Breaking the Cage

1.

Sarah had known pain all her life. It was her constant companion. The only sound that came through the darkness was her own harsh breathing and the random dripping of moisture off the rocks that made up her cage. Sarah was comfortable with darkness as it engulfed her. She had seen nothing but darkness for most of her life. Pain, and darkness, and hungry were her only friends. Hungry was a bitch however, constantly complaining and then hungry would stab pain just to make Sarah feel something. Cold and stench were there too but they didn't bother her too often. The only thing that Sarah didn't know was lonely. Lonely had left when they had started coming.

They came randomly, sometimes alone and sometimes in groups. Sometimes they would come in human form and sometimes they would come as their own wolves. Every time they came they would bring pain with them. Sarah liked pain; she was sharp and honest unlike hungry who would often lie to Sarah. Hungry would tell Sarah that pain would come if she didn't eat, hungry would tell Sarah that death would come if she didn't eat. But pain rarely came because of hungry anymore, pain only visited when pack came. And Sarah had never met death even though she sometimes wished she would.

Pack wanted something from Sarah. But she had no idea what it was. Pack would ask every time if she had had enough pain, but pain was Sarah's friend so she would shake her head no and they would continue to beat her allowing her more time with pain. The only time she saw stench was when pack came. Stench would leave soon after however, leaving her surrounded with the usual smells of damp and dirt and sometimes blood. Stench didn't bother her, hungry lied, darkness was silent, lonely gone, cold rarely visited and when it did it would bite her, pain comforted her, and death eluded her.

This was Sarah's world, all that she knew. The cage made up of damp rock walls with a door at one end. Door burned Sarah whenever she touched it. Sarah had found out a long time ago not to touch door unless she wanted to see pain. Its bite was worse than colds. Doors bite would bring pain for a while. If by chance pain hadn't visited in a long time Sarah would go and hug door just so she could see pain. Pain dressed in pretty colors that danced behind her eyes to the music of hearts thumping. Sometimes Sarah would dance with pain as well. She would move and sway around the cage to the music only she and pain could hear.

Dancing usually brought out hungry and hungrys sister tired. Tired and Sarah were not friends. Tired cut Sarah from her friends and sank her into nothingness for a while. Tired pissed Sarah off. Sarah loved darkness but darkness was different from nothing. In nothing there was no heart music, no dancing, no bitching from hungry or biting from cold. Nothing scared Sarah. Feeling and sound separated darkness and nothing. Nothing and tired were definitely not Sarah's friends.

Footsteps behind door alerted her to packs arrival. The multiple percussions of boots on dirt told her that there were more than two. Sarah felt heart begin to hum. More than one pack meant that pain would stay longer. Door squeaked slightly interrupting darkness's silence as two pack wolves entered the cage. One wolf stayed at door, his stench barley making its way to her. The two pack wolves made their way to her not caring about darkness's loving caress, their wolf eyes being able to see despite her friends best effort to hinder that ability. Darkness was like that; no matter who came into the cage darkness would bath hug them and try to blind them at the same time. Sarah pushed herself from the dirt floor as she wiped the hair back out of her face staring at the wolves with certainty and a little excitement. As they neared, stench brushed against her senses bringing smells that Sarah was unfamiliar with before once again disappearing, leaving the smell of damp, dirt, and old blood. Those smells were familure to her.

Rough skin scraped against Sarah's softer form as she was picked up and placed on her feet. Sarah couldn't remember the last time she had stood up. It was before the last heat had swept through the camp bringing the pack breakers and guards rushing to her door to use her to satisfy the burning need they felt. Her legs were unsteady and a little wobbly but she was able to carry her own weight on them. She decided that she needed to stand and walk more often even if it brought tired and nothing. Packs voice sounded in her ear his breath brushing against the skin at her neck. She knew better than to move away from their closeness so she stood there listening to them tell her that they were getting tired of waiting. Sarah had no idea what they were waiting for however. Maybe like her they were waiting to meet death. Sarah hoped that death would be her friend. Pain shot across the left side of her face as packs heavy fist made solid contact. Sarah fell back into the dirt landing harshly with a dull thud. She sighed contentedly as pain came and danced in her vision. She giggled as colors bloomed and blossomed melting into other colors before splitting up to melt again. Pack snarled at her while pack at the door watched intently. Sarah knew that giggling would cause pack to get angry but she just couldn't help it. Pack swung his leg out and slammed his foot into her chest while the other pack wolf brought his down into her stomach. Over and over they brutalized her as pain Danced in a frenzy way that made Sarah dizzy.