Chapter 2: Routine
The next morning, Jack had slowly gotten to his feet. His back ached from sleeping on the cold hard floor. His breathing was staggered, He figured he had at least 1 or 2 broken ribs now. And the shackles on his ankles were rubbing against his skin, creating wounds, the same with the cuffs on his wrists. He only slept for a few hours at most, after he had finally gotten remotely comfortable on the floor. He figured he would try for the bunk again that night.
He noticed the inmates were already up, and in a singal file line leading to the door. There were 2 guards posted at the door doing something to the men before they left, Jack couldnt tell what it was though. He shuffled into the line, being the last one of them all.
Once they had gotten to Jack. The guards spit on him, both did, as they attached the chain that connected the other prisoner infront of him, to a metal waist bar on himself. They then pushed him forcefully outside as the line began to move. They moved quickly, so fast to a point where Jack could barely keep up, passed a window. Once Jack reached the window he was given a piece of bread and a tin cup of water.
As he was about to eat the bread, the line started moving again. Jack lost his balance and fell down. The others continued moving, and Jack being chained to the line, He was being dragged steadily through muddy beaten down trail. He managed to drop his bread and water, much to his dismay, and tried to stand up. But the mud being so slippery and they were moving at a relatively quick rate, he was unable to get his footing. They continued to drag him. Muffled groans of frustration could be heard through out the long line of men as they picked up the extra slack that they thought Jack could not handle. They left the perimeter of the building, on this trail and continued down the way. The weather was cold and damp. Jack could feel random sharp rocks pierce him as he was being dragged, making new wounds through his thin prison garment, and face.
After about an hour the line finally stopped. Jack slowly stumbled to his feet, wiping off what ever he could off himself, mostly mud mixed in with some blood. He coughed profusely for a few minutes as the line had stopped. Guards had went down the line of men. They reached Jack, unhooking his chain that linked him to the man infront of him. The guards ushered him violently into another area. This area was just a big empty space with a huge wall around it. It looked like they were building something here.
Jack heard the guards shouting at him in chinese, but he shrugged not knowing what to do. The one guard then proceeded to beat Jack. He kneed him in the stomach, making him drop to his knees instantly grabbing his mid section with his arms. The other guard then joined in by taking out what resembled a night stick and smacked Jack across the face, causing his head to jerk violently to the left. Also causing some whiplash. Jack slowly got to his feet and examined what the others were doing, he then proceeded go and imitate what they were doing. That seemed to be the trick to get the guards off him.
He moved the barrels of bricks for hours. It seemed like endless hours to him, and finally once they shouted something in chinese. He assumed it said stop, or something like that, because the men had stopped working and formed a line again. Jack hobbled his weak worn out self into the line. The men before him seemed in better condition for this, and maybe he would be too after awhile, but for now he felt as though he could not move another inch.
The line started moving, stopping only for the guards to attach the chain from before to each man again. They then shuffled out back on the trail back to the camp. Jack had barely made it a few feet before collapsing, he had given all he could have that day. They dragged him again the rest of the way back to the barracks building. He did even bother to stand up for the guards to unchain him. The guards put their foot on his chest, pressing down, he yelped in pain, they didnt relieve the pressure, no they put more on as they leaned down and unhooked his chain. Jack closed his eyes and let tears of pain fall from his battered face. The guards finally let up leaving him laying there in the middle of the barracks. He didnt bother to stand up, or try to, he knew he couldnt. He instead crawled into the nearest corner slowly, breathing staggered and shallow. He knew he wouldnt last much of this hell. He curled up in the corner then tried to sleep, to let his body heal a little.
The next morning he woke up to the same thing. Though this day he would beable to walk the whole way there without tripping. He worked until he could work no more, then collapsed. They dragged him back to the barracks. He then curled up in his corner again, trying to keep his body going. It begged for more water, and more food, but Jack could relieve this. He heard his stomach growl, and send pains that he needed more food, but he couldnt. He ignored it.
This was his routine, day in and day out he would go to that place, and hull bricks til he could do it no longer. Each day they would always have to drag him back, his body would not permit the walk back, with its injuries.
Each rock he hit caused a new cut, or scratch, often adding to and old scratch. Soon ones on his arms went straight to the bone. The wounds underneath his shackles and cuffs were also raw, and down to the bone. He had also acquired a scratch that stretched from the top of his left eyebrow down to the middle of his cheek. And also a deep cut along his neck, but it was superficial. His body outline went from rather muscular to all skin and bone, looking very malnurished. He had broken at least 2 ribs, and his wrists. They had healed, and broken again many times during the days. His ankles also had broken many times. And from the trouble he would cause occasionally with the guards and other inmates would only cause him more pain, and breaking of bones. He some how managed to keep going though it was on broken limps, or healed improperly limps that would break from time to time.