Blood Lust
Chapter Eighteen

Lee had made a comment about how the docks had been covered in snow. That meant a second snow had come. That meant two years had passed. Two years of my life wasted. Two years of wondering if my family still looked for me. If they put posters out for me. If they still had hope I was alive.

"Easy day today! Blood draw!" Lee tried to cheer me up. He jumped right in my face as I was getting out of bed. Lee and Martin had promised to take turns watching over me. Lee had lost at 'Rock-paper-scissors, making it his turn to escort me. I gave him a blank stare and started walking towards the infirmary.

"Hey you!" A Guard jogged towards us, "Is this prisoner 4775?" He checked his clipboard. He sounded out of breath.

Lee looked confused, "Uh.." He grabbed my wrist to check the bracelet, "Yea. Why? She's scheduled for a blood draw this morning." He sounded genuinely confused.

"Sorry man, I got her number here scheduled for bathroom cleanup and she was a no show." He flipped the clipboard over to Lee. "I can it from here though." He grabbed my arm and tugged me along. I looked back at Lee with a silent plea.

Something's not right...

The Guard tugged me at me. Lee tried to hide his emotions. "Uhm. Are you sure I was scheduled for bathroom duty?" I asked. He refused to look at me. He walked us along the hall mechanically.

"You don't get to ask the questions." He growled. He pressed his teeth against my cheek. I glanced at his eye. There was something wrong with them. They were dull and glazed over.

"Are you okay?" I pulled my face away from his. Only to anger him even more. He straightened up and looked forward in a mechanical way. He continued on until we came to the bathrooms in front of the cafeteria.

"Get to work!" He practically threw me into the bathroom.

What is your problem?

There was no doubt that something was off. I just couldn't figure it out.

I found the cleaning supplies on the counter. They were neatly laid out for me. The cleaning solution for the floor was already poured in a bucket. It was suspicious.

I grabbed the spray bottle and a rag, and walked over to the counters. The mirrors were already cleaned.

I looked over my shoulder, to replace the Guard was staring at me intently. His arms were crossed and his breath was heavy. The veins on his forehead were protruding.

I tried to ignore to ignore him. I turned around to pull the trash out of the bins, but when I looked in, the trash bins were completely empty. Someone had already emptied them. I peeked inside one of the stalls and noticed that the toilet paper had been replaced as well. The bathroom had already been cleaned!

"Hey, this bathroom has already been cleaned." I called out from inside the stall. I heard the Guards' footsteps come up behind me. I whipped around to lock the stall, but he kicked the door open. The edge of the door hit me square in the face. I could already feel my nose begin to swell, ready to burst with blood. I pinched my nose in hopes of not getting it all over the already clean bathroom.

The Guard lunged for me. His arms reached for my neck, nearly choking me when he succeeded. His grip on my throat carried my full weight as I struggled to stay balanced enough to walk. It felt like my neck was being torn from my body. He flung me towards the wall. My body felt like Jell-O when it made contact with the cement wall. Like every bone in my body cracked and all that held me together was muscle.

He reached for the door stopper that propped open the bathroom door. It was an old bleach bottle that held sand. He grabbed it and watched as the door slowly closed, trapping me in with him. I could see him flex his grip on the handle and lift it above his head.

This is it...

I closed my eyes when he brought it crashing down on me. The first blow hit my ribs. It caused me to curl up in a ball. The agony was unbearable.

There was a short pause. I opened my eyes thinking he stopped. My eyes connected to his eerie smile. Another blow. The bottle landed on my hip. I thought I heard a crack. He was breaking my bones. I raised my hands in an attempt to defend myself, but I knew I couldn't take another blow.

The last blow came barreling down on the side of my head. It caused my ears to ring and disorient me. I gasped for air.

Then, there was nothing...

It's over. I can rest...