Sam: Imprisoned (Book 3)

Thin Ice

  Sunday morning came in a blur of confusion and mass amounts of sharp pain. I groaned and rolled around on my bed in hopes of just passing out and sleeping away the days until SHIELD would be able to come and rescue us. However, my mind was spinning too fast to get any sleep and the discomfort was not helping.
  What was Tony thinking? He probably thought I was an idiot for trying to pull that off. They didn't punish him for my actions, did they? A pang of guilt shot through my heart and all I wanted to do was hug him and apologize. Even though I knew it was going to get us out of here, I still couldn't help feeling responsible if anyone hurt Tony. Was he even immune, still? The deal with Lesser was he would help if I didn't get hurt. Well, now I was lying on the bed bathing in agony - a bit dramatic - so did that mean Tony wasn't in control anymore?
  My thoughts seemed like they went on forever until the door to my cell creaked open. Fear raked my heart but - on the outside - I remained emotionless as I glanced up at the person walking in. It was Terrain which really confused me because he never visited my cell.
  The man stepped near me toward my bed and I found myself wanting to crawl away but I held my ground as I leaned up on the furniture. Terrain didn't seem impressed as his look hardened, "The stunt you pulled last night was unacceptable and I will make sure you won't do it again. So I'm going to break you; mentally and physically," he growled.
  This angry side was a part of Terrain that I thought I would never see and I couldn't tell if I was happy that I was the one to make him ticked or if I was regretting it.
  However, the man stepped closer to me, "Just to make sure you won't do it again, I'll make sure you're too weak to try. No lunch today - which means no seeing Tony - and no supper. However, I'm feeling generous today so I will allow you a shower... And a visit from your favorite guard," the man smirked then I watched as he paced out of the cell.
  My heart dropped in my stomach and I wondered which one that could be. Pretty much every guard hated my guts so which one was my "favorite one"? And did he give them the okay of "breaking" me? I swallowed hard at the thought as my heart started racing faster. I stood off my bed and began pacing the room. At first, it was easy to ignore the pain that jabbed me every time I moved. I was still so sore so I took a seat then I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs while resting my chin on my knees.
  Hours passed until there was a click and the metal door of my cell opened up. My eyes drifted up but I didn't recognize the guard that was at the door. He motioned with his head to follow him so I winced while trying to stand up. I decided to lay low and follow the guard without words.
  Eventually, we reached the showers so I stepped in and closed the door behind me. I turned the shower on and stripped my clothes off. That's when I could actually see the bruises lined on my body. A sigh escaped my mouth but I ignored the rough markings and stepped into the shower. The warm water felt amazing against my skin and it seemed to wash most of my problems away- ... for now.
  Finally, I finished up in the bathroom so after I dried off and changed into the same style - white shirt and blue jeans - clothes, I slipped out into the hallway. The guard was there to escort me down the hall and back to my cell. Once I was back in my own room, I decided against my bed and just crawled back to the corner. I sat with my knees against my chest again as my mind flickered with thoughts.
  There weren't supposed to be any more visitors, I thought, so when the cell door opened my eyes shot up. My heartbeat quickened as I stared into the eyes of my normal guard - Walter. I hadn't seen him all day so it shocked me that he was here now. It was not only surprising but it was also terrifying. I didn't want him to see the horror in my eyes so I kept my gaze on the floor. There was a deep chuckle as the door closed behind him; leaving the room to just me and him. I held back a gulp as I watched his feet move closer to me. "That was quite a stunt you pulled. If everyone hadn't been talking about it, I would've thought it was an exaggeration," his voice cut the silence like a butcher knife.
  My breath was shaky as I tried to sink into the wall but I didn't reply to the man.
  "I'm surprised you put on some big girl pants," Walter bent down to my level and smirked. "Although, a lot of people didn't like that, did they?"
  I forced myself to keep my eyes on his shoes and the floor, nothing else while I questioned, "Did you need something?"
  There was a slam near my head so I flinched at the noise and the sudden movement. It took my brain a while to process what just happened but I quickly realized that the man had slammed his hand against the wall, near my head. It was a scaring tactic. Unfortunately, he succeeded as I anticipated what was going to happen in this little interrogation. "Something about 'teaching you a lesson'," he explained. Then he let out another sadistic chuckle, "I wonder what that could mean."
  "Well, I tried to apologize but no one seems to be in the forgiving mood," I mumbled, almost under my breath. There was so much pressure in my words to stay strong and not sound like a complete wimp that it cracked under the pressure.
  The sinister man noted this as he tilted his head and leaned closer to me, "Is that fear I hear?"
  However, I decided not to let this man shake me up so I turned my gaze straight into his eyes and smiled, "Sorry, I have an irrational fear of that beak you have for a nose. He really messed it up, didn't he?"
  There was a low growl rumbling in his throat and I didn't even blink before his hand was on my neck. The muscular man tightened a strong grip around my throat to make it impossible to breathe. So I gasped as quick as I could but could feel myself choking for more air. The harder the man squeezed, the more air it felt like I was losing. I coughed in hopes to get more oxygen in my lungs but it was all in vain as he held me in his death grip. In a final attempt to break the strangling, I tried to kick the man away from me but I was too weak to even nudge him. My vision was becoming dark and I could feel my body slowly starting to give out.
  The man released his hold and stood up so I gasped in air as quickly as my body would let me. I leaned away from the guard as I continued to cough and sputter in misery. Painfully, I touched my neck as I could feel bruises starting to form.
  "You be careful now. Terrain is going to be a lot more lenient on the pain that we 'accidentally' inflict on you," Walter warned. Then he stepped away from me and out of my cell. I watched him leave and was almost relieved but I was too busy trying to catch my breath.

  Sleep that night was the worst yet. It was not like I didn't get any but it was full of fear and pain. Not to mention that I didn't even move to my bed but I stayed huddled on the floor. I just needed to last one more day in this torment but it wasn't going well so far. Considering, when the morning came, I was sore, tired, and starving.