S-CRY-ed Fan Fiction ❯ S-cry-ed, renewed ❯ Slave Labor Camp ( Chapter 2 )

Three hours later: Night

 

The girl, Ayanna, was pushed into a cabin. She stumbled in and looked around. The door slammed shut behind her. There were two others in the room. A young man looked up at her, his eyes curious. Another, who seemed to be older than the first sat in a dirty cot and stared at the wall.

Ayanna gulped nervously and took a step forward.

“Hey,” said the young man.

Ayanna jumped in surprise and looked at him. He had short black hair and brown eyes.

“I'm Takena,” he said plainly.

Ayanna blinked before replying. “Er, I'm Ayanna.”

Takena pointed to a cot near a barred window. “I guess that one's yours,” he told her. Ayanna looked over at the cot.

“Oh...thank you,” she replied and took a few steps towards the bed.

“You're a native alter?” Takena asked. Ayanna turned to face him.

“Well I was brought here, wasn't I?”

Takena shrugged naturally. “Some people who are brought here are just outlaws,” he said.

“I'm not an outlaw!” Ayanna snapped. Takena raised a hand and shook it.

“Ah, I didn't mean that you were one! Hey, I'm an alter-user, too,” Takena said. Ayanna glanced over at the older man who had not moved at all.

“And what about him?” she asked. Takena looked over at him.

“Oh, you mean Riok. No, he has a different story actually...” Takena explained. Ayanna stared at the man for a moment. Suddenly, the man, Riok turned his head to stare back at her. Ayanna gasped. The man's face was scarred and missing an eye.

“What's the matter, girl?” Riok asked nonchalantly. Ayanna just stared at him. “It's rude to stare,” he continued. Ayanna's eyes dropped and she turned her back to him.

“Well fine, if it makes you feel better, I'll never look at you again, how's that?,” she asked hotly.

From behind her, Riok smiled. The man was about 37, about 20 years older than Takena. He had light brown, shoulder-length hair and wore a rugged jacket and a pair of torn jeans, not so different from Ayanna's clothing. Takena, on the other hand, wore a long trench coat over a grey shirt and pants.

“So what'd you do?” Takena asked Ayanna. She turned her face inquiringly. “How'd you get caught?” he asked again.

“Well I didn't do anything. It was HOLY. I think they're looking for someone and are rounding up all of the native alter-users while they're at it,” she replied thoughtlessly.

“Did they say who they were looking for?” Takena inquired, standing up and stuffing his hands into his pockets.

“Yes,” Ayanna nodded, “I think it was something like `Kazuka' or `Kazuma', I can't remember,” she said. Ayanna turned around. “Didn't they take you for `questioning'?”

Takena shook his head. “No. I've been here for about a month now, maybe they weren't looking for that guy back then,” Takena guessed. Ayanna looked back over at Riok.

“What about you, old man? What's your story?” Ayanna asked.

Riok had not steered his eyes from Ayanna. “I think that's awfully straightforward and you should mind your own business, missy,” he said calmly.

Ayanna quickly raised a fist. “Hey, who're you callin' missy?! I was just asking; you didn't have to answer!”

“Don't be so irritable. He's always like that,” said Takena. Riok had turned his head so that Ayanna could not see the smile across his features. He had taken an immediate liking to Ayanna, as did Takena.

Ayanna crossed her arms and looked out the window. “When do we leave this dump?” she asked them.

Takena shrugged and Riok responded. “We don't.”

Ayanna turned back to them. “You mean there's nothing we can do? We just stay here until we rot? Won't someone try to get us out?”

“Do you know of anyone?” Takena asked unexpectedly.

Ayanna's temper dropped when he asked this. She thought a moment. She had but one friend...but what could he do? He's not even an alter-user...

“Yes. I do! His name is Kimishima.” She turned her back to them again, gazing out of the window. “He'll get us out of here somehow. He's done it before.”

Takena walked over to her and sighed. He looked out, too. The stars were so close in the Lost Ground.

“I hope you're right,” said Takena. “I really do.”

 

~

Two days later

 

“Ayanna! Come on, Ayanna! Up! Get up!” Takena shouted at her. Ayanna held her pillow in front of her face. Takena grabbed the pillow and pulled on it. He grunted. “Err, Ayanna, you have to wake up!” He finally let go.

Ayanna rose and launched the pillow at the young man. It struck him in the face and he took a startled step back. This was Ayanna's second day at the slave labor camp. It was 8:00 in the morning, which was later than they were supposed to have slept.

“Ayanna, they'll be here soon to take us out!” said Takena.

“Well why didn't you tell me!?” Ayanna sprung from her cot and dashed over to where she had left her shoes. She quickly tied their laces and smoothed her hair down. She had not changed her clothes for the night. She never did. And how could she with two men in the same cabin as herself?!

Takena looked out of the small window in the door. “Ah! They're coming, make sure you're ready!” he said and stumbled over to his cot where he sat casually as if he had wakened hours before. Ayanna leaned against the wall near the window and Riok, who really had been awake for hours, just sat and stared at the wall, as usual.

The door burst open and four guards, stationed there by HOLD, stepped into the room. They looked around. They were all wearing HOLD uniforms and dark shades.

“Alright, come on! You get a break this time. You're lucky, we had to deal with a deserter an hour ago so you got off easy like,” said the main guard who was a tall, muscular man with an annoying handlebar mustache.

Two guards pulled Ayanna and Takena forward and linked them together with chains around their ankles. If they even tried to get away, the shackles would shock them to the point of blacking out. The other guard grabbed Riok and led him away, linking him with another native-alter.

Ayanna and Takena were pushed from the room and into the blinding daylight. They paused for a moment to shade their eyes, but the guard pressed them roughly forward and they stumbled.

“Get up!” he shouted, grabbing them by the collars of their shirts and hauling them back to their feet.

“Hey, watch it you bucket of lard or I'll bite your leg off!” Ayanna growled.

The main guard punched Ayanna in the stomach. She flinched and gasped for breath. “Cheeky brat!” he spat.

Takena looked startled. He put a hand on her shoulder and glared at the man. “Stop it! She wasn't -Ungghh!” The guard beat Takena, striking him hard on the side of his face. Both native-alters fell to the desert ground. The guards laughed aloud.

The headman stood over them both and grinned. “You were saying?” he asked. There came no response and he laughed again. “Take them to the field!” he said and indicated the two by kicking Takena's leg.

Again, they were heaved to their feet and dragged out to a barren field. A few of the prisoners looked up as the two joined them, but most did not care. Ayanna and Takena were sent to work right away. The shackles connecting them made it even more difficult.

“Takena,” Ayanna spoke between breaths as together, they carried a `boulder' over to a pile. “Do ya think we'll get outta here soon?” she asked simply.

They dumped the rock and breathed heavily. “I really don't know,” was the only response Ayanna ever got out of him. It was a hot day, though all were, but nights in the Lost Ground were quite cold. Ayanna shivered. They had slipped away from their duties at night to take a break.

Takena shrugged off his coat and put it over Ayanna. She looked up at him. “Here,” he said, “Use this, it's warm.”

“But it's yours. Why would you let me use it?” she asked.

Takena shrugged. “We're the same. We should all look after each other,” he looked at her. “Isn't that what friends do?” he asked, not really expecting a reply.

Ayanna put half of the coat over Takena. “Okay then, but we'll share it. If you look after me, then I'll have to look after you, too.”

They stayed in a corner hidden from HOLD's view as they waited for the guards to start bringing the natives back to their cabins. The two stealthily snuck back and were led to their room and un-cuffed. The night air streamed through the barred window, making the cabin unusually colder than it should have been. Ayanna and Takena had gathered their insufficient sheets and sat together against the wall.

The two tried to persuade Riok to join them. They told him that it was much warmer, but the older man just shook his head and sat, still gazing at the wall as if at any moment, it would disappear and he could walk out of the oppressing camp.

Ayanna and Takena fell asleep peacefully and woke on time the next morning. They immediately stood up and chucked the blankets onto their cots, for again, it was scorching hot. Ayanna had a bit more time to ready herself when the guards finally came and again cuffed them together and led them away.

“Hey, Takena, what's your alter?” Ayanna asked suddenly. They were rolling large barrels of water to the storage sheds. Takena looked up and wiped his brow.

“It's called Perpetual Flight,” he replied. “I can combine the eight elements of light, ice, shadow, water, wind, energy, fire, and earth to create an alter that can stun an enemy,” he smiled. “And what about yours?” he asked.

“Hintakai. I can change water into metal,” she replied simply.

“Does your alter have a second form?” he asked.

“Does yours?”

“I asked you first,” Takena grinned.

“Yes. Using the moisture in the air, I can also create a small invisible alter about the length of an average person's arm. It can slice through practically anything. What about you?” she asked. Not many alter-users had a strong enough alter for it to have a second form. The last form there is would be a third form. So far, no alter has gained a third form.

“Actually, I led you on,” Takena smiled, “I don't have one.” Ayanna elbowed Takena in the side.

“You're a liar. Now come on, let's keep moving before they see us slacking off,” said Ayanna.

They started to roll the barrel again towards the sheds. “Hey, you were the one who started talking,” Takena defended himself.

Ayanna trod purposefully on his foot. He screamed in surprise. Ayanna nudged him hard. “Quiet!”

“What was that for?” he exclaimed.

“Shut up, the guards are looking right at us!” Ayanna whispered urgently.

“That's not a good reason to step on my foot,” Takena exclaimed a bit too loudly. “Yowch!” he exclaimed as Ayanna smacked him in the back of his head.