Jane Doe
Unedited
“I’ve begun to realize that you can listen to silence and learn from it. It has a quality and a dimension all its own.”
― Chaim Potok, The Chosen
I dreamt of the forest. Always a meadow. The soil beneath my feet is soft from the morning rain. The heavy fog whispers its secrets begging me to venture into its grasp beyond the purple flowers. My pointed ears quiver as a doe emerges into the meadow, her long elegant neck snaps in my direction and her eyes dilate as they take me in with nostrils flaring pink. One green eye, one black, just like mine. I tilt my head. She tilts her head. She mirrors me as I move across the foliage, both our steps quiet with purpose. My eyes look beyond her as clawed hands from deep within the forest emerge from the gray preventing us from coming together. My mouth opens to warn her, as hers opens to screech as they grasp her from behind. Her agony heard as birds flock to the sky and then silence, as the talons deliver the final blow. Blood pooling from her open mouth and nose as the clawed hands drag her deep within the forest.
I gasp as I wake from the same dream I’ve been having since I was a child. The damp walls of my cell remind me that I’ve never even been in a forest, just the ones I’ve seen in magazines from the library’s limited selection. My cellmate looks over and scoffs as she has dealt with my nightmares for years. My beast rumbles a warning at her for her prying eyes as she smiles a mouth full of teeth in return. I flash mine back, my double canines on both sides always begging to bite, have her lowering her eyes back to her book. I was rejected amongst the other wolves within the prison as many formed ‘alliances’ to ease the need to be part of a group. I was glad my beast never pushed the urge nor seemed to be interested in joining anyones group.
The red lamp in my cell flashes indicating outside space time before breakfast in the cafeteria. Sliding on my slippers my collar blinks green a constant reminder of the safety measures taken by the humans to contain my beast within the refines of my skin. I’ve been at this facility for over fifteen winters and can’t recall how the humans captured me. I was labeled feral and of unknown lineage. The collar is the only thing I’ve ever known. They were right about one thing. I was feral and craved violence upon my tongue and the fear that seeped within its consequence. I wonder what lengths I would go for just a taste if it wasn’t for the collar?
Clicking my tongue I made sure to have my cellmate exit first, never letting her have my back. My height succeeds her by a good five inches, giving me the advantage if she were to try anything. The pimples on her back never fail to rise as she growls her discomfort.
As we exit the cell, others were already lining up to get some fresh air. Sometimes we could go weeks without outside privileges. Letting us out always gave humans the smell of fear. We were wild and embraced the harsh reality of the outside world. Their rifles and AK-47 line up above and on the ground regardless of the collar. I’ve seen with my own eyes the collar blowing up an inmate’s head off after failing to resist the shift. Regardless, the strength in our skin forms still surpasses theirs tenfold.
The morning air hits my nose before I even take a step out of the dull prison. My beast begins to perk up as the beams of the early sun shine a blood orange hue. Some of the other inmates begin to shove, growl, and snarl at the chance to get out first. My chest rises in ache to snarl in return, but I push it down as I always like to be last. Always. Once the last inmate goes outside I finally step out. The sun is the only welcoming warmth I’ve ever received. My lip raises as I taste the morning. It calms me, allowing me peace for only a moment, before I go to the wall where I can face the forest line without having to worry about my back. As I walk to my usual corner I see inmate 276 already there. Her blue eyes brighten at my form as I walk over. I just wanted to look at the green and imagine I was within it: free.
“Get lost b***h, you should have gotten here sooner if you wanted the wall,” she spat.
I raised an eyebrow at her verbal attack. I’ve learned quickly here that talking never gets you anywhere.
“You ain’t ever gonna talk you f*****g freak?”
No I wasn’t. I never saw the point.
My lip raises in warning, in which she returns. I began stepping into her space, her last chance before hands would be put onto her.
I could see her fighting her natural instinct to submit. She has a weaker beast than mine, a stronger one within the prison, but her neck began to angle unintentionally.
“You can have it, freak.” Her voice stone as she flicks a half lit cigarette at my feet.
Disgusting.
My eyes scan the forest as life even this close to prison dared to thrive, as birds call to one another. I do not know how long I stand there, but the guards start moving hinting they are gonna shift us inside soon. My neck begins to sweat as my black curls stick to my face. I eye the forest with longing one more time before turning toward the big double iron doors where I can see other inmates shoving to get first dibs on food.
Grabbing my tray of moldy bread and about to turn milk, I go to sit at the back table where everyone is visible. My eyes glance at the loud females as they chatter and brake off into their groups. Some even rubbing in greeting causing my stomach to turn.
I was halfway through my meal when I hear a pair of footsteps (despite the slippers) making their way toward me. A shadow not even a second later appear.
“Either you give me your apple, or your seat freak, You can’t have your cake with the wall and eat it too.” Her blue eyes never fail to hold the promise of death within them.
This inmate was semi-new and making her way through the ranks fairly quickly. I had to give her that. The loud chatter within the compound freezes as they all turn watch the upcoming tension. Some smack their teeth at the suggestion of violence.
My lack of response uneases her. I can smell it, but as quickly as a snake she strikes for my apple.
Unfortunately for her, I am quicker as I jab plastic fork deep within center of her palm. Her snarl of outrage and pain have her reeling as I stand up from my table.
The guards began coming off the walls, walking quickly toward our outburst. They love dishing out punishment.
She rips out the plastic fork from her hand and begins to barrel towards me. One thing, I did not expect was her being left handed as she clips me right in the jaw. My head cracks against the wall behind me as a snarl bellows from my chest, causing some females shoulders bow inward. With her newfound confidence the female attempts another attack, a shiner this time. Snatching her fist mid air I wrap my hand around her fist and squeeze. Her bones crunching have my beast in a frenzy. The smell of fear and anguish hit my nose and I smile at its pungency, my green eye beginning to burn. My beast urges me to reveal in the delicacy of her fear. I snatch her neck spinning her so she was on the wall lifting her off the ground. I see her eyes begin to flutter and my beast begs for just a taste. My collar begin to blink red uncontrollably as it senses the skin shifting. Forcing the shift down the warning ceases as the green light flickers on.
Too fast for the human guards to prevent, her body hits the ground like a sack of potatoes. The electric spiked baton is at my back causing me to fall to my knees.
“Dirty F*****g mutt.” I look back to see who was laying out the damage and would most likely knock me out. A blonde balding grease ball of a guard. His yellowing teeth clenched and black beady eyes dilated as he brought down the bat to my head.
I was out cold.
*************************************************************
Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.
The wet cell of solitary confinement puddle in my eyes as I begin to rise. The speaker buzzes as the cameras follow my movement revealing my consciousness.
“To say I would be surprised would be a lie inmate 333. You fail to amaze me at your lack of self control.” Sergeant Daniels’ deep voice blasts through the speakers.
I wince at the cold wall as I attempt to sit up and lean, regretting it as the welts on my back were deeper than I thought, as thick blood smears on the white cement.
“Oh yeah Josh got you good. Nothing you didn’t deserve to say the least.” He chuckled.
Even his voice through the speaker carries it weight to each corner of the room. Daniel has been here since the day I was brought in. My chattering teeth had me looking down at my basically naked body. They had me in only my flimsy boy shorts and a white sports bra.
My eyes lift to the camera the red blinking light mocking my current position.
“Mhm. You're filthy. You look like you need a bath 333.”
With that two guards came barreling in with fire hoses, one of them being the guard who knocked me out cold.
Lifting the lever I was surprised the water didn’t blast him into the wall as it belted onto my body. I couldn’t even scream if I wanted to, as one hit my lower body the other on my face. The pain was so much I would have passed out if it wasn’t the lack of oxygen. I was flat on my back as the door swung open and the water ceased its brutal assault. My body shivering regardless of my heightened resistance to the cold.
I could tell it was Daniel even with my eyes closed, as his boots always carried a weight to them as they bounced off the walls as his domineering form began to fill up the space of the cell.
“Lift her up onto the wall before she passes out.”
My body screams in agony as they roughly pull me toward the wall. The cuts on my back refuse to close, due to the iron and silver. I would scar.
“You know 333, you were always such a nasty little thing.Even as a-little child. Always snarling and biting anyone! Even your own kind.” He sneers as he eyes my bruised face.
“276 got the jump on ya huh? Haven’t seen that before.” His head tilts to the side in wonder as his large hand skims over the healing flesh causing me to flinch.
Daniel was large for a human at 6’5 and almost as wide as the door.
“Your behavior of course cannot go unpunished. I’ve been lax with you over the years. Do you know what tomorrow is? 333? Mhm?”
My eyes never wavered from his brown ones. They flicked back and forth between the two.
“Peculiar,” his finger dragged down the side of my face as he inspected my two different colored eyes.
“Still the silent treatment after all these years, I mean I’m sort of offended at this point.” He fanned insult with a hand to his chest.
“Well, it’s your 21st birthday and the age requirement for you to enter the pits. You see you can fight all your little heart’s desires down there, and I will reap the benefits. It’s a win-win situation the way I see it. Win and you get to eat and live to see another day. Lose and you get to be put out of your misery.” His hands skim down the length of my body lingering toward my hardened nipples. His desire begins to thicken the air.
My lip curls in warning at his proximity and his sexual violence.
Straightening up and fixing his military uniform Daniel chuckled as he began walking toward the cell doors.
“Again.”
This time the water did knock me out cold.
Author's Note:
Same story. Just a weeee betta. I've already got chapter 2 and 3 written and will be posting them Monday and Wednesday. Life is crazy sometimes and we gotta just endure the silence to really hear what we need. Thanks for reading <3
