Mines

Chapter Ten

     I hear commotion coming from outside of my cell, but I don't respond to it. People shouting, trucks beeping, and the occasional gun firing. Maybe that guard, that solider... Burr was his name. He was right, maybe I have given up. But I don't see why I should have hope in this situation, because it's unlikely I'm ever going to get out of here. And it's Wednesday so that only adds to my increasing sadness. There's a knocking on my cell door, and I know I'll get punished for ignoring it, so I sit up and see a British solider glaring at me from the other side of the cell. He's somewhat familiar but I through my hazy brain I can't really place a name to his face.
     "You have orders to be released." he growls, looking as though if it was up to him I wouldn't have gotten off to easily. Nevertheless, I have to rub my ears hard to determine if what I just heard was a hoax.
     "I'm sorry what?" I say, not trying to annoy the man but still wanting to hear him say those words again.
     "A huge batch of prisoners just arrived. The crimes they have committed are far worse than yours, so you've been let go to make room for them." The guard continues, ignoring my request.
     "Really? Who?" I ask, but he doesn't respond. Clearly I'm not important enough for that answer. Still, I'm somewhat elated that I'm going to live to see another day. I get roughly shoved out of my cell, and pulled, none to gently, by the hair and out of the Captain's base. Before that though, I was blindfolded. Which I didn't really mind because it made no difference to me since I'm being guided, but it made me think: What don't they want me to see? I've never been blindfolded while walking through the hallways on the base before, and it seem ridiculous because I've already seen everything in the hallways. Unless... unless they added something new they don't want me to see. Five minutes later I get my blindfold taken off and I'm shoved into my normal sleep quarters, and I don't even get to focus my vision before I hear three different screams, and six arms are hugging me so tightly I can't breathe. "Guys." I manage to croak out, and they take that as a cue, not to let me go, but to loosen their grip. I've immediately identified the owners of the arms, Herc, who has the strongest grip out of everyone else, Lafayette, who's talking rapidly in French, and, surprisingly, Alex. I didn't realize we were good enough friends to hug, but, hey. Everyone can make exceptions, and to be honest, I'm glad to see him too.
"Man, you've got to stop almost being killed! I mean, first the riot, now sneaking out at night. C'mon! Stop kidding with us." Herc says and laughs at the same time.
"Vous êtes le plus gros idiot du monde! Pourquoi as-tu dû aller me faire peur comme ça?" Laf says, finally releasing his grip on me.
"Trust me bud, I'd like to respond, but I can't. Dude can you speak English at all anymore?" I question him.
"I have to agree with Lafayette on this one." Alex says, choosing a side.
"Well thank you very much." I say sarcastically.
"No problem." Alex grins. His smile captivates me for a second. I notice how it makes his whole character light up, turning him from aggressive to someone you wished you had a stronger connection with. It compliments his eyes very nicely, and turns all of his features, handsome. The second leaves though, and I'm left feeling embarrassed.
"So, what happened?" Herc voices the question in everyone's minds. So I tell them, everything that happened from my getting captured to being thrown into the cell.
"It's the rebels," Alex says gloomily, sitting down on his "bed". He's no longer smiling. "They've been captured- taken here. I bet you someone like... maybe Washington, or... someone's. They've taken your place." his hands are hiding his face and his voice starts to shake, and I can feel the danger of tears coming. I sit next to him, but don't say anything because he continues to speak. "It's my fault. It's my fucking fault. Maybe if I've gotten more out of Lee or, if I sent them a message faster then-"
"Hey that's enough. You can't blame yourself," I say sternly. He turns to face me, his eyes full of tears. "I mean, think about it. You don't even know how they were captured." I don't know what else to say, because this isn't my department when it comes to cheering people up. Fortunately the master sits on Alex's other side and helps me.
"He's right, mon ami. You can't blame yourself until you know all the facts, which you don't. None of us do. Instead of crying, why don't we think up a solution? Some way to help them? We both know this isn't justice." Laf says softly to Alex. I notice he calls Alex "my friend" in French, which is something he only usual does for Herc or myself. If he's saying it to Alex too, that means he's accepted Alex as one of his friends as well, which gives me an elated feeling. Which in a second turns into despair and guilt for not caring who would get thrown into my place, only that I got out of the cell, and that while Lafayette might except Alex, Herc is a long way away from doing the same.

     We sit in silence for a long time, the happiness of seeing all my friends again has left me, and I'm left feeling sullen and upset for reasons I can't entirely place. But it's so quiet, that we'd be hard pressed to miss the screaming. All four of us rush towards our cell door and try to turn our heads as much as we can, craning our necks to see who's yelling. It's the same soldier from before and someone else, who's also wearing soldier greaves. They're both shouting at each other, loud enough for all the slaves to hear.
     "I didn't have the orders to! I was simply following instructions to deliver him back to his cell." The first soldier says.
     "Really? Well I have papers right here, delivered to me this morning, they read: 'Under no pretenses will the miner, Mr. John Laurens be delivered back to his first cell.'" I can feel my face growing pale. They're talking about me.
     "And who signed those papers?" The first soldier demands, snatching the paper from his colleague. His face grows pale as well and he splutters out: "T-the Captain?"
     "That's right. You do realize that disobeying the Captain's orders is punishable by death?" the second guard says.
     "N-now wait just a moment!" The first exclaims, eyeing the pistol in the soldiers belt. "Since you're the commanding officer, it is your job to inform me of such information before I act without knowing."
     "I read the order aloud during our brake. Everyone was supposed to be present and it is your fault if you weren't." the second contradicts.
     "W-wait! You can't kill me! I have to much use for the cause! Do you forget what brought me here in the first place?"
     "The Captain and I both agree you've lived your usefulness, Burr." and that's when the bullet goes through Burr's head.