Tommy's Rose

Chapter 24: Blood has been spilt

I think I had been in this cave for around four days. I say I think because I've not really kept count, in between trying to keep working and make a plan to escape, my mind was in other places. Exhaustion was beginning to take over my body, we were fed crackers, bread and small pieces of candy to keep our strength up, we were given whiskey and gin to drink to keep up warm. Javier was one of the guards that patrolled the cave, he talked to me and Daniel as much as he could, he even brought extra food for the children, he snuck me some matches to hide in a hole I had make in the ground where I had begun stashing bullets, makeshift knives I created using metal, I managed to sharpen them using rocks.

"Why don't you just give up already?" The eldest boy Archie asked me.

The work line had been swapped so Daniel and I were now separated so we didn't start anymore trouble.

I looked at Archie. "What like you did?" I asked. "How long have you been here again?"

"I've been here months and so has my little brother," He explained. "I tried and failed. You may be smart Shelby but you ain't getting out of here!"

I slammed the gun I was putting together down on the table. "So if I free these children you won't come with us?" I asked. "You'll stay here and carry on?"

Archie huffed. "I never said that," He told him. "I don't want to die!"

Instantly my heart broke. "I know you're scared," I told him. "I'm scared too but we have to try and escape!"

"That's the thing Shelby, you don't look scared," He pointed out.

"Sometimes you just have to pretend you're fearless," I told him.

Suddenly I was hit on the back. "GET BACK TO WORK!" A guard roared at me. "Stop talking!"

I looked over my shoulder and I glared at him; This guy was always the one who yelled at me, he constantly had an issue with me talking to the other children and yet he never shouted at anyone else but me so I had a pretty strong feeling it was personal. The guard looked at me then hit me across the face making me cry out in main-

"Aw did that hurt Princess?" The guard teased then grabbed the back of my hair making me look at him. "Where's you razors?"

The penny dropped. My Father.

"What did my Father do to you?" I asked.

The guard slammed my head down on the table making me grunt; Pain spread around the side on my head and down my face. "Tommy Shelby is a bastard!" He spat down my ear. "He destroyed my business, burnt it to the ground right in front of me!"

"A pub?" I guessed. "Did you not serve them properly, they get offended easily."

"I can't wait to leave your broken body on your Father's doorstep!" He whispered, then let me go.

I slowly got up and watched the man strut away in anger. As I thought, he has a grudge against my Father and since he can't get his hands on my Father I was the next best thing.

"He cut your face," Archie told me as he held my chin. "He was wearing a ring."

I held the side of my face which was pulsing with pain. "At least he didn't hit me with his belt," I mumbled.

Archie and I continued to work. The pain in my head was awful, I felt dizzy and my vision was slightly fuzzy, I had to keep stopping to get my breath and to refocus, it took me a long time to put a gun together but I carried on working. Archie was kind enough to tell me the side of my face and now a bruise had formed from the top of my temple to my jaw line... Wonderful.