The Curse of the Versati

Chapter 8

A couple of his surprised followers rushed to separate them but more figures charged at them from everywhere, throwing them down, punching and kicking them. More and more kids joined the fray outnumbering the bullies and knocking them out. Soon it was complete mayhem.

When all the bullies were either pinned down or ran away, Leo ordered everyone to stop. The remaining bullies quickly escaped while dragging the ones that were beaten up the most. The rest of the children followed Leo and walked towards the boy who was staring in shock. Around 12 smiling children now stood around him. Even though they hadn't received the food yet, they were pleased with themselves to get some payback.

"See? The team is ready and has already been tested" Leo said merrily and the boy immediately pulled him closer.

"The problem was the food, not the recruitment, there are too many of them too soon!" He whispered urgently.

"Don't worry, I have it covered" Leo raise his hand and waved towards Mika who was approaching with her arms full of food packs and the bulky kid escorting her. Soon they had delivered all the packs to the kids who then started devouring them.

"How many days do you need to catch up ?" Mika asked.

"At least two days, worse case, four"

"We can cover the supplies until then. A day longer and the dial is off" Mika declared.

*

The following day the guards brought a barrel of water inside the fenced area. The free water was a major event since the thirst had become even worse than the hunger.

As soon as the guards left, the Bullies immediately surrounded the barrel in an attempt to monopolize it. Many of the exhausted kids glared at them but noone dared to stop them. The boy shook his head at his new group as they turned to him ready to start another fight.

"Not yet" he said "We'll wait, if noone acts, we will" although his words were right, he didn't feel comfortable starting a brawl. His hand slightly trembled at the thought of violence. 

Everyone remained still until a loud sigh broke the stalemate. The girl with the crest who always came first even amongst the Elites stood up and walked towards the barrel.

The Bullies looked at each other unsure of what to do but the girl kept waking onwards like they were invisible. They quickly got out of her way allowing her to reach the barrel, pick up the ladle and take a few gulps of water. She slowly turned around and stared at the uneasy bullies.

"Piss off"

Her tone made the blood freeze in their veins and they immediately ran away. After she left, a couple of Keepers were always by the barrel but didn't interfere with anyone using it.

There was something hidden behind the way the Keepers obeyed the Elites since they acted more like their personal bodyguards than friends, but the boy had no way of finding out the reason. His new team was in a much better condition now after filling their bellies, even with only the hard bread.

During the laps noone dared to mess with their numbers until they reached the Keepers. Following instructions the boy gave beforehand, one of the fastest kids in his new group discreetly approached the Keepers to test their response. He made sure not to provoke them or come into contact with them and kept making fake attempts, sprinting and slowing down in different spots of their formation. As his new companion made these attempts, the boy observed their reaction and the way they cooperated to block. They all made sure to stay away from the bulky kid's group.

There were four leaders including the bulky kid that gave the orders. The cooperation existed mainly within the team; only if someone managed to break through one group, the next one would intervene. This observation made the next plan possible.

On the 6th day the guards announced that those that didn't want to participate could remain within the fence and that everyone was free to practice laps during the day, but with no reward.

Lately the boy had the feeling that he hadn't really reached his full physical potential, so he took this chance to push himself further without having to worry about any attacks during his laps. It was also his way of checking if the plan was feasible and for that he had to figure out his maximum speed.

During the runs he met a few other kids but he couldn't find anyone from his village. Having nothing to do after the runs made the day longer and his mind kept wandering so he made sure to go for a run every time he felt anxious.

*

The moon was high in the sky when the boy heard steps approaching and soon enough Leo laid down next to him. They stared at the stars for a while.

"Do you think we will ever get back to our families?" the boy broke the silence.

"I don't have much to return to" Leo answered "My crew was way more fun anyway so I wasn't home much"

"A crew?"

"Mika and a few other friends. We used to 'find' stuff and trade them for food or trinkets. We were pretty infamous you know. I can probably still run through the city and reach the slums with my eyes closed. Those times are the only thing I will miss"

"Running?" the boy chuckled despite his melancholy.

"Evading the guards and listening to stories from travellers, you smartass"

"What kind of stories?"

"There are a lot of people travelling around the world having awesome adventures. Once I even met someone who lived in the Abyss for a few days"

"What's that?"

"Don't know, it sounded pretty scary though. Apparently, you have to fight monsters and most people die. But you can get super rich there"

"I'll pass"

"Yeah, me too. Where would you go then?"

"Back to my village"