Red West II.

Chapter twenty - Rescue

Jack sat down on the wobbly bench carefully, holding a tinny plate in one hand and crooked spoon in the other. He observed his food ration for that day feeling rather disgusted. It was a small pile of horseshit, which the local cook dared to call the 'beans with beef'. Despite the fact that it included about as much of meat as the vegetable soup of his dear late mother.

While eating, he had to focus on not vomiting that foulness up, as well as on not moving much; he didn't want that pain he had to bear for hours to get worse. At least, the blood finally stopped dripping from his wounds. The young Rider didn't allow himself to complain about his situation though; Esler was in a worse condition than he was. The older man was also beaten up, and even tied up, without any food, or its imitation whatsoever. And it was all Jack's fault.

He knew it would have been wiser to do everything they were told, waiting for a chance to get out, but he just couldn't handle the haughty attitude of those bastards who supervised them. The guards treated them worse than the dust under their boots. A pretty collection of heartless men gathered in that gloomy mine.

Jack didn't expect Cullen to defend him when he was whipped for being too cheeky. If the older man hadn't involved himself though, that guarding maniac would have probably flayed his skin. But Jack really hated that Cullen had to pay for his actions. Not only they were arrested; being taken away to the Cursed Mine was even worse. Moreover, he didn't think that the others would let it go easily. It was very likely that they had already figured out what happened to them. What if the rest of Riders got in troubles because of their greedy idea with that Opera House, too?

The unconfessed Rider finished his so-called dinner hastily, as he saw that some guards were approaching to chase the workers into their 'dormitory' for the night, to switch with the night shift. He got up slowly, giving a long stare toward the stake behind the manager's office, where a man's figure could be seen, with his hands tied. Suddenly, Jack knew what he had to do.

They couldn't just rot in that dirty place forever and it was better to try to escape, while they had any strength and resolve left. Working in the mines was very exhausting and already after a few days Jack felt like a used rag. He was aware of many guarding eyes, but in the night, it was easier to escape their attention than during the day. Not to mention that Cullen was already outside of their usual detention.

As quickly as his chains allowed him, Jack headed toward the ugly barracks, to be there among the first ones. Inside, the workers slowly gathered in three rows, to exchange the places with the night shift's men, who had frightfully dark circles under their eyes. Hidden behind their line, Jack turned his bloody shirt inside out and tied a dirty scarf around his fair-haired head, just in case some guard would like to check them more closely.

It didn't take much effort to persuade one comrade, an elderly man, who barely stood on his feet, to rest for the night, while Jack took his place. The old man was so grateful for the offer that his dry eyes flooded with tears. Suppressing the guilt from using that person for his own escape, Jack followed the already moving line of workers back outside. He took a deep breath under the dark open sky and squeezed the spoon, which he kept hidden, instead of giving it back to the kitchen before. He patiently stood in the line for working tools, chasing any doubts away.

Tonight is the night, Jack thought. We either escape, or die trying. And I won't mind taking a few of those sons of bitches with us...

*

The age already softens me like butter, Cullen criticized himself, while trying to ignore the growing pins and needles in his arms and shoulders.

Any other time he would have let that stupid youngster eat up whatever he had prepared for himself. But no, this time he had to get involved and ended up being punished instead of Jack. Who would say that the sturdy guard would take one hit to his jaw so personally?