broken

Tari's hands were tied together above her head, dangling between the thick iron rods that held her captive. Two men stood behind her, both holding a thick cane.

The courthouse was dead silent, everybody stood patiently waiting for when the flogging would start.

Ebiere kept fumbling the thin fabric on her hand. Every curve of her face was etched with worry, giving Tari that pitiful look. She wished she could just walk in and stop all of this, staring at Tari's wound she knew it was going to reopen and the damage would be worse.

Antonia still had that devious grin on, her gaze fixated only on Tari. The thrill, she couldn't wait to see her suffering. For some reason best known to her she hated Tari to the bone.

Antonia's gaze moved from Tari to Barasa, whose eyes were fixed solely on Tari. His calm and cold demeanor, the way he carried himself. She shamelessly bit her bottom lip, just staring at him was enough to turn her on.

Tari glanced up and her gaze locked with Barasa. She felt a cold shiver run down her spine, and for a second or two she questioned if she had made the right decision.

Here she was hanged like a chicken about to be roasted, well she was about to get beaten.

"My dear, you can still change your mind now before the flogging starts. Kneel and apologize it will cause you no harm" The fourth chief said.

"I'd rather die than do that" Tari spat, tone dripping with defiance.

The fourth chief sighed. "Let the punishment begin." The female chief announced.

Tari thought she was prepared, until the first stroke landed harshly on her back.

Her body shivered as sharp discomfort shot through her system, her eyes widened for a millisecond. She wasn't given enough time to process before the next stroke landed painfully on her back.

Her body shook violently again, she gritted her teeth hard till they were almost cracking.

Then the third stroke came, followed by the fourth, then the fifth, the sixth and they kept counting.

Tari's whole body shook, she fumbled with the rope restraining her from fighting back.

She bit her cheeks hard till she tasted blood, refusing to scream or show any weakness.

Ebiere held her breath, she wanted to run there and stop them but her legs felt numb. It was too late there was nothing she could do to stop them.

Antonia was already smiling, showing all of her teeth. The thrill. Watching Tari in distress gave her a sickening joy, a tingling sensation that reached her bones.

The sound of thick cane landing on skin echoed across the court.

Six!

Seven!

Eight!

Nine!

Strokes upon strokes.

Antonia was on cloud nine already, fucking cloud nine. Ebiere held her mouth crying, Tari might be the one receiving the strokes but she was also feeling the hurt.

Seeing Tari suffer it was like seeing her own child go through misery.

It was at the twentieth stroke when Barasa spoke.

"Stop" Barasa ordered. Voice calm yet cold, loud enough to stop the men holding the cane mid air.

Antonia's smile dropped and Ebiere exhaled. The court froze everybody watching in silence as Barasa stood up walking to Tari.

Tari stared up at him, beads of sweat formed on her forehead rolling down her face. Her eyes were watery but she refused to let any tears drop. She didn't know how long she could hold on, but still she wouldn't beg.

The chiefs clenched their fists, wanting to protest but they were never opposed Barasa, never.

To everybody's surprise. Barasa walked to the table where all kinds of canes and whips were laid, he picked the one with thorns and walked to stand behind Tari.

"I will take it from here." Barasa calmly spoke.

Antonia's triumphant smile returned, she almost clapped. Even better this way, let Tari get what she asked for.

Ebiere fell to her knees. The people's faces changed from disgust to pity in a second. The Chiefs stood, none of them could do anything about it.

Tari was done for sure. The question was what did she do to Barasa that provoked him to punish her himself? The Barasa they knew never participated in this minor punishment, if he did it would be a death sentence.

"Frost" The fourth chief called shakily. Barasa didn't acknowledge him, and he fell back on his seat.

"She is Chief Yokeme's daughter" The third chief who was Tari's biggest opponent spoke. Even he feared Barasa's wrath.

Barasa raised the whip, the tension in the room rose as the whip landed on Tari's back. She froze.

Gasps erupted, everybody held their mouths.

For over ten seconds before the second one came, tearing into her skin, her bandage flew open immediately wounds reopened. The whip wrapped round her stomach from her back, tearing into her skin bite by bite.

She opened her mouth to scream, but no words came out. The tears from her eyes fell freely, her body shook. She struggled.

Then the whips kept descending on her non stop.

Whip!

Whip!

Whip!

Whip!

Whip!

It was at that moment, Tari realized she had no idea what physical anguish meant, until now.

Suffering, anger, all of those emotions.

And Tari, she has never ever felt this kind of physical hardship, never in her life was she ever beaten.

She broke and cried, shamelessly. Tears burning her eyes she refused to beg but she didn't stop herself from crying.

Barasa too didn't pity her. He kept landing the strokes on her already bloody peeled back.

Tari cried and screamed until, she lost her voice. Her mouth was wide open, as tears fell freely.

Suffering. For the first time in Tari's life she regretted ever raising her hand on someone.

Tari's knees shook in the next second they gave out, and she was hanging mid air with knees bent and her hands hanging.

Her lids became heavy, already closing on their own. And the last thing she heard before darkness took over was Barasa whispering something into her ear, just seconds before the one hundredth stroke landed on her and she blacked out.