The Cuckoo's Cage

Chapter Thirty

Anna looked at their bleak surroundings; it was another world. Each new part of the camp that she saw was worse than the last. The women imprisoned here were huddled in a crowd in front of her, staring at her with wide eyes. She had never seen people so close to death. Their faces were gaunt, their cheek bones jutting out and their eyes sunken. She felt as if she were under water, everything around her dulled. When Elli tucked her hand in hers, she looked down at her sister. She looked terrified, her cheeks streaming with tears. Despite being in a lot of pain, she scooped her up, holding her like a toddler. She kissed her cheek, whispering to her reassuringly. She strode forward, the woman parting to let her into the crowd.

"Where can we sit down?" Anna asked one of the women, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Why would they let us sit down?" asked a familiar voice. Anna turned around to see Margot pushing her way to the front of the crowd. She was far skinnier than before, her straggly hair drawn off her sunken face.

"Margot?" Anna said in disbelief.

"He finally tired of you then?" she said. Her temper still hadn't quelled. Anna took in a deep breath, so tired from everything that had happened. She needed to sit down; she needed to cuddle Elli and tell her everything would be alright.

"Please, Margot," Anna said desperately, "I need to make sure Elli is all right." Elli's crying was becoming louder, her fear ever more apparent. Anna could feel herself wanting to give way to tears as well, but she didn't want to give Margot the satisfaction.

Margot's expression softened ever so slightly. "There's a few spare spaces in the second hut down on the left," she said, Anna peering down the row.

"And in the ones beyond that?"

"They're empty." Anna nodded, walking passed the other inmates that recoiled from her and straight for the fifth and final two huts. One was half finished, with only outer walls, and the other looked to be complete. "We're still not good enough, then?" called out Margot, Anna ignoring her and darting into the last hut.

The huts were absolutely tiny, much smaller than the one from the sorting area. The hum of the flies filled the tiny space, the roof still leaking a little from the heavy rainfall two nights ago. The bunks in here were more like shelves, an old overflowing bucket of faeces in the far corner of the room. Anna sat Elli down, calming her enough that she could attend to the bucket in the corner. She tried hard not to gag as she ran outside and disposed of it. She ignored the stares from the other inmates. She couldn't concentrate on them now.

She came and sat beside Elli, who was sobbing into her hands. She wound her arms around her, rocking her to help calm her.

"I want Freddie back," she sobbed, Anna still trying hard not to cry.

"I know," she whispered. "I do too."

"Why did he do that to him?" she asked.

"Because Freddie was a good man," she said, her words wavering. "And in this place, good people are the greatest threat of all."

"He said he was scared," Elli murmured, Anna unable to stop herself from crying.

"Yes," was all Anna could manage. She gripped Elli tighter, needing her just as much in return.

"I want to go back to the other camp," sniffed Elli, "with Miriam."

"We can't," said Anna. "I'm sorry, Elli."

"I don't like it here," cried Elli. "This is just like where I was before you saved me." She started crying heavily again, Anna pulling her onto her lap so that she could cradle her. "Everyone gets sick... it's where I got sick..."