Page 10 of Us Dark Few

Khalani quickly rushed over to the empty wheelbarrow. She struggled to move the clunky wheels in a straight line, even without weight piled in. “Start piling those rocks in here,” he instructed as she zig-zagged her way over.

The rocks were much heavier than they appeared, and her arms ached after several minutes. The prisoner noticed her arms shaking and began to assist with her load.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

“First day is always the worst,” he grumbled in a low voice. “No matter how much it hurts, you keep going. They will make up reasons to hurt you, so don’t give them any.” He put the last rock into the wheelbarrow and dusted his hands.

His palms were covered in popped blisters, some oozing blood, but he acted as if he didn’t notice. When they finished, they rolled both wheelbarrows to the metal disposal unit on the far side of the cavern.

The work was challenging and arduous. Hours passed and she repeatedly rubbed her arms to smooth the aches and cramps, but Marcela’s warning rang in her mind. Khalani kept her head down and mouth shut as she worked, pushing through the sharp pain.

Her eyes caught Prisoner 189’s, and he gave her a nod of respect. “I half expected you to keel over by now, but you’re holding your ownweight,” he said with a slight note of surprise.

“I don’t give up easily,” was her only response.

His calculating gaze shot past her warily, to where Marcela was on the other side of the cavern, yelling at prisoners.

“What did you do?” He lifted his eyes to her.

“What?” She grunted in pain as she plopped a cumbersome rock in the barrel a quarter of her size.

“I mean, what did you do to wind up in here? You don’t seem the type to kill, but I’ve been wrong about worse things.”

“I’m not a murderer,” she snapped.

“Had to ask.” He shrugged without remorse. “Braderhelm is home to many murderers, and there are few you can trust. If you wanna survive here, I would grow eyes in the back of your head.”

“Helpful advice.” She pursed her lips. “And I suppose you’re in the minority I can trust?”

“No. Carrying someone’s trust is too much responsibility. But you don’t have to fear anything from me if that puts your mind at ease,” he answered.

Khalani’s brows pinched together. “How long have you been here?”

“I was sentenced here 262 days ago.”

“You remember the exact day?”

“Most people don’t.” He scrubbed a dirty hand across his face. “But I would rather remember my last semblance of freedom. Better than the future bleeding together in an unending abyss. It’s a small way I can have control.”

“We don’t have any control.” She slammed a hefty rock inside the wheelbarrow. Harder than necessary. The lack of response reminded her why people left her alone. She was too broken.

Khalani closed her eyes as the familiar despair crept back and nearly halted her movement. She lost everything that mattered, like an empty corpse wandering with no purpose.

What did she have to live for?

She couldn’t find the answer anymore and that trivial thought terrified her.

“I’m not saying the pain will get easier,” his voice rose, as if he could sense the ruin within her. “But you don’t realize how tough you are until you need all your strength.”

Khalani’s lips drew in a hard line, her knuckles turning white as she clasped the wheelbarrow in a tight grip. Images flashed in her mind. Her parent’s lifeless eyes staring at her on a cold table. Douglas closing her door with one final look, his words of hope burning to a fiery crisp.

Her last strength flew away like an extinct dove when the steel bars slammed home, locking her in prison.

She breathed for the sake of breathing. She continued to push her body because the physical pain served as a temporary distraction from the emptiness that bellowed inside.

“What cellblock are you on?” he interrupted the cold silence.

“Seven,” Khalani whispered, trying to forget the useless past.

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