My chapters have been a little on the short side, so, I decided to make this one a little longer.
WARNING: there's some violence in a segment that is completely italicized. No guts, no gore—just blood.
Please review! :)
Chapter 4
Her foot cracks against the door and her hands wrap around the bars of the window. Khan watches dispassionately as she struggles. After she wears herself out, he'll have her released and then monitor her relations with the other slaves. Should she prove to be too dangerous, he will have her put back in the stall, no food or water.
The only problem with this is that she doesn't 'wear out'. Instead she continues to fight and struggle well into the night. Well, he had to give it her, too. She certainly had spirit.
"Done yet?" He says tiredly as he stands in the barns entrance. A firm kick makes the door rattle. This was NOT going as planned. Ugh, the entire process won't be this tedious, will it?
…
By noon of the next day, she is leaning wearily against the wall of her make shift cell.
"Are you ready to be civilized now?" Khan purrs but, much to his chagrin, she refuses to grace him with a response. Instead, she turns her head away from him and glares at the wall. "Really?" He glowers, "Stooping to childish games? Be more original."
She sticks her tongue out at him and narrows her eyes.
"You can come out now." He eases the door open and she watched him with suspicious eyes. "Misbehave and you will be back in time out."
With that he turns on his heel and leaves. It would be better for her to wander around and get her own bearings. This way, he could watch her at a distance, hidden from sight, and step in to intervene if needed.
But she behaves herself. She looks at the other slaves and awknowledges them warily but doesn't engage. She drifts down near the crops and then runs the length of the fence, checking for weak spots, but she quickly begins to wobble weakly to the side from exhaustion. The side effects of the drugs must not have worn off yet.
Oh, well.
…
"What's your name?" A strange woman approaches and I jump back in surprise. Who was she? Where am I? Where is my sister? My God! Is she here too? Did that monster have her locked up somewhere? Where was she? WHERE WAS SHE?
I run back to the barn and wildly search then stalls. Then back outside.
The fields! Was she hidden among the crops? No.
What about the chicken coop? No. The pig pen? No.
The goat pasture? NO! Again, NO! Where was she?! I had to find her! If he hurt her, I'll kill him! I'll kill them all! How dare they take me here? What did I even do wrong anyway? Steal food to survive? Did that really warrant kidnapping? Really?!
I need to get out of here! I need to find Adva!
"It's alright. Calm down, little one."
Calm down? Are you kidding? Do you know what's happening? I'm not like you! I AM NOT A SLAVE! I AM NOT CATTLE!
I try to run past her to continue my search but she steps in front of me with her arms up as though afraid I may attack her. My frenzied mind races wildly and again I try to rush around her, but she stops me.
"Calm. It is alright. You're safe now."
Safe? In a place built on the blood of those deemed inferior? Safe? On a harm with crops fertilized with our bones? No one is safe here, least of all the one you call 'master', lady!
"Look at me." Her shaking finger taps my chin and I spare her a glance. "Don't make me beat you, young 'un! I may be old but I'll am just as strong as I once was!" I freeze and look her in the eye. "Good, now, dial it back a notch, okay?"
She pats my shoulder and smiles. Inwardly, I try not to cringe away from her—I had never been one for physical contact.
"So, your name?" She asks and I shrug. "Ah, not much of a talker, huh? Well, that's alright. Let's get you some food, huh? And some water? Does that sound good?"
I sigh and nod.
Sure, why not? What do I have to lose? I'll stick around for a little while and then hit the ground running. I'll get my strength back and go home.
"Good," she grabs me lightly by the arm and leads me away. "Careful now. Watch your step."
I spend the rest of the day shadowing her. We pick fruit from the orchards and fill up huge buckets with warped apples and then move on to pick misshapen strawberries and then slop the starving, diseased animals. This was not impressive.
"And here we are. This is where I leave you." She walks away and leaves me at a large white bricked building filled down both sides with bunk beds.
Black mold covers the walls and the thin blankets covering the beds are little more than rags. The roof is filled with large, gaping holes and the floor is comprised of loose, sandy dirt. Fleas jump from bed to bed and a snake twists itself onto a bed frame.
Wonderful. This is where you people sleep? Jeez. I had better accomadations when I was homeless.
…
"Come on, freak!" A fists connects solidly with my jaw sending my stumbling backwards. Blood oozes down my chin and I touch my split lip. He'll pay for this!
I move in quick and box him hard around the ears. Before he had time to properly react, I kick him savagely in the groin and then lunge for his throat. He falls backwards and I fall with him. My hands tighten cruelly, stealing his oxygen. He sputters and struggles in vain to escape but I won't allow him the privilege. Blood boiling, I let go with on hand and twist it into a fist. My hand smacks over and over again into his rapidly turning blue face.
And then someone is smashing into my back, throwing me to the side and breaking my hold. Within seconds, I'm beating back my new assailant into submission and then turning to meet enemy number three. Two and one gasp for air and within minutes, three is down as well.
"Who's next?" I growl but I don't stay long enough to find out. It was time to leave. They would be coming soon.
They always come.
…
"So," the woman finds me the next morning by the orchards. "How was your first day in hell?"
I smirk. This is hell? That's a laugh! Lady, you need to get out more.
"What?" She nudges me lightly in the side. "You think me funny, eh?" I hide a grin. "Ah, a smile! Finally! It's been such a long time since I've seen the likes of one of those. My name is Rose." I shake her withered hand even through the contact makes my skin crawl.
…
From a distance, Khan watches as his new toy breaks away from the older lady and again runs along the fence. His security officers watch her warily but make no move to touch her as her Khan's strict instructions.
He blinks in surprise when she vanishes and looks around. Where did she go? Did she escape? Finally! It certainly took her long enough! He jumps to his feet and races to the spot where she disappeared—a loose plank.
Scrappy little imp.
"Get back here!" He shouts and his voice booms deafeningly. She turns to look back at him and runs faster. He smiles wildly in triumph. And the chase is on!
And then he's running. The wind weaves its thin fingers through his thick black hair as his feet pound firmly into the dirt. Dust flies behind him but no matter how fast or far he runs, he doesn't catch up. She was faster than she looked. She rushes into the forest.
And smarter too, it would seem.
He speeds up and then she's only three feet away, then two. Quickly, he jumps through the air and tackles her to the ground. He rolls off of her to avoid breaking any bones and then grabs her by the back of the neck. She growls and twists, nearly breaking free, but he tightens his grip just in time.
"Perhaps, next time." He smirks as he drags her back and she kicked him savagely in the leg.
"You are to be my new maid." He says after dragging her inside his huge home. "Tomorrow you are to shadow a servant which I will have sent down to your room. You will do everything he/she tells you and do it perfectly. After tomorrow, you alone will be responsible for the work."
She glares at him.
"Oh, come now." He purrs in amusement. "Soon, we'll be the best of friends."
Okay, tonight starts Yom Kippur so, I won't be able to start writing again until tomorrow. Have a good week :)