Before Death

Chapter 14: Captured

I refused to stop stuggling and screaming bloody murder as the bird-like creature took off and kidnapped me from my home and pack. The burly man who had reacted first before said something to his companions, but I could not hear over the sound of the beast's growling and my own yelling. He stepped away and returned with a sharp implement that he thrust into my forearm. It stung and caused my escape attempts to escalate.

Eventually my muscles started losing their strength and I was left squirming in the arms of my captors like a helpless newborn pup.

Everything went dark.

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When I awoke again it was in a small, bare room. I realised anxiously that I had not been in a building since escaping from my village, many winters ago. Yet here I was, against my will.

I groaned softly and cast my eyes about the room. I was lying on a bed with a hard steel frame and an almost non-existant mattress on top of it. On the opposite side of the room there was a door with a part of it replaced by a wire mesh to make for some sort of a viewing window at eye level.

Satisfied that there was no immediate threat in the form of a human in the room, I tried to get up off of the bed.

Tried.

For, around my wrists and ankles were restraints of soft but thick and sturdy material that bound me to the bedframe. I was truly vulnerable, at the complete mercy of my captors. My heart thudded in my chest, as if it was about to burst out and my a run for it alone, leaving the rest of my body behind.

Abruptly, I heard the jangling of metal just outside the door. A click sounded as the door was unlocked, and it was swung open with an immense creak. The person that entered was quite contrary to what I had imagined. For starters, it was a woman, not the stocky and agressive man I had expected. She was wearing a white apron over a light blue dress and had a halo of auburn hair. She looked surprisingly gentle.

"Hello, sweetheart." She intoned in my mother tongue while walking gracefully across the cell. That must mean that I was still in Russia.

"Can you tell me your name, darling?" The woman continued, coming ever closer. I recoiled from her and wished to be free so that I could run from any twisted human agendas.

She must have seen my terror, for she immediately tried to reassure me with her pleasing voice. "We're not going to hurt you... We just want to help. Can you tell me who you are?"

Though I could understand her every word, I remembered the vow I had made so many years ago : I will never again speak a word to any human. I absolutely refused to go back on my word. If I did, it would make me no better than other human who kill, cheat and lie.

I remained mute and when the woman approached my bedside, reaching out her hand as if to touch my head reassuringly, I let out an animalistic yelp and tried to bite her hand. She withdrew her hand quickly, though, and hurried back to the door, glancing back accusingly at me.

The door slammed closed and I was shut off from the outside world once again.

I could hear muffled voices conversing urgently just outside the door. It was the woman and an unfamiliar male voice that seemed to be her superior.

"Nika, have you assesed the girl?" The man asked with a booming voice.

"I... Doctor Andrei... she..." The woman replied, seeming rather flustered.

"Can she speak?" The doctor enquired.

"I... don't think so. But she... she's not normal, that one. You know they found her in the Dvinsky forest... She must have been out there for a long time...Her hair is matted and she's filthy."

"Hmmm... I'm going to check up on her."

The door swung open once again and a dark haired man stood in the doorway. I shook my bedframe as I janked at the restraints. I was no truly terrified. This man was worse than the meek nurse that had entered before. He emenated a businesslike aura that made me immensely nervous.

The doctor walked briskly up to me and put two flat fingers on my wrist. I was shaking at the human contact and kicked my legs around, trying to work my feet out of the bonds. I was able to free one foot and kicked out as hard as I could at the man's midsection.

With an audible "Oof!", he stepped back and also abruptly left the room.

"Nurse, keep this door locked. This feral child is most certainly aggressive... No-one is allowed inside this room, you hear me? After the girl is weak from lack of food we can move in and start therapy. But for now there is no hope of working with her - not unless we want to keep her constantly sedated."

With those parting words, I was left to wallow in my cell, often crying bitterly for my pack.