Frostbite

Ch 8: Crime and punishment

Hi! Today I have a happier chapter... well not really. Okay ummm enjoy!

I had been in the dungeon for over a week, I had grown accustomed to the prisoners screaming in pain and moans when they were dying of starvation. Every few hours guards would walk into a cell and beat the inmate; they had hit me with their muskets, kicked me with their steel toed boots, and burned my back a couple of times. Their punishments were harsh and they showed no mercy; I feared them more than I feared death. I didn't know how long I would stay in the dungeon or why I had been placed here.

"Eat." A guard threw a piece of bread down the cell wall; I crawled towards the wall and cautiously picked up the piece of bread. I gripped the bread in my freezing hands and lifted it towards my bruised cold mouth but as soon as the bread touched my lips the guard burst into my cell and hit me multiple times with the back of the musket. I wrapped my arms around my stomach, then he aimed for my arms, he stepped on my thin gray dress and kept me from moving. I fussed and turned but he continued to hit me with the musket. I cried out in pain and then he hit my mouth; my top lip burst open. I felt my blood fall to the floor, for a minute I felt dead. The guard grabbed his musket and walked out the cell door.  "Eat." I sat in the corner of the cell and cleaned my face with the crummy gray skirt, I could feel the dirt burn my upper lip. I whimpered and stayed in the corner until the guard left.

When the guard left I crawled over towards the piece of bread and quickly shoved it down my throat. I felt my lip burn when the cold tasteless bread touched my wound. I swallowed it and felt my stomach burn in an angry relief; the pain was satisfying.

****

I woke up to the loud clanking of a musket hitting cell bars. I looked up from the floor and moved my long hair out of my face; I slowly gripped the wall with my shivering gray hands. I walked towards the cell bars, my toes were curving up due to the cold and my heels were bloody. My body couldn't seem to adjust to the new form of life. When I finally reached the cell bars I let out a sigh of relief and I looked out towards the main hall. My cracked lips touched the ice cold bars and I shivered uncontrolably; when I opened my eyes I saw a guard standing in front of me. I quickly gasped and fell to the floor; I scurried all the way to the farthest corner of the cell. The guard began to open the door, he placed in the key and turned it slowly; his gaze continued to face me. When he opened the door and stepped inside I began to kicked my feet even more, I was trying to back into the wall even more, in an attempt to hide myself from being beaten. My heels dug into the cold hard stone floor, I felt pieces of old wounds peel off, I whimpered in fright. The guard was now standing in front of me and I held my hands close to my stomach as I saw him crouch down.

"Why are you so afraid?" The voice sounded familiar; my eyes lit up. My my cold bare bony hands reached towards the guards mask, I lifted it off of him and recognized his jawline.

"Charlie!" I wrapped my arms around him and began to weep. The helmet hit the floor with a loud thud and I heard the rustling of armor running down the hall.

"Keep quiet. I'm getting you out." He picked up his helmet and placed it over his head again then Charlie grabbed my arms and tied them behind my back. He led me out of the cold cell, my bloody feet dragged me out into the ice covered hall. When we reached the hall I saw four other guards running down the hall.

"What are you doing?" Charlie stopped walking and muttered a few things to the men. Then he continued to walk. He led me out the back door and he showed me towards a horse.

"Won't they come looking for you?" I whispered as I climbed onto the horse.

"They won't even miss you. Trust me... I have it all covered." Charlie jumped onto the horse and we rode into the forest. I moved my hair out if my face in an attempt to see where we were heading but I couldn't see anything my hair continued to get in my way. I didn't know how to fix my hair considering its current condition and looks were the least of my worries. We rode out on horse back until the night came; once the moon came out Charlie said that we should camp out on a hill for the night.