Internment

Chapter 2

Hello again! If you're familiar with my previous work, I know what you're thinking ... Two chapter in less than 24 hours?? What in the world?! I was so excited to get started with this story, that I just had to break my computer out again this morning! I know things are pretty slow right now, but they're about to pick up!

***TRIGGER WARNING: I wanted to go ahead and let you all know on the front end that this story will have quite a few more dark scenes than past stories I've written. There will be individual trigger warnings on specific chapters that contain that kind of content, but I just want you all to be aware before you get invested! Please read with caution! ***

Reyna's eyes fluttered open, her head throbbing. What had happened? Where was she? She blinked, her surroundings coming into focus. She was seated in the back of a truck, her hands bound behind her back. She shifted in her seat, her shoulders brushing against someone else on either side of her. She squinted through the darkness, the only light coming from a crack between the metal doors at the back of the truck. The seats were packed full of people, all bound as she was. How long had she been unconscious?

"Wh-where are we?" She asked in a whisper, to the man seated beside her. He gave her a sideways glance but didn't answer. "Where are we?" She repeated her question, a bit louder this time.

"Hush girl," A woman seated across from her hissed. "You'll get us all a beating."

She flinched at the woman's venomous tone, but didn't push the issue.

"We've crossed the boarder into Germany," She heard a voice whisper to her right. She looked up to see a young woman. "You've been unconscious for hours," She continued. "I thought you might be dead."

"Did they bring anyone else with me?" Reyna asked, her mind jumping to her family as everything that had happened came flooding back to her.

"No," The girl shook her head.

"No one else?" Reyna pressed frantically.

"No," The girl repeated. "No one else."

Pressing her back against the cold metal, she exhaled a sigh. Her family had made it ... At least she hoped they had.

She was pulled from her thoughts as the truck lurched to a halt. They all sat in silence, listening to the sound of muffled voices outside. Suddenly the doors opened wide, dim sunlight flooding into the back of the truck. She squinted through the brightness, her eyes falling on the two soldiers standing before them, rifles in hand.

"Out," One of the soldiers spat in German. One by one, they filed out, their feet hitting the ground with a thud as they were half assisted, half dragged out of the truck. Their bonds were cut, and they were separated, the men taken to a separate line, away from the women and children.

She wrapped her arms around her frame, shivering as the cold air hit her bare arms. Her head still throbbed from whatever she'd been hit with. She reached up to the crown of her head, the hair around the wound matted with dried blood. She winced in pain and disgust. Looking down, she took in the rest of her appearance. Her shoes were caked with mud, and her stockings were in tatters from where she'd hit the ground. She smoothed down her dress, which was painted with mud stains as well.

"Next," She heard a voice call a few feet in front of her. She'd made it to the front of the line. "Next," The officer repeated robotically, when she didn't respond. Squeezing her arms tighter around herself, she stepped forward. "Name?" The officer asked, without so much as a glance up from his paper.

"Fe-Feldman," She sputtered. "Reyna Feldman."

"Age?"

"Twenty."

"Country of origin?" He asked, copying down the answers she gave, on the paper.

"France."

"4559," He said flatly.

"Wh-what?"

"4559," He repeated the string of numbers, looking up at her properly for the first time. "That's your number."

"My number?" She asked sheepishly.

"Your identification number," He said in annoyance. "All personal affects go in there," He nodded at the bin to his right.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. The only personal item she had left was the necklace she wore, her pockets having already been turned out by her captors. She reached up, touching the teardrop pendant that hung around her neck. Her father had gifted it to her on her eighteenth birthday. Reaching around, she fumbled with the clasp, her nerves combined with the icy air making her fingers too stiff to undo it properly. She flinched as the officer grabbed the necklace impatiently, snapping the chain off her neck, before tossing it into the bin.

"Where's this one going?" She heard a voice ask in German. Another officer had approached them. He was much younger than his counterpart, looking only a few years older than Reyna herself. His dark hair was longer than the other soldiers she'd seen. His eyes, a piercing shade of green, looked at her expectantly. 

"Sorting sheds," The older officer nodded, signaling that he was finished with her.

His eyes darkened at the older officer's answer, the smallest of smirks turning up his lips. Grabbing hold of her arm, he led her away from the main group of prisoners, taking her to a smaller group a few yards away.

The group consisted of four other girls, looking to be about Reyna's age. They huddled together, all holding the same frightened expression ... The same expression she was sure was painted across her face as well. They stood there, no one saying a word, as they waited for what was to come.

She looked around, taking in the prison she was now forced to call home. The buildings to their left were made of thick concrete, resembling bunkers rather than actual living quarters. To their right, stood newer looking, brick structures, that she assumed were the officer barracks.

She watched as a female officer approached them. She was tall and thin, her blonde hair twisted into a tight bun that sat at the base of her head. Her features were harsh, her jaw and nose creating hard angles that made her face look as though it had been cut from glass. She reached the group, her eyes trailing over each girl methodically, as if she were shopping for the perfect cut of meat at the market. Once she'd finished her inspection, she took a step back, lacing her hands together behind her back.

"Come with me ladies."

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