Echoes of Insanity

Thinking quickly, I grabbed my knife and stabbed Peter in the hand, then threw it to the ground, saying, "This idiot stabbed himself and now he's crying about it."

Rebecca approached, wearing a gown. Her curious expression turned to shock as she heard my words. She rushed over, grabbed Peter, and shouted, "Stop being so mean! Come with me," before leading him away.

I sighed and called after them, "I'm not doing buckets tonight."

Turning back to my work, I stabbed an insect with my knife, flicking it away as I muttered, "I'm hungry." The cornfields stretched out endlessly, and I took my time, methodically killing any parasites. That was my job until reaping season. By doing it right, we could secure a good harvest.

This continued until noon. I took my usual break under the same tree I'd rested under for the past three months, gazing off into the distance. Thoughts of running away crossed my mind, but I knew it would look suspicious, and we'd end up as wanted criminals, with bounty hunters chasing us. "Damn it!" I shouted angrily. I felt trapped. "Where the hell is Peter?" I wondered aloud. "He's always taking longer breaks; it was just a small cut."

Opening my leather water jug, I quenched my thirst. "That tastes so good," I murmured. Just then, the scent of boiled corn and roasted pork drifted my way. I smiled, then laughed. "They didn't ring the bell. Rebecca really did me dirty."

I hurried into the cafeteria, greeted by another wave of delicious aromas. Peter was almost finished with his meal, while Ken and David were only halfway through. The twins' table was already set, and even Rebecca sat quietly, eating her meal, though my food remained untouched. As I scanned the table, everyone avoided my gaze.

I sighed, kissed my teeth, and took my usual spot beside the twins. Jacob, the lighter-skinned twin, looked up with a grin. "Rebecca's mad at you," he said.

I nodded, grabbing a plate and starting to serve myself. Ryan, the darker twin, added, "She was really upset. She even called you 'Idiot Sam.'"

"Yeah, that's why big brother Peter didn't come back," Jacob continued. "Even though he wanted to."

I simply nodded and dug into my food. "I see. Well, I'm not bringing water tonight; it's Peter's turn."

At this, Alicia stood up furiously. "He can't! It'll aggravate his wound!"

"I don't care," I retorted.

"You didn't even bring much water yesterday. You should do it again!"

"Why didn't you bring enough water?" she pressed.

I noticed Peter and Rebecca watching me. I shrugged. "I got captivated by the river."

"Every time!" she shouted, her frustration mounting.

"Alicia, you're scaring the kids," Rebecca said gently.

"But, but—"

"Alicia." Rebecca's tone softened further, and Alicia fell silent.

Night came quicker than I expected. The moons cast a glow over the cornfields, the sheep, and the goats, all of which made noise throughout the night.

Pushing a bag of hay from the locked section of the barn, the noise intensified as all the animals realized it was feeding season.

I pushed the hay closer to the goat pen. There were about 30 goats in total, and the smell of manure intensified.

They were a lot, but they weren't my responsibility to care for; that was Ken and David's job. I bent down, took a deep breath, grabbed the strings of the hay, and threw it over the fence. It hit the back of the barn and burst open. Immediately, the goats ran toward it.

Wiping the sweat off my face, I said, "I still got it."

Walking back to the hay section, I grabbed two more bales and dragged them toward the end, throwing them one after another into the pen. This time, I cut them open inside the pen, stepping over pebbles of goat manure.

"The pen needs to be cleaned," I told myself. "I'll have to remind those lazy bastards again."

A little baby goat approached and brushed itself against my foot. I smiled, rubbing its head, then jumped back over the fence.

After feeding the goats, I did the same for the sheep. They only needed two bales since there were fewer of them.

"You shouldn't be using mana for such a simple task," Peter said, appearing just as I finished.

"Unlike you, I'm not that physically strong," I replied without looking at him.

I inspected the sheep and then jumped back over the fence.

"What do you want anyway?" I asked, standing next to Peter, who was leaning on the barn door.

Peter's hand landed on my shoulder. His voice dropped, and his eyes grew intense. "I heard what you did."

"What did I do?" I asked, matching his tone.

"You threatened Alicia," he replied firmly. "With a knife."

I didn't flinch, staring back at him calmly. "And? You think I enjoyed it? I did what had to be done to keep us all alive. Or do you want her to crack under pressure and ruin everything?"

Peter clenched his fists, his face torn between anger and guilt. "I get that you're trying to keep us safe, but threatening her? That's crossing a line. We're not murderers."

I snorted, shaking my head. "You've got a short memory, Peter. You're the one who killed the owner, not me. I'm cleaning up your mess. Don't lecture me about morality."

Peter's face darkened, but he didn't respond.

After a tense silence, I spoke again, my voice quieter but cutting. "Listen. We're not safe. Not yet. One wrong move, and it's over for all of us. So if you're done playing the righteous hero, maybe you can focus on surviving."

Peter looked down, his jaw tight. "Fine. But if you ever threaten Alicia again, I won't stay quiet."

Raising an eyebrow, I smirked. "Noted. Now, are you done? I've got work to finish."

Without waiting for a reply, I turned and walked back toward the farmhouse, leaving Peter standing alone by the barn door.