Echoes of Insanity

Before I knew it, my nose was bleeding, my ears were ringing, and everything was spinning around me. The girls were screaming, and the twins were crying their eyes out.

The others tried their best not to shed a tear, but I could see it in their eyes. Fuck, man. Fuck Peter.

I tried to find that sucker, but he was lying in a pool of blood. Then, all of a sudden, my head was yanked backward.

A man with a stern face, a sharp jawline, and piercing brown eyes stood before me. He wore a suit of iron armor. This man was the chief. His hand rested on the sword at his waist, and he frowned as he looked at me—calm, even though my nose was bleeding.

"Let him go, James," said the chief.

James released my head but shoved it down with unnecessary force. I turned to look at him and smirked at his childish behavior. Mana, I thought. He used mana.

Bang.

The chief slapped me across the face. "Young man, focus. You're in trouble."

The ringing in my ears returned, and I gave him my full attention. "How may I help you, Chief?" I asked, spitting out blood.

"Farmer Joe has gone missing," he began. "We found his remains in the forest. And I know him—he wouldn't be caught dead walking in the woods, especially not in territory like that."

I listened carefully, doing my best to look scared. Did it work? I wasn't sure. But I was definitely shivering.

The chief studied me like a hawk. Then he stopped, and lifted me off the ground, and whispered into my ear, "I don't have solid proof, but I'm watching you."

He let go of me and started walking away. His armor clinked with every step as he moved toward his horse. Mounting it, he said, "Let's go."

Around ten knights gathered around him, and together they vanished into the distance.

I push myself off the ground and walked towards Peter, I stood over his body. Really waited to kick in his stomach, I held back the urge.

…

I turned over his body. His face was bruised and swollen; he was knocked out cold. I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.

I didn't even realize when I was dragged outside. A shiver ran down my back as the thought hit me: I could have been killed in my sleep if they'd really wanted to.

"Fuck," I shouted, lifting Peter off the ground and carrying him inside. I laid him on his bed. He groaned in pain, one of his less-swollen eyes cracking open as he whispered, "I'm sorry."

I looked away, unable to meet his gaze. My eyes stung, threatening tears, but nothing came. I forced myself to stay composed and left the room.

As I stepped outside, Alice was waiting there, her eyes downcast. I walked over, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Good job. Your boyfriend's okay." With that, I head outside

I found Ken and David sitting under the tree where Peter and I had rested earlier. They looked shaken, their faces pale and their bodies tense.

I stopped a few feet away, my shadow falling over them. They didn't even glance up to see who it was. They were truly in shock.

"Hey, Ken, go grab the horse and strap the cart to him. David, get the corn from storage. We're going to the market," I said firmly.

They didn't respond. The silence hung heavy between us, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife.

And then it snapped.

"Why the fuck should we?" Ken shouted, his voice trembling with anger. "Mr. Joe is dead! There's no reason to keep working here anymore. Soon we'll be kicked off this farm, and we'll starve!"

I stayed silent, letting him vent.

"Do you even understand how cold winter is? Winter's coming, and everything's falling apart because Mr. Joe is gone! We should just take whatever we can and run!" He stood up, storming toward me, his voice rising with every word.

"They would kill you," I said quietly.

He stopped, his body shaking with frustration. Then, without warning, he punched me. The force sent me staggering backward, my eyes widening in surprise.

"He's quick. He's never this quick," I thought as I touched my chin, feeling the sting of amusement more than pain.

Without another word, I turned and walked away, finding my way to the twins, my favourite, leaving David to calm his brother down.

—

As I sat at the front of the cart, steering the horse toward the village, I realized I wasn't really doing much— the horse was already following the path on its own. I hummed softly to myself, lost in thought.

None of this has anything to do with me, I told myself. I didn't kill Mr. Joe. I didn't fight the knights. Hell, I even got slapped by a kid.

"None of this is my fault. I didn't do shit," I muttered under my breath, nodding to myself.

"I was a good boy," I reassured myself. I always tried my best to stay out of trouble. My mother would have been proud of me, or so I liked to think, I don't really know her.

Rebecca, who was sitting beside me, nudged me with her shoulder. I ignored her and kept my focus on the path ahead.

"Hey, stop avoiding me," she said, pinching my arm.

I tore my eyes away from the road and glanced at her. She was cute, with warm brown eyes that matched her chestnut hair.

She wasn't too slim or too plump, perfectly balanced, and she had that killer smile—the kind that could melt even the coldest of hearts.

But she wasn't going to melt mine. She's the devil, I thought to myself. I looked up at the sky and silently prayed, Creator, please save me from this witch.

She nudged me again, and I let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

"What?" I asked, finally giving in.

"Now you're talking to me," she said, pouting.

"Well, yeah. The others are asleep," I replied flatly.

Her expression softened for a moment before she asked, "What are you and Peter up to?"

"Nothing," I said immediately, a little too quickly.

She narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe that. I don't know what you and Peter did, and I don't want to know. I've got a future ahead of me, and I don't want to be dragged into your mess. But let me give you some advice—you're not as smart as you think you are."

I listened carefully to every word, her voice sharp and cutting. Her tone made it clear she wasn't playing around. I smiled faintly in response, thinking, And they call me heartless.

I looked straight into her eyes and said,

"You're right. I'm not smart. But I'm smarter than you. And if I go down, do you really think they won't come for you too?"

Her expression darkened. "Is that a threat?"