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nHeidi was hungry. She had gotten used the timely meals that now her head hurt due to the lack of food. Boldly, she leaned forward to pull the women’s plate to her who had childishly pushed her plate on the ground. This time before the woman pushed the plate again, she slid it to the side which the woman missed.

n“It is only right that I have your food for pushing mine,” said Heidi, taking a bite from the stale food.

nA male then spoke from behind, “How much do we bet that I get her,” he suggested.

n“Is that why you’re creating such a fuss? To gain some attention, bitch?” The woman was younger than her, pretty compared to the other slaves and when she looked from the corner of her eyes, the guards seemed to be not bothered with her behaviour. It wasn’t something she didn’t know. She had lived for months in this place before escaping and it made her fears that much larger because she knew what went inside this place.

n“I think you’re gaining much attention than I am,” Heidi responded after another bite to see her get up.

n“Samantha,” her companion friend held her arm, “Later. We can deal with her later.”

nThe slaves were then taken back to their cells. Four nights and three days passed with Heidi trying to keep away from trouble and looking out of the window for any sign she could send but every window and door turned out to be fruitless. The slaves were of no help. No one talked to her and neither did she. The slaves were treated like animals and in two days she had heard people scream in their cells due to the punishment the guards put out on them. One thing she knew was to not get on the bad side of the guard because here the slaves were beneath every person. They were dirt and the same was drilled into the slaves, breaking any and everybody’s resolve until they were molded into proper slaves.

nHeidi wondered if Nicholas had returned back to Bonelake and if he had received the letter she had sent to him. She could only hope for him to get here sooner and save her. Each night she dreamed of the nightmare that was caused in one of these cells. The woman who had protected her and showed her kindness had been killed with her head being smashed over the wall over and over again until it disfigured into something else. Things didn’t turn out easy with some men wanting to complete the bet while the women who had sided with the two women she had feud with were trying to sell her out.

nOn the fourth morning after breakfast, Heidi was on her way to her cell when someone pushed her on the ground. Falling on her full front, she turned around to look up to see it was none other than the slave who had a problem with her.

n“Guess what? The guards aren’t here. For a new slave you shouldn’t have acted the way you did. We thought of having a little something for you,” Samantha said as two men came out in view behind her. Heidi tried to look composed but at the back of her mind she felt anxiousness hitting hard. Her heart began beating fast as the slave said, there were no guards around here.

n“You are a petty slave I have come across,” Standing up, Heidi dusted her hands as she spoke.

n“You think just because you are a new slave people here will listen to you?” Samantha scoffed with her arms folded across her chest,

n“Is that why you never got sold? For your childish tantrum behaviour?”

nThe slave smiled while also gritting her teeth, “Remember that I have stayed in this place longer and I *will *drag you down to a place that you wished you never spoke to me.”

n“Likewise,” Heidi murmured under her breath before she saw the woman in front of her snap her fingers and the men stomped forward, towards her.

nAll these years before Heidi had returned back to the slave establishment, there were nights after experiencing her nightmare that she would run over the scene over and over in her head, wondering what and how she could avoid it. Though it didn’t help in driving away the bad dreams she decided to use her after thoughts now. Finding the closest wall to her left, she went there and began hitting her head hard, colliding her forehead with the wall until she began feeling dizzy. It hurt but it was the only stupid solution she could pick out.

n“What are you doing?!” the woman asked confused before realization dawned on her, “Don’t you even dare!” she glared at her.

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