Chapter 64: The Next Last Steps (Simon)

Nearly every second building in the slums is burnt down, casualties of the chaos that was Max’s coup. If there is something I am grateful for, it is that I can't find any bodies. From the looks of things, most of my people made a break for it and escaped this cursed city. Good, at least they have a chance out there.
‘Ey,’ an old man with half of his right ear missing and wearing orange goggles, walks up to me to shake my hand. ‘I’ve seen you before. Who are you?’
‘Simon,’ I greet him. ‘You?’
The old man smiles. ‘No one important, just some puppeteer.’
He shows me a puppet of a Dog he is working on. It is a black Dog where half of its body is painted grey. It is missing a left hand, while there is a large gash over its right eye. An unfinished project.
‘What are you doing here?’
‘I thought you looked familiar. You’re the representative of the Cinari, yes?’ The old man laughs, ‘I can ask you the same thing. Nearly everyone has gone.’
‘Why stay?’
‘It is my home, it doesn't matter who runs the city. I’ll be damned to let anyone take it from me.’
I smirk. Of course, he is like that. The typical Cinari man, someone who will stubbornly stand their ground and keep it at all costs. I doubt he fought when the Dogs laid siege to the Kingdom, but his spirit is there, and I like that about him. Though again, a lot of men and women are like that, and some are dead thanks to this war.
‘What’s bugging you?’ He nudges my shoulder.
Now that is a good question. What is bugging me? Is it the way Alex handled the coup, or how this war costs our people? What is there to say besides pointing the blame?
‘I’m tired,’ I coldly admit. ‘This conflict is draining. I just want it all to end sooner rather than later.’
‘You can tell me twice! This war hasn’t been easy on anyone, and I doubt things will be the same afterwards.’
‘What makes you say that?’
‘The Dogs. Strong but a clueless bunch. It is obvious that they are having an identity crisis and have no idea what to do when they are free.’
An interesting point. What got him to that conclusion? ‘We have to keep in mind they recently fought their way out of slavery. When you are fighting a war, I think it is difficult to figure out what to do when you don’t have an enemy army to face. But they will figure it out, and they sure can handle themselves.’
‘No, even if you freed them. I struggle to think about how they can handle themselves.’
‘I think they’ll be fine?’
He shakes his head. ‘I disagree. Unlike you and I, we know what is beyond this island. They don’t know about the world beyond. How can they function as a society alone when they have no one to teach them how to diplomatically talk to other nations or species?’
‘I thought you were going to talk about how they can’t build roads or work on farms.’ I comment.
‘They were slaves, Simon. I think they spent most of their lives building roads and working on farms. But still, I am curious about how things will pan out.’
‘You don’t think the Dogs can rule themselves?’
The old man scoffs. ‘It isn’t a matter of can’t or can anymore. With how this war is going, they will have their own voice in the world. They will be heard even if we like it or not. I just wonder where they will set up their own nation or kingdom.’
I agree, it will be interesting to see how the Dogs build their own nation. I doubt they will live here because of all of this tension between our people. Maybe they will leave for the Shatler Islands? No, that is more part of the inland than it is just a small scatter of islands.
We continue to talk with one another about this war and how it will end. It is thrilling to speak to someone I can agree with, but the more we speak to each other, and even after we part ways, the more I realise about the Dog situation. They need help. They are flawed, but they need help more than ever. Even if I wish and know that they will lose this war. A lot of them are still free. I don’t know if they will leave this island and go somewhere else, but I know that the age of slavery is over. The Dogs proved that it is not viable anymore.
‘Something on your mind?’ The old man asks.
‘I don’t know. I agree with you, the Dogs need our help more than ever. But I haven’t got the clue on where to start.’
He rests a hand on my shoulder. His voice is softer, almost angelic. ‘You already know where to start. But if you want a hand, to truly understand what the Dogs need.’ He points in the direction of the red-light district. ‘Remember your people’s pain, understand it. There, you can teach them to understand their own and guide them to a better future.’
Curious, I walk to the red-light district. I want to see if the place still stands. I need to know if my people still suffer. Like the slums, it is abandoned and left to decay. It seems most of the fires during the coup happened here, as the entire place is reduced to rubble. What was once a bustling place of rotten business and depravity is now a husk of what it was. The dead part of the city, and I am happy about it.
I walk inside the ransacked brothel where Max and Skav had kidnapped me. Trash litters the floor as half-melted snow turns the wooden floorboards black with muck. Someone even took the curtains.
‘What a shithole.’ I mumble to myself.
‘Ah, but my shithole.’
My heart skips a beat as Skav and his goons walk into the building from behind. He smiles at me after he signals his men to leave the room so he can privately talk to me.
‘What brought someone like you here? Writing up another report for Alex?’
My back hits the wall as I step away from him. ‘What do you want?’
‘Nothing, I got everything I need.’
‘Then why are you here? Weren’t you one of Max’s supporters?’
Skav chuckles as he waves his finger at me. ‘Supporter? No, we had a mutual agreement at the time. Merely partners and nothing more.’
‘Why didn’t you support her?’ I point to her in the direction of his goons outside. ‘You have the numbers, you have soldiers. Why not participate?’
‘Because I don’t particularly care about her. Her winning or losing doesn’t change anything about my business, nor will anything change if Alex is in charge.’ He lets out a sigh of grief. ‘But this place, I am going to miss it.’
‘Why are you here, then?’
‘Because I am sentimental.’ Skav admits with a wide smile. ‘It made me a lot of money, and I want to say my final goodbyes before I venture off.’
He is going to use the flesh of my people. Scum! ‘Continuing the business? I see there is something about you that doesn’t change.’
‘Sex. Everyone wants the touch of another, and someone is willing to work as an entertainer. Is it wrong to provide a service for the oldest demand in history?’ Skav chuckles as he leans against the wall, pulling out a knife to play with. ‘But I know what you are thinking. Will I use your people? No, business requires that I employ the services of my own kind. Now that Max is gone, and most of the Cinari have left. Makes no sense to rock the boat if Alex is in charge.’
‘Ah, an opportunist.’ I hiss at him, wanting to mock the Dog for what he is.
‘Precisely! It will take time to implement changes, but for now, I might as well enjoy my wealth.’ He walks up to me to tap me on the shoulder, causing me to flinch. ‘Just know our previous interaction was purely business. There are no hard feelings, okay? Good. Next time you come to me, I will give you a discount. It will be on the house.’
He leaves me alone, shaking with that smile. Skav knows what he is doing; he knows what he just did. And like that, he walks away. Unpunished and rewarded. A man who got everything from the suffering of my people. I can speak up, point out his crime, so the world knows.
But I can’t. I know I can’t. As I collapse onto the ground, my back against the wall, my legs give up. I sob. My hands buried into my hands as I muffle my cries. There is an idea that evil should be punished for the crimes they have committed, but the reality shows that even the most heartless of this world can get away with everything and live happily ever after. There is no justice, and yet. Our Gods made him, and they turned a blind eye to all of our cries.