The Golden Apple

One - Jake

"He's waking up! Go on, leave! It's not like you've never seen him before! We caught him in the past!"

My eyes open to a dirty musty jail cell. Stringy farm hay covers the floor beneath me. Two guards with big, muscular frames and silver armor breastplates just walk away from the bars that trap me.

I've been caught again. Picked off the street with a bag of apples in my hand. I had stolen them this morning because I hadn't eaten in three days. I know that sounds crazy, but I'm used to it. It's my life being a homeless, dirty, poor street rat. I need to steal in order to live.

My parents, Elena and Ike Reinhart, were murdered when I was ten years old. They were murdered by real criminals outside our house, only because we had money and these men didn't. They also burned our house down, which resulted in me escaping to find a new place. These men were considered "homeless street rats." I consider them vicious murderers.

I, on the other hand, don't murder people for money and food. I just take what I need and disappear like a ghost. It may not be honest, but at least no innocent blood is spilled.

I am eighteen years old.

I don't remember how many times I have been arrested for stealing. All I know is that it's been many. It's the same routine every few weeks. I take something I need, such as apples, rope, clothing, or even a knife. Then, the person at the booth or counter starts screaming their head off: "THIEF! THIEF! A RAT IS ON THE RUN!" I then try running as fast as I possibly can.

But sometimes I'm too weak to run. Like I said before, sometimes I don't eat for many days. My brown bag feels like it's full of stones when I don't eat, dragging me lower and lower towards the ground.

Then finally, one of the King's burly soldiers runs over and tackles me. It's the same crazy animal-like fight. He pins me to the ground. I struggle to get up. He tears my bag from my shoulder and gives it to another soldier. I kick him in the stomach. He strikes me across the face. I spit in his face. He then growls, just like an animal, and handcuffs me. I am dragged to the Urbem prison, thrown hastily into a cell, and then clang! There I am.

I shake my head, staring at the dark walls surrounding me. It's a shame that the town prison is practically my main home in the town of Urbem. I am here more than any other place and it's shameful for me to even think about. I might as well customize my own personal cell by putting a engraved plate on the door saying "JAKE REINHART'S CELL" in huge brass letters.

I hate being trapped. It's a constant reminder of the fact that I steal from people.

"Aye! Reinhart!" a deeper voice snaps, interrupting my thoughts. I look up to the guard that has caught me the most times. His name is Elros, the Captain of the Guard. He has a short black beard and piercing hazel eyes that stare into your soul. His silver breastplate had a dent in it from me kicking it while being tackled. He even had a red scar stretched across his left cheek. I gulped. That was my doing as well.

He shook the bars that held me in order to startle me. My eyes widen at his aggression. For the long amount of time I've known him for, he's still intimidating as all hell.

"Reinhart!" Elros snapped. "What are you, deaf? Open your damn mouth and speak!"

Words crawl up inside of me, but disappear when he pulls out a big bronze ring of keys. He unlocks the door with a small click. His steps into the cell are loud as he places himself in front of me. The door slams, making me jump slightly from the hay beneath me. I stare at him silently. Here comes the thunderstorm.

"Do you realize you have been arrested more than any other street rat in the whole town!?" Elros snapped. "All you do is steal from innocent people! You take whatever you can get your grubby hands on, you dirty bastard!"

Of course I take what I can, I thought. I'm homeless and poor living out on the streets. But you wouldn't know that, Elros. You are a rich guard working for the King, who must hate street rats because he thinks they are all heartless criminals.

My throat burns. If only I had the nerve to say that out loud. Instead I just sit there like a small child, taking in every word he spits at me.

"I swear," Elros grumbled. "You are nothing but trouble in this town. Eventually I'm going to get tired of your havoc and bring you to the King. You know what happens when you are a criminal and brought to see the King? You talk to him for a few moments, go back to the prison for a few more days, and wait while he decides your fate. Do you know what the punishment is for criminals like you, Reinhart?"

I open my mouth to answer, but quickly close it at the sight of him pulling out a rope from a box nearby. He twisted the rope until it was about three inches thick and whipped me on the shoulder. I fell backward, hitting my head on the way down. Elros growls again.

"You get HANGED, Reinhart!!" he shouted. "You get this rope around your scrawny neck and choked to death in front of the whole town! That's what happens to horrible rats like you!"

Anger grew inside of me. Elros is nothing but a slave to the King. He doesn't seem to ever think for himself anymore. Every abusive word that comes out of his mouth is most likely the King, not him.

I do not know the King personally, but I have heard that the King doesn't have much respect for the homeless. He assumes that they are all hellions and murderers. He doesn't even try to help the homeless or even provide food and shelter. He only arrests them and sometimes has them executed if they anger him enough.

How do I know this? I had a friend who was poor just like me. His name was Heath. He got dragged to the King after getting caught several times. Three days in prison after that, he was executed. My heart quickened. I don't want to die known as a thief.

"Reinhart? Reinhart!" Elros boomed. "Are you listening to me?! Get up!"

I stood up in front of him, looking up at his face from my height. Elros is quite tall. He's probably above six feet tall. I look at my slim physique. I am only five foot eight. He looks down at me with a glare and exhales sharply.

"You are so small and so weak," Elros says. "You'll never get a chance to escape this prison again. I have gained all the knowledge of your previous attempts, and I will not be fooled this time. If you attempt anything else, I will crush you."

Elros then strikes me across the face so hard that I crash into the wall. He growls. I can feel the blood dripping from my nose all down the rest of my face.

A growl grew in my chest. I feel a strange surge of energy replacing the rising anger inside of me. Words finally escape my mouth.

"You can lock me up and beat me down," I muttered. "But I always end up a free, and you should know that by now."

Elros raises his eyebrows. I then took the rope he lashed me with and threw it around his ankles. He shouted loudly as I yanked the rope, causing him to lose his footing. He tumbled to the ground with a thud, growling like some enraged beast. He struggled about to get me back, but I managed to jump over his wriggling body and throw the door open. I was about to run, but I decided to get a little more clever with this escape.

I went back in just as Elros was getting up. I kicked him down once again, this time taking the ring of keys in the process. I hopped back over him, just missing his hands reaching for my feet. Once I passed the door, I closed it on him, locking the latch behind me. Elros jumped up and started to shake the bars that held him inside. I chuckled at his failure to catch me. All aggression and no strategy is what he is.

I ran out of the prison gates with my bag in hand once again. Behind me I could hear Elros screaming and raving.

"YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS!" he sputtered. "I WILL CATCH YOU! DON'T THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE ME!"

I laughed quietly once I reached the main streets again.

This charade may not be over, but I'm just going to keep on escaping. Nothing can hold me back from what I do to survive.

No one can ever stop me.