CHAPTER 03

From the day I was brought to the place I don't know where I was locked like a dog in a small cage if I didn't follow the order. Every time that happens I'll cry calling my brother, and my parents the whole night.

Sometimes they don't feed me and if I keep crying they beat me until I lose consciousness. It was so painful. They always used a stick and sometimes a belt. My body is now covered with bruises and cuts and some of the children also beat me because they said I'm so noisy.

I'm not the only one inside the room, there were 15 of us inside. And every time someone sends food, all the other kids are fighting with each other to get that food. At first, I didn't join them. I just sat at the corner crying, not minding if I'm going to starve later. I'm scared of them. They were punching, kicking, and sometimes using the wooden chair to hit each other, and some of them ended up bleeding. I'm so scared that I choose to starve rather than be hit by a chair. I'm sure Dad and Andrew will come to rescue me and we'll avenge Mom when we grow big. These people are the ones who kill Mom. They are bad people and Dad will catch them all and lock them in prison.

But days turn to weeks, and weeks turn to months but they don't come. As time passed, I started to lose hope that my brother and father would come to my rescue. I started to think that I am all alone now, with no parents, no brother, I'm alone inside the four corners of the room, that I saw as hell. And I started to believe that my brother left me behind to save himself.

At the age of five, I started to fight for food. I need to live, and I can only do that if I'm strong. I fought back against whoever beat me even though I ended up beaten in the end, because I am younger than them but I didn't cry. I accepted it all because I know one day I will become strong, and all of them will pay.

When I was six the man who brought me to this place, let me out of the room for the first time, and I saw where we were. We are on an Island surrounded by a body of water and I couldn't escape even if I wanted to.

"Starting today you'll join training with the other kids." I balled my fist beside me. I wanted to kill him but I know I'm too small for him but someday I'll promise I will do it.

You call me Boss Teodor like the other kids did. You do what my men ask you to do, and if you fail there's a punishment waiting at the end of the day. Understand?" I nodded because I didn't want to talk to him.

"Leo, take him to the training ground. I want you to personally train him. This one has a lot of potential."

"Yes, Boss. Come, kid." The man called Leo brought me to an open field and I saw other kids were there as well. They were doing some exercise, and those who were a bit older were doing boxing and martial arts like Dad showed us when he was at home. He told us we need to learn it when we get older for self-defense.

Men are everywhere watching all the kids' movements, maybe they are afraid we will run away. As if we can with the body of water surrounding us.

"Okay, since this is your first time joining the other kids. You just do some warm-up today. You run two laps around the field and then come back to me after. Now go." Leo told me, and I followed without arguing with him.

"I need to be strong and to do that I should avoid the bad side of these men to stay alive. I'm weak right now but when I become stronger and older I'll kill them one by one.

I was out of breath after the two laps and I collapsed in front of Leo but he pulled me up.

"Weakness is not accepted here. Stand up." He commanded and I stood up with wobbly legs. My lungs are burning and my eyes are brimmed with tears but I held it not to roll down my cheek.

"Do twenty squats." I bit my lips but I followed him. A sob left my lips and a single tear rolled down my cheek when he spank me with a paddle on my thigh. It hurt and I'm sure it will bruise later.

"Do it properly." He commanded. "Count, if you fail to count you will start all over again. I don't want to cry but it was hard to hold my tears.

"Stop crying. You are alone now. You need to be strong because in this place no one will protect you but yourself. Now start again and count."

"One, two, three, four, five..and when I reached twenty I fell on the ground drenched with sweat, silently crying. "I'm alone."

"You have fifteen minutes rest, after that, you do a push-up." I stay on the ground and silently cry waiting for him to tell me times up.

"Stand up, and do thirty push-ups." I obliged even though I couldn't do it properly.

"Count!"

"One, two, three, four...I fell to the ground when I reached fifteen but a paddle hit my leg. I sobbed but pulled myself up and continued even though my lungs were burning, I fell again when I reached twenty-five, and another hit on my legs. I sobbed and forced myself to continue and I instantly dropped to the ground when I finished the thirty push up.

"Go wash yourself and change. Eat your food and rest. Tomorrow you'll do all these again. I sobbed and dragged my beaten and tired body inside the room and took some clothes to change and went inside the bathroom and took a bath.

"Brother, why did you do this to me?" Why did you leave me?" I sobbed while sitting in the shower.

"You're over with the allocated time for the shower." One of the kids shouted outside the door. I quickly scrambled to my feet and hurried to dry myself and put on my clothes.

When I stepped out of the bathroom my vision became blurry when a slap landed on my face and I fell to the ground. When I looked up, I saw Leo standing there glaring at me.

"Tomorrow you cannot use the shower. Now stand up and get your food if you don't want to starve." He said and walked away. I took a deep breath and dried my tears and walked to the dining area. The food hasn't come yet but all the kids are ready to get food whatever it takes.

"I stood not far away from them, my legs hurt as well as my face but I endured it. I need to live.

"The five men came carrying bags of food. They could distribute it equally to us but they like us beating each other for food and they enjoy watching while laughing at the side.

I edge closer when they lay all the food on the mat in the middle of the room. There are fries, fried chicken, and bread. They always give us nice food but we need to fight to the death to have it.

They stood up after they spread the food on the mat on the floor, grinning.

"Go!!! They said. I jumped on the kid in front of me and snatch a pocket of fries and chicken but someone snatches it into my hand, I get some bread pushed the kid beside me, and took a chicken and fries again hugging it in my chest. Shouldering those kids blocking my way. I made it out of the group and I smiled and settled in the corner and ate my food but a kid snatched my bread. I looked at him and when I saw that he got nothing with his eyes brimming with tears and his lips bleeding I feel pity for him.

"We can share my food." I offer him. He quickly sat beside me and his tears rolled down his face. "My name is Matthew."

"I'm Xander, I'm five."

"I am five too."

"I already got my food but those kids took it." I look at the three kids in the corner devouring their food. They got a lot compared to others and they are older than we are.

"They are bullies. Starting today we are buddies." He smiled and nodded his head and offered his hand to me. I smiled for the first time since I came here then shook his hand.