Crunch, speechless.
“I know I just met ya, but ya seem a good fit. Why
not?” The guard shrugged and smiled at Victor. He couldn’t be lying. His eyes
were far too sincere for that.
Victor exhaled, grabbing the front of his own
shirt in order to do something with his hands. He really hoped Crunch wouldn’t
stay. He was strong, intelligent. For someone like that, it certainly couldn’t
be too hard to find work back in the city. “I... I hope you’re not just saying
that, because if you do, I will do something we’ll both regret,” he chuckled.
“Nah, serious. Just, ya know, it’s not gonna
‘appen overnight, that’s why ya have to blend in.”
Victor sighed, hoping Crunch wouldn’t take it
against him that he ran away. “I would really like to see you in London.”
Crunch let out a long breath, not answering, as
they approached the hill.
“So... I’ll see you tomorrow?” Victor gave him a
soft smile. He squinted when a reflection of light from one of the domes caught
his eyes.
“Yeah. I’ll bring ‘oney.”
Victor felt a knot of unease form in his stomach,
but he dismissed it quickly, hoping Crunch could keep his word this time.
Chapter 6
Victor practically licked the bowl of porridge he
got for supper. Unlike the other prisoners, he wasn’t trying to communicate
with the women crowded on the other side of the room. He didn't bother to count
them, but estimated that for every female, there were four or five male workers
in the camp. Despite being lesser in number, for the most part, women looked
healthier than the men, so he assumed either the portions were sufficient for
their needs or they had something to snack on between the meals. He suspected
the latter.
Some females worked alongside men in the orchard,
but they were mostly assigned to making preserves, cooking, milking the cows
and a task that was complained on so loudly, he could hear it from his place
against the wall - laundry duties.
Even though contact between the sexes was
technically not allowed, Victor started noticing after a few days here, that
not all the guards were bothered enough to stop the passing of little notes or
an exchange of smiles. This kind of normal human contact must have been
something that kept the long serving prisoners sane. Victor’s thoughts were
nowhere close to the other side of the room.
There was a slight glimmer of hope in him that
told him to leave it all to Crunch and avoid the risk of spending days marching
through the woods, but he was quick to dismiss it. He couldn’t allow himself to
depend on anyone’s mercy.
He was like all the others. The need for
human contact was making him careless and too trusting. He couldn’t--
“Hey, you!”
Victor looked up. A guard who was probably younger
than him pointed a finger at him.
“Yeah, you.”
Victor cleared his throat, looking into the
heavily spotted face. “What?”
“Someone wants to talk to you outside.” The guard
nodded at the door, as if that was supposed to be enough of an order.
Victor’s heart fluttered, and he gulped down his
tea just to refresh his teeth. Maybe Crunch was on watch again tonight? “Of
course, mister.” He gave the guard a polite nod and walked towards the wide
door, trying to hide his smile but it was a lost cause. He hoped Crunch
wouldn’t mind.
He exited under the watchful gaze of other guards,
but the silhouette he saw against the purple sky was not the one he wished for.
It was Iron Teeth. Startled, Victor came to an abrupt halt, looking around in
hope he would spot his lover somewhere. The realization that they were in fact
alone hit him like a hammer to the head, and his blood ran cold.
“Victor, right?” The guard approached him
casually, with hands on his hips. He was bulky, with a bit of a pot belly that
didn’t make him any less intimidating. Victor hid his hands in the pockets of
his trousers and nodded, keeping his eyes low, at Sharpe’s muddy boots. He knew
some
“I know I just met ya, but ya seem a good fit. Why
not?” The guard shrugged and smiled at Victor. He couldn’t be lying. His eyes
were far too sincere for that.
Victor exhaled, grabbing the front of his own
shirt in order to do something with his hands. He really hoped Crunch wouldn’t
stay. He was strong, intelligent. For someone like that, it certainly couldn’t
be too hard to find work back in the city. “I... I hope you’re not just saying
that, because if you do, I will do something we’ll both regret,” he chuckled.
“Nah, serious. Just, ya know, it’s not gonna
‘appen overnight, that’s why ya have to blend in.”
Victor sighed, hoping Crunch wouldn’t take it
against him that he ran away. “I would really like to see you in London.”
Crunch let out a long breath, not answering, as
they approached the hill.
“So... I’ll see you tomorrow?” Victor gave him a
soft smile. He squinted when a reflection of light from one of the domes caught
his eyes.
“Yeah. I’ll bring ‘oney.”
Victor felt a knot of unease form in his stomach,
but he dismissed it quickly, hoping Crunch could keep his word this time.
Chapter 6
Victor practically licked the bowl of porridge he
got for supper. Unlike the other prisoners, he wasn’t trying to communicate
with the women crowded on the other side of the room. He didn't bother to count
them, but estimated that for every female, there were four or five male workers
in the camp. Despite being lesser in number, for the most part, women looked
healthier than the men, so he assumed either the portions were sufficient for
their needs or they had something to snack on between the meals. He suspected
the latter.
Some females worked alongside men in the orchard,
but they were mostly assigned to making preserves, cooking, milking the cows
and a task that was complained on so loudly, he could hear it from his place
against the wall - laundry duties.
Even though contact between the sexes was
technically not allowed, Victor started noticing after a few days here, that
not all the guards were bothered enough to stop the passing of little notes or
an exchange of smiles. This kind of normal human contact must have been
something that kept the long serving prisoners sane. Victor’s thoughts were
nowhere close to the other side of the room.
There was a slight glimmer of hope in him that
told him to leave it all to Crunch and avoid the risk of spending days marching
through the woods, but he was quick to dismiss it. He couldn’t allow himself to
depend on anyone’s mercy.
He was like all the others. The need for
human contact was making him careless and too trusting. He couldn’t--
“Hey, you!”
Victor looked up. A guard who was probably younger
than him pointed a finger at him.
“Yeah, you.”
Victor cleared his throat, looking into the
heavily spotted face. “What?”
“Someone wants to talk to you outside.” The guard
nodded at the door, as if that was supposed to be enough of an order.
Victor’s heart fluttered, and he gulped down his
tea just to refresh his teeth. Maybe Crunch was on watch again tonight? “Of
course, mister.” He gave the guard a polite nod and walked towards the wide
door, trying to hide his smile but it was a lost cause. He hoped Crunch
wouldn’t mind.
He exited under the watchful gaze of other guards,
but the silhouette he saw against the purple sky was not the one he wished for.
It was Iron Teeth. Startled, Victor came to an abrupt halt, looking around in
hope he would spot his lover somewhere. The realization that they were in fact
alone hit him like a hammer to the head, and his blood ran cold.
“Victor, right?” The guard approached him
casually, with hands on his hips. He was bulky, with a bit of a pot belly that
didn’t make him any less intimidating. Victor hid his hands in the pockets of
his trousers and nodded, keeping his eyes low, at Sharpe’s muddy boots. He knew
some
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