The monotonous clicking of the rail car wheels as they passed over the tracks helped the prisoners keep note of the time. It was all one could really do under the circumstances.
There were more than fifty people inside, packed like a can of sardines. One couldn't move without touching someone else, and it was impossible to lay flat or stretch any part of your body but your arms.
The people had had no relief from this moving prison for five days. There had been a bucket of water and some food when they had been first put aboard, but it had long since been used by the starving, frightened children.
The close confines had also proved to be another problem. There was no source of ventilation, and as a result, the smell of sweaty, dirty bodies was almost too nauseating to stomach. They had lost a few people since the journey had started, and would no doubt loose more before they arrived at their destination. There was no way to get rid of the bodies, and disease quickly spread. Some thought that the dead were the lucky ones.
Ciel sat in a far corner of the car, his arms wrapped around his knees. He stared straight ahead as though he saw nothing. The others around him who had at first thought he was just frightened, now thought he was insane. He had refused food and water, completely closing himself off from the rest of the world.
But he was very much aware of what was going on. He heard the low whimpers of agony as mothers had to quiet their children because there was no food to give them. He listened to the dying breath of the sick as they finally let go of life. He saw tragedy going on around him, but he shut off his emotions, letting himself fall into a quiet state of apathy.
The train cars moved on. Each hour was as all the others that preceded it. The same rhythmic sway of the cars, the same clicking of the wheels against the track, the same sound of the hollow wind as it beat against the side of the wooden walls. People became tired as the heat and lack of water started to get to them. They sat around listlessly, their eyes glazed over with a forced acceptance of their fate.
A child cried softly near the back. For the first time since he had been put into the freight car, Ciel turned his head to watch.
"M-mommy..I'm..thristy.." The small voice belonged to a little girl. Her face was dirty and streaked from her tears.
The mother looked down at her daughter, her eyes filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry darling.."
The little girl whimpered. "Are...we gonna die mommy?"
Her mother pulled her into her lap and began smoothing out her hair. "Don't worry dear, the lord will watch over us."
Ciel looked away. He didn't like to hear those words. It was surprising she could still hold onto that after all that had happened to her. He was sure she would let go of that foolish faith once she realized what was in store for them at the end of the track.
Another day went by. There was no reason to expect it to be different than the rest were, though they longed to be at their destination, if only it meant release from the crowded car. Ciel was spending his time staring up at the ceiling, humming an old song to himself quietly.
The people in the car felt a violent jerk, followed by the sound of squealing as metal ground against metal. The train came to a halting stop. People were thrown over one another and confusion spread out among them. A few even tried to stand up, though they had no way to see what was happening.
Ciel stayed seated, though he had turned his eyes to the large sliding door. He felt all the same emotions as everyone else, only he knew it was foolish to get excited over this. They would only be sent to a worse place.
It seemed like hours to the people stuck in the car, the only sound they could hear was the screaming of others and the shouts of the soldiers. Finally the sounds grew closer, and the bolts on the door were removed. The wood panels slid open, revealing armed guards.
One desperate man who had been sitting in the far back stood up as soon as the light filtered into the car. With a gasping cry, he jumped out, right toward the armed men. The men outside opened fire, shooting him along with several others who had been innocently sitting in the front row.
Shrieks and screams came from the women as they pushed their children down to escape the weapons fire. Ciel had ducked along with the rest, his heart pounding. He closed his eyes until it was over, waiting for his turn as one by one the survivors were forced out of the freight car.
"Get up boy."
Ciel looked up into the eyes of a cruel looking man in uniform. A gun was pointed to his head. Slowly, with eyes focused on the man's face, Ciel stood. He did what the man told him, and jumped down out of the car. Another guard grabbed him and pulled him to where a large group of men were standing near a truck. They were forced inside and handcuffed to a rail above their heads.
The second stage of their journey began.
The ride in the truck was over unpaved terrain, and as such, it was much more bumpy than the train. The metal of the handcuffs cut into Ciel's flesh as he was tossed around with every ditch they crossed. Blood trickled slowly down his arms, but he refused to make a sound, even as some of the men around him groaned in pain. He took a deep breath and started humming the same song as before, though he did it quietly so that the guards would not hear him.
No one spoke, but Ciel doubted they would have had the guards allowed. They were exhausted men, hungry and stripped of their pride. They wouldn't be fighting. Ciel couldn't help but harbor a slight feeling of disgust for them. They were broken so easily. He wouldn't allow that to happen to himself. His father had always told him someone might be able to force you to obey, but they could never change what you believed and they could never break your pride unless you allowed it. The day he had watched his aunt being dragged away, he had determined to never allow his oppressors that satisfaction.
The journey wasn't quite so long as it was on the train, and in a few hours they were stopping. The back doors of the truck were opened and the men forced to get out. Ciel barely glanced at his bloody wrists as he was unchained, choosing to walk out of the truck with his head held up, though he was in as much pain as the rest.
His focused is eyes instead on the red brick buildings as he waited with the rest for the gates to be opened. He wondered where he'd be taken next. Obviously this place was meant to keep people in, for the fences were all high and covered in barbed wire. Even the buildings looked like they were made to keep people trapped inside their stone walls.
He was herded inside the gates along with the other men and taken to a building near where they had entered. One by one they were forced into a small room where they would be made to undress and allow a doctor to examine them.
Ciel looked around as he waited. The first thing that caught his eye as he entered the building was the lack of furnishings of any kind. It gave off a harsh, cold feeling, and Ciel couldn't help but shiver though it was warm where he was standing. Of course he knew he should have expected this. They wouldn't bother making this place comfortable. It was supposed to be a living death. The place had only what was absolutely needed to keep the prisoners alive.
A slow, steady melody started to play, and Ciel turned around, noticing for the first time that there was an orchestra in the back of the room. The song they were playing was almost cheerful, like something one might have heard at a party just a few years before. The chilling sound sent a new wave of shivers down the boy's spine. It was so out of place, almost as if the Germans were mocking them with it. Ciel stared at the musicians in hatred, but was surprised at what he saw on their faces. They too looked like prisoners. He saw an unspeakable pain in their eyes. He looked away as the line moved forward, trying to block the sound from his mind.
He had noticed something else as he waited for his turn. As men came out of the room where they were examined, they were either escorted to the right of the building or to the left. An elderly man who was ahead of him was sent to the left, along with several others including a small boy only a few years younger than Ciel. He wondered about the separation of prisoners, but couldn't think of an explanation for it. All he did know was that whatever it was, it most likely wasn't good.
The man who was in front of him was taken to the right, and Ciel walked into the small room. It looked just like a medical office he had been to once when he had been ill. He took a deep breath and looked over at the man who was sitting in a chair behind a desk.
The man was slim and rather tall, with white hair despite him looking to be in his late twenties to early thirties at most. He looked up as Ciel stopped in front of him, his dark eyes going over the boy. He couldn't help but notice Ciel's wrists where the skin had been rubbed off, but unlike most doctors, the sight of the blood did nothing to make him more compassionate.
Ciel was a small boy for his age, he had always known that. Rather than play with the other children on his street, he had been content to help his father with his work indoors. As a result he had a delicate look about him; a soft, pale complexion indicative someone not used to working.
The doctor tapped his pen on the desk impatiently. "Undress."
Ciel took another deep breath and hesitated, but knew he had no choice but to comply. He reached up and started to undo the buttons of his dirty white shirt. He didn't like the way this man was looking at him, his eyes staring through him as if he were an object rather than a living human being.
He let his shirt drop to the floor with a gentle rustle, and began removing his shorts. Silence settled over the room as he undressed, the only sound coming from his clothing as he dropped them. The doctor didn't talk at all, and for the moment seemed to be ignoring him in favor of a stack of papers that were on his desk.
Once he was finished, he raised his head to stare at the man behind the desk. It was uncomfortable, but he forced himself to stand straight and not to look away. The doctor looked up at him finally, though he only glanced over him. He picked up a piece of paper and started to write something on it.
The door in the back of the room opened without warning, and both Ciel and the doctor turned their heads to look. A man walked through the doorway, and the doctor immediately stood up.
Ciel looked up at the man who had entered. He was tall, almost taller than the doctor, but it wasn't just that fact that drew the boy's attention. Though not overly muscular, the man held a aura of power that seemed to capture the attention of those around him. He had medium length hair that was the color of a ravens feathers, and Ciel was surprised to see that he looked to be about as young as the doctor. The man was dressed in a uniform, as were the rest of the guards, but his was slightly different, and though Ciel didn't know, he had a feeling he was in the presence of someone important.
"Did you want something sir?" The doctor asked, breaking the silence.
The black haired man shook his head. "Not at all Ash, I was simply conducting a little unplanned tour to make sure everything is running smoothly."
His voice was pleasing to listen to, though there was a cold edge to it. He sounded like a man used to giving orders and having them obeyed without question. Ciel made up his mind that this was definitely not a man to be crossed.
The boy stood as quietly as possible, though there was no need since it seemed that both men were ignoring him. Finally the eyes of the raven haired man turned to him. It surprised Ciel to see that this man had eyes that were almost the color of blood, however it somehow did not look out of place on him. It only added to the cruel look he embodied.
The man's eyes traveled over him, but unlike the doctor's unattached gaze, he had a look of distinct interest in his eyes. Ciel shifted uncomfortably under that dark perusal, his cheeks heating up in a light blush as the man stared at him. Somehow in only a moment, this man had made him feel humiliated and embarrassed.
He was thankful when the man finally shifted his gaze back to Ash. "The file on this boy?"
The doctor glanced at Ciel, then turned to retrieve what his superior had asked for. He handed him the folder containing all known facts about Ciel. The dark haired commander read through it quickly, pausing as he read the doctor's report on the boy's health.
He shook his head. "No, he can work. Change this and have him escorted to the right."
Ash stared at him. He looked as if he might be inclined to argue, but then nodded when he noted the look in the other man's eyes. "Yes sir." He took the paper and changed what he had wrote on it, handing it back to the other.
The raven haired man took one last look at Ciel before walking out the other door, no doubt completely confidant that his order would be carried out.
Ciel eyes followed him out, then he glanced up at the man called Ash, waiting for him to tell him what he was supposed to do. He wanted to get dressed and leave as soon as possible, but knew better than to do something that would cause trouble. He didn't want to risk something like that yet, especially not with that black haired man still so close by. Ciel didn't want to admit it, but that man both frightened and intrigued him.
Ash finished his writing and looked up at Ciel. "What are you still doing here? Get dressed and get out."
Ciel needed no further urging. He quickly did as he was bid and walked out. A guard met him on the other side of the door and took him to the right side of the room where he was led through another doorway. A group of men he had seen earlier were already there.
Ciel glanced around, wanting to have a good idea of the floor plan of the building before he was taken to a barrack room or cell. The room looked like a locker where clothing was kept. There were hooks against the walls that Ciel guessed were for the purpose of hanging the clothing of the prisoners. He supposed this meant he'd be forced to undress again.
One of the guards stepped forward. "Please remove your clothing and hang them on the hooks provided. When you are finished, step into the showers to your left."
The men all did as they were told. What other choice did they have with the guards always pointing guns at them? Ciel felt even more uncomfortable as he was supposed to undress in the presence of at least twenty others not including the guards. However, he found it less troubling than when the black haired man had walked into the medical examination room. He could still feel that mans eyes on him.
The warm water of the showers felt refreshing and Ciel couldn't help but close his eyes and imagine he was still at home with his mother and father. It was the nicest thing he had experienced since he had been here, and he savored ever second. But as expected, all good things were limited, and the water shut off in a few minutes.
He walked back into the locker room where he found his clothing had been replaced with a gray jumpsuit that had a yellow triangle on the front. He didn't bother to look at it in detail, but hurried to put it on, feeling better when he was fully clothed again. He waited in silence as the others got dressed, then followed the guards to where ever they were to be taken next.
I just realized Ciel hasn't said a word these two chapters...
Ciel: Yeah..come on. I can talk you know...