Chapter 9- A Hunter's Way
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Flies or any of its characters
Jack smirked mischievously and fiercely as he towered over the other hunters in his so called tribe. The air was thick and the clouds gave the prediction of a storm rolling in. The boys did not noticing things like weather anymore. They had grown to totally ignore any sounds of the air war above them. Ralph had wanted to signal a plan or even a ship with the fire, but that seemed more like a loss cause than a chance rescue to him now.
"What are you thinking chief?!" Maurice called out with his newly painted, goofy face. He placed one of his legs on the Rock Jack was standing on, but kept below the chief. Jack had been smirking for a while now. Some of the other hunters were beginning to worry. "Oh nothing. Hey Maurice?"
"Yeah..."
"If you can recall... Who did all the girls have a crush on at our old school?" The words slammed off his dried lips. Boys shivered at the thought of home. A single tear ran down the face of Percival Wemys Maddison, but he quickly brushed it away before more could come. Maurice laughed and hopped up on the rock. He broke the awkward silence between tears and saved the boys with silliness.
"Oh yeah! My man here, Jack Merridew had all the chicks. Ladies man!" He wrapped his arm around Jack's shoulder. The hunters laughed forcefully and joked about Jack and his female successes. The red head with a painted face and little to no clothes on froze for a minute in the laughter.
"Let's go hunt a pig and leave the head. Come on it's been too long. Funny guy, Roger, Bill and Robert... Let's go get some meat."
Maurice giggled and grabbed a spear, "Hehe, okay chief!" He saluted. Bill and Robert were handed spears by the littleuns. Jack gave Roger his knife and they nodded at each other. Thus Roger began to sharpen his stick at both ends as the creeped into the forest. Once he finished they ran began. There was a small group of pigs, but one was clearly female. That became the target of mostly Roger and Jack. Maurice, Robert and Bill attacked all the pigs the same not caring about gender or even size. Jack crashed down on the female pig from the top with a quick stabbing motion. It was injured and had no place to run, for the other boys had cornered it completely. The sow let out a screech and the other pigs ran deep into the woods. The savages took turns jabbing it with their sticks. Roger winced his reddish eyes at the three lesser hunters than himself. Maurice knew what he was doing, so he stepped away from the pig and opened his hand. "Get your jollies!" He cackled as did the other hunters. The dark boy fingered the tip of his spear and smirked widely. He rammed the point up the behind of the poor pig. Robert laughed louder and screamed what he did once before, "Right up her ass!" It almost became a chant between the three hunters. Jack, however did not join in. He titled his head back and forth has he leaned on his spear to prop himself up. He realized this was just a pig, but this pig was female. He came to a shocking realization.
"Roger!" He exclaimed, "That's like... Like rape..!" Pausing his sticks motion Roger turned up to the chief. His smile was ever present on his face. His dark and blood stained hair sagged in his face and stuck to the sweat and paint. His eyes glowed red and there were huge bags under them. No boy could remember the last time Roger had slept, including himself.
"It kinda is!" Roger agreed becoming even more excited than he was before. At first glance Jack thought of the situation repulsive, but his savage thoughts came back as his boys thought of it positively. Jack sighed, and watched Roger push the spear farther.
"Hey!" Jack yelled angrily, "It is no fair– you getting all the fun!" He protested and pushed Roger away from the sow, "It is my turn to show you how it is done!" Roger pouted a little bit on the side, but Bill tried to hold him back. Jack pulled the stick out and it was coated in many layers of blood. That was the kind of product the boy needed to get excited. Jamming it back in with great force the other boys cheered him on. But as he pushed farther the pig was clearly dead. On the side of its plump belly the sharpened point poked through.
"Ouchie!" Cassidy whined like a very young child. She was placed in the shelter Piggy had been in ever since Castle Rock. She had received the tattered remains of Ralph button down undershirt. There were huge holes in the shirt and it was practically see through, but it was better than nothing the boys figured. As she lifted the ripped end of the shirt she noticed an awful black and blue bruise. It was throbbing and causing her great pain. Her leg was not much better. It had an almost identical bruise only more spread out and bigger.
Simon's eyes peeked open at her sound. He rushed over to the hut, "Are you okay?" He asked with a hint of panic in his sweet little voice.
She nodded, "Just hurts..." Piggy awoke, but he could not see much,
"You ain't ought to be worried about her. How's my leg?" Tears passed down his cubby face. Cassidy dared to look at the mess of Piggy's legs. They made her bruises seem like nothing but a paper cut. A peek of bone could be seen and she shuttered and closed her eyes. She placed her head into Simon's shoulder. "That bad?" Piggy asked.
Simon sighed, "We could wrap it..."
"With what? Creepers? Crackers..." Piggy cursed through his lips, "no one has any extra cloth right?" As he asked Cassidy perked back up right and looked down at the torn shirt she had been wearing. "There's not enough." Ralph answered awakening over all the noise they had been causing. "No way, we couldn't wrap the whole thing anyway. You don't want to have them half healed and half not."
"Beats not healed at all..." Piggy mumbled to himself, "Okay—" he squeaked under a cry in his voice. He slid his finger from his waist and touched base with the faintest part of his terrible wound. The blood was still wet, and he knew that. Piggy was also aware of all the bacteria his was victim to with an open wound. He sighed deeply and let a few more tears stream down his face.
"Oops," Jack blushed beneath his mask of colors. Maurice got a huge laugh out of this and shortly Robert joined in. Jack stood up, "Oh shut up!" He snapped.
"What?!" Maurice defended, "Maybe you reached an intestine or something." They laughed once again.
"Is that how you do it Merridew?" Teased Bill.
"I said shut up! Both of you!" Jack took out his knife and touched it to the sow's neck. "Roger pull the spear out. It is your own fault for using the double sharpened stick for that." Roger obeyed without any complaining. As he tore the stick out he smiled at the blood. His head cocked towards Bill and as he stood up his eye contact never lost the boy.
"Bill—" he voice trailed.
"What?" Bill barked, but became bait in Roger's sadist mind.
"Play dead. Will you?" Roger asked in a shockingly sweet voice, for him anyway. "Come on play dead!" He screamed. "
No get away from me, creep!" Roger touched the blood covered stick to Bill's open flesh.
"Act like you are dying! Fall over..." He wined the last part. Jack, who had just got the head detached from the rest if the pig hissed,
"Roger that is quite enough! Come on!" Roger sighed and jammed the spear into the crack in the rocky ground. "This head is for the... The Beast!" Jack screamed and the boys picked up their spears and the pig meat. They darted away from the sacrifice to the fear in their minds.
Back at Castle Rock Jack pondered. That thing he did to the female pig... It just was not as entertaining as he had hoped it would be. Roger was better at it, this torturing stuff. The stubborn redhead thought I as unfair. He wanted to prove he was a better man than Roger or Ralph or anyone who got in his way. He was angry with himself for messing it up with their little torture toy. Even more so he was frustrated that it did not satisfy his needs enough. Jack had to do it in his mind, for he had to be the best. Clenching his fists he decided, "Tomorrow," he announced turning heads, "Yes tomorrow is when I will get her. Consider this boys, soon we will only need pigs for food." Roger matched his devilish smirk, while most of the other hunters did not understand.
Hey! How was it? Let me know. I hope you can tell a plot building up, so really pay attention as the boys (Mostly the hunters) start to change more and more. Thanks for reading and reviewing :)
