Technomancer 4: Taking a stand

Submitted into Contest #282 in response to: Write a story that begins with an apology.... view prompt

8 comments

Coming of Age Science Fiction

This story contains themes or mentions of physical violence, gore, or abuse.

***Warning: Violence and Abuse***


“We found these two sneaking into the camp,” growled one of the camp watchers, thrusting Leron onto the ground. He cried out as the gravel bit into his knees and forearms, and the pain ran along them in a series of throbbing pinpricks. He struggled onto his knees and fought against the zip-tie restraints binding his hands in front of him. What was he thinking? He was only eighteen. Why did he think he could sneak into camp and save the people?


His eyes fell on Masa and his heart ached at the glare she shot him. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, wishing he had not dragged her here. He had put them both in danger.


“I did warn you,” she responded, coldly.


“Why didn’t you give the girl the poison, Chico?” rumbled Mattias' voice from the direction of the fire. Leron’s head snapped towards the flames to see the man who had given him the purple vial turn to face him, the orange light catching his eyes made him look like a monster. For all that Mattias had protected the people, he was now a danger to them all, especially Masa. If Mattias was in charge, he would still want her dead.


Leron’s blood ran cold while images of all the things Mattias might do filled his mind. He struggled to say something, but the words wouldn’t come.


Mattias crossed the distance between them and stared down at him, towering over him. Madness filled his eyes and what remained of his old army uniform, a symbol of Mexican pride was covered in fresh blood which dripped down onto the gravel. How many people were killed tonight? Was he now in charge of everyone in camp?


“What poison?” Masa demanded and Leron turned to face her filled with guilt at the vial he still carried. She stared at him with wide eyes before they darkened and narrowed with rage.


“I would never…” Leron began, shaking his head and shuffling backward across the ground.


“You didn’t tell her?” Mattias asked, “Well, I must have wronged you. Perhaps you were waiting for the right moment or even planned to have fun with her first....” His rolling laugh followed, and the goons gathered around the fire snickered.


“You bastard!” Masa screamed, struggling onto her feet. She escaped the men holding her, rushed toward Leron, and began kicking him. Leron fell sideways and drew his knees up into the fetal position, tears filling his eyes as her foot connected with his body sending pain shooting through it.


“Please, stop, Masa….I…..”


 The pain finally stopped and Leron opened his eyes to see Mattias’ goons dragging Masa back from him while she continued to struggle and scream at them. His head hurt and he ached all over. He struggled onto his knees and wiped his face on his sleeve. Blood.


Mattias grasped Leron’s shirt and pulled him close. The stench of the monster’s breath made his stomach turn and he longed to escape. “I think you will prove your loyalty now or I’ll kill you both.”


Leron gazed at the sea of people gathered around the circle, their faces barely visible in the firelight. He hoped one of them might speak up and rescue him. They gazed towards the ground or each other but avoided watching at all costs. The few he recognized shook their heads - so much for his parent’s sacrifice. They wouldn’t even lift a finger to save him. 


“No,” he whimpered while Mattias pushed him back and went rifling through his pant pocket. “Get away, you creep, don’t touch me,” he cried, trying to edge himself away from the man’s grasp.


Mattias retrieved the vial, held it to the light, and grinned. He ripped the canteen from the belt on Leron’s pants, popped the lid off, and dripped the purple liquid inside. “Esteban cut his restraints.”


The watcher who had caught him marched over, fishing a knife from his pocket. He cut the zip tie and dragged him back onto his feet. Leron rubbed on his wrists.


“Do it,” growled Mattias, shoving the flask into his hand.


Leron took the flask and stared at it. The seconds passed by feeling like entire years. His hands shook and he swallowed back his fear, stilling his palms around the canteen. He glanced back at Masa whose eyes were now filled with more hatred than he had ever seen from anyone. It stung him more than the cold indifference of the people from the camp. He could not hurt her; he loved her, and Mattias would kill him no matter what he did. The monster couldn’t allow him to survive after Leron had stood his ground. It made him look weak. Like the people around the fire, Leron had stood by and allowed the creation of this monster for his own protection. The mistake he had made needed to be rectified.


“I would never. Mattias! I told you I wouldn’t!” Leron yelled. He marched towards Mattias, determined to do something - anything, but Mattias knocked him back to the ground. He struggled to his feet, turning and gazing at each one of the people. “You….all of you….you think he won’t come after you next? Don’t think this monster will protect you, because this bastard won’t. You need to stand up for yourselves. Is this really the world you want to live in? My parents gave their lives for you and there are easily more of you than…..” Mattias's fist connected with his face, sending him flying backward, and his head hit the gravel. The world spun around him. Someone kicked him in the stomach and he vomited.


“Stop it!” screeched an older woman. “He’s right. We can’t let them do this to us.”


“She’s right!” yelled another man. “He’s just a kid.”


“Get back to your places!” screamed Mattias. “I’ll show you what happens to people who get out of line.” Leron felt his dreads pulled back, it felt like his hair was being torn from his scalp as Mattias beat him over and over.


“Get him!” screamed a voice he didn’t recognize.


From Leron’s daze, gunshots echoed around him causing his ears to ring. He rolled over groaning in pain. He thought he heard voices speaking to him, but couldn’t understand what they were saying. The images blurred in and out and the people before him were unrecognizable. He could not remember who they were.


Everything went black, and the images of the blood-filled streets of Monterrey filled his mind, along with being shoved in an industrial fridge by his parents and never seeing them again. They repeated themselves over and over, like badly drawn images. Following that came Masa and her anger, the people and their indifference, and Mattias standing above them in complete control. He wanted things to return to the way they were. He wanted his parents back and to be a kid again - hanging out with his friends in the street and messing around on their phones, but it was all gone. Gone....


Leron opened his eyes to discover he was lying on a bedroll staring up at the roof of a tent.


“He’s awake!” cried Masa, holding his hands. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she pulled him towards her and hugged him tightly.


“Masa, it hurts….”


“Sorry,” she said and laid him down gently.


A large group of people stood above him, smiling; the faces of the people his parents had saved, along with new ones he did not recognize. “We’re glad you’re okay,” said one of the men he was sure had stood up to Mattias. “I’m Manuel and this is my wife, Loretta. You will be staying with us from now on." Leron managed a nod as the people came forward a never-ending succession of strange faces. Eventually, the line ended and they disappeared leaving him alone with Masa.


“I’m sorry,” he said, holding her hand tightly, tears coming to his eyes.


“Don’t be,” she replied, “What you did is….well…I didn’t believe it could be done. You saved these people.”


“And almost got you killed.” He groaned, struggling up again. “I would never have hurt you….”


Masa smiled and nodded, tears filling her eyes. She touched the side of his cheek and he leaned into it, enjoying the feel of her soft hand. He longed to kiss her, but they would have to wait until she was ready. “You really are something else,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.


A breeze drifted through the tent door. It felt cooler than the desert and he wondered where they were. “Where are we? How long have I been out?”


“For a long time, we almost couldn’t keep you alive. We struggled to keep you hydrated. I fed you water through a straw and you almost choked several times,” she said, sounding worried. Leron began to wonder if she cared about him too. It was a lot for her to do for someone she hated. “We made it through the mountains. Let me show you what is outside and what you have given these people.”


“I would like that.”


Masa aided him to his feet, wrapping him in a blanket and helping him limp towards the door. Outside a river stretched across the land behind a sea of tents camped along the shore. Women and children playing in the water excitedly and the men moved about the camp working and standing tall. He recognized the river from pictures along with the fences on the far side. The Rio Grande and beyond it was his home - USA. It would be a new start for all of them.

December 21, 2024 01:07

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8 comments

Graham Kinross
10:21 Dec 24, 2024

Seems like things are getting better for them after a tough while. Feels like the up and down in fortunes in stories like The Road or Walking Dead without the zombies.

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KC Foster
22:14 Dec 25, 2024

Yup, I'm a huge fallout fan. I love firefly and the wild wild west movie too and that's the direction I'm going. This short story series functions as a prequel to my main book series that I hope to start publishing in 2026, depending on when I reach my funding goals. There is still a lot to go for this story and I have a rough direction, but the prompts will decide the finer details.

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Graham Kinross
06:18 Dec 26, 2024

That’s great. Who was your favourite character in Firefly?

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KC Foster
11:32 Dec 26, 2024

Kaylee

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Graham Kinross
14:43 Dec 26, 2024

I keep hoping they’ll make more. The cast seem up for it mostly.

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KC Foster
17:08 Jan 06, 2025

Hey there, I checked out your profile and some of your writing. Have you published any books? Also, I sent you a friend request on Facebook and was wondering if I could seek your guidance on how to improve my writing and grow as an author.

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KC Foster
03:26 Dec 30, 2024

EMP Survival 5: https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/04940g/

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KC Foster
15:59 Dec 21, 2024

Part 1: https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/7onjis/

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