Sweet Things ~ (Billy the Kid - Tom Blyth)

5

The metal tray scrapes against the concrete, the iron bars slamming shut behind it. I wait until the guard is gone, then devour the food. My meal today consists of a roll covered in what appears to be gravy, a slice of bread, peas, and an apple. I lick the plate clean and guzzle down the water. The roll was salty and the bread was stale, but recently all I have left to do is look forward to my meals.

I've been locked in this cell for a few days. I've lost count, but I think it's been about a week since our camp was attacked. I don't remember anything after I was shoved to the ground or how long I was out, but I woke up in this cell. I have a small bench where I sleep, an even smaller window, and a toilet. I spend the hours drawing on the floor and walls with broken pieces of concrete and rocks.

I've been left alone without any human interaction. I can't see anything out of my window except for desert and the other wing of this manor. To try and stay cool, I tore off a piece of my dress to tie up my hair. I press myself against the concrete, feeling it's coolness. A few days ago, the guards came to the cell and opened the door. At first I thought I was free to go, but then they seized me, tying my hands behind my back. They led me through the halls of the manor and sat me down in what seemed to be an interrogation room. They tied my legs to the chair and left me in there to wait. After a while, a large man entered the room, followed by his guards, all armed. He reeked of alcohol and tobacco.

He had told me that his name was Major Murphy. He wanted Billy dead, saying that Billy had crossed him before. Even though he wanted Billy dead, his words were reassuring. That meant that Billy was alive. I had spent the days before living in agony, thinking Billy and Jesse had been killed during the attack. But knowing that they were being hunted down at this very moment made my heart ache.

During the meeting, Major Murphy basically told me that I'm bait. He knows that Billy cares for me and when they couldn't kill him during the attack, they took me knowing Billy would come to save me. I wanted to spit at him, to leap across the table and attack him, but it was like he could read my mind. I had already been tied to the chair and he threatened to let me starve if I dared to resist.

After the meeting, Major Murphy's guards took me back to my cell. That was about three days ago. Despite how I haven't resisted or tried to escape, I've only been given one meal a day. His threat to starve me is definitely working. Even if I had any idea how to escape on my own, I don't have the strength or energy. I spend a lot of time sleeping, trying to conserve energy and stay alive.

Now it's the evening of what I believe is day 7. I watch the sunset through my window, still desperately licking the remnants of any gravy from the metal tray. All alone in my cell, my thoughts always lead to Billy. I've thought about him every waking moment. I see him in my dreams and during the day I see him riding across the desert, coming to save me. Every time he's nearly reached my cell, I blink and he's gone. Nothing but a hallucination.

I wonder what he's doing right now. I don't want to give up hope that he's going to come get me, but after a week in this cell, hope is nowhere to be found. At first I wanted him to come rescue me. To show up and kill Major Murphy and his disgusting guards. But after my meeting with Major Murphy, part of me doesn't want him to come. If I truly am bait, surely Major Murphy has every gun possible waiting, guarding me like a diamond. The possibility of Billy getting to me and us getting out alive is slim to none.

I shake my head. Tears start to roll down my cheeks, but I can't afford to cry. I'm dehydrated enough. Thinking about Billy and the possibility of starving to death in this cell makes me want to sob every once of liquid out of my body. Unfortunately for me, Major Murphy has only given me a small bottle of water a day, and I always try to save most of it for after the salty meals. I wipe my face and take a deep breath.