
"Seems like Chris is slowly being worked on." Josiah smiled.
With the woman, Evie was her name, and Josiah's help, they got the man inside the tunnel and situated inside. Evie was amazed at the setup of the little home cave they had. Buck was resting in his bed, still fighting his fever. JD said beside him. Vin was on his bed, sharpening his spear end. Nathan was making dinner. Ezra noticed that the others were doing little to be hospitable so it was up to him to pick up the slack.
"Would you care for something to drink? We have water from the spring. It's probably warm though."
"That'd be great." Evie smiled.
Ezra returned with two water pouches and handed them to the woman. She gave one to her husband who was finally waking up. His look of surprise at finding himself here made the younger children laugh.
Chris kept a wary eye on him throughout dinner.
Evie eagerly asked questions about the Enoch person and then about the language Ezra called gibberish. JD soon began to come out of his shell and spoke non-stop, though none of it could be understood by the two grownups. They could tell the boy was now comfortable around them. Buck woke up for a short span of time and said a little bit before falling back asleep. Vin kept his distance, not really interacting, but laughed ever so often when JD did something funny. Ezra was happy that things seemed to be working out. Josiah talked to the adults and explained some of what JD was saying to them. Chris, like Vin, kept his distance.
When it was time for sleep. Blankets were provided for them and a fluffed surface for their heads.
Evie was reflecting the day, the whole thing feeling like a lost tribe that they discovered and was going to be documented. It all felt cheesy, but when she thought about what the boy shad been through, she couldn't help but be sad. She wished there was something she could do to help. The sound of someone crying made her sit up a little. It was the youngest. He was curled up against the sick boy, crying.
"He's just remembering his mother. He'll be fine." Came Josiah's voice. He had heard it too and probably knew she would've gotten up to go and investigate.
She didn't want to just leave him crying, but the glares she got from the blond boy all day probably meant he didn't want her touching any of the younger boys. It took her a while to sleep, struggling not to get up and comfort the little boy.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
The rest of the week passed with nothing eventful happening. Buck was still bedridden, his fever still being persistent. The workload was divided to accommodate his absence. There were the occasional glimpses of another clan poking nearby, but they never engaged. The situation between Chris and Ezra still hadn't gotten any better, the older boy ignoring the younger.
Ezra felt that Chris's behavior was a bit childish, but figured it was better than the alternative where it was physical, that or banishment. Josiah told him to give their leader time to cool off.
He had just finished his patrol when he saw Chris making his way up the tree that they lived under. It was amazing to watch the older boy climb the wide trunk like a little monkey. There were plenty of hand holes and places to put your feet, but in the end, it was easy to fall from and there wasn't anything to keep that from happening. Only the older boys climbed the tree, them and Vin who was like a scraggly squirrel who swung himself up the tree so fast, it was almost unnatural.
Ezra wondered what the other boy could be doing up there and decided to walk under the branch that Chris was balancing on.
"Chris? You see something?" he called up.
Chris looked down to him and then began fiddling with some vines before tossing one down. Ezra took a step back so as not to get hit by it as the green rope landed in front of him. Was he to climb up? Testing the vine, Ezra wrapped himself around it and did his best to climb. He didn't get far before he fell back on his butt. His face became red and he tried to hide his embarrassment.
"Not for you to climb. Tie a loop and wrap it around yourself." Chris instructed.
Ezra did as he was told and held onto the vine as Chris began to pull him up. He did his best not to look down, but curiosity won over and he did. Dizziness made him close his eyes after looking at how far of a fall it was. Hands pulled him onto the branch and Ezra was relieved to be on something he could cling onto more.
"Scared?" Chris teased.
"If you mean am I scared I might fall to my death then yes, I am terrified."
"Just hold onto the barriers and you'll be fine."
Ezra looked up and saw there were rope rails for him to hold onto. The platform Chris was standing on was stripped to be flat so you couldn't fall off. Ezra gingerly stood up and immediately his hands grabbed onto the rope.
"I take everyone up here once to see it." Chris explained before beginning to make his way across the branch. Ezra followed closely behind. His eyes were glued to where he was stepping but upon Chris's direction, he looked up to see a wall in the distance. A few buildings could be seen passed it. "Enoch's land." Chris explained and then pointed in another direction. "The rest of the world."
Ezra hadn't noticed how far both of them were from their location, and yet they seemed so close.
"You can choose which you want, Ezra."
Ezra turned to look at Chris to see if he was serious, "So you've decided to kick me out then."
The blond shook his head. "Never said that. It's tradition. After a couple of weeks I bring the newcomer up and let them decide where they wish to live."
"What did the others choose?"
"It's not about them. This is about you. There's nothing, no stick, no adults to make the decision for you. What do you want?"
Ezra frowned, trying to decide. Then he realized something and smiled up at Chris. "You forgot to give me my third option. If I wanted to stay here."
"Is that what you truly want?"
The smile wavered a little and Ezra wondered if that was truly what he desired. Looking down, he saw Vin and JD playing a game of tag with Nathan. Their laughter coming up to meet him. Josiah was no doubt keeping Buck company.
"Yes."
The coldness from Chris was gone and was replaced by a content expression on the leader's features. Buck was eating more food now which made the others relax on their vigil over him. Nathan had even become friendly towards Ezra, asking for his opinions. Ezra was determined to find something he could contribute to the clan. Vin, Buck and Chris did most of the hunting. Josiah, Nathan and JD did most of the gardening. Meals were done by Buck, Nathan and Josiah. Cleaning accomplished by Vin, Chris and JD. The system left little that needed to be done.
Sitting down with Josiah, the two of them were cleaning animal skins for the older boy to make some clothes. Ezra hated the task, finding it unsanitary, but the whole thing was. Looking at himself, he didn't want to think of the last time he had a bath. His more private parts were probably filthy. He let out a groan that had Josiah raising a questioning eyebrow.
"Don't you miss anything of the other life. Like soap."
Josiah chuckled, "Yeah I figured you'd make some comment on that sooner or later. When you first got here, you looked pale and all soft."
Ezra objected being called soft. He looked at his skin which was now tan under the layer of dirt that accumulated on him. His hands had calluses now and there were a few mosquito bites under the muscle that was slowly showing potential. The orange pattern on his chest and face weren't just quick slaps of the color, but actual pictures and intentional streaks.
"What do you think I contribute to the group?" Ezra asked, thinking out loud.
Josiah pinched his face in thought. He usually did that and it always made Ezra smile. "Knowledge and outside experience."
"I mean like what I could do. Everyone either is a hunter or a gatherer."
"Well what do you want to do?"
"Certainly not play with dead animal skin." Ezra grimaced and set aside the one he finally finished cleaning.
"There are some clans who build walls to keep others out."
"But that sounds like it will take a long time."
"It probably would. Maybe a spokesperson. You're good at that, right? Or you could invent new things to make chores easier."
Ezra thought about it. The idea sounded pretty fun.
Vin came out of their tree after a nap and rubbed his eyes sleepily.
"Zavin." Ezra nodded to the boy. Vin mumbled his greeting, adding Ezra's name, 'Fufu' at the end. Ezra had grown used to it and smiled. The younger boy sat with him as he worked on creating a barrier to protect their garden from little animals who'd steal from it. Vin watched him silently.
"Ehzura" Vin said the word slowly. Ezra looked up in surprise and smiled.
"Yes, Ezra. Just like that."
Vin frowned and tried to say it again, "Ehzu…"
The boy stopped and went rigid as he turned, looking around.
"Something wrong?" Ezra frowned and got to his feet. He picked up his knife which he had strapped to his waist.
Vin rattled off something in gibberish before running to the tree. He returned with his spear. Ezra followed the scrawny boy into the forest and was surprised to see Evie and Orrin being held at spear point. Vin was yelling at them in gibberish.
"It's okay, Zavin. They won't hurt us. Sicama." Ezra said, trying to calm the boy down. He looked up to the adults who were still watching Vin warily, "What are you doing back? You shouldn't be here."
"We came to give you somethings since there is supposed to be a drop in temperature tonight." Evie smiled and presented a bag of goods. Ezra accepted stepped forward and accepted the bag. Inside there were some easy open canned food and medicine. Also, there were a couple of heavy blankets and several bars of soap.
"I don't know if Chris would appreciate it if I accept these." Ezra said hesitantly.
"Should we try talking to him for you?" asked Orrin.
Ezra looked to Vin who was still holding his spear in a defensive manner.
"I suppose, but could you wait here with Vin while I get him?"
Ezra ordered for Vin to behave until he got back. Chris wasn't too happy on hearing that the adults returned but allowed Ezra to bring them back to the tree.
Evie presented the gifts they brought to Chris who allowed Nathan to take them. Chris growled something in gibberish before stalking off. At first Ezra and the grownups thought he wasn't pleased with the gifts. Josiah had to interpret what the blond had said.
"He says you brought this without cause. Therefor he doesn't consider himself indebted to you."
"That wasn't the motive of bringing this." Evie said quickly, "We just wanted you all to be safe and warm. Is your friend doing better?"
Josiah shook his head sadly.
"May I see him?"
Josiah spoke in gibberish to Nathan who looked at the pair with a scrutinizing gaze before giving a little nod.
Evie saw to Buck. Making sure he was warm and had taken the medicine. JD talked excitedly to the woman, but she didn't really understand any of which he was saying. After their departure, the boys ate a little of the new food with some of the food Nathan had been making already. Ezra took advantage of the soap and went to the stream to wash the dirt off. Josiah joined him and brought JD along. If anything, JD just played with the soap while the teenager cleaned him. Vin refused to wash himself and Chris didn't seem to want to either. Nathan said something to Josiah about doing it tomorrow morning and since Buck was still in bed, he'd wait. The temperature did drop lower than usual that time of year. The boys all slept together with the new blankets to block out the cold. Even Chris and Vin didn't object the warmth.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Buck's recovery eased the worry that had been building in the group. His cheerfulness restored the much needed optimism among the group. Patrols went back to normal and Ezra found himself with more time to work on his aqueduct. It was still a working process, but he wanted a way to bring water down to the tree without having to walk ten minutes to get it and then walk back. Also he was working on a way to catch rain water. As he was sharpening one of the sticks he was using to prop up his mechanism, he heard battle cries from nearby. Ezra looked up in alarm. Several boys, painted in red, were charging towards their tree with sharpened spears.
A cry from behind made him look to see Chris and Buck with their spears and knives. Vin was not far behind with Josiah staying back to watch JD. Ezra scrambled to his feet and grabbed his knife and spear. His heart was racing, confused and excited. He was confused because he didn't know how these fights usually worked, and was excited because he'd never done anything like this before. The excitement drained away quickly when he saw that the other clan people weren't doing fake blows. He was sure he saw one of them actually catch Chris in the arm with their knife. Vin had cut one of the boy's legs and was ready to go for a finishing blow before a rock came and hit him. It wasn't a dangerous blow, but it kept him out of the fight, holding his head in pain while crying. Chris covered him while Nathan ran out to get to him. Buck slashed one of the other boys in the side and the group decided to retreat.
Chris shouted their victory before turning to his injured member. They carried Vin back to the tree and Ezra ran to see if he could help. Water was boiled and a damp cloth was placed on the bump that had appeared. Vin protested the ministrations, crying in pain. After Vin was seen to, Nathan bandaged Chris's wound.
"Doesn't this all seem a bit, I don't know, dangerous? Why do we have to fight?"
"To survive."
"I mean the clans. Why do they want to fight us? Why is there a need to fight at all?"
"Because they want to eliminate anyone they think are sinners who might corrupt them and ruin their chances of salvation." Josiah explained.
"I may not know much about salvation, but I can definitely say that none of them will be finding that in the afterlife. This is plain savage behavior. Haven't they heard of Lord of the Flies?"
"Who's that?" Chris frowned.
"It's a book. Kids are stranded on an island and they were first all together in a group but then disagreed and formed two groups. They fought, they killed some of the others, and went crazy before being rescued."
"So you're saying that's us?"
"I'm saying we're pretty close to it. Haven't you all had enough of the senseless fighting? All because of what some guy named Enoch said?"
"Is this more of your 'city' and 'world of sinners' talk?" Chris's frowned deepened.
"It's not about that. A person isn't condemned because of what's around them. I know that much. You can live in the city and be free."
"We're children. They won't let us be free to do what we want."
"Okay, you have a point there, but it's not all bad."
The blond only scowled. Ezra could see he wasn't getting anywhere on the topic so he dropped it.
It was a cool autumn day, marking Ezra's second month living with the others. He had grown used to the easy way of living, the occasional confrontations with other clans and working on his projects.
"Fufu! Fufu! Fufu!" JD called as he sprinted towards him. Ezra had finally mastered gibberish enough to finally talk to the younger ones and understand them.
"What is it JD?"
"There's adults! Lots of them. They're coming this way!" JD said urgently.
Chris and Buck were patrolling the other side and Vin was out fishing. Josiah and Nathan were at the garden.
He decided to send JD to get Chris and Buck. Chris would no doubt get Vin while he could manage getting Nathan and Josiah. They ran off in different directions. Ezra was now used to running barefoot through the forest, his feet unperturbed by a hidden rock or stick. He was faster too, and he didn't lose his breath as quickly.
Josiah stood to his feet as soon as he saw Ezra running towards them. Ezra barely finished explaining before they were running back to their tree. They met Chris and the others. Everyone took up stations and hid themselves. Out of breath, they steadied their breathing as they listened for the sounds of any intruders. Minutes passed before men stepped into view with guns. They were wearing bullet proof vest as they came into their camp.
The intruders all examined the camp, fascinated by the garden, the aqueduct, the pully-system for the tree.
Ezra knew it wasn't smart for them go charging out. It was the easiest way to get shot. Then he remembered what Josiah had said about him being a spokesperson. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out into the open. The others hissed for him to come back but he kept his ground. The guns that had swung in his direction slowly were lowered.
"It is not appreciated that you be here, or for you to bring guns." He said as calmly and as commanding as he could manage.
"The heck, it's just a kid." Regarded one of the men.
"Please, I ask that you leave. We will mind our business and you can move onto another camp." Ezra continued.
One of the men stepped closer to Ezra, "Where's your parents kid?"
The man's actions had the other boys come out, their weapons in hand while wearing dangerous glares.
"I will say again. Leave now."
"We ain't trying to hurt you boys. We're here after orders to investigate the woods. A man named Enoch is being arrested now along with some of his followers. A tip about children living in the woods brought us out here to get you."
"We didn't ask for you to come. I have no doubt the other clans would want to leave either. We are fine on our own."
"This is crazy trying to talk to brainwashed kids. Let's just take them already." Said one of the men.
That triggered the boys to start fighting. For them only having spears and old knives, the boys were able to put up a pretty good fight before they were all pinned down and cuffed together.
Ezra felt the failure in his job to negotiate. He slumped in the seat he was in in the back of the car.
"You did your best." Josiah smiled sadly.
Thirty children were pulled from the forest besides Chris' clan. Some of the children committed suicide to prevent being taken, saying it was better to die instead of being taken by a bunch of sinners to have their souls soiled. Ezra sat in a little room, grateful that the others were there with him.
JD was crying against Buck who was holding him and Vin was visibly shaking against Chris. Nathan stared off into space, his legs drawn up to his chest. Josiah was silently praying.
A woman along with a police officer came in to talk to them, but didn't get far because the others had seemed to all agree on not speaking anything but gibberish. Ezra heard Chris curse the woman and her family and her animals. He called her an animal and said he hoped she died a gruesome death. Though the woman probably didn't understand any of that, she probably could tell Chris was saying some nasty things. Vin repeated the same phrase over again, 'curl up and die'
Ezra couldn't stand it. Why couldn't they give her a chance to speak?
"Sicama Sakiss! Please."
Chris glared at Ezra but fell silent. Vin quieted down as well.
The woman looked relieved and grateful that Ezra spoke up. She then explained to them that she understood that they were all close and would do her best to keep as many of them together as possible.
"No." Ezra said, gaining the woman's attention, "All of us. We stay together."
She smiled down at him, "I shall do my best to find you all a home that will take all of you."
From what Ezra overheard about the other boys found, most would be sent to a place to help special and troubled children. Enoch would be doing a life sentence for his crimes and Ezra didn't hear anything about his mother so he figured she had long since left…not even bothering to look for him.
When the familiar face of Orrin and Evie appeared, Ezra was surprised and confused.
"I hope you boys wouldn't mind coming to all stay with us. We know it won't be like your forest. But there's a lot of space and a treehouse." Evie smiled.
The boys all looked at one another, confused and not sure what to say. None of them had ever lived anywhere else besides Enoch's place or the woods. They turned to Ezra to decide. Even Chris was going to let him take point.
Ezra looked to the grownups and smiled.
END.