Triple Trouble - Stranger Things

Trapped Inside

I've been slamming this pickaxe down for what feels like hours, the sound of it scraping the gravel making me curl. For all I know, it could've actually been hours, there's just now way of telling. I was deep enough in the mines to the point where I couldn't see any sunlight, the only light down here were the few lamps that hung around the inside of the place.

I sighed and put down the pick trying to give myself a rest, massaging my arm with my opposite hand. I took a few deep breaths hoping to keep myself steady as I became dizzy. I was starting to get sick again. It seems to happen the most when I'm down in the mines. Probably because this place is nothing but cold and dead.

Suddenly a guard shouted at me in Russian, shoving me, trying to get me to go back to work. I looked up at him to see it was Enzo, a guard that Hoppers been talking to. He doesn't typically come down in the mines, but majority of the time when he does it means he needed to talk to me. I looked around with my eyes seeing a few other guards in the area, meaning I had to make a scene.

"Pig." I said in Russian. Enzo replied back angrily but I didn't understand it. "Asshole!" I said louder. He huffed and grabbed me snatching me from my spot, pulling me out of sight.

"Your Russian is getting better American." He said letting me go. I didn't say anything and put my hands in my pockets. "I will be quick with what I'm about to tell you. I bring news from America." I looked up at him, my heart skipped a beat, a strange rush flowing through my body. "I heard from your friends. They're bringing your money to Alaska. Today I hope, if my pilot gets the money, he will bring it in his plane tomorrow. Then you and your big man can hitch a ride back to your country, I get rich, and you are free. Now remember, you miss that plane tomorrow, I'm still rich, you're still stuck in Kamchatka. So what ever you Americans are planning, best get to it, yes?"

I didn't say anything, he patted my shoulder with a smile that I wanted to smack off his face then grabbed me, dragging me back out into the open, the two of us trying to look convincing. He then threw me back down into my spot saying something to me in Russian once again. I seethed, grabbing my pick from the cold ground and went back to work.

He had said something about a plan. But how were we supposed to come up with an escape plan in under a day? Sure, I've done it many times before, but this was prison, the place was full of guards. I couldn't just break out of these chains and run. Or at least I don't think so.

I stopped hacking at the gravel and looked down at the chains around my wrists. They were tight on me. There was nothing I could think of that could get these off. There was one guard in these mines that carried the keys around, but there's no way I could just snatch them off him without him noticing me, especially since that guy had his eyes on me 24/7, just like Eli did...

I couldn't help but think about her, I wondered what she was doing, how she was doing, how was Dani doing?

I still can't believe I yelled at her the way I did that night. The way I yelled at both of them. I wonder if they even miss me, if they even cared that I'm gone, if El cares that I'm gone.

Why did I have to run? It feels like the only thing I've done in my life. Just run. Well I mean, I guess it wasn't just me, I mean, hell, Eli managed to break away from the police, if it weren't for her, none of us would've gotten out. It was all because she knew how to get out of...handcuffs. She knew how to break out of them.

I looked back down at my hands, wondering if I could pull what she had, but I was too much of a wuss to even try. But if it means I can get out of here, then I might as well go on and take the chance.

I looked at my pick then my hand that was set resting on the gravel. I started rethinking, but my thinking took too long as a guard came up behind me saying something in his language, shoving me over and over. I rolled my eyes and went back to mining, but I wasn't going fast enough to his liking, but I had been at this for hours, my arm was on the verge of collapse. "Faster!" He shouted in Russian, I tried but no matter how hard I pushed myself, it was merely impossible.

Finally he grabbed me by my forearm and dragged me away from my spot, just as Enzo had, but harsher, pulling me away from everyone. He finally got me to a corner and let go, throwing me to the wall. I stumbled and fell against it knowing what was coming next.

He shouted a few things to me in Russian, I didn't answer earning a punch in the face, then another, then a few more followed by a couple to my stomach. He eventually stopped letting me fall to my knees, wincing and wheezing out of pain. He said something to me again, but this time I could barely hear him. I looked up at the tall man in hoped maybe I could read his lips, but the light began to hurt my eyes, the room spiraling, more than one of him in front of me.

He reached down and grabbed me bringing me to my feet and guiding me back through the mines to my spot. I swayed from side to side trying to find my balance, but it was impossible.

He threw me back down to my area, my bare knees hitting the hard ground and scraping. I put my hands out to find a surface to catch myself on, finding the cold gravel. The guard spoke to me again but I couldn't understand him still, so in response he kicked me in the stomach once more. I flinched but barely reacted earning another one. This isn't the first time I experienced that in this place. It was within the first few weeks that I had arrived here. They'd pull me into an empty room and whip me, beat me until I bled, asking me who I was working for. The more I started not to react to any of it, the harder they went. I was only in that situation again.

I heard someone else from the distance call something, the other guards calling back, it meant that it was time to go. I was hauled back to my feet and merely dragged all the way up to the entrance where I was met with the freezing outdoors, shivering under the grip of the guard until he finally let me go, pushing me into the line full of other prisoners.

After some time we came across the tracks where the others were, each of them piling into the line with us, soon a hand landing on my shoulder. Sadly, out of anything in this prison, that was the only thing that made me flinch.

"How you holdin' up kid?" Hopper asked. I looked up at him, the smallest bit of light showing him my newly beaten in face. "Jesus Christ." He said under his breath. "Don't worry kiddo. We'll be out soon." He took his hat and gloves off and slipped them onto me then wrapped his arm around me, keeping me close. "Hey." He said shaking me likely. "You talk to Enzo?" I nodded in response. He nodded back then looked around for a moment. "You see that shed over there kid?" I looked up to where he motioned, I couldn't see the shed but I could make it out. "You think you can meet me there tomorrow?" I nodded. "If you can't, I'll come find you if I have to. Alright?" I nodded again then looked down at the snowy trail in front of us sticking close to Hoppers side.

-

Eventually we made it to the prison complex. The gates opening to let us into the lit area, everyone getting in line to have their chains checked. The process took too long, it didn't matter how fast they went, if you were caught in the end of the line you'd be guaranteed to get hypothermia, well, at least that's what happened to me. But after a good while of waiting we finally got to the front, Hopper in front of me. He stepped up onto a small stool and had the chains around his ankles tugged at, when he seemed secure he was sent off leaving me to be next. I stared at the stool as it moved from one side to the other leaving me unsure of where to step. Instead of waiting for me to figure it out, one of the guards picked me up and placed me on the stand, snatching my hat off. The chains around my arms and ankles got pulled at, neither of them coming off. Sadly, unlike the other prisoners I had to get them around both my arms and legs, it's because these chains were made for a grown man, not a malnourished 13 year old girl. Or was I 14?

15?

I don't even know how old I am anymore.

The guard in front of me said something, but I took too long trying to figure out whether or not he was speaking to me or not, ending up shoved to the ground. I fell harshly into the cold dirt, I laid there for a moment then tried to push myself off the ground, only shaking under my weight and falling again emitting laughter from behind me. I then felt myself get lifted off the ground by Hopper, getting carried like a child. I exhaled letting out a few coughs then rested my chin and arms on Hoppers shoulders, he rubbed my back in response continuing to follow the line into the prison. "I know kiddo, I know. It'll be over soon."

1867 words. These chapters will be short, mainly because the Russia storyline doesn't have too much to come with it. But here it is.

1/21/23