|Little Red|
"Announcement time, pay attention." A male guard shouts, jamming his baton against the cold metal bars. The floor has been cleaned, yet my sister's body still rots in the corner. The smell is horrible but I've gotten used to it. It actually smells better than what they call food. Two guards are guarding my cell, for whatever reason.
It's not like I'll run away. I don't have any reason too. The warden will just find me anyways. No one has even gotten away from him.
The speaker in the hall makes a crinkling noise before the warden's horrendous voice blares through.
"Listen up you bloody maggots. In two weeks a full moon will appear, that's when those wolf like bastards are untouchable. So we need to prepare to ambush them the day before. I've decided to trick them into thinking we'll be making peace so they'll let their guard down." Sure, because that's going to work. They're just going to trust the man who drove them into hiding. Yeah, uh-huh. They must be really stupid if they agree. I've never seen one, but Mira had. She said the one she saw was horrifying. So scary that she pissed herself, and the guard that was using her to see the beast- believe me I do not even in how they're using our eyes- ran away in fear. Mira ran too.
The warden had the guard killed, and Mira punished. Like they were to blame.
Some beasts you just don't fuck with. The werewolves are one of them. All the beast shifters are powerful.
They can't be stopped by us. And if they can, then the warden just doesn't know how.
He's getting ahead of himself and it's the most retarded thing I've ever seen.
"This means those freaks shouldn't be touched. We'll be needing them at full strength."
The guards in front of me groan. "Really? I wanted to break in the virgin. What's her name? Lele? Bread?" His friend shoves his shoulders, cackling.
"We can do that after the full moon. Her name is Adele I think. I've had my eye on her. She's self pompous. Refusing to eat unless it has no meat."
"What a bitch."
My mouth twist into a scowl. I'm the bitch? Maybe I should just eat some meat and die. What's the point of living with this curse?
Oh yeah, and my magical eyes.
"She'll be tight. They always are." The one to the right muses.
"Yes, that's the best feeling." He cups his dick, and I flinch. They know I can hear them. My stomach grows with a sinking feeling.
"Also, for the next two days, we're to board the gates. That old woman will be going for her search, and the last time she did that, she took out too many of us. You've been warned. Warden out."
Old woman?
One of guards suddenly straighten up. "Fuck, that old woman is a mood killer."
"What old woman?" His friend asks.
My curiosity is peaked.
"Oh, she's fucking scary. We don't need to use anyone to see her, but she can use magic. Something close to demon magic. She can do many things. The warden said that one of the people he sent, had their soul drained straight through their mouth."
"The fuck? How?"
"I don't know. He doesn't want any of the freaks going next to her. There's a chance she can remove their curse. Which would put us at a loss."
What the fuck did he just say?! There's a chance I can be normal? My heart kcikstarts, feeling revived for the first time in years. There's a way for me to get out of this curse.
"Where does she live? Why don't we blow up that place?"
My heart skips.
"Dead man gulch. You know, the place owned by that monster. The warden is too chicken shit to even breathe next to the path."
"Fuck. And she leaves in there? We're screwed then. But wait, we can still just blow it up. The beast is not immune to bombs."
The guard that said this received a smack to the back of his head. "Are you stupid? The warden tried that once. Do you know what happened? The bomb hit the forest but nothing happened. Then it went flying back with a note in it that said 'if you're coming for the king, you'll need to do better than that'. The whole bomb had a huge claw mark in it. Fuck, that thing is scary. What's even worse is when these girls die, we won't be able to see him."
"Fuck fuck. Why did I take this job again?"
The guard to the left laughs. "sweet pussy that's why."
Then the other laughs too. Like dying by the hands of some beast is worth it because they get to rape girls.
Fucking pigs.
For once they're useful. I know where dead man gulch is. There's a sign. I see it everyday these guards take me out to pick the grown berries. Pick, is the word they used. But it's stealing. Mira told the me the forest holds dark things but I've never seen anything bad. Everytime I'm there I feel a sense of peace.
And now I know there's an old woman there who can give me a second chance at life, I just need to grab it.
Tomorrow is berry day, the second they take me out there, I'm making a dash for it.
Those days the shackles come off, and I'm left with a basket and two people holding a gun towards my head.
They'll shoot me the second I run, but I'd rather take that chance than to wait for my turn to die slowly and horrifically.
This sliver lining of hope is just what I need. My life has had no meaning. No importance since the day it was taken from me. I crave freedom like I crave the fresh air.
"Lights out in forty minutes." The guards yell, and I nod. "Smell cherry blossom, soon you'll be able to put that pussy of yours to good use."
My head is down, facing the floor because I don't want to look at them at all. Something hard whooshes through the air and smacks me dead in the skul. I whimper from the searing pain.
"Next time I say something, you better reply."
My head hurts too much for me to even pay attention to his words. I can't even form a response. The baton is made of fucking metal, what was he thinking? He could have cracked my bloody skull.
"Did she not hear me?"
"Cool it. If anything happens to one of the last five the warden will bury you alive."
"Fine, but I will take my sweet time making you my bitch. You remind me of Mira, she was a good bitch."
This time I don't flinch, or reel back despite the pounding in my skull. I see pure blood, and anger flows it's way up my spine. Who the fuck gave him the right to say such a thing?
"Oh look, she's upset. You should have seen your sister riding my dick. She was good. Screamed every time out fo pain. I fucking love to see her bleed. Shame that she's dead."
My lips thin out and I reminded myself that I shouldn't do anything drastic. I don't want to give him the satisfaction. So I cleared out my rage, and tried to wait for the pain in my head to go away.
Come tomorrow morning, and I'll put my plan into motion. The guard grumbles what a bitch I am for ignoring him, and his friend laughs.
If I could, I would curse every guard who laid a hand on my family. On my people.
That old woman is my only choice. I have to make it to her. Even if I don't succeed, because the snow is horrible and I don't know the way to her house but I'm willing to try. I'm willing to die in that forest if only it'll mean I don't have to die here.
I couldn't sleep, instead I was thinking of a way to take the baton with me. I moved my feet, the chains cut through the skin around my ankles but I didn't stop. When my feet could touch the weapon, I pulled it towards me, and hid it behind my back.
It's small enough to fit into the basket. I can use that to repay that guard for hitting me. It'll give me a chance to run while they're hurt.
I'm terrified.
I'm hopeful.
I pushed my knees up to my stomach. The torn dress covers my feet as the cold air rushes through the small window facing my cell. I can see the moonless sky. The dark clouds.
Would you believe that I don't even know how this war started? But I do know how the humans got involved. The warden.
I blew out a breath, trying to get my body to just nap for even an hour or two. I could use the sleep if I want to runaway tomorrow.