Eric floated in the darknest of his mind. His consciousness at peace. Dispite the horrors he had just seen, he felt a strange numbness to it all. His demons are still present, wrapping their grotesque arms around his naked soul. But Eric didn't resist, he accepted them. He accepted them as his punishment, his punishment for not being able to save them. However, despite how horrifying everything was to him, he won't fully give in, because there is something he considers way bigger than himself that he is fighting for. A light, a light that shines brightly in the darkness of his mind, a light that fully exposed his nakedness. Eric steered up at the light, starstrucked. Before he could even realise it, he lifted his arm, trying to grasp the light. But it was far out of his reach. He began to get up and swin towards the sky, trying to seize it. But more and more hands appeared, wrapping around his body. They weren't pulling him back, but instead they were pushing him up along with themselves , but at the same time they were waying him down. The closer he got to the light, the more demons wrapped around his body. And the more he swam, the more his ife began to fade, until he drowned again and again, and each time those demons bring him back up desperately, trying to get him to keep pushing upward, upward to their salvation.
Eric was immediately jolted awake, by the feeling of liquid being poured on his head, and by the sound of pots colliding.
"Wakey, wakey sleepy heads."
Eric looked up and saw Arop smiling, hovering over them with a cup. Right behind him was Nyangdeng, with 2 big pots in her hands.
"You could of just shaken us awake."
Suddenly, Eric lost his balance of his body, and was going to hit the floor before catching himself with his arm.
He looked up behind him and saw Akeer standing and looking at both of them annoyed.
"But where is the fun in that." Arop said, smiling.
Akeer sighed, rubbing her eyes, too tired to argue.
"Are you getting ready?" Akeer asked.
"Yes, we're half way done packing."
"Good. …I'm going to check on my brother." Akeer said, before disappearing into another room.
"So, how was the sleep."
Eric looked up at Arop, extending his hand for him. Eric took it, lifting him up from the floor.
"It was,...ok."
Eric felt refreshed, he felt way better than he did the day before, but as for his dream… it was blank, he knew he had dreamed of something, but he didn't remember what it was. The only thing he remembered was that it was just as surreal as his other dreams, including the one he had during his trip. Eric tried to remember any images from that dream, but everything was just a blur.
"How was yours?" Eric asked.
"The same. It was ok."
"Good morning."
Everybody turned their attention to a boy limping towards them, with the biggest smile on his face.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
"Good morning." They all said, right after each other.
"Your going to need a doctor." Arop said.
"No, i'm fine, it's just a little pulsing pain, that's all."
Arop turned to him and said.
"I could hear you last night."
Slowly bright smile on Thon's face slowly vanished and was replaced by a light one.
"I'm fine Arop."
They both steered at each other for a moment, before Arop nod and walked away, assisting his sister in packing.
"I know it's kinda too late to ask now, but are you ok."
Eric turned to Thon and replied.
"Yes, i'm fine."
Thon smiled at Eric.
"Well, that's good."
Thon paused before asking.
"Eric, could you help me pack the stuff in the other room. It's not a lot. And plus there is a spare shirt in there I could give you."
"Sure." Eric said.
As he followed Thon to the room, Eric eyes couldn't help but stare at the bloody bandage as he staggered walking. Why did he do that, Eric wondered as they reached the room.
"Ok, you pack the stuff over there and I will pack the stuff over here." Thon said.
And as they were packing, Eric glanced over to him, kneeling down packing, one hand covering the wound and the other packing. Eric could notice that he was doing the same thing he does whenever he feels pain, and that's gritting his teeth. Now the question that has been plaguing Eric's mind since the moment he came tumbling through the window, began eating away at Eric, until he finally asked.
"Thon, why did you do that in the store?"
Thon looked over at Eric and said.
"Do what?"
"You know what i'm talking about. You knew that we could've died."
Thon remained silent for a moment, before responding.
"I'm sorry. … I just did it on impulse. If we didn't bring anything back the chances of Atem dying would have only grown so I just, …. risked it. …I'm sorry."
"Here." Eric said, giving Arop the stuff he packed.
"Oh thank you. Could you give it to Arop? And here."
He tossed Eric a black Tshirt.
"Thanks." Eric said putting it on.
As Eric walked out of the room he wondered, where was that sense of duty to heroism when those soldiers were. He gritted his teeth. He couldn't even finish the thought.
Then suddenly he heard a muffled sound at the last room of the hallway. The door was cracked open just enough for Eric to see inside. What he saw was Akeer tending to her brother. She unwrapped the bandages off his face, to reveal a completely different one. Eric stepped back and gulp at the sight. He could feel as his bowels turned and the sudden urge to regurgitate. Atem's face was no longer of the smiling boy Eric remembered him to be, but of bloody disfigured corpse. His face was nearly identical as those corpses being burned by the soldiers.
Before Eric could walk away Atem's eyes suddenly glanced at his direction, and their eyes met. Almost immediately Atem's eyes began to tear up at the sight of Eric's expression, and he began wailing. The sound, instead of sounding like a normal cry of despair, came out as something bone chilling, a sound that Eric considered to be inhuman.
His sister quickly made a attempt to console him, by giving him a gentle, but emotional hug. Then suddenly Akeer and Eric's met. She shot him a nnoyed expression just as Eric backed away. She then came up to the door and slammed it in his face, leaving Eric standing there with a sense of shame and stupidity.
"What was that." Arop asked, rushing over.
It took a few glances between the door and Eric for him to understand what happened.
"Oh. I forgot to tell you. She said nobody should look or go in the room without her permission. My bad." Arop said, apologetically.
Eric looked at him, and sighed.
"Eric do you remember what the President said?" Arop asked.
Eric nodded, recalling the presidents speech to the town last night.
"4pm." Eric said, realising why Arop wanted him to remember.
"Yes. At 4pm today the entire town is going to rally at the city square to find out whether or not they will be going to war."
Eric was hit with a realization that today may dictate what happens to Africa in the next 10 years, it may even mark something unchangeable in the future, something that nobody can ever change.
Arop studied Eric's face in confusion.
"Aren't you glad. Today you can finally find your father and leave this town."
"I am, but."
"But what. But you can't leave the people here and just run away. Is that what your trying to say." Arop said, finishing his sentence for him.
"... Exactly, I can't.
"Eric, your not a hero. At least not yet. Everybody in this town are destined to go their own path. Whether it's a path of death, misery, or futility is none of your business. … But that won't change your mind from butting in and taking responsibilty, now will it."
Eric remained silent for a few seconds before responding.
"It won't."
Arop smiled, at him and sighed.
"Eric, your afraid aren't you?"
"No, i'm. … Of course i'm afraid. Only a strong person like you won't be.
"You think i'm not afraid?" Arop said, in a slightly surprised way.
"... I do get afraid. But sometimes I'm just so numb to it, to even give a reaction. …I'm not as strong as you think Eric."
He said, his eyes slightly flickering with emotion, but it only lasted for a second before it crystalised into his weary eyes.
Eric was about to refute, to what seemed to him as the most blatant lie, before his sister said something.
"Remember what mom said. We have to be back at the camp by today."
Arop turned around to her and sighed.
"Nyangdeng, we aren't returning."
"What. What do you mean, if we don't go back today, they are going to leave us."
"We aren't going." Arop said, his eyes cold.
Nyangdeng ignored Arop and began to gather her things.
"I'm going to tell mom, and have nucle John come get you." She said, trying to get past him, but Arop wouldn't let her.
"Stop being so difficult. … Listen there has been some change in plans, we will meet them somewhere later."
"Where?" She asked.
"I'm going to find out today."
They stared at each other intently. Suddenly, Nyangdeng dropped her things and sat in the corner curled into a ball.
Arop let out a sigh.
"Nyangdeng, do you wanna play red light green. … just like we use to." Arop asked, in a friendly soft tone, completely different from his tone before.
She looked at him for a moment and nodded, getting back on her feet.
"Eric, you wanna play with us."
"Sure."
"And i'll just watch." Thon said, strolling in limping.
And so for the next few hours, for what seemed like their final hours until the end of their worlds, they played, and told fun memorable stories to each other. Eric even told a few stories about the maids back home and some embarrassing stories from his school life, so embarrassing that it made everyone of them laugh, including Nyangdeng. Eric was under the impression that she hated him, so he was shocked to see her giggling at his stories. He felt as though he may have slightly changed her opinion on him, maybe just by a little bit.
Then as the ours went by the sun began to set, casting a orange light that was filtered through the curtains. Their faces was bathed by the light, making them feel a sense of warmth as they all layed and the floor, their heads right beside each other, forming a circle. Then a thought popped into Eric's mind. Today this nightmare will finally end. A smalled cracked on his face. Then he suddenly heard the cracking of a door. His eyes automatically glanced towards the noise, and he saw Akeer standing their, looking exhausted with blood stains on her shirt and skirt. His eyes widened when he looked upon her, her face as beautiful as ever was also bathed with the evening sunlight. But what really caught Eric's eye was not her beauty, but her eyes. Translucent in the fading sunlight.
Then suddenly, she glanced down at Eric, and with her exhausted expression still on her face, she said.
"Don't do that again." She said.
"Aaah. Sorry." Eric's said, blushing while simultaneously feeling embarrassed.
She then went over to her already packed stuff and put it on her shoulders. Then she turned around, looking at everyone, and asked.
"Is everybody ready."
Before any of them could even respond a loud, blurring noise suddenly erupted throughout the town. Causing Eric's heart to skip a beat and flinch.
It was time. The clocked ticked 4,oclock.
One by one they got up and gathered their things, ready to go outside without being in constant danger.
"Akeer, you need to stay here with Atem."
"Why?" She asked.
"He will only slow you down, and I seriously doubt the hospital and the pharmacy is even open."
She began contemplating, but before she could reach her conclusion Thon reached it before her.
"It's better if I stay. …I'm not going to get very far with my leg so I might as well stay here." Thon said.
"Thank you."
As they were on their way to exit the building they considered to be their safe haven, Akeer turned around to Thon and said.
"Make sure nothing happens to my brother."
He nodded, reassuring her with a smile.
As they exited the building, so did many other people. They all looked around, nervously. The children of the people who were once energetic clung to their parents, too afraid to run around the street. The people all looked over to their neighbors, as if they were trying to find someone they know, until they did. They gathered and hugged each other, tears slid down the women's faces in joy. But their reunion was short lived until the speakers came on.
"Citizens of Bentiu, please proceed to the town's square. Our rally will begin in 10 minutes."
The speakers cut off. The people immediately started to walk down the road in a hurry, hoisting their infants on their shoulders and backs to make movement faster.
"Let's go." Akeer said.
"I know a shortcut. It's right through there." Arop said, pointing towards a alley right across the street.
Why would anybody want to take a shortcut to that rally. There is a really high chance that nothing good will happen there, Eric thought as he followed them through the alleyway and on to a street. Almost immediately Eric could tell something was wrong. The air was infected with the most putrid smell Eric had ever smelled in his entire life. He had never smelled anything like it. Everyone immediately covered their nose, and the deeper they went down the road, the more intense the smell became. Eric suddenly stopped and looked down, feeling a splash of liquid against his ankle. He immediately let out a light scream, alerting the others. When they turned around their expressions immediately morphed into the exact same as Eric's, a expression of fear.
"Arop, that's not blood, … is it." Nyangdeng said. Stepping back, shaking.
Arop did not respond, his focus was entirely on the pool of blood, he only came back to reality once Akeer said.
"Lets keep moving."
The more they walked, the more horrors they witnessed. More and more pools of blood were on the floor and blood stains on shops and building walls.
Eric glanced at Nyangdeng, and noticed she was shaking uncontrollably. She closed her eyes, holding on to her brother hand, trusting him to lead her away from this nightmare safely. Eric as well was beginning to be afraid, his right hand violate twitched, completely unable to control and calm it down. So he put it in his pocket praying that it would calm down. Eric looked over to Akeer and Arop and as usual Arop is as calm as ever, he avoinded the puddles of blood as if it was just rain water and guided his sister away from them, he did it almost as if he was numb to it all. As for Eric, he noticed that her hand was also shaking, but it seems she had more control over it than he did. Her face was tense, showing a hit of fear, but also determination, determination to go through it all. He studied her face, witnessing as sweat dripped down to her chin, and dropped into the pool of blood. Eric watched as the blood rippled, sending waves. Distracted, Eric felt something bumped into him. Looking up, Eric noticed it was Arop staring up at something. What are they looking at Eric wondered. He glanced over to Akeer, her eyes were wide open tears leaking out her eyes profusely as her legs violatently shook. Eric looked past Arop shoulders and immediately the entire world went quiet. Corpse after corpse after corpse littered the streets, corpse were hung everywhere, a top houses, a top building, and a top streets, they were everywhere. Eric noticed blood was still leaking from the corpses, forming a pool of blood. He also noticed a crow a top a house, staring right at him, Eric stared at it back, and for a couple of second, neither one of them wanted to break eye contact, until the crow suddenly looked away and began feasting on a corpse. He watched as it plucked out the corpses eyes, leaving a giant gaping whole that looked to have no end. The closer Eric looked he noticed a gun, still in the hands of the corpse, then Eric realised, he must be a part of the revolution, the war has already begun. Crack.
"Let's turn back." Akeer said, her voice once determined was now weak and broken.
Arop didn't say anything, he tried to guide his sister back, but before he could she asked.
"What's happening." She said, opening her eyes.
Arop tried to stop her, but it was too late. It took a second or two for her to fully process the scene right before her eyes, but when she did her eyes and souled shattered. She stubbled back, gaping for air, before letting out a scream, a scream of suffering, a scream that strangely sounded familar to Eric. She then turned around and ran, Arop tried to grab her, but she slipped out of his reach.
"Nyangdeng, come here." He ordered, his voice carrying a hint of worry.
"I will get her." Akeer said, tears slipping down her cheeks as she ran after her.
Arop turned to Eric with a determined expression, and said.
"Let's keep moving forward."
And that's what they did, they ran past it all, the ran past death's grotesque masterpieces. Eric tried not to look at them, instead he forced his attention on the boy that seemed so strong, running past it all as if it was nothing, as if the carnage was just as unusual as the weather. A memory replayed in Erics mind, I'm not as strong as you think Eric. He could never understand it. How could he when he is witnessing the greatest feats of strength he has ever seen before. A boy, just maybe a couple months or a year his senior, ignoring the most frightening scene around him with such ease, was simply unimaginable to Eric. For a moment he wondered, could he ever hope to be as strong as the boy running in front of him. He wondered this until they reached the town's square. It was filled to the brim with the town's population all waiting nervously for the news that will dictate their very lives.
"Excuse me." Arop said, pushing past people.
Without any resistance they allowed him. It was as if they were too tired and afraid to care, and besides, nobody wants to have front row seats for a news that may devastate their future.
Eric and Arop successfully found a spot where they would see the President of South Sudan deliver the news to his people. Will they be drafted to war or not.
"Please be quiet as our President makes his appearance." A voice on the speaker said.
Immediately everyone was quiet. Eric could feel the tensness in the air.
He looked up, tippiy toeing to get a good view. Then he saw a man, looking to be in his mid thirties, his presents was powerful, the closer he got to the crowd, the more Eric's heart beat with furocity. He got close enough for Eric to get a full view of him. He was tall, Eric estimated his height to be 6,7, or 6,8. His figure was large, not by fat, but by muscle. Eric swore, if he was in front of him, he would look like a twig.
"Good evening my people. I'm sure that you all already know who I am, so let's skip introductions. On May, 23, 2027, I have received reports of a potential uprising. I do not know what their motives were, but that doesn't, because we will crush them nonetheless. Yesterday night we carried out a mass cleaning of the entire town, we checked suspicious buildings, and even ventured underground in the sewers and what we saw was these rats."
The president signaled his men. Then one by one they unlocked a large cage taking a black fabric off, revealing the piles among piles of dead corpses, men, women, children, they all varied.
Crack.
Eric could hear the sobbing of women and children in the huge crowd of people. Then his arm and legs began shaking uncontrollably, tears began filling his eyes. No matter how hard he kept them from flowing, his tears escaped his eyes anyway.
"My people these aren't just rats, they are traitors. My informers have informed me they were planning to destroy this country and take our wealth for themselves, and to do that they have been allying with other countries plotting with our adversaries, plotting to destroy us in a year. Inflation, genocide, famine, they would use everything in their arsenal to destroy us. Be it normal or not. If we had not, wiped these vermin out when we did they would have escaped through various underground networks and terrorize our local towns and cities. They would make life no different from hell for our people, but luckly I was able to stop it in. My people behold, these are the surviving rats of our extermination."
The soldiers brought out the captured rebels and lined them up. The crowd immediately gasped and started whispering among themselves. Eric scanned their faces, all mixed with hopelessness and fear. Suddenly a woman caught Eric's eye. Eric prayed to god that his eyes were deceiving him, but the longer he looked the more he realised they were not. Arop also saw the woman, but his expression did not change, it was still stone light as if at this point nothing could really surprise him. The woman the both boys were staring at was none other than that lady from the rebel camp, Arop's mother.
"My people these are the rats that were going to destroy your livelihood. They were going to take away everything you have ever worked for, for themselves and for our enemies. But we will not let them. We will not let them take away what we have build. My people we are at war. At war with the world, and we can either fight to defend what is our, or die giving everything we have ever built. It's either we fight or die. Our enemies are not mercilful in the slightest, rape, murder, raiding, pillaging, nothing is beneath them. So we must take up arms, and become the soldiers of our country. Death our tade, and murder will become our currency. My people I implore you to answer the call, for the sake of the people you all love, give up your lives and fight for our country. Together we will crush our enemies and bring our dreams into reality."
The crowd erupted in whispers, trying to make a decision. Fight for their country and defend their lives, or be docile and accept the occupation of their enemies.
Eric looked to his left and noticed soldiers standing in unison, holding out guns and uniforms to the crowd. He looked around him and it was the same, soldiers with a smile on their faces offering the promise of power and the ability to change their individual fates. Eric could hear the whispers growing and morphing into the rallying of men all shouting and chearing in support of this upcoming war. They rushed to the soldiers and accepted their new statuses as soldiers, people who have decided to accept the blessing of their leader to carry out their own change. The soldiers smiled and imraced them as their new recruited comrades. Eric watched this, in shock. Where were all the people who were in fear and disgusted with their own leader and nation, where did all that go. Were they so easily persuaded, Eric thought.
"My people, we still have problems that we need to address."
The crowd turned their full attention to him.
"What do we do with these surviving rats. We cannot have them running around our lands and spread their diseases among us, now can we."
"Kill them."
"Let the dogs eat them."
"Torture them."
"Wip them."
"Kill them on public telivision for the world to see."
"Peel their fucking skin off."
The once fairful crowd turned into a large group of howling monsters, all fueled by fear and hatred. Suddenly Eric's vision began to blur, and the crowd around him morphed into reddish blackish demons, like the ones from his dreams, their bodies were covered with the same reddish blackish flame from before. To Eric seemed as though they were in agony, but it also seemed as though they were relieved, relieved to finally been granted a hero that will bring them salvation. Eric returned to reality, and as the crowd raged and through torture method after torture method, he finally had enough.
"What's wrong with you all? Have you all forgotten your humanity?"
The square went silent. They all turned their attentions to a boy looking up at their president with rage in his eyes. Arop tried to silence him, but he would not be silenced.
"How could all of you just abandon your humanity so easily, just because you all have been confronted by a threat. Still, that's no excuse to abandon your humanity over."
The entire square erupted in laughter.
"Shut your mouth little boy. You don't know what your talking about.
"He said we abandoned our humanity. Who's child is this."
They began to laugh louder and louder, mocking him. Arop grabbed and lead him away, trying to get him and Eric away from anymore attention. But Eric escaped his grip.
"Listen mister president and that goes for everyone of you monsters. I don't care what you think of me, mock me all you want, but if your going to kill them,… at least…. Grant them a humain death. …Please." Eric said, geting down on his knees, begging. His head went all the way down to the grond, showing how much he wanted his request to be heard. The crowd began to laugh even louder. They mocked him, calling him all kinds of names, but Eric didn't care, as long as he could save them, that's all that would matter.
The president looked down on him, a smirk appearing on his face. Eric looked up and noticed the President whispering something to one of his soldiers, and a smile appeared on the soldiers face. Was he mocking me too, Eric wondered. But still Eric kept kneeling down, constantly receiving all sort of attacks from the crowd, they insulted him and his entire family, they insulted his intelligence, they called him a dog, they even spat at him and throwed stones and other things at him. But Eric closed his eyes are bare through it all. He looked up once more at the president, he was smiling right at him, then he motioned the crowd over to the captives. They were being reloaded back into their cages. They almost looked relieved, happy that that little boy actually might have saved their lives. As they were all in the President turned to his people, and smiled, and said.
"Behold, this is what we shall do to our enemies."
Eric's heart dropped to his gut.
"No." He screamed, but it had no affect.
The soldiers doused the captives in gasline. They began begging for their lives, they began begging the crowd to save them. But their screams only entice the crowd. No matter the volume, their screams will never reach the humanity of the already turned demons.
Then without a care, a soldier through a lighter at the individual cages, and set the captives ablaze. They screamed, they screamed for any god out their to save them, but none came. The crowd went wild with cheers, and applause. Eric looked at them, in disbelief. What about this is cause for celibration, he wondered. His eyes began leaking. He did not know if it was because of the smoke, or the fact that he is witnessing the most monstrous thing he has ever witnessed in his life. Either way it didn't matter. He had failed again. The president turned toward the groveling crying boy before him. His face lit with a smile. He was about to say something when a loud sound struck the air. The President staggered back, holding his arm. The crowd gasped, their president's arm was bleeding. Almost immediately after, loud explosions rung out through the entire town, followed with gun shots.
"They are here." Eric heard a person yell out.
Almost immediately the entire crowd scattered in a panic. Arop grabbed Eric by the arm and pulled him up to his feet.
"We need to run." He shouted.
He began running, pulling Eric behind him.
Eric was in a trans, his legs felt like they could give out at any moment. But he some how kept his balance.
Arop and Eric ran through the town, hearing gunshots that seemed to be just meters near them. Eric glanced to the sky with his already teary eyes. It was a helicopter, it seemed as though it was moving in slow motion as it hovered over Bentiu, firering round after round of bullet. Eric could see some thing potruding from the helicopter, is that,... a rocket, he thought as the helicopter firerd multiple of them. Sending the sounds of explosions through the air. Suddenly he felt something sting the back of his neck, he looked up and saw that the once beautiful evening sun had long disappeared, along with it's light, replaced by thick dark clouds that completely blocked the sky. Then a down pour of rain fell. Now screaming, gunshots, explosions and rain, the beautiful sound of rain contributed to the perfect music composition of death. The sounds of it could be heard at all corners, constantly tormenting Eric's ears, until he had enough. He stopped and broke Arop's grip on him, and knelt, his spirit defeated.
"Eric we don't have time for this. Get up." Arop shouted, trying to get Eric back on his feet. But Eric refused. He was convinced it was the end form him.
"You can go find the others by yourself. …You were right Arop, no matter what I do I can't outrun my destiny. I just can't, it's impossible. There is no reason for me to live anymore. I have been trying to convince myself that you were wrong and that humans and beasts are not one and the same. But today, I found out you were right, their is no saving them. No matter how hard I try to save someone, destiny always comes along and intervene. You were right about everything Arop."
Arop stood in front of him in silence, as the rain completely soaked both of them.
"What happen to proving me wrong Eric. Last night you told me you were. Where did that fire go?" He asked, but Eric remained silent, looking away.
"Listen to me Eric. Life is predestined, whether we like it or not. We all are going to die one day, whether we like it or not. We don't have a say in the things that happen all around us, hell, we don't even have a say in how we act and react. But for your sake Eric, keep believing in your philosophy. You are not yet strong enough to bare to look upon the world witht he same eyes as I do. So keep on clinging to your innocence, at least just a bit longer. He said, hoisting Eric up.
He thinks i'm weak. And he is right I am. When will I ever be strong. When will I ever not need a person to save me. When will I, he thought to himself. They ran across streets, and in between alleyways, all while hearing the horrifying sound of death at every corner, until it looked like they were close. Then all of a sudden something bumped into them, sending them crashing into a zink fence. Before he could even look up, he saw a shin swinging towards his face. Before he could even react he was sent flying over to Arop. Immediately pain shot through his face, as his trembling hands touched his nose, it revealed blood, dripping down profusely. Arop was yelling something to Eric, probably asking if he was ok, but due to the sounds of the rain, gun fire, the explosions, and his distorted senses, he had trouble hearing anything else other than his own wrestless breathing.
He looked up and saw the soldier approaching them, revealing a long baton in his hands. Eric tried to stand up, but his strength failed him. His limbs trembled, he tried to regain control of them, but to no avail. It almost seemed as if his body was defying him, or rather it seemed as if it was lagging behind Eric's wills, as if because all the emotions he experienced through a short period of time, it was no longer able to function according to the wills of Eric.
"You just had to open your mouth." The man said, approaching them.
Eric's head began to throb, his air drum began to pulse, his eyelids grew heavy, and his vision began to fade into darkness. The last thing he saw was Arop charging at the soldier before his eyelids gave out on him.