Through a Wolf's Eyes

From Silence We Meet

    I wish I could say that the first and only time I had ever been beaten to the point of blacking out, but it wasn't. I lost track of time. I don't know how long I was there for. The routine, for a while, was a pattern. Someone would bring me some kind of slop for a meal. When I was retrieved to answer questions, I would try to fight Bradford. After I was knocked out cold, I'd either wake up to Baxter Stockman taking notes on me, someone bringing me food, or Bradford waiting for me to wake up so he could get a reaction out of me.

     One evening, I was brought into the throne room again. Lately, the intensity of the torture had increase. Because part of the deal had been to keep me in one piece, Bradford couldn't kill me. However, he took pleasure in doing as much damage as he could before I blacked out. This go round, he had the audacity to throw me across the room and into the wall.

     I cried out in pain. While in some ways I had adjusted, there was no way to put an end to the amount of bruises and cuts that lined every inch of me. I was pulled up and thrown down some feet away from the throne. I struggle to push myself onto my forearms. My head had been knocked pretty hard and I knew the spikes on the back of his giant hand had hit me. I could feel the trickle of blood somewhere on me. I was too disoriented to really feel where.

     Shredder leaned forward, staring down at me, "You have resisted telling me this long. Tell us where the turtles are."

     "I've resisted for this long," I pushed myself up to my knees, "what makes you think I'll break so easily."

     I remember flying across the room. When I landed, Dogpound pinned me and everything went dark. When I woke up, Baxter was outside of my cell taking notes. I could smell the blood and alcohol. When I moved, I could feel all of my muscles start shouting at me to just lay down, but I had to see the damage done. My eyesight was blurry and touching the side of my face, I could tell it was pretty swollen. My arms were covered in cuts and some were closed with stitches.

     "Subject seems to be doing fine." The scientist clicked his pen as he attached it back to the clipboard, "Tell me, how are you feeling."

     This is where I would have sarcastically said, "I'm doing great, thanks."

     The problem is, no words came out of my mouth.

     I know he saw me try to talk too. He was quick to start taking notes. I sat there, trying to speak, but I couldn't get a word out. Every here and there was a noise or a vowel sound, but I couldn't speak! I started panicking. My breathing picked up and I sat there crying, making noises, but no words.

     I heard Baxter mutter, "Oh no..." He wrote something and ran off.

     I was left in the cell, my chest tightening. I couldn't breathe. My body hurt, my head hurt, my chest hurt. I couldn't breathe! I couldn't breathe! All the while I tried to shout, but all I could do was cry, and whimper and scream. My hands were covering my ears and I was curled into a ball, praying this was all a dream.

     However, once I finally calmed down again, I was left alone for hours. Going by the light in my cell, at least a day had passed before I saw anyone. Dogpound came down to my cell and dragged me back to the throne room.

     I whimpered as I landed in front of the throne. Shredder stood tall, blades exposed and ready to cause damage if need be... Was he going to kill me?

     "It's about time you've said something, girl." He took slow steps down towards me and I couldn't move.

     I started hyperventilating again. I tried! I tried so hard to say something. I could feel my mouth moving. I could hear the creaking of armor and Dogpound breathing heavily. I could smell all the blood from the past and present and it all got to be too much. The moment those blades got too close, I screamed as loud as I could. Head ducked, covering my ears, sniveling and sobbing. I couldn't look the danger in the face. I was scared. I was in pain. I wanted to go home. I wanted my mom. I wanted our farm. I wanted to be in my room in my bed watching a cartoon that wouldn't hurt me.