Breathe

The Breaking: Part 13b

C/W - torture 

They worked their way up to her branding. First, simply putting out cigarettes on her skin. Then, holding burning lighters to her skin. Stabbing her with hot knives to cauterise the wounds. The next day she was taken to a different room and the door was kept open and Logan was kept in his cell. She could still hear the echoing of his shouts. She missed his comforting presence. She barely had time to look around the room as her pants were removed, thrashing as she was strapped onto a table on her side. In this position, they couldn't rape her so she was unsure about what was happening. The floor was spinning. She couldn't move. They didn't blind fold her, the sadistic boss enjoyed seeing the fear and panic in her eyes as she saw what was coming. She started weeping as she saw what was about to come her way.

"No. No, no, no, please! Please don't I've been good please! Asseblief nie!!" She begged. She could hear Logan screaming at the guards, banging on the cell door so loud by the time the echo reached the room it was deafening.

The boss rolled his eyes, "Bring hom hierheen. Hy kan kyk." Bring him here. He can watch.

Somebody left and the banging stopped, Safiya's begging only got louder at the blast of heat that came out of the furnace. Logan appeared in the doorway, his face going white at the sight before him. The furnace, the water, Safiya strapped to the table and the raw, undiluted terror in her face. He managed to wrench free of the guards holding him, attacking the men standing over Safiya. Silent tears were streaming down her face as Logan was subdued.

"Stop! I'll tell you anything!! Please! Please stop!!" He screamed. She couldn't watch as they approached her. Instead, she just looked at Logan and his panicked and sorrow filled face.

"I'm scared," she whispered to him as the tool came down on her hip. His face was the last thing she saw as she screamed and blacked out. Safiya woke up in agony, on the floor of her cell and instantly began sobbing. She could just hear Logan over her sobs and the roaring in her ears.

"I'm so sorry baby. I'm so sorry." He just kept sobbing those three words over and over again. She tried to turn to face him and screamed at the pain. She manage to inch her way around till she faced him. Logan looked into her face and saw nothing but pain and hopelessness. It broke him to see her like this.

She managed to prop herself up after a couple of hours, blowing cool air onto the brand. 'PRSNR'. Prisoner. She would always have this brand. She would always be a prisoner. The thought had her fighting back more tears.

Over the next couple of days she was left alone, using the cool metal bars, the cool stone and even some of her very limited water to try and help her burn. They took Logan out, but judging by the state of his body when he came back, he held true to his word and didn't speak.

Day 3 she woke up to find Logan and the commander in her cell. Logan was crying silently.

"U het 'n keuse om te maak." The commander said. You have a choice to make.

Logan took a deep breath. I've arranged for you to get an ice pack for your burn, changed every two hours and as much water as you want for 24 hours."

"What's the catch?" She asked warily.

"I have to stab you."

"What."

"I have to stab you," Logan repeated. "He doesn't care where, just that I have to stab you somewhere. Your choice if you want to be stabbed and have the ice pack or nothing at all."

Safiya thought for a moment. Evaluating her current pain, how that would progress over the next 24 hours, and how dehydrated she felt.

"That's the only catch? That you have to stab me?"