Gulliver's Curse 4

It was at a hallway where Jenan couldn’t see or hear what was happening. It was getting dark and barely any light made it through the windows that opened up in the sides. Clouds covered the moon, making his duties harder than the casual stroll he was used to by now. The night shifts were the most mind-numbing boring tasks that could exist, if he didn’t count the instances when he had to listen to the General’s ramblings. He paced back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth…


Suddenly he stopped. Something had moved by the corner of his eye, he was sure of it. Even in the dark, there was a flicker of movement in the other hall. Putting a hand in the hilt of his sword, the guard approached the intersection. Right before he turned around the corner, Jenan crouched. He could make another figure in the other hall. Silently unsheathing his weapon, he jumped on the other person. A cry of alarm was heard and both went tumbling to the ground.

“Gotcha! Thought you might sneak around, huh?” Victorious, the attacker had the upper hand.

“For goodness’ sake Jenan, it’s me.” At hearing his superior’s voice, Jenan scrambled off, but not without a blush he hoped the other wouldn’t be able to see. “What did you think you were doing?”

“I-uh sorry, sir. I thought I saw something…”

“Get back to your post before I send you to bathroom cleaning duty.”

Shuffling back to his hallway, he composed himself as best as he could. By the General, that was embarrassing. The stillness must have made him see things.

In another room, Sam and Lemual were hidden behind a door, silent spectators of the scene.

“That was close.”

They kept moving, as the girl led the hunter to a special room, the headquarters of the general. Closing the door silently behind her, she turned around to the Winchester.

“We only have a few minutes before he comes back.” Quickly, they began searching for anything that might help the bigger brother. As Sam went through the papers that were stacked in the desk, he noticed how restriction was a common subject. Spells, rituals, jinxes, hex bags… all about how to imprison larger beings, giants. Not for the first time, he wondered how many humans had ended up in the island. It didn’t seem to be the first or the last time. Focusing again in his examination of the documents, nothing led on releasing them. Before he could continue any further, he felt a hand yanking him from behind. Turning around he saw a group of soldiers with the General in the lead. One of them was holding Lemual captive and she was avoiding his gaze.

“I would ask you what you are doing here but sincerely I don’t care.” A couple of guards went behind Sam and grabbed his arms. His struggles were useless, and as outmatched as they were they wouldn’t have helped. Strolling so he was right in front of Sam, the cocky man smirked at his helplessness. “Trying to aid a monstrosity is a federal crime punished by the obedience regime. At this point it is also in vain, for the beast has been executed.” Turning to Lemual, he added. “Take her away too, for she was an accomplice.”

At his words, Sam resumed his struggles. “WHAT DID YOU DO TO DEAN?!” Getting frantic by the minute, he desperately tried to get free. It couldn’t be true; there was absolutely no way that his brother could have been taken out as easily.

“Just ask your dear friend over here.” Smiling at Lemual, he stroked her cheek making her flinch away from his hand. “You did your job very well until now, sweetheart. I thought you had learned of your past mistakes. Guess not.” Walking away, he didn’t bother to turn around to see the devastated look on Sam nor the remorseful girl.  

---

Under the same moon, a different set of eyes opened. They looked at the night sky without comprehending what exactly they were looking at, blinking a few times. They couldn’t see much in the dark, only the stars and the moon. In the distance, crickets could be heard and a cool breeze blew by. It wasn’t the fact that everything was oddly calm and quiet that was surprising, especially after what had occurred just moments ago. What confused Dean the most was how he was still alive.

---

Sam sat still in his cell; in the same spot he had been since they brought him there. Regret, anguish, and a dread that didn’t feel right in his gut were some of the few emotions that ran in his mind. The main one was guilt. He was responsible for whatever horrible death Dean had met. If he hadn’t touched that cursed boat, they wouldn’t have even come to this place. It was his fault his brother had died; his mother, Mallory, had been a victim too for whatever infortune he carried. He briefly wondered if he had been cursed in more ways than he had thought possible.

His cellmate hadn’t said anything to him, sensing his mood. He also didn’t want to speak to her, so it was in mutual silence that they resided in their own cells. It was in this state that they remained for a long time, neither being able to sleep.

“I’m from the same world you’re from.” Getting no response, she continued. “The General and me, we used to live in different parts of a human’s mansion. Even then he was an arrogant bastard.”  

“Golbast was never happy with us living under the floors, on the walls, always hiding. I usually avoided him, for you have seen how he can get. I had never met a more power hungry man in my life, risking discovery for all of us with his greedy findings. One day he came up to me, bragging how he had found a way to make us equal to humans, even superior than them. At first, I thought he was having illusions of grandeur and didn’t take his word seriously. But after he kept on insisting, I gave in just to shut him up. He began some sort of weird ritual, chanting in an unrecognizable language and making strange marks in the floor. I do not know how he got hold of it but next thing I knew, I was in a place where everything was my size. I still remember how I felt like I was human!” Her eyes glistened with nostalgia, turning bitter as she continued her tale.

“He wasn’t satisfied with this. Golbast said he wanted justice, I believe he confused it with vengeance. He did everything to have more power; corrupt as he was it wasn’t long until he was influential enough to make his own laws and get hold of anything he desired. Magic that wasn’t from this world or even from our own was in his grasp by means that not even I comprehend. At that point was when the humans started arriving. I am absolutely sure he brought them here with his sorcery. Acting as our savior, he came to our “rescue” by imprisoning them and killing them as he chose too.”

Soft sobs were suddenly heard. “I didn’t have a choice Sam! You don’t know how it is to be under the absolute control of someone who can do as they wish with you! He could have killed.” Lemual buried her face in her arms as she let her frustration and fear out in the open.

“I know exactly how that feels and there’s always an option.” At this, she lifted her head.

“Sam…”

“Dean didn’t do anything to deserve it.” Anger filled the grieving Winchester. “None of them did.” Turning over, he didn’t say anything else. Taking a clue, Lem didn’t say anything else. She felt guilty for having dragged Sam and his brother in this mess. Not for the first time, she asked herself if everything she had done so far had been worth it for residing in this world.