Something Greater (SAMPLE)

TRAPPED

"Mina." I shook her lightly, but she didn't react.

I called her one more time, raising my voice just above a whisper. Slowly—as though the simple action caused her pain—she managed to open her eyes halfway, only to glance at me for a second and close them again. I kept shaking her, and the only reaction I managed to entice was an attack of deep forceful coughing. Mina was very ill, and I knew I had to do something before the soldiers found her in such a fragile state.

"Mina," I caught her face between my hands, and pleaded desperately. "Mina, they are here. We have to go. You need to wake up. Mina, please!"

A huge sense of relief washed over me when she finally opened her eyes. Emptiness and resignation glistened in her wide stare, as if she had already come to terms with the end.

I smiled at her and took hold of her hand, doing my best to contain my worries and hide my distress.

"Let me help you get up," I said in a mild voice.

She smiled weakly, and a rough cough erupted from her raspy throat. "I wish to sleep, Elena," she murmured and closed her eyes again, whispering, "I am so tired."

The commotion at the front of the gym meant the soldiers were getting restless, and we had little time left. Seconds passed by, and apart from coughing and moaning from the high temperature, Mina showed no intent to listen to their impatient orders. In a state of sudden frenzy, I realized there was only one sane choice to make, but I couldn't leave her to her fate. She was the last loved one I had left, and there wasn't a single thing I wouldn't do to save her.

Determined to make her join the others before it was too late, I had given up on persuading her to wake up. Instead, I caught both of her wrists and pulled her up with me quickly, using all my strength. The unexpected action shocked her into consciousness. The second her feet touched the ground, she wobbled as though she was about to fall, but I held her close and allowed her to lean her weight on me. With slow, measured steps, we managed to advance toward the exit and join the massive crowd without drawing attention to ourselves. Mina's body burned like a hot furnace, and that deep raspy cough constantly interrupted her already heavy breathing. A few of the girls around us noticed Mina was sick, and every now and then they sent glances of pity our way. A couple of times she begged me to stop so she could catch a break, but I mercilessly urged her to walk further. As much as I knew she needed to rest, I had to do everything within my power to avoid drawing the attention of the soldiers.

Once we were outside, the fresh air seemed to have done her well. She regained some of her strength, but not nearly enough to sustain a day of hard labor. But dwelling on it had been useless, and so was asking for their compassion and help. After practically dragging her to our work station, I remained as close as I could and did my best to keep Mina safe. We were assigned to a group that was to stack a large pile of stone bricks on wooden pallets. In an effort to help her, I worked twice as hard than usual despite my own growing weakness. No matter how many times she stumbled, I steadied her, and took away the burden from her hands. Somehow, we had succeeded in keeping up the pretense for a while, but then we caught the watchful eye of a soldier.

At first, he did nothing except watch as I looked after Mina. Then, he yelled at me for breaking the rules, and forbade me to help her again. Contrary to my expectations, he didn't pounce on her immediately. All he did was observe as she struggled to lift a heavy stone. A quick glance passed between me and that soldier. Both of us knew Mina was too weak to lift that kind of weight, but he let her torture herself for his own sick amusement. Anxiety was eating me alive, and I wanted to scream as I carried those damned bricks, waiting for that hideous man to hurt her. To my great concern, Mina's wobbly legs gave out on her and she fell to the ground with a loud thump. Finally, the soldier got what he wanted, and he glared at her with an expression of naked, cruel satisfaction. With the speed of light, he reached for his whip, and struck it just an inch away from her shaking body.