First broken rule.
Drapetomania – an overwhelming urge to run away.
It was a sound first like how you heard when a microphone is being connected, a disturb of sounds and murmurs before her presence shakes my soul in the flesh.
”Eric, please take a tight grip on the closest person from your right and…drag them into the forest right now. Find the old tree and let the tree kill you and the person you took there too.”
A moment of muteness stood over us and I could see how they both seemed so scared but… when I understood what they were saying I wanted to die too. It was a gesture that put me in the corner, they recovered from that delusional behavior but they heard the order…they started to cry as they do what she told them to do.
-Nooo!!!!! help me! no! let go of me! ERIC!!
Her screams echoed in my ears as I almost jump from my seat trying to stop him, to awake his body he can no longer control.
-I am so sorry sister… I can’t control my body, his shaken reply was burning my throat with how useless I was feeling. Hot tears run on their red faces as the girl tries his best to stop his big heavy footsteps which headed outside.
-PLEASE! HELP US!!
They both screamed their lungs out between hard sobbing and uncontrolled breath. My body reacts instantly. I and Mark struggle to stop Eric walking but it seems hopeless, we couldn’t hurt him to make it stop either. But giving up wasn’t an option, we need to try harder.
-Come on!! fucking stop, dammit! come the frustrated voice of my friend now trying to pull out the girl from his hold, but it was so damn hard, it was glued to her brother’s hand.
-Please…I don’t want to die, help me…her hope in her voice faded as I find myself close to get insane from the anger which ached my body.
-Fuck!! I yelled in impediment. Come on try harder! Mark! find something heavy we need to make Ivy more difficult to be moved, hurry!!
My heart was racing at full speed, I see how Mark almost fall on the ground because he was trying so bad to be fast. I try to concentrate my full force on making Eric go slower but I felt how tiredness overcomes my body egotistically. Whispering to give up, to let go.
-Eric, come on man you need to try to stop yourself, please!! you need to try with us!
-I CAN’T! CAN’T YOU SEE!…her reply becomes muffled by the scream he let out in deep agony. I am trying but I can’t control my body, please…cut my arm, you can stop me if you cut both of them. Please…I don’t want to hurt my sister…DO IT!
My body almost stops for a second as I comprehend what he was asking…there’s no way I could do that. His words hit me hard, like a wave of rocks…I want to help him… but not in that way. I can’t cut someone’s arms.
-MARK HURRY!! I screamed for him turning my back to see him some steps behind with objects, rocks, and ripped curtains from windows.
We never moved so fast before, in seconds Ivy was tied up with objects around her body, on legs, arms, and waist. Rocks increase her weight making Eric’s steps slow down and I could see the smiles on their faces.
-IT’S WORKING! the happiness from my voice shattered the tension from earlier. All of us started to get rid of its pressure until…Eric started running out of nowhere.
-NO!!STOP! SLOW DOWN! Mark’s yell made me desperate.
We started running like never before, getting out and stepping on the grass in seconds. The girl’s screams didn’t stop, I could see her from a short distance struggling, how she got down on her knees and how the sharp spinning ground under scratched her skin.
I never felt so angry on myself, I was almost close enough when…they stopped.
Who knew the oldest tree was so close? we didn’t run for long, but it was already too late.. a wasted effort.
-NOOO!!! LET ME GO PLEASE!
Ivy sounds of needing help will stay forever in my ears, I try to grab her free hand which was struggling to reach mine, I took it, but…only for a blink of the eye because the old tree already got them being the most disturbing thing I’ve seen.
I turn my head to face Mark and realize in tremendous fear that we are out of the line of the garden…We broke one rule.