Empty as my Heart

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

It was impossible to tell if morning had risen, giving me a dark thought.  How was I to know if I'd ever see the sun again? 

A soft glow of the torchlight settled me, reminding me of how it glistened.  Sinking low over the horizon, slowly changing the world's perspective into light-filled darkness.  Who could take that away from me?  Memories served purposefuly, acting as a trigger to moments I'd most likely never again relive.

At least I'm not yet dead.

I was in a cot, lying next to the young girl.  She was sound asleep, face soft and pretty.  Even coated with a thin layer of dirt and mud.  But her eyelids tracked tear-stains down the hollows of her cheeks.  They reminded me of empty nights, and fearful mornings.  Alone.

Afraid.

How long had she been kept in that closet?

It was impossible to discern.  Horrible thoughts flashed across my line of vision, creeping along the thin line of conciousness I'd left untouched.  Ariana was one of the first to be dragged away, along with the burly man and a couple others.  Were they all put into closets?

Or was it just me?  I didn't understand.  Why would they single me out like that?  It was unlikely and strange.  Was it because of what I'd said?  Did I do something to provoke them into torture?

It was like I'd been singled out to die first.  To wander alone, unable to find the safehouse.  Away from the group.  James had said nothing was edible or drinkable out there, but was it true?  Did he watch a lowly individual shrivel and die, because of a berry he'd relied on to quench his hunger?

What about animals?  Could we not hunt for their meat?  Were they so tainted that cooking them along a fire would not kill the germs in their blood?

My questions built up, making it hard to lie there anymore.  I slowly slid off the bed, swinging my legs over the side and standing.  My hair had tangled, so I spent the next hour pacing the room, untwining my strands with my fingers.

It didn't take much longer for Ariana to emerge from her slumbers, yawning and blinking.  I quickly jumped on her, asking her for answers I knew she would have. 

"Ariana..where did they keep you after you were taken away?"  I pressed, leaning against the bedpost near her.

She blinked again, slowly pulling her psyche from the waters of sleep. 

"A dark place," she said.  "There were others, too, people all lined up in rows."

"What do you mean?"

Ariana grasped her knees, adding comfort to her thin bones.  "We were chained to the walls, our left ankles shackled.  Left in empty cattle corrals, like the ones on Vincent's farm."

I thought for a moment.  Vincent usually is asked to leave his farm after harvest.  As for the purpose of the Games, they say.  Maybe that was because they kept the participants locked in there.  I remembered this, because the old, thin man was arguing to himself about it. 

His crops were late, and he didn't understand why he had to leave them.  But rules were rules, I thought grimly.  If he didn't leave, he'd have paid a price worth far more than corn and wheat.

"Then what happened?" I asked her, whispering now.  If anyone heard us talking..anyone at all, we'd have a serious problem.

"They fed us and we stayed there for a while, but then, after they were ready...we walked."

I squinted at her in the dull light.  "Walked?  Did they cover your eyes?"

She shook her head.  "Oh, no.  They just surrounded the group, making us walk away from the town.."

Her large blue eyes were confused.  "Where were you?"

I was opening my mouth to explain, when the door slammed apart, shattering us with thick shards of rock.  A burst of flames rose from the open doorway, lining the hall with fire.

People were shouting, crying out with surprise.

Today was the third day.