Others

Kaze

A boot hits my side

Knocking the breath out of me

A rib

Maybe more than one

Is definitely bruised

If not cracked

They're a blur of fists

Pain erupting within every part of me

When they're done

They spit on me

And leave

Leaving me in the middle of the Grove for everyone to see

Make an example of me

Their leader

The Alpha

Reduced to nothing more than a broken and bloody soul

It was my on day

I awoke and dressed as normal

Brushing my teeth

Then walking over to a metal door on the far side of the Grove

There was a small opening which I slide my forearm through

They scanned the bar code inked in my skin

placing two small white pills on my open palm

And the door was unlatched

Pushing it open

I step into a dimly lit hallway

Pocketing the pills

Rooms are on either side

You can hear faint

Muffled noises emitting from them

A Human in a white lab coat escorts me to the far end of the long hall

The numbers 001 are stamped on the door

Inside

The room is fairly lit

There isn't much inside

Only a thin mattress on a metal frame

A human female is already inside

She sits on the edge of the bed

Her hands knotted on her lap

She stares at me with terrified brown eyes

She's one of the new ones

Her bare body trembling

The Human lab coat leaves us

With a click of the door

There's a dark window mounted on one wall

Where I know they are watching

I move closer to her

She flinches

And I stop

But I knew what I had to do

I move over to her

But I stop again when I see a dark thread

Trailing down her leg

Blood

This girl

Scared and bleeding

Was at my mercy

I turn away from her and stare at the window

For the first time

I refused

I couldn't find it in me to touch the girl

When all I could see was blue

I drag myself to my tent, the only place I could get away from the eyes burning into my bloody skin

I lie in my bed

Floating in and out of consciousness

For hours

Maybe days

I have no concept of time anymore

Sometimes I can't even remember my own name

I'm aching

So much pain makes my mind fuzzy

And I barely notice when the flap of my tent opens and someone slips inside

I can't protest

Can barely move my lips

When a cool cloth is draped over my forehead

It feels good

Soothing me for a moment

Making me momentarily aware of my surroundings

I see blue again

They'll beat you if they find you in here,

I say through gritted teeth

Talking hurts

She doesn't even acknowledge that I said anything

She uses another damp rag to wipe the blood from my face

My arms

My hands

The entire time her touch careful and gentle

She feeds me something warm

Oatmeal with cinnamon and dried raisins

Washing it down with cold, metallic water

She does everything in silence

Finally

When she finishes

She speaks

I didn't want to see you die

Little does she know I'm already dead on the inside

But there's a ember glowing in my chest

And for the first time in a while

I'm starting to feel alive