The Beacon

I was sick and tired of the third boy l, who kept on asking questions. 

For some reason, neither of us felt the need to know his name. 

"King is right. We must capture him by any means. If not now, we will never be able to accomplish what we want." Adam agreed to my plan. 

Later, I called them both close and whispered something in their ears. Meanwhile, when our turn came, the guards approached and pushed us forward. We were taken to the doctor's place. The three of us were separated, and they made them stand a little away from me. I didn't know where they had taken the king.

Meanwhile, I said, "Sir, sir, I have to go to the toilet. If I'm late, I will probably pee here." Everyone turned toward me as I started acting.

"Shut up and wait for your turn, you moron! We'll pick your eye balls and throw them away in a while," a guard shouted loudly.

"No, no, let the boy relieve himself. Otherwise, there will be unnecessary tension during the operation," the doctor warned the guard.

"Okay, doctor, I'll go with him. You can take care of the other two in the meantime," we heard the boss's son say. 

Even though he was just a small child, the doctor didn't answer him, but it was clear how scared everyone was of him. He pushed me forward and suddenly swung the whip in his hand. I walked slowly, happy in my heart that my plan had worked. I entered the bathroom area, feeling his presence behind me.

"Hurry up, you scumbag! How long do I have to wait for you? Do you have a urinary tract infection?" he shouted loudly.

Suddenly, the sound of a large rod hitting a head echoed through the space, followed by a half-scream. The sound of water running in the bathroom could still be heard.

"You came carefully, didn't you?" I asked the third boy. We were now both laying our hands on the unconscious body of the boss's son.

"I didn't face any trouble. I don't know what kind of tensions Adam, the doctor and the guards are going through," the third boy worried. 

"Let's check on him first. Adam will somehow bring the doctor to our place." Saying this, I took out the knife hidden behind my shirt.

"He's unconscious but not completely dead. You should keep your hand on his mouth and shut it, so that he doesn't make any noise," I said to the third boy.

I felt him silently place his hand over the boss's son's mouth. I touched the sharp tip of the knife, then pressed it against the unconscious boy's eye and suddenly drove it in with a slapping sound. My friend stifled his moan. Holding one eyeball in my hand, I moved towards the other eye.

*****

"You have no other choice, Doctor. You must restore King' s sight with these eyes. Otherwise, your intestines, which are now in my hands, will be torn to pieces," Adam's voice was quiet yet menacing.

I was lying on a cold iron table. The third boy was holding my hand.

"Huff... huff... I don't have enough strength. I've already lost too much blood. I'll need an operation myself soon. I can't help your friend," he said wearily.

"Look, Doctor, you've blinded many children. This operation is not a big deal for you. We may be children, but don't think we can't do anything. If you refuse after seeing these two eyeballs, this will be your last day." Saying that Adam stabbed him harder in the stomach.

The doctor writhed in pain. We were now in a new place I had discovered. The boss, knowing we didn't have much time, would search and catch us if we are late. My anxiety was growing by the moment.

The place was freezing. When I arrived, the cold, milky stone floor sent chills through my feet. It was far from the room where the equipment and weapons were stored. We had to be somewhere beyond the boss's and the guards' earshot, where they couldn't hear the doctor's agonized cries.

Unable to bear the pain, the doctor finally said, "Even if I perform this operation on your friend, the other two are blind. Therefore, you cannot escape from this indestructible building. Leave me alone," he begged the king.

"Operate first, Doctor, or we'll kill you and run away, even if you don't help my friend," Adam stabbed him hard one last time.

With no other option, the doctor took my eyeballs and injected them into my eye sockets using the surgical syringe from his pocket. I lost consciousness within moments.

I don't know how long I was out, but when I regained consciousness, I saw a forty-year-old man, completely covered in blood, untying the bandages from my eyes.

I didn't understand what was happening at first. Then I recognized the boy standing next to me with a knife, it was Adam. The third boy sat at the end of the table. For the first time, I could see Adam, who had helped me. But unfortunately, he could not see me.

I took the knife from Adam's hand and stabbed the doctor twice. When I heard someone approaching, I grabbed the other two and ran away from there.

***** 

"Where is that idiot doctor? The three children took him with them. If he's gone, none of you will see the next morning. Do you realize how careless you all are? Your limbs should be removed along with them today," the boss said sternly to his men.

"Don't be angry, boss. How far can that blind son of a guns run? No matter how long they run, they'll come back to us like flies to honey," Johnny said, trying to appease him.

Just then, a man came running in anger. "Boss! Boss! The boy is missing! I just came from the newly arrived group," he reported hastily.

"Do you want to see my face again? If they reach the helicopter, we'll lose our money. Go quickly and find the boy!"

The man's news caused an uproar. Suddenly, all the whip-wielding men became alert, splitting into groups and running off with their weapons. Johnny and the boss took special care in the search.

*****

I took both of them and ran. Seeing the world for the first time, I felt like I had just been born. Have I seen the world before? I didn't know. I had no idea where I was running or what I was doing. Two people who couldn't walk without my guidance were with me. Even though I was their Beacon, running with them filled me with unease.

"Where are we going?" asked the third boy. 

I didn't have an answer for his question. 

"How long do we have to keep running like this?" asked the third boy again, exhausted. 

Adam continued running alongside us, saying nothing. As we reached the familiar field where we used to go every day, we heard the sound of a machine whirring above our heads. I knew it had to be the boss and his men arriving.

"If we can reach the machine, we might have a way to escape," I said without slowing down.

They remained silent. The commotion behind us was growing louder. Amid the noise, I could still hear my own words faintly. For the first time, I sensed that both of them were beginning to distrust me.