Why?

After the third world war a lot of things had changed. Not just the world’s appearance but mostly its mentality. The new regime took charge and the freedom of speech was banned. Everyone who tried to state their opinion or fight against them was caught and sentenced to death or life in prison , thus succeeding to control and manipulate the crowds making it easier to catch and kill the so called “persecutors of the state”.

…

“Kill him!!!” one shouts.

               “Give him something to think about!” another makes his voice heard.

               “No mercy!” an old lady screams from the front of the crowd.

               “Looks like they’re out for your blood. They want to see you stretched on that piece of wood while the whip will kiss your back son.” one of the police officers tells the young man in front of the crowd.

The young man in front of him is Stephan and is barely 27 , he looks stern and brave like he could not care less what is about to happen to him. Rumor has it he had been betrayed by his own brother, for spreading awareness among the people, fighting against the mental oppression that the state is trying to permanently install in it*s citizens.

                              He’s dressed with a pair of dark blue jeans and a white loose  t-shirt. He’s wearing a pair of black socks, apparently they gave him no time to take his shoes when he was arrested. His hands are tied in front of him with a white rope. He is  of medium height and athletic build. At a first glance you would be tempted to say that he has a skinny figure but on a closer look you can distinguish the shape of his muscled body hidden away behind the loose clothes. They’re not muscles build in the gym, they don’t have that unnatural plastic look, but is rather the way Mother Nature build his body. His skin is a shade of light brown that combines perfectly with his dark short hair and dark chocolate eyes. His hands are well kept, soft skinned, a clue of the fact that he was working in an office. He was an accountant in fact, not the type to mess with the law in any way.

When you first look at him there’s a certain innocence in his appearance that strikes you, a kind of fragility in his figure in the way his body is shaped, there’s something that makes you want to protect him. If Mother Nature tried to create a man that was a man in every fiber of his DNA, with the usual strength you see in a man’s figure and to all of that add a certain touch of softness, then she had certainly succeeded. What is even more intriguing about him is that the same innocence, the apparent fragility and innocence in his eyes, those exact attributes make you want to see him suffer . There’s a certain sadistic pleasure of seeing him breaking down, probably is the reason why everyone is blood thirsty tonight.

His eyes grow a bit big when he hears the crowd’s demand and stops in the eyes of the person who shouted “Kill him!” He looks at the man for a second but not with hate or rage, as one would expect, but with some kind of confusion mixed with pity then shifts his gaze somewhere in the distance. He doesn’t seem scared, maybe a bit preoccupied but not scared. They are not going to kill him for instigating people. But punish him , oh yes.

A hand gripping the back of his neck brings him back to reality. The sound of the crowd fills his ears again. He is pushed three steps forward as his final sentence is read out loud for everyone to hear.

“For treason against the government ,by instigation people to protest against it's rules,you are sentenced to corporal punishment in the public square.” His facial expression doesn't change, there is a bit of concern growing in his eyes but it's as if he would have been expected this even from the beginning.

He stares at the officer that finished announcing the sentence and asks:"So …this is it right ? you are going to shut my mouth up?"

 "Aren't you scared? Or you are just mocking us ? Of course 25 whips are part of the punishment and that will not be all.

Near him there is a small post that has some shackles attached. One shackled post on each side , right and left. The chief guard comes in front of him and with one pull tears his t-shirt in half and off of him. A noise travels the crowd as his chest and back are exposed , his perfect light brown skin and perfect formed muscles available for everyone to see.

He is pushed on his knees in front of to the two posts and his hands are shackled. Hears the flickering whip moving behind him and takes a deep breath.

All of a sudden a fiery stinging line crosses his back .The pain is so intense it makes him want to shout which he does and not a moment later the second hit arrives.

His breathing stops for a moment and the only thing that goes through his mind and body is the pain. And they don't stop .

The blows keep arriving  until the 25^th is given. His back is full of red lines. Red bloody stripes are all over his shoulders rib-cage and spine.

He is bend down , on his knees with his palms clenched in fists and his eyes in the ground. The pain is unbearable but you swallow it all and raise your head looking at the people in front of you, observing the lust for more in their eyes.

"I hope this will be a lesson well learned for you young man and remember not to go against the authority again because next time your punishment might be more severe."

"There will not be another time ... you say out loud and then for yourself ...there will not be another time because I learned my lesson who to trust and who not to."

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