The Winglies of Hellena
Chapter Eight: Sensory Deprivation
Disclaimer: You know the Characters from LoD aren't mine, but all the others are. No stealy. .
Six months passed, but there was no improvement in Lloyd's state. He was working in the mines now. The wounds on his back were finally allowed to heal, leaving long white scars crossing over his flesh. Some were old, some were new, but he wasn't the only slave by far to have such marks on his back and torso. His chest wound healed to form a diamond-shaped scar in the middle of his chest. He was horrendously thin, yet toned from the hard work in the mines. His hair had grown out some three inches or so, and his bangs were always falling over his crimson eyes.
He had been correct in what he'd said to Dominic that day in the baths - His pride was simply too great for him to completely submit. And it was because of his pride that led to his constant abuse. Yet he had learned how to cope with the pain. While he was beaten he would draw into himself and isolate his mind from his body, giving him a glazed and distant look. He would no longer feel what was happening to his body, but would watch as if from a distance, waiting for it to end. The more he was beaten, the longer he stayed detached from his body. The way he figured it, it was only a matter of time before he slipped into that sanctuary within him permanently.
Lily learned from Dominic Lloyd's name. His past she had already heard about, as had everyone. She found herself worrying for the Wingly constantly, for there were times when she was tending to his wounds that his eyes would be hollow and blank, lifeless and emotionless, as if his mind were gone. Yet he was not alone in this. Several of the more defiant Winglies had descended into madness. They were kept in separate cells where they could not cause harm to the other slaves. Most of those driven by madness stopped eating and died in the end. She didn't want this to happen to Lloyd.
Lloyd had seen many Winglies come and go. Poor little Neesha had been bought by some pedophile. He didn't know if she was alive or dead. Nakai had taken one too many lashes across the back and attacked the slaver that was whipping him. He was killed in the struggle. Lloyd didn't bother to acquaint himself with any of the other Winglies, for he knew it was only a matter of time before they were taken away or killed, and it would cause more pain than it was worth. The closest person he had to a friend was Lily, but even they were somewhat distant with each other. Lily was reluctant to get to know him because she felt she was too close to him already. Lloyd simply distrusted her because she was a human, and on the opposite side of the bars - one of the enemy.
Prejudice is another quality that emerged within him during his time in the pens. He had never hated humans more than he did now. His old dreams of creating a utopia were gone. Now he only dreamed of freedom, of release from this Hell, and of the deaths of the humans and the Traitor that caused all of this.
The pick axe swung down and slammed into the rock with a sharp cracking sound. Lloyd drew back and hefted up the axe, swinging it down again to the rock wall. More chunks of dirt and rock broke away and fell. As he worked, some Wingly female shoveled the chunks out from beneath him and dumped them into a large cart. Every time the cart was filled, another Wingly would come over and haul it off. It was just the same thing over and over again. The mines weren't very productive. For the amount of labor going into them, they produced very little gold. Yet it was enough to satisfy the Boss. He and the others had gotten quite a lot of money out of it. An agonized scream cut through the air, yet Lloyd didn't even stop. Few did. It was common to hear a slave being hit or whipped or kicked when they slacked off or became too weak.
The scream sounded again, followed by crying - a child's crying. He glanced over slightly to see a slaver beating a young Wingly girl, who was flat out on the ground, too weak to go on. Frustrated, the slaver hefted her up and pinned her against the wall, tearing her ragged clothes from her small lithe body. A few more Winglies, Lloyd included, stopped to stare in horror as the guard proceeded to rape the poor tired child as she wailed for her mother. Slowly, Lloyd's fists clenched around the handle of his pick axe. His eyes narrowed, and he suddenly made up his mind. He had had enough. No more would he stand by and watch little children be raped by the uncaring guards.
He lunged forward and brought up his pick axe, swinging it down to bring it crashing down through the guard's head. The guard dropped dead where he stood and the girl fell to the floor, shrieking in horror and pain as the guard's head spilled blood and chunks of brain out over the ground, frozen with an expression of surprise on what was left of his face. None of the other Winglies were working now. Every one of them stared, aghast, as Lloyd stood with his bloody pickaxe over the body.
He let the axe drop to the ground and bent down to pick up the girl's clothes. He walked over to her and slid them back on over her little body while she sobbed. Blood ran down between the poor girl's legs, and her face and torso was bruised up. He gently wiped the tears from her face as she fell into his arms and cried into his shoulder, whimpering brokenly. He held the little girl close, stroking her hair gently, whispering soothing words to her in the tongue of the Ancient Winglies. Though she understood little of it, it comforted her, and she curled up in Lloyd's arms.
The sound of rushed footsteps drew near. Lloyd might have run, but it wouldn't have made any difference. They'd offer a reward to the other Winglies who would point out the one who killed the guard, and the first rule for the Winglies of Hellena was to look out for yourself first. Lloyd would have been uncovered in no time. The Boss rushed up, followed by Dominic and Lily. All three of them gasped at the bloody body on the ground, and then to the scarred Wingly holding the sniffling girl in his arms. Lloyd's gaze lifted to the three of them defiantly. The challenge was clear: Fight me if you wish, for I will fight back. I've had enough.
Lloyd set down the little girl and picked up the bloody axe, standing slowly to face the three of them. It was Dominic who stepped forward first. "Lloyd, put the axe down," he said in that low voice used when talking to someone not in their right mind. Lloyd simply looked at him, his eyes narrowed. Hate was in his gaze; pure and absolute hate for this Wingly that caused all of this to happen. Dominic pursed his lips and pulled out a small control pad, pointing it at Lloyd and pressing a button. The shackles on his wrists and ankles activated, sending an electric shock through Lloyd's body. His back arched, his head was thrown back, teeth clenched tightly as the electricity coursed through him. Several moments later it stopped, and Lloyd slumped slightly where he stood, gasping for breath.
"Put it down, Lloyd," Dominic growled. "Don't make me do that again."
Maybe he lost his mind. Maybe he had had enough. Or maybe he simply wanted to die. Whatever the case was, Lloyd hefted up the axe and rushed at Dominic, the axe held high to swing it down upon him. Dominic put away the control as he leapt back, stumbling to get away from Lloyd as he ran toward him, swinging the axe down upon him. The emerald- eyed Wingly's hands shot up to grab at the axe and wrench it out of Lloyd's grasp, jabbing the handle into his stomach. The impact knocked Lloyd onto his back end, but he was up in a flash and diving at Dominic's legs, tackling him to the ground.
Before the startled Traitor could react, he was straddling him and slamming his fists down with all his might upon Dominic's face. Again and again, his bunched up fists fell.. The Traitor brought his hands up finally after dropping the axe to grab onto Lloyd's throat, pressing his thumbs into his windpipe. Lloyd squirmed, choking, and tried to free himself from the other Wingly's hands, bringing up his own to pull at the wrists around his throat. Dominic, getting the upper hand, rolled over until he had Lloyd pinned to the ground. Letting go of his throat, he grabbed onto Lloyd's wrists with one hand, pinning them up over his head while his other hand produced a small blade. He lowered it to bring it down upon Lloyd's face, when a small body suddenly impacted with him, knocking him off of Lloyd.
Dominic lifted his head to see the little Wingly girl, who picked up the axe and spread her legs in a fighting stance, her pink eyes narrowed at him. With a furious snarl, he leapt up and formed a telekinetic blast that knocked the girl back with a shriek. She collapsed to the ground, a huge gaping hole in her chest. A growing pool of dark blood formed beneath her. Her eyes, wide with pain, slowly dimmed and glazed over with death.
While Dominic stood, breathing heavily with his anger, Lloyd took the opportunity to draw his wrists over Dominic's head, snapping his wrists taut on both sides of his neck, the chain pressing into his throat. Dominic gasped and grabbed onto the chain, trying to pull it back from his face, but Lloyd would have none of it. He wrenched his wrists back as tightly as he could, determined to kill the Traitor once and for all. Lily could do nothing but watch in horror, but the Boss picked up the discarded axe and sprung into action.
He ran up behind Lloyd and swung the axe, hitting the back of his head hard with the side of the metal pick. Lloyd's body went slack immediately, and he slumped down against Dominic, who squirmed out from beneath him, rubbing his throat and coughing hoarsely. "Take him to the black room and chain him up," the Boss gruffly ordered to Dominic. "No food, no water, no hearing, sight, or smell. Five days." He then discarded the axe and walked away, leaving Lily and Dominic staring after him.
After Dominic's coughing fit mostly passed, he and Lily hefted Lloyd up to drag him out of the mines. A slave was ordered to dispose of the little girl's body. Dominic's lips were pursed, his face bruised, blood running from his nose and mouth as they stepped into the soundproof, dark room. They disconnected the chains on his shackles and pinned his arms outstretched to both sides. Blood stained the back of Lloyd's head, the crimson obscenely beautiful against the silver locks.
He slumped down as much as was allowed of him, still unconscious, yet breathing. Dominic then cast a spell on him, making him temporarily blind and deaf. A clamp over his nose prevented him from smelling anything. He then turned and strode abruptly out of the chamber, heading off down the hall.
Lily looked at Lloyd, wincing. This was the way many of the rebellious slaves went mad. Sensory deprivation for five days would be Hell for him, and she wasn't sure if his already-weakened mental state could handle it. She reached out and touched his cheek softly before turning and walking out of the room, shutting the heavy door behind her.