Our Game

18

Athena's P.O.V:
(t.w slightly graphic)

The only indicator of time is when a masked man comes in with a tray with water and two slices of rye bread. Occasionally the guard won't even bring bread. When it happened the first time, Marco yelled at the guard, trying to remind him of who he was, instead the guard threw the water container at his head, knocking him unconscious and shattering the plastic bottle.

Most of my time is spent nursing for Marco, I ration the water so that there's enough for him (when he's awake), some for his wounds so they don't become infected and whatever is left is for me.

After Marco saw the condition I was in he has sworn to make sure that no more harm comes to me. Because of this, he has spent a majority of his time knocked out but when he is awake the guards torment and torture him. What he doesn't know is that when he's unresponsive, the guards take out his punishments on me. Compared to what Marco has endured, I'd say they go a lot easier on me but then again Marco hasn't had to whisper disgusting things in their ears to get them to shut up. 

Raising his head and wincing Mateo asks,"Have they come yet?" His voice is weak and I can tell that even opening his eyes hurts.

"Yeah, they just dropped off some water and a slice of rye" I give him a faint smile.

He eyes me wearily, slowly reaching extending his arm to brush hair out of my face I watch as he scans my eyes with caution, "What else did they do to you?" His voice suddenly has an edge to it as he realises the black eyes forming. 

I hesitate for a moment but still proceed to answer his question. Showing him the cigarette burns on my arm, he sucks in a breathe and curses. 

"Have you treated those yet?" He sits up and checks both arms.

I shake my head and avoid eye contact with him, for the past few weeks he's woken up disorientated and has these bursts of bravery which result in him tearing open another scabbing wound. 

"Fuck, Athena you need to stop playing nurse and start taking care of yourself"

"How can I even bother taking care of myself if you're a bloodied mess?" My tone is harsher than expected and so I soften it, "Without you I'm done for, you're my only chance of getting out of here alone" 

Realisation renders on his face, "So you're using me?" He narrows his eyes.

I bite my lip, "Wasn't that already obvious?", wincing internally at my words I curse, not knowing why I said that.

His eyes widen for a moment as he realises I've been using him, "Don't bother anymore" The bitterness in his voice returns, making me flinch slightly.

My lips part slightly, "I had to" My voice breaks but I kept my posture composed. Marco shakes his head and eases himself up from the floor, limping away from me he finds a corner to rest in and lies there with his back turned to me. 

My eyes burn with tears threatening to spill, how can he be so dense that he doesn't understand that in this situation you have to take what you can. There is no selfishness to wanting to survive, either way I kept him alive whilst he was protecting me in return. I thought it was an unspoken agreement we had but obviously I read wrong.

What I don't understand is that if I was helping him for something in return, what was he helping me for? Eyeing his body as it rises and falls, I realise that I'm all on my own now. I've fucked up and the moment Stefano or any other guards come in, I'll be as dead as death himself. 

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4 guards came in today, when they noticed me first they took pleasure in the fact that I was unprotected but when one of them saw Marco, they split and 2 went over to his sleeping body. At first he didn't respond when they yelled at him, but when the taller of the pair kicked him in his abdomen, he jolted awake. That was the last thing I saw of him until the guards grabbed my face and forced me to look at them.