Chapter 9 Everyone Has Motives (2/2)
The days passed like that. I couldn't regain my strength due to small amounts of food I was getting. The doctor that came once in a while just checked my condition and left without saying anything. Sometimes he would just apply some medicine on my hand again, then bandage it back and leave.
Two weeks passed like this. I didn't talk with anyone. Don't get me wrong, at the beginning I asked some questions and tried to talk but they all ignored me and only said what they wanted to say. So I gave up talking to them, I was less and less fond of these people. It was like a silent torture. After those two weeks I was indifferent to their behaviour. I stopped caring and decided to focus on my goals and my life.
After another two weeks, a month passed since I arrived in this village. I could now move my arm but there was still some discomfort in it. I guessed that it might had not full healed yet but it was at least not crippled.
On the day my arm healed to this stage, the doctor came again this time removing all the bandages and sticks while asking me ”How does it feel?”. I simply ignored him and moved my arm around. He got up and left but that was just the beginning.
After the old doctor left someone else came in. It was the old man who dragged me through the forest and threw me around with my broken arm like I was a rag doll. He looked at me and said ”Now that you are better, you will work for us to pay your debt of us helping you with your injuries as well as the debt of us feeding you”.
I knew they had some kind of motives, so they wanted me to work for them like a slave. I said to the old man ”What if I refuse?” to that the old man raised his brows and said ”We can just disable you and throw you back to the forest. Your choice”
I asked another question ”What if I try to run?” to that question the old man just sneered and said ”You can try”. He then added ”You will work for one year here, do whatever we tell you to do. Then you will be free to leave”
I thought to myself 'They may already have some kind of measures against me if I were to run away or if I disagreed they could just force me to work or kill me'. Then I remembered that my current goals were to gain knowledge, supplies and strength. All of that could be accomplished in this village. If I need to spend one year here, why not make it worth my while and train, get knowledge and try to accumulate some kind of supplies.
I said to the old man ”Alright, I agree” to which he just smiled and left. I stayed in the bed for next couple of days to fully heal my arm and after that talk with the old man I got a bit bigger portions of food. Not a lot bigger but still. This would improve my hunger situation.
On the 6th day after the bandages from my arm were removed, the old man came again. This time He was holding some kind of paper. He threw the paper at me and said ”Read it through. Those are the rules you will abide by and the tasks you will carry out.” I looked at the list and my brows furrowed.