Seven (Completed)

CHAPTER 18 ~ Patrick

CHAPTER 18

Patrick

The travellers woke up to a completely different setting. Trees were surrounding them, the smell of burning wood was intense and the vertigo slowly faded from their heads. Most of them opened their eyes at the same time only to realize they were handcuffed and tied around each other. They all tried to move like one big, wounded animal but they soon gave up on their efforts of setting themselves free.

Sonia would not stop crying as if her body had been possessed by a weeping spirit.  Carlos was in deep pain and it took a couple of minutes for Anne to convince him not to struggle. Pierre was awfully quiet, as usual, but inside his mind countless voices were screaming. Felicity was quiet too and the emptiness of her eyes made Sonia cry even louder for no apparent reason. Lucas was thinking, asking questions to himself and hoping he would get an answer.

 'I reckon it's the right time for some good, old slavery songs,' Carlos said just to lighten the mood, in a playful, childish immaturity that made Felicity cringe.

'How can you be joking at this time?' she asked in annoyance and her cold gaze pierced right through him.

'I'd rather die laughing, you see,' he answered but his words did not come out as harmless as he thought they would. Sonia held her breath.

'Slavery songs?' Anne asked to keep the conversation going now that the guards were not in close proximity to the pack.

'Yeah, you know. The ones with hidden meanings, symbolisms about freedom, escaping or even returning home,' Carlos explained himself.

'My favorite song is a slavery song. Well, sort of,' Sonia rushed to say just to get her mind busy. She always loved giving answers even if it meant they had to be followed by sniffling of her nose in an attempt of hers to sound confident.

'Oh, holy cow! You're right! You're brilliant, you!' Lucas suddenly yelled.

'Holy cow? Lucas, I understand that people turn to religion in times of trouble but isn't it a bit late for that? Besides, I'm sure you could come up with something better than a common cow to rely on and-' she rumbled to stop the hot tears from streaming down her cheeks but Lucas interrupted her fast monologue.

'No! You don't get it! The song, Sonia! Your father's song!' he shouted back in an overwhelming excitement as if the meaning of his words was obvious and crystal clear to all of them.

'The song...' Sonia repeated his words. She started quickly singing the song inside her, repeating the lyrics in a paranoid loop without the rhythm, just plain words.  'Lucas, yes! The song! Why did it take us so long? It's a map! It's an actual map with directions and-and everything! It is a proper slavery song!'

Lucas smiled at her and his eyes were overflowing with mixed emotions of agony and thrill. The blue inside them resembled a big ocean whose waters were wild and ready to swallow everything in their path.

'The wind is blowing your hair in your eyes

You're a child dreaming of paradise

Your mother is calling

But the leaves are falling too soon

 This time of the year

I wish you were here' Sonia sung with a quiet voice, trying to decode the seemingly simple lyrics.

'Right,' Lucas said. 'This could easily be your father calling you to join him. Did he never mention where he was going?'

Sonia shook her head and continued singing, her voice steady and clear.