Green Desert - Chapter 8.1.5 - Fírí

Vata stepped away from me, bumped into the altar. Her face sagged, heavy wrinkles pulling it down. “Please,” she whispered, “I only ever wanted to help. We never wanted to hurt anybody.”

I held the ceremonial knife between us, its bloody tip pointed at the old woman. Sétıpímo’s blood mixed with cow blood. “You sure have a funny way of helping.” I stepped towards her, smiling. “I, however, never said I wanted to help anybody.”

The old woman cowered against the stone altar. “Please. We didn’t rape you.”

I could kill her right there. Stab her in the heart. Or better, slit her throat. And watch her blood flow from her veins all over her fancy yellow blouse. Watch her life fade from her pale, soulless eyes. I stepped forward.

Vata whispered, “Please.” Her body shook with fear.

I grinned. Fear of me. Let’s see how she likes it. I raised the knife.

A man shouted, “Fírí!”

I turned to look. Sévo, gun pointed now at me.

“But they raped me! They tried to rape Zhíno! They slaughtered innocent animals!”

The flannel man trod slowly down the steps, gun steady. “And she will face justice for her evil deeds.” He began across the dirt floor. “But this is not right. You cannot fight evil with evil.” He stopped two meters away, beside a flaming brazier. “A court of law will punish her, not you.” He extended one hand.