Help me escape

Chapter Four

A week has gone by, Axel's cut has been patched up and is working on healing, although, it will stay forever as an unforgettable scar. He sat in the corner of the dim room, his boxers and skin, frost bitten from the bit of freezing water that that dripped from the wall, onto the floor.

Joyce has just awoken, she immediately looked over directly at him. "It's been too long." she whispered, Rubbing her hands over her face, tired as she caught Axel's attention, sending shivers down his spine.

He gathered himself enough strength to stand back up, making himself crawl back onto his small, stiff mattress on the floor. He stuttered, staring back at Joyce. "W-what do you mean by that?" He stuttered, gulping.

"The bad men haven't been in our room in awhile, besides for the ones scheduled to feed us. They must be planning something.." She paused, sighing as she looked down into her lap, a small pain in her stomach spread through her body, her anxieties rising.

Axel shut his watery eyes, freezing the area around them as a tear slid down his face, disappearing onto his cheek as he held his hand in a tight fist near his stomach, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm sure you're right." He mumbled, beginning to softly hyperventilate.

The two remained silent, staring down at all of their scars, bruises and wounds in the dim lighting, tracing their fingers and wincing across where they've been previously cut, punched, and bruised.

Footsteps from outside the room could be heard, the loud steps of large boots smacking against the stone flooring. They shivered, looking at each other through the dark as they let out small pants, scared for their lives.

The man from before, the tall built man with the black, nearly gray stubble surrounding his chin, and the horrible haircut that topped it seemed to slam through the door, turning on the light, revealing a large rod in his hand, the end of it a circle with a small design on it.

Joyce gulped, pushing her face into her pillow and covering her ears with her palms, her tears sucking into the fabric of the pillow. Axel looked at her, then focused his attention on the man, his heart beating a mile per minute.

"Stay away.." He mumbled between a soft, panicked breath, looking at him as he slid himself into the corner of the room with his now fragile, skinny legs. He watched in terror as the man moved closer without letting out a sound, besides the rod moving across the stone floor, making a loud screech as it begun closer towards him.

"Turn around." The man grumbled, looking down and pointing the end of the metal pole near his face. "Turn, and there will be no consequence." He smirked, pulling the rod back into his hand and gripping it with the other.

Axel winced, not able to take his attention off of the rod. He knew what would happen, and as much he didn't want to get branded, he was afraid of what would happen if he didn't face the other way. "I'm a man of my word." The deep, scratchy voice said from behind them.

Before turning, he looked over towards Joyce, rocking back and fourth on the small, dirty mattress on the floor, small creaks coming from it. Her face was still pressed into the pillow and her hands remained over her ears. She couldn't see this happen to anyone again. He was distracted at her pain, not noticing the man holding a lighter under the rod behind him.

Before he knew it, he saw the faint orange glow of the rod burst into the back of his left shoulder, lasting merely a few seconds, but the pain of it made it seem as if it happened for an eternity. Axel gripped his hand onto the edge of a stone on a wall, letting out a painful screech, Joyce now gripping her ears, her nails digging into the back of them.

The man let out a chuckle and watched the skin bubble, a eerie smirk planted across his lips, watching it form into a blister. He soon left, dragging the rod out with him on the floor, seeming to synchronize with Axels screaming.

He slid down onto his knees and looked over at Joyce, hot tears streaming down his sticky, red face. His shoulder burned, his heart ached. He felt as if this pain would never end.

He crawled back over towards his mattress, flopping onto it face first as he cried into his flat, disgusting pillow. His stomach ached as he stuck his hand over his mouth, the tears streaming over his hand.

"Axel.." Joyce looked over, scared. "It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay." She repeated, inching her way over towards him before the restraints stopped her from reaching him. "I'm here for you, I'll stay right here." She sounded upset, her body shaking purely from fear.

She reached her hand over, setting it over top his at the slightest. "I'll do whatever I can. Just please..." she mumbled, breathing in slowly. "Please stop crying. I don't want them to hear, and hurt you anymore than they already have." She looked down at him, feeling as if she's finally able to see him in the eyes for the first time.

He grabbed her hand back and laid, sniffling and wincing in pain. "I'll try." He said, as quietly as he possibly could, now gripping his teeth together as hard as he can to try and take away the pain from everything else.