Just A Number

Chapter One

If they don't bleed us to death they sure as hell will work us to death. One or the other. I just hope that when I go out, I go out swinging and end up in a better place than this. After everything I have seen and been through I find it highly unlikely that something such as a 'better place' exists. Everyone has to have faith right? Who knows any more. Sometimes when I am lying half dead on the floor the only thing I have to know I am still alive are the marks on my neck that sting to the touch like poison running through my veins and the mark carved into my left arm. The number. My number. Who I refuse to be, the reason why I get punished the reason it bleeds and stings to this day. Every time I start to stand up to them I get punished.If it isn't longer feeding times it is them taking a knife to the number carved in my arm and making me recite every single number. This has happened a few times but I have never broke and never will.

It is almost dawn which means they will be going down to rest and us the prisoners we will be sent to work. If you're wondering 'Oh but who watches us then?' traitors to their own kind. They watch us to make sure we are doing the work and they won't become a creatures meal bag. I find them weak, insulting and if not as bad as vampires then worse. Vampires are predictable everyone knows they are evil whereas humans are vindictive unpredictable creatures. In this world or the last the planet was already decaying. Humans or vampires it doesn't matter it's all the same.

Putting my blood covered, dirty, ripped jumper on, which barely keeps me warm especially with it being this time of the year, winter, myself and the other prisoners head towards the steal gate of our cell to be let out for work or in our case more punishment. One of the traitors named Andrew opened up the cell calling for us to hurry up and get the hell out which personally I found ironic. The cell door slammed shut behind me with a loud thud, a thud I was so use to hearing. Making my way out of the tiny doorway at the end of the cells I could start to smell something vile. A smell I was way to use to smelling by now, blood. It not only stained the stone floors but it's smell stained the entire place. Continuing down the narrow staircase I finally felt a little breeze hit the side of my cheek like a feather was being swiped across it. It felt so good even though I knew they was a chance I would most likely freeze to death getting to breathe fresh air was better than life itself at the moment so I could freeze for all I cared right now.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime I made it outside into the fresh cold air. The wind sending goosebumps up my whole body as I inhaled a deep breath. I could feel the ice cold air going down my air pipe it felt amazing, well better than what I was use to. I was on grave duty, the second worse job of them all. They had us practically digging our own graves some sick and twisted joke of theirs. I wouldn't mind digging them one for their ashes unfortunately no one has fought back well not in the literal sense any ways. I prayed for the day to come even though I knew praying was hopeless these days and you are more likely to go a few days without being a blood bag than one of them being devoured but a girl can dream or in some sense have nightmare like dreams.

Picking up a bent shovel myself and others begin to dig a whole each. At first it hurts your arm but then you get into a sort of rhythm with the whole scooping it up, emptying it out motion on repeat. I always end up day dreaming during it, it makes the time go faster or so I feel it does. When it gets to my waist that is the bigger issue the dirt gets swirled around meaning it sometimes goes into my eyes or I cant get it out of the hole but with no help allowed I do it eventually. Finally once everyone's holes are dug and we are covered in mud the worse part of it all begins. The burying of the victims. In unmarked graves no one knowing who is who or even allowed to say goodbye. It is worse than getting drained or having a knife repeatedly being sliced through my arm. The smell hits my nose like a tonne of bricks as they bring out the heap of dead bodies. Bodies of people we probably know or in this case knew.

Walking over to the pile of bodies I attempt to drag a body to the hole I have dug. A small petite body by the look of things a teenager perhaps. They weigh a tonne and it takes me a good while just to get them to the start of my hole never mind into the grave. Unfortunately for me when I shove the body into the grave as gently as I can, yes I know they are dead but I refuse to pretend that it is garbage instead of a body, a part of the sheet it is wrapped in comes loose and a silver chain looking thing falls out. 'Great' I think as I climb back into the grave. Picking up the chain I have a quick then look away but something has me looking back at the cold silver necklace I have in my hand. I know this necklace, I've seen it a million times before I know it like the back of my hand, it belongs to my sister Sarah.

At that very moment my whole world went black everything went out of focus. I couldn't think didn't want to breathe. This was worse than death worse than the carving of my skin worse than being a blood bag. Then came the anger. It soured through me like the very blood that circles my body.It started to consume me. It shook my body and I was about to explode taking everything down with me that was when reality came rushing back to me and that traitor Andrew was screaming at me but I couldn't make out what he was saying and then I completely lost it. I pulled him down into the hole with me and my dead sisters body and I repeatedly struck him in the head with my shovel. That was the last straw I was now done. You can carve open my skin, you can drain me of blood but believe me I will take one of you down with me you mark my words. I am more than a stupid number I will be the thing you fear most.

And before I knew it I was being dragged off of Andrew who looked half dead, face smothered in blood, served him right and back into the blood stained hell hole where they would punish me, good luck to them cause this time I will not break.