Chasing Destiny [SYTYCW15]

Wewelsburg, Germany, 1941

They moved her from the truck and escorted her to an underground room. It wasn't exactly first class accommodations, but she had been in worse. She honestly expected to be put in much worse. The walls and floor of the room were stone and the door was made of thick wood, probably oak. It wasn't damp or wet, unlike most cells, and it seemed more like an unused storeroom. A bare bulb hanging from the ceiling was the only source of light. She was surprised Matheus allowed them to remove the gag and untie her.

Matheus didn't let her have something to sleep on except for the bare stone floor. It wouldn't be the first time she slept on hard stone and it probably wouldn't be the last. At this point in her life, Akantha could sleep almost anywhere. She assumed the bucket sitting in the corner was for relieving herself and she was grateful to at least have that.

She entered the cell in the morning after they arrived, but now she didn't know how much time had passed. There wasn't a window to look out and mark the passing of days and no one entered the cell. It could be hours, or even a day or two. Possibly three. Hunger and thirst were the only indicators that time had actually passed.

Akantha banged on the door with a fist and shouted in German. "Hello? Anyone out there?"

No reply.

"Hello? Anyone out there?" Akantha asked again, louder this time.

No answer came.

"I know someone is out there!" she yelled.

"We're not supposed to talk to you," a voice came back.

"You're talking to me now," Akantha pointed out.

Silence came from the other side of the door.

"Can I have some water and possibly something to eat?" she called out. No food and water was probably Matheus' plan to wear her down, or just torment her for awhile.

She heard the sound of a key being inserted into the lock and then a telltale click of the lock disengaging. She took a few steps backward as the door swung open. Akantha smiled when she saw a familiar face. "I didn't think you'd be pulling guard duty," she said to Alfons.

"I asked for it," he replied. "You seem nice and I wanted to make sure you weren't mistreated too badly."

"I appreciate the thought," she smiled. "Could I possibly get some water or even something to eat?"

"I will see what I can do," he said, returning the smile.

"Thank you," she said.

Alfons nodded and left the room. The door closed and locked behind him.

Well at least they weren't going to starve her or let her suffer from dehydration. She didn't know if Alfons was going against orders or not, but if he were, it restored a little of her faith. There were still some decent people out there. He returned sometime later with a metal cup filled with water and a chunk of bread. Akantha gladly accepted them and woofed them down. Alfons took the cup when she was finished.

She looked up at him. "Thank you. You're very kind."

His eyes met hers and a small smile appeared on his face. "You're welcome," he said and left the cell.

Akantha moved to the back of the cell and sat down, her back against the wall. She felt a little better with some food, no matter how little, in her stomach and the water tasted better than the finest wine. She brought her legs up and rested her arms on her knees. There were going to be quite a few regrets added to the myriad she carried with her when this was all over. Trusting Matheus was at the top and right behind it was sleeping with Damianos.