Sheph suddenly asked me, “You saw the river?”
“River?” I asked him. I didn’t see any river. Was it in this part of the village. I remember Steve mentioning something about a river. I forgot the name at that time. Sheph told me, “Then I guess you didn’t see the full length of the graveyard. It was at the backside.”
Oh! I missed the river. Damn it. But thinking about made me realize something else. If, even after walking long enough into the graveyard I couldn’t see the river, just how big was it? Then again, the night was pretty atmospheric and somewhat hiding the distance forward. So I might have just missed it.
I asked him, “What is the river’s name?”
“Meghna. It’s a beautiful river. Oh! It connects to the sea to the south by the way”, said Sheph with an uncaring attitude.
“Really?”, I asked without thinking. I don’t know why but hearing the word sea made me interested in the river. I had quite the fascination didn’t I?
I can see the familiar structures bit more clearly up forward. It was dark like void after a few meters of eye sight. I also forgot to bring my phone with me because I ran without thinking. Following Sheph is the only way I can really get back without stumbling on the road much.
“Hey... Listen”, Sheph spoke softly to me out of nowhere. This was the first time he was soft and felt genuine.
“Steve is not the best thing to be trained by. He is the leader of our organization, but that’s it really.
He can be difficult to deal with. But I can’t really tell you stuff about ourselves before you join us.
So......
Just push through these next few months and you’ll understand everything.” Sheph monologued as he spat the kans grass out of his mouth.
I was confused. He told that I wasn’t a part of the team yet. But I thought I was since I got abducted to this previously non-existent place. I ask him to clarify, “I’m not part of the organization? Then why am I training?”
He replied, “No. Not yet. You are training to join us. The shepherd thing is just the base training.
Now, when you go in and Steve says something you don’t like or understand, just bare with it.
You’ll be given proper explanation when you join. Steve can’t trust anyone.
Not when he doesn’t have feelings to begin with.” That last line carried a bit frustration from his voice.
I could tell that Sheph was also not a fan of Steve. He probably has some bad blood with Steve. I got curious. Did he and the others have to deal with stuff like this? And why is a 25 year old looking guy leading a bunch of old people?
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So I asked to quench my newly risen curiosity, “Did you guys have to deal with stuff like this too? And how old are you guys? Why is a 25 year old leading you?”
“We did.
Also, I cannot tell you details about ourselves before you join us.
Ask Steve about his age.” Sheph shut me down with his words. It wasn’t harsh. But it was excluding.
He reminded me in a few seconds of telling me, that I am not a part of the team and thus I don’t have authority to learn stuff about the team. I was a mess at that time so a flame of newfound rage for Sheph was formed in me too. It was like, why is everyone so self-important? Why can’t I be told anything? So, for the next few meters of walking till entering the house, I was silent. Sheph was silent too.
We come in-front of the house and I can see a pair of shoes that resembles the one Mason wore. So Mason was inside with Steve?
I try to enter the house and at that moment Sheph says, “You go in. I am coming in a bit.” Saying that, he went towards the market. I go in thinking, why was he coming inside anyways? And Mason was inside too. I shrug the thoughts off and go inside since I can ask them there.
Heading in, I see Mason and Steve sitting on the sofas. Mason is sitting where I was sitting and Steve is still sitting where he was. Does this guy not have a butt? My butt would have been sizzling with pain if I just sat in one place for hours.
Mason looked at me and said, “Where were you? You didn’t need to run off in an unknown place. You could’ve come to my house.” His eyes looked worried but his face or body didn’t suggest that. They more or less showed anger.
Steve then asks, “Don’t be a fool. Why are you so blind sighted?” He asked with a straight face.
“I am blind sighted? Well maybe if you told me stuff I wouldn’t be like this”, I respond in anger. He thinks I am the bad one.
Mason shuts me off by saying, “Don’t act that way. I’ll tell you stuff. Just wait for a minute.”
I don’t know why but Mason’s look and voice seemed like he was ordering me. He wasn’t his gentle self at all. It was like he was one of those government officers. His presence made me feel like I have to be quite. So I naturally shut up and wait for a minute or two of silence. Mason was looking to be cooling down while Steve was reading a book with a blank cover. It was just gray.
The ceiling fan kept spinning. Slow and Rhythmic. The blades cutting through air with a whoosh-clank, whoosh-clank that filled the room.
Nobody spoke.
I looked down. The floor had patterns. Thin stripes. You had to stare to even notice them. The colors were a mixture of white and blue. I traced one with my eyes. Left to right. Then another. Right to left. Some of the lines were worn out. I had to jump lines.
Whoosh-clank. Whoosh-clank. The sound was messing with my head.
My heartbeat joined the rhythm. I could hear it from every direction, loud in my ears, matching the fan.
Thump-whoosh. Thump-clank.
Why was Mason so angry? I had seen him worried before. Gentle-worried. Not THIS. Not this cold authority that made my throat tight and dry. I could hear the sound of me swallowing my saliva.
I traced another stripe. This one curved slightly at the end. A flaw I would have never noticed.
Steve turned a page. The sound was too loud. Paper against paper. He didn't look up. I didn’t look up. Mason didn’t look down. Each of us was staring into nothingness.
Whoosh-clank.
Mason's jaw was tight. His fingers drummed once against his knee. Stopped. Then still. Then it repeated.
How long had I been standing here? A minute? Five? Time stretched. The fan kept spinning. The stripes kept running. The pages kept turning. Mason’s fingers kept banging. My heart kept beating.
Whoosh-clank.
What were we waiting for? Sheph said he'd come back. Where did he GO?
Another stripe. This one darker. Almost black in the dim light.
The door opened behind me. With it came two people.
Sheph.....
and