The Hands of Death

Chapter 5

MASON

'There are other ways to dispose of such matters.'
      His words resounded through my head. I picked up a stick from the ground, snapping it in half. Therapeutic. The thoughts in my mind were like maracas, rattling about and never shutting up.
      The mud climbed up my boots, as if it was reaching out, in a feeble attempt to get off the land that had witnessed the pain of these people.
      No. You can't be thinking that. Stop thinking that they deserve your pity, that they deserve your time. Yeah, their life sucks, what, do they want a reward or something?
     Maybe like a cake? Or a nice hot bath? That would be nice for them. Finally getting a chance to relax, be off their feet. Damn it. You're doing it again Mason.
     It had been three days since the bloodcurdling scream left the house that the guard brought terror to. Three days since Emira's beautiful eyes started haunting me. And three days that I've wasted my time thinking about the seconds.

~~~

EMIRA

I missed Rowan. I missed my mother—I wasn't ashamed to admit it. How could I be? How could I be embarrassed by missing the woman who had never stopped loving me? I would get out of this place for her. I would make a frickin' difference and put an end to all this crap.
     "You hear that? I'm getting out of this hellhole!"
      A whip cracked against my back. "QUIET!"
Just maybe not today.

~~~

The guards hadn't appreciated my little outburst. Upon further reflection, neither did I. A rebellious one-liner just wasn't worth the hours of sitting alone in the Discipline Chamber as I was now. If I was going to do something, it would be big, so big that no one - not the Minutes, not even the Hours - could stop me.
       Solitary confinement was a favourite with the guards. It doesn't sound too bad at first. Like, seriously? Where's the torture? But this was torture.
       Just wait till you've been sitting in that tiny room with the dull white walls closing in on you for hours on end. Nothing adorned the room. It was just the walls and you. A battle between the two. The walls always won. It drove you insane, you'd rather die than be in there another second. You'd do anything to get out of there.
      Sometimes, they put a dangerous animal in. And it would be your blood that painted the walls instead. But at least you had something to 'entertain' you. At least it wasn't just you and the walls.
      So yeah, I'll wasn't totally happy to go in there for a mistake. A minor error.
      Stupid, stupid girl.

I walked back to my dorm, eyes on the floor. That's how you were supposed to walk, because heaven forbid you look a Minute in the eye.
In my head, I counted the steps towards my door. One, two, right. Left. One.
      I closed my eyes for a second-I had kept them open for too long, and they were starting to hurt. I bumped into something, or rather, someone. I fumbled in front of me, trying to regain my balance without looking up.
     "Look at me."
I remembered that voice: Mason. "Are you sure? After all, I wouldn't want to meet your gaze, that might convince me that you're my equal."
      I mentally hit myself. Idiot. Why is it you always do that? I didn't give him time to respond, "I'm sorry sir, I was out of line."
      He reached out and put his finger under my chin, lifting my head up to look him in the eye. "Please, don't give them a reason to hurt you."