Love and War

19: Jonah

*TW: abuse/violence.

Jonah's POV:
"Here you go. Your home for the next couple of years." The soldier said dumping Landon and I in individual cells.

"Years? I thought this was temporary."

He nodded and locked our cell doors. "Eventually you will get assigned a job."

Landon slid down the wall and sat down on the ground leaning the side of his head on the metal bars. I did the same in the cell across from him. He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands.

"Was this a mistake?"

I thought about it for a second.

"No."

"Why?" He asked turning his silver eyes on me.

"Because if we hadn't come Anastasia would've been all alone," I said.

"She already is. We don't even know where she is."

I looked around at the empty and dirty cells around us.

I'd be here for a couple more years unless I died from disease or something, these cells weren't made for living.

The scent of death even lingered here. The only source of light in this place was from a small window so high up we'd never reach it. But once night falls we probably wouldn't even be able to see our own feet in the darkness.

It shook me to my core and I prayed for the first time in my life that Anastasia would find a way to save herself and that princess because that'll be the only way my father would be able to win this wretched war.

But a selfish part of me hoped that they'd also save Landon and me.

***
My jaw pulsed and I felt like it was inflating. I stood up on wobbly feet and turned to see a soldier holding back a laugh. Fucking bitch.

"Let us go right now!" I demanded.

"Like that'll do anything," Landon mumbled. "Just stop Jonah." He said weakly.

The soldier rolled his eyes only making me angrier. "Do you want me to punch the other side of your face so you're even now? Maybe that'll teach you a lesson." He said unlocking the door.

I cursed at myself for angering him because despite me fighting him he still managed to beat me up. I shook on the floor as he kicked me over and over yelling about how we should stay quiet next time. I was too weak to answer but I could hear Landon yelling desperately for him to stop.

Since they barely feed us we have no more strength. I couldn't fight back.

Eventually, he stopped but the pain didn't.

It remained all over my body.

My head was bleeding I could tell because when I touched my forehead I felt something wet. My ribs hurt enough that I could barely sit up. I lay there motionless and it felt like I was falling into a dark hole of pain and loneliness.

I sighed and my breathing was ragged, weak.

Landon looked at me from the cell in front of me. "Jonah! Don't fall asleep!" He said.

I nodded weakly and winced at the pain the movement caused. Nobody's coming to save us, nobody's coming to save us, nobody-

Now I really will catch an infection if nobody comes to clean it.

They won't send anyone.

For the first time in my life, I wasn't relieved.

I wasn't happy. I was scared to die. I didn't want to. There were finally things worth fighting for and someone worth fighting for.

"How do you think Anastasia is doing?" Landon asked me. I didn't have the power to say anything back. I mumbled something incoherently but not even I understood what I wanted to say.

He sighed and laid his head back on the wall behind him. "She's strong. She will be okay."

I held on until my whole body went limp and felt numb.

She's okay, she's okay, she's okay.

***