House of Bull

“Did you teach him to talk!” Jim shouted at Smitty.

Duncan went past Arius trying to stop Jim’s stick from hurting Smitty.  Jim’s stick was raising to beat on him now.  “Or you!” Jim swung but his arm stopped with a smacking noise... Arius’ hand had a hold of his stick.

Arius’ hand squeezed around the stick.  He stared down at Jim.  “My FATHER taught me to talk!”

Jim tried to pull it away from him, but Arius was stronger.

“I am strong,” Arius grabbed Jim by his collar, “Like my FATHER!”

Jim fought him.  He hit Arius with his fists, he kicked.  Arius took the blows.  He took a fist of Jim’s shirt and slammed him against the dirt bank.

“Holy shit!” Duncan pulled James back from the fighting.

“Hit him!” Smitty shouted spitting blood.  “Hit him.”

Arius only looked for the moment it took to see Smitty was making a fist.  Arius’ hand curled into a fist.

“Hit him!” Smitty hit the mud dam.  “Break every bone in the bastard’s face!”

Arius looked at Jim, his fist squeezed hard, and he hit him.  He hit Jim so hard, his body jerked.  He hit him again and again.  Jim and he rolled over the dirt bank and into icy cold water.  Arius got a hold of Jim’s throat and rolled over on top of him.  He hit him over and over.  He hit him hard enough that Jim would disappear under the water.  The water would turn red.  Arius would pull him back up and hit him again...

Duncan was hanging off his arm.  “Stop...Stop...stop.”

Smitty was trying to get him to look at him.  “That’s enough,” blood splattered from Smitty’s mouth as he spoke.  “Arius- he’s dead.  Arius,” Smitty eased Arius’ hand from Jim’s throat.  “He’s done.”

“Oh, God,” Duncan waded to the dam and looked out over it.

“Anyone coming?” Smitty demanded.

“No, but they will,” Duncan said looking back at them.  “What will they do?  We’ve killed someone.”

“Run,” Smitty said.

“They have,” Duncan said seeing that there were only a few slaves standing near them now.  The others had run away.  “Where would they run?”

“We gotta run.  They’ll kill us all.  They’ll gather up, and kill us all.”

Duncan looked at Arius, “Are you hurt?  Can you run?”

Arius could not get enough air.  He looked at his body, looked for wounds.  “I spoke.  They will cut out my tongue.”

“They’ll do more than that,” Smitty said.  “Arius, they will kill us.  We killed a human.