Gold And Coal (Ryden AU)

1.1 ◇ Drown

I snapped my eyes open, immediately glancing at the watch next to my bed, or rather the filthy rag laying on the floor.

4:15. The same as yesterday. And the day before. As long as I can remember.

The first part of my monotonous life. Sighing, I got up, my muscles cracking after having spent yet another night lying on the hard wooden floor.

I pulled on the worn out shoes and winced as I remembered the blister I had on my heel.

Careful to avoid the creaking floorbeds, I made my way over to the door and entered the second room of my housing, which only consisted of two rooms. The good side of that was that I knew my way around even in complete darkness, so I didn't need to light a candle.

I heard my father snoring from one corner of the room, probably passed out from last nights drinking.

That's where most of my hard earned money went anyways.

Not wanting to stay in this prison any longer, I snatched up a tiny, stale slice of bread and squeezed through a crack in the wall, allowing me to access the outside world.

It was raining, as usual, but the moon still shimmered through the clouds a little, giving the alley I had emerged in an eerie feel.

My feet were soaked the moment I stepped out of the wall and I shivered as the cold drops fell on my bare skin.

I wolfed down my breakfast and started making my way to my work place.

I did my best to stay in the shadows at all times, stepping over beggars, passed out drunks and maybe even a corpse or two.

Every small movement made me tense up and press my back against the wall, fearing a robbery or other criminal intent.

After about 20 minutes of walking, I reached a bigger street, where carriages stood parked on the side and countless hooves could be heard clattering against the pavement.

I relaxed slightly and took the shortcut through a market, which was already busy, much to my favour. Slithering through the crowds, I managed to pilfer two apples and a small fish. Good enough for a decent breakfast.

Once I finally reached my destination, I was completely soaked from head to toe. Looking on the bright side, at least I could say I showered.

There was already a mass of people assembled in front of the huge factory I stood infront. All of them looking just as lean and emaciated as I was. Some looked worse than others, but all were covered in numerous scars.

I weaved my way through the crowd until I reached the front, scowling a little as other workers shoved me around. Why couldn't they see that this would all be easier if we all stood still?

A church bell nearby chimed, signalizing that it was 5 o'clock, which was the start of my shift.

Sure enough, the heavy iron doors opened and a crowd of tired, weary people stumbled out. The idiots standing outside weren't intelligent enough to let them out of course, no, they had to shove each other aside, why they were all in such a hurry to get into that hell was a mystery to me.

I was dragged along with the crowd and found myself steadying a little kid who was ruthlessly being pushed to the floor. He was far too young to be here. He was 8? Maybe even 7? Making him work here could be put on the same scale as homicide. That kid wouldn't live long, that's for sure.

I gagged as the dusty stench of the building filled my lungs the moment I stepped through it's doors. No matter how many times I did it, I couldn't get used to it. The feeling that all the little freedom I had left was being sucked out of me and I was left dry and parched.

A booming voice made the hair on my neck stand up, and not just because of the cold.

There he stood, our boss, above us, as if he was any better than us. He was worse. So much worse. There are no words to describe how much I hated that guy.

"No slacking today or you're fired! If you put a toe out of line you're fired! We don't need you! You can easily be replaced! Keep that in mind!"

I gritted my teeth at the words he yelled at us every morning. He needed to come down from his high horse.

But I couldn't do anything. None of us could. He was right as far as that was concerned. We could easily be replaced. And I couldn't afford that. It was hard enough living with the small wages I got, but it would be impossible without. Even now the end wasn't too far away. I could see it.

"Move, you!"

I jumped a little, having been lost in my own thoughts. The guard was glaring at me and I realized most of the others had already scrambled off to some sort of machine. I didn't really know what was being produced. All I knew was how to work them.

I mumbled a quick apology and took my place next to a man about my age and the little boy I had saved from becoming porridge earlier.

There were no conversations, no laughter, no smiles in this hell. Sickening silence lay over the place, even though it was so loud I felt my ear drums would explode anytime. It was truly depressing, but I was used to it. Used to the screams that could be heard every now and again. When some unfortunate soul wasn't quick enough from getting out from under a machine. When some unfortunate soul made a mistake and got beaten by the guards before being kicked out of the doors.

This was my life. And I didn't know how much longer I could live it. I was going to break, sooner or later. I could feel it. Every day it got harder to climb out of bead. Every day my aching stomach became harder to ignore. Every day the fear of being mugged grew. And every day the money I had grew less.

My life was a timebomb. It was only a matter of time before it exploded.

~ you see a man free who thinks he has to buy a key to a door but he can't 'cause he's poor and he can't fall down anymore 'cause he's already on the floor ~