The Prisoner

By Andrew Bruce Fisk © 2013

The rain had stopped. The thunder of the summer storms no long occupied my thoughts. I was lost without the familiar drum of precipitation upon the roof of my cell. There were too many thoughts that threaten to fill the silence with their endless stream of accusation.

I tried to sleep on the rough slab of concrete that served as a bed. The grey walls that bound me in seemed to glow in the dark. It was illusion. There was no light. It had been this way for so long. My term was not yet served. For that I was thankful.

Footsteps interrupted my meditation. Someone had come to gloat. The Jailers rarely bothered me, only making sure I survived. I was not convinced they even cared about that small consideration. Maybe I was entertainment. In any case I had a visitor.

The grate of the lock echoed in my head. My internal voices faded. I awaited the newcomer.

A woman entered.

She wasn’t attractive. The thought surprised me. I had been locked up for longer than I could remember. The days of my youth were long gone. I had known many women.

The sight of another human filled me with remorse. I did not deserve company.

She didn’t care for me either. Her uniform was dirty and ragged. The dust of the plains covered her boots. She spat in my direction, contempt for my condition evident in her eyes.

“Get up, we are letting you loose.”

Her voice seemed hard. I sensed frustration in her manner. She would sooner gut me with a knife than let me free. It was a game.

“Move scum. We don’t have time for your sulking.” She seemed impatient.

I tried to replly. Words formed but my voice was ruined. Did she mean to release me, after all I had done to them?

She did not wait for my feeble response. She grabbed me by my prison shirt and pulled me from the bed. I tried to stand. My legs were weak and I sank to the ground. The Jailor kicked me and swore in annoyance. I struggled to my feet. I did not want another beating.

“Why?”

The word escaped my mouth. I was confused. Did they want to finish this business once and for all? I felt a excitement rather than fear. Maybe the end would come soon?

The jailer dragged me to the door of the cell. She paused and muttered under her breath. I leaned on her to avoid another collapse.

“We need you to fix the shield wall. It is not my idea. I reckon we should just give you over to them and be done with it.”

I sighed. It had been so long. So that is what they wanted. The war must still be in progress. They dreaded the enemy more than they feared me. Something I had not felt for a long time kindled in my heart.

A sense of hope.

The sun was bright. It blinded me with its iridescent radiance. I covered my eyes as I left the confines of the Jail. My captor let me shuffle forward into the light without assistance. Freedom seemed just an instant away.

They gathered for me in the street of the ruined town. My sight was good enough to see their plight. The burned out cars and wreckage of past battles littered the main street. My nostrils were filled with their terror. It pervaded their bodies. A preacher wailed to a forgotten god. There were no children.

I had seen this before. So many worlds bore these scars. The war had been long. I had played my part. It had been my battle. I sensed the energy of the moment. They people had only one hope. They hated me. A soldier and coward. The man who had started it all. The perpetrator of the betrayal that had triggered the war. They despised me for what had happened. For the years of fighting and running from the enemy. For the endless reign of terror from above. They hated me but they also needed the one thing I could still give them.

My expertise.

I sensed the shield wall was fading. Its invisible arc stretched out over the settlement. High above dark shapes gathered. Humankind's nemesis was ready for the kill. They took me to the control unit. It did not take me long. The box was burning out. There were no more spare parts. I tried to patch the system with the scant resources they could give me.

They saw failure in my eyes. The mutterings grew louder with each attempt I made. The unit was beyond repair. Even for someone of my talent there was no hope.

They dragged me to the gallows soon after. They hung the noose around my neck. I would die first. The creatures would come for the others soon but the anger of the lynch mob would be satisfied.

The preacher screamed insanely. The crowd prayed to the gods of their enemies. They were making a sacrifice.  

Time stopped.

The cries of the birds hunting in vain across dark desert sands reached my ears. The delicate network of spider webs caught the light of the dying sun. I was at one with my world. It had been so long and now I allowed the memories to flow. I had been happy once. I had loved. The heat of scores of stars had burned my skin. My crime had been one of passion.

My thoughts darkened.

The wail of the alarm scattered the crowd. They had yet to appease their new god. The enemy was penetrating the defences. They would soon die alongside me.

My time did not come.

I shouted defiance in a language long forgotten. Frustration filled me.

The demons came for one thing. They left the houses, farms and the people of this wretched place in peace. The constant attacks would cease. They want only that justice would be done. The want the one thing that could end the war. The criminal must be punished. He must return to his own kind. With overwhelming force they entered the place of the mortals and took that which was rightfully theirs. I expected their fury.

Soon after they came for me. I would answer for the death of my lover. Their queen would be avenged.

I expect the heat of their fury to consume me. Justice would finally be done. I looked into their eyes Their dark draconian faces betrayed no emotion. Except for one thing. Something I had not seen before. Something I felt reflected in my own face. A sense of kinship perhaps. Shared regrets. The war had gone on so long. My memories had tortured me for year after year. It was time for the suffering to end. I begged them to end my life release me from my chains and let my spirit fly free at last. They answered. Their words echoing through my thoughts.

Justice would be done.

Later the desert wind picked up, blowing dust into my face. I walked alone. The others were gone. I would live for many more years. In fact I would never die. I was the last of my kind. The last of the humans. The whole universe is my prison for the rest of time.

That is my punishment.