Barbed Lives ☑️

10. You, Who?

I was trying my best to hold my breath and my bleeding knuckles did nothing to help it.

And these damned bricks! They won't break with just one punch! Why would they? They're kept underwater for the sole reason to make it miserable for me!

I have held my breath for past 100 seconds and despite my best efforts, have broken only two bricks. Either I'm going to die with water in my lungs or I'm going to die screwed over for not completing the task. Either way, I'm dead.

I broke the third brick and sighed in relief. Fuck! James, you're still underwater you thick head!

I used all my energy and picked up the two pieces and pushed myself up to the surface.

I just lifted my hands out of the water and presented the two halves to the holy lord of air who took his sweet time to accept my offering.
As soon as I felt the bricks taken off my hand, I turned back and rushed to the bottom of the pool to punch and break the last brick.

Hold on for a few more seconds, James. You're almost done.
I knew that if I put the same energy in my punch as previous seven times, it won't break in one go. So I waited for one second extra, set it an an angle and smacked my knuckles hard over the last brick.

It broke the brick but also my knuckles. The sting was too much!
I could see blood oozing out and disappearing into the water.
As ordered, I picked the last two pieces and surfaced up.

Again I only moved my hands out offering Neil the brick pieces. I was dying to come out and take the breath I was holding for over two minutes all the while giving pain to my knuckles myself.

But that bitch!
He inspected my knuckles and ensured that there's enough blood covering my hands.
'I want to see red hands before your white face.'

He spent good ten seconds in torturing me, but finally took the pieces off.
I would have come out earlier if he didn't give a clear order of 'Don't dare show anything other than your hands till I've taken the last broken brick from you.'

I've never felt this miserable in my life for air. I was hardly a few centimetres from oxygen and I didn't have the permission to just cross that distance and breathe.
Pathetic.

Finally as soon as I felt the bricks off, I swam up and got my face out of the water.
I took huge breaths. It felt like I came back from dead.

I was still in water, breathing, when Neil bent down and sat on his toes.

"How many for each?"
He asked without giving me any time to get back to normal.

"Three punches for first, two for second, two for third and one for fourth, sir."
I said looking down.
He had told me to try my best to break with just one punch and not to be afraid of the pain.

I'm usually not scared of pain, Beta made me go through everything extra.
But this was new - holding my breath and putting in strength. I didn't know how to do it.
I've been taught to control my breaths as per the workout or fight. Never have I held my breath.

"So four extra attempts. I was serious when I said I wanted you to do it in one go. We'll go for it again with eight bricks this time."
Eight!
Is he fucking kidding me!
I barely managed to stay alive this time!

I didn't say anything because there was no point arguing with him once he has passed an order.
"Yes, sir."

"Now get out and start knuckle pushups. I want to see if you are really bleeding."
I sometimes wonder whether he fakes that he's a nice person, or this cruel one. Because he fits in both the roles perfectly.