Scar-eye was a nickname given to Hazel because of the scar on her face running across her right eye. The scar was three vertical lines that started from just above her eyebrow, all the way to her cheek. Most of the prisoners didn't even know her name because she was addressed as scar-eye by everyone.
"We don't have to wait till later, do we, Gale?" Hazel asked, the playful smirk never leaving her face.
She was more than certain that Gale was there to pick a fight or kill her, and she didn't want to wait for her to attack when they both knew their roles. As for the other bulky woman standing by the bed on the left side of the wall, she didn't look as fierce as Gale but it was obvious that she had the same purpose. Through the years, Hazel had learned that coincidences never happened in this prison, and if she found herself sharing a cell with one of the craziest prisoners, it was planned.
"Why the hurry? I'm sure you'll need some energy since you haven't eaten?" Gale responded, her voice laced with amusement.
The other two women remained quiet as Hazel and Gale exchange words, until Hazel decided she needed to make the first move. She was more of a direct person so she didn't quite enjoy sneaky attacks, which seemed to be what Gale was going for.
Reaching for the dagger perfectly hidden under her blouse, Hazel withdrew it swiftly and swung it in front of her face. Gale also withdrew her weapon from who-knows-where and the smiles on their faces grew wider as they shifted to a fighting stance.
Despite the self-confidence oozing from her, exhaustion and hunger clawed at Hazel's insides, but fighting battles was what she had been doing her entire life and when an enemy showed up, it didn't matter whether you have the strength or not. You have to fight.
"You know you'll eventually die, right?" Gale asked as they circled each other, each waiting for the other one to strike first. "You have no allies, and you seem to be making the wrong friends every damn time," she added.
Hazel's face hardened instantly at the reminder of her lost allies. She had managed to make some friends after three long years of suffering alone, but they were both dead. A fight had broken out in the hall and one of them was stabbed to death while the other one was confined underground and tortured to death.
None of the prison guards ever gave feedback regarding those that didn't come back from the dungeons, but it was an unspoken understanding among the prisoners and it didn't need to spelled out loud.
Her anger now brewing in waves behind her bright amber eyes, Hazel charged forward, her dagger aiming for Gale's neck but the latter sidestepped, taking the opportunity to swing her blade at Hazel's back. But Hazel had intended for that to happen because she dropped on the floor and swept her feet. Gale fell forward with a thud and a painful groan as her face hit the hard earth.
The next minute Hazel was above her, raining punches that nearly blinded her vision. She had almost forgotten about the other woman until she felt a blinding pain at the back of her head, followed by the wetness of blood gushing out of the wound.
Hazel's vision became blurry and her fingers loosened around the dagger, then she stumbled to her feet, hands on her neck to try and stop the bleeding.
As soon as Gale was back on her feet she threw herself at Hazel and they both fell to the ground, positions now reversed.
"Help! Help! Someone's bleeding!" The new inmate screamed frantically as she banged on the metal bars.
Hazel's mind couldn't register anything and the girl's screams sounded distant to her ears. Gale continued raining angry punches making her face numb, but she didn't have the strength to fight back. Her hands grabbed onto Gale's blouse shirt weakly, her head throbbing with pain as she struggled to see through the haze of blood.
"Help! Help!" The girl continued screaming, tears now streaming down her face. None of the prisoners reacted to it. They were immune to this kind of things because it was a day-to-day occurrence. But the bulky woman was starting to get annoyed and she grabbed a bedsheet from one of the beds, using it to strangle the girl from the back.
"No! Help!" The girl continued screaming as she flailed her hands in the air.
"Shut up!" Gale yelled back as she got off Hazel, wiping her sweaty face with the back of her bloody hands.
Despite the lack of response from the other prisoners, the guards seemed to have heard the commotion as two guards came running, together with the one who had brought Hazel from the dungeon.
"Fuck," one of the guards cursed loudly as her eyes scanned the messy scene.
"Get the warden! Quick!" Another guard screamed orders as she rushed to Hazel's side, who lay in a pool of blood.
Gale and her partner stood by the side, unafraid by the daunting female guards while the young girl sobbed quietly in a corner.
The guard tore a piece of cloth from Hazel's blouse and pressed it on the wound, trying to control the bleeding while lightly tapping Hazel's face to wake her up.
Soon the warden arrived, a grimly expression on his face and his eyebrows deeply furrowed. A muscle in his jaw feathered as he eyed the scene, then heaved a heavy sigh and stepped away from the entrance.
"Get her to the infirmary," he commanded in a low, authoritative voice, his hands planted on his hips.
The three guards carried an unconscious Hazel out, hurrying to the infirmary that was farther away from the cells.
The place turned quiet again, this time from the formidable presence of the warden, and also the outcome of the events. Usually, the guards didn't care if a fight broke out and the prisoners killed each other or if someone 'died' in their sleep. But Hazel had been getting a lot of attention lately which piqued the curiosity of the other prisoners.
The warden stood on the same spot for a while, still staring at the pool of blood. He had a serious expression on his face which made Gale and her partner become apprehensive. They were confused and also terrified. If Hazel had the warden on her side, then they were as good as dead because everyone knew that the warden was the devil himself. He was not the type to yell or hit metal bars to scare the prisoners, but once you've had a one-on-one with the warden, you've had a taste of hell.
Fists now clenched in fear, Gale watched as the warden turned his attention to them and her breath caught in her throat when she saw the coldness in his dark green eyes.
His eyes narrowed dangerously at her and she almost started trembling on the spot. Then without a word, the warden turned around and walked out of the cell, his boots barely making a sound on the cemented floor.
At the infirmary, the prison physician had already stopped the bleeding and was now stitching the wound while Hazel floated in and out of consciousness.
The female guards had already left, leaving behind the woman who had walked Hazel back to the cells.
"Melissa," the physician called and Melissa turned to her.
"Hmm?"
"Is she someone special? Why's the warden suddenly concerned? She has been in here more times than I could remember," the young woman called Katherine probed carefully.
Melissa's response was a careless shrug, indicating she had no clue. "And how could I possibly know that? You should ask the warden yourself."
Before Katherine could retort, the door to the infirmary burst open and the warden walked in leisurely.
"How is she?" He asked, the coldness in his baritone voice sending a shiver down Katherine's spine.
She gulped down her nervousness and her eyes darted back to Hazel. "Alive."
"Good. She doesn't need to stay here, does she?"
Katherine's lips parted then closed, her eyes darting back to Hazel once again. "Not really. But she could stay here for the night before she regains her strength."
The warden's eyes deepened as if deep in thought, his arms folded across his chest, then he dropped them to his sides and pocketed his hands. "Alright. I'll see her in the morning then." And with that, he sauntered out of the room in long, powerful strides.
Melissa and Katherine waited until he was farther away to breathe out loud, both of them sighing in relief. The warden could suck out all the air in the room with just his presence.
The daze was broken when they heard Hazel stirring awake and they both turned, but instead of waking up, her body started thrashing wildly while her eyes rolled back.
"What is happening?" Melissa asked, her eyes wide with panic.
"She's convulsing," Katherine revealed in an equally panicky voice.