Status: ~
Amongst Dead Foliage
one whole.
Every now and then, we pass people going the other way to us. They allow themselves a curious glance at our awkward group before sticking their hands further in their pockets and hurrying on. I honestly do not blame them. If I had the luxury of their situation, I would be running home too - especially as the last of the sun’s rays are about to disappear over the treetop line. I can feel the drop in temperature as we walk under browning branches, leaves barely hanging on for dear life now autumn is about to come to a close. The ones that haven't made it are layered on the floor in rich reds and burnt oranges, dried out and crunching under my companions' heavy footsteps and my own careful ones. The sound is eerie as it echoes - there is no other noise apart from it.
A woman who looks to be in her thirties quickly marches past, but not before catching my scared eyes in a long hard glance. She follows me until she is unable to, and afterwards I gulp as I feel the disgusting breath of the man on my neck.
"Keep walking kitten, and don't fucking look at anyone."
Speaking seems like a bad idea, so I don't. Instead I just nod, keeping my eyes on my brown boots stepping over fallen leaves, my hands balled in fists.
I can’t help but lose count of how long we walk under what looks like the same trees. Each trunk is similar to me, no signs of knowing how far I have been taken, how far I have wandered from my friends. The light is now non-existent; the sun went under a good few trees ago, and I have been relying on the metal pressed to my back to guide me this far. There is no one around to see now, so they don’t care.
"Alright, this is far enough."
I'm grabbed harshly by feminine hands in case I decide to keep walking, but why would I do that? I'll only die quicker. There's no hope either way. The woman who grabbed me, however, reaches into the pocket of her thick wool coat before letting me go and stepping back. I see the pistol before it fully appears and it clicks as she pulls the slide back, smiling a bittersweet lipstick grin and playing with her blonde curls. I start to tremble.
"So..." the man on my left drawls, walking slowly in a circle around me. He twirls his blade gently on his finger so as not to draw blood, but the gleam of the knife edge catches my eye and makes me flinch. "Sing for us, whore. Tell us where he is."
My throat isn't working. I gulp and try my best to wet it but it will not form fathomable words. I only succeed in raising my chin, looking down on the two people in mock bravery.
"Eh? Little Maja thinks she's strong, does she?" He replies to my action, coming closer to my face and leaning into it. "Satkäring. Remember there is no one to hear you screaming. Tell us where Nils Jakobsson is hiding," he says lowly.
"I do not know," is all that I can rasp back, my throat drier than ever. His presence so close makes me hold my breathing as much as possible.
With a shout of annoyance, he slaps me hard, his signet ring tearing across my cheek. It stings with warmth, but I do not reach up.
“That bastard has something I need. I am not afraid to kill you if you refuse to tell us.” His insane yellow-ish eyes rise to meet me, narrowing in distaste. “I know you were involved with him. Probably one of your filthy customers. But he has disappeared, and I know that he told you where he was.”
I watch as he sneers, his female friend snickering to herself with a rouge smirk. Her own eyes pierce right through me, waiting for a response. I give them it. “What if I do know? Why would I tell a man who threatens me?”
“Because if you don’t, you will die. Now where is Jakobsson!?”
I refuse to give him his answer. If I am to die, it will be protecting my only friend. A ‘whore’ like me has no freedom on friends she chooses. I cannot just find a new one.
I half expect him to just continue questioning, to back down from his threat. Instead, I watch as he bares his teeth, wild with exasperation. He growls loudly, whirling on his female friend with a nod.
I look into the woman’s blue eyes as she pulls the trigger.
"... Leave her here. She'll die in her own time. No one will miss a whore like her."
My throat resists my efforts to scream at the burning in my stomach, but my eyes are still wide and panicked. I watch as the woman looks at me pitifully for a few moments, before following her man through the crackling leaves. I reach down to feel the wet blood trickle through my fingers, gasping and tearing up.
Soon they are out of sight. I am left to die amongst dead foliage.
A woman who looks to be in her thirties quickly marches past, but not before catching my scared eyes in a long hard glance. She follows me until she is unable to, and afterwards I gulp as I feel the disgusting breath of the man on my neck.
"Keep walking kitten, and don't fucking look at anyone."
Speaking seems like a bad idea, so I don't. Instead I just nod, keeping my eyes on my brown boots stepping over fallen leaves, my hands balled in fists.
I can’t help but lose count of how long we walk under what looks like the same trees. Each trunk is similar to me, no signs of knowing how far I have been taken, how far I have wandered from my friends. The light is now non-existent; the sun went under a good few trees ago, and I have been relying on the metal pressed to my back to guide me this far. There is no one around to see now, so they don’t care.
"Alright, this is far enough."
I'm grabbed harshly by feminine hands in case I decide to keep walking, but why would I do that? I'll only die quicker. There's no hope either way. The woman who grabbed me, however, reaches into the pocket of her thick wool coat before letting me go and stepping back. I see the pistol before it fully appears and it clicks as she pulls the slide back, smiling a bittersweet lipstick grin and playing with her blonde curls. I start to tremble.
"So..." the man on my left drawls, walking slowly in a circle around me. He twirls his blade gently on his finger so as not to draw blood, but the gleam of the knife edge catches my eye and makes me flinch. "Sing for us, whore. Tell us where he is."
My throat isn't working. I gulp and try my best to wet it but it will not form fathomable words. I only succeed in raising my chin, looking down on the two people in mock bravery.
"Eh? Little Maja thinks she's strong, does she?" He replies to my action, coming closer to my face and leaning into it. "Satkäring. Remember there is no one to hear you screaming. Tell us where Nils Jakobsson is hiding," he says lowly.
"I do not know," is all that I can rasp back, my throat drier than ever. His presence so close makes me hold my breathing as much as possible.
With a shout of annoyance, he slaps me hard, his signet ring tearing across my cheek. It stings with warmth, but I do not reach up.
“That bastard has something I need. I am not afraid to kill you if you refuse to tell us.” His insane yellow-ish eyes rise to meet me, narrowing in distaste. “I know you were involved with him. Probably one of your filthy customers. But he has disappeared, and I know that he told you where he was.”
I watch as he sneers, his female friend snickering to herself with a rouge smirk. Her own eyes pierce right through me, waiting for a response. I give them it. “What if I do know? Why would I tell a man who threatens me?”
“Because if you don’t, you will die. Now where is Jakobsson!?”
I refuse to give him his answer. If I am to die, it will be protecting my only friend. A ‘whore’ like me has no freedom on friends she chooses. I cannot just find a new one.
I half expect him to just continue questioning, to back down from his threat. Instead, I watch as he bares his teeth, wild with exasperation. He growls loudly, whirling on his female friend with a nod.
I look into the woman’s blue eyes as she pulls the trigger.
"... Leave her here. She'll die in her own time. No one will miss a whore like her."
My throat resists my efforts to scream at the burning in my stomach, but my eyes are still wide and panicked. I watch as the woman looks at me pitifully for a few moments, before following her man through the crackling leaves. I reach down to feel the wet blood trickle through my fingers, gasping and tearing up.
Soon they are out of sight. I am left to die amongst dead foliage.