Beloved

Chapter six The General

Six months later

Chapter six

The General

The door slammed open, and I jolted awake. 

“Bowls out!” Two factory slaves started down the line, pouring bland soup into our bowls. A girl followed behind to hand out the half a piece of bread. 

I placed my next to the wall where the demon next to me couldn’t reach it. We weren’t give much and that monster had stolen from me one too many times. I still hadn’t figure out what he was going here because from what I had heard he was a demon. Born in this wasteland, but hell was a confusing place.

The slaves filled my bowl, and the girl place the bread next to it.

“This place stinks,” she muttered.

“I’ll tell Mrs Finch, they need sprayed down again.” He glanced down the row. “The warehouse is close to being full. She’ll be taking clients through to see the merchandise soon.” 

They talked amongst themselves as they exited the warehouse. 

I crept forward and grabbed my food.

“So you survived the night,” taunted the demon. “Thought you might have died.”

I glared at him and clenched my fist. He had made the mistake of getting too close to me before and received a black eye because of it. I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. Curling back up in my corner, I sipped the brown liquid. It tasted horrible, but having hunger gnaw away at my stomach was worse. 

“They gave you extra.” The old man crawled toward me. “You should share.”

The moment he was in striking rang, I kicked him hard in the chest. “Get away from me.” I had to withhold the urge not to throw my bowl at him. Last time, the demons had hidden it from me, and it had taken a couple of weeks to get a new one. 

“Selfish little brat.”

I turned my back to him and continued eating. He couldn’t reach me in my corner, but he had a habit of getting too close. The first couple of weeks at the warehouse, I had been alone until they drag the old man in here and he had been tormenting me ever since. I had learned a little though about the outside world by listening to him talk to the others.

“Worthless little savage.”

Hunching over my bowl, I finish my meal and tried to ignore him. The sound of clicking heels entered the warehouse. I glanced over my shoulder to see Mrs. Finch with the slave from before. 

“Clean them up,” she ordered. “I have representatives from the army coming to look at them.” She pulled out a white piece of fabric and held it to her nose. “And this god awful stench isn’t going clear my warehouse.”

“Yes, Mrs. Finch.” They went to get out the water pumps. 

She smoothed back her hair into her tight bun. “I’ll finally be rid of you.” She looked down her nose at me “You’ve been here long enough.”

I kept my body turned toward the wall. She wouldn’t get too close. I had taken a couple of beating establishing that, but it had been worth it.

“The army will find a way to straighten you out,” she napped. “They won’t be as kind to any of you as I’ve been,” she announced to the group. 

I don’t really know why it happened, but I started to laughed. If this was kindness, chained to a wall and sitting in filth, than the army might final give me what I wanted, and put an end to it all.