Chains(rachel) “Why....why am I here again? Why is it so dark? Why am I in so much pain? Why can't I move?” I slowly opened my eyes. It was night time. The dim light of the moon shone brighter than any sun in my eyes. It seeped in through the ever so small cracks of the dark blue walls of the cavern. I could hear the drops of water fall from the hanging deformed rock out-juts on the ceiling. The sound became sharper each time it hit the small pools of water in crater like rocks upon the ground. The bars of the cage were rusted and broken. But not enough for me to slip out. Besides, if I could, I would need to find a way to break my chains. Each shackle in and of itself weighed ten pounds. Two for my arms, two for my legs...forty pounds. I didn't even have the strength to lift my body off of the cold, hard ground. I haven't even eaten for three days....

“Why am I here?” Yes...it's all coming back...is this what death is like? Where life passes before your eyes? My family...I was ripped from their arms. The mines, the pounds of coal, the hours of work, the drive of the jagged whip. Then, the mistake... mistake? I remember I was sneaking around camp that night...

“So, what do we do with it?” The first man spoke. He had a hard, drilling type of voice.

“Warlock found it, let him decide!” The second man spoke with a fairly rough voice.

“Oh don't worry, I have many plans for the beast...” I assumed this was Warlock. His voice was much more sinister. As I leaned in to get a closer look at the men, a twig snapped under my foot. The men came to complete attention. I made a run for it, but was too weak to go far, and was eventually caught.

“What do we do with this one Warlock?” Said the second man who was tying my struggling feet together.

“Make her bleed and throw her to the beast!” Warlock yelled. I was beaten then thrown violently into the dungeon. So that's how I got here...

“You smell nice...” A deep voice rumbled through the hall of the cavern. I managed to get both arms under my belly and roll over onto my back.

“Who's there?” I responded.

“Oh, just your inmate...” I saw a long tail three times my length being recoiled back into the caverns depths. Chains dragged across the floor as heavy thumps started to come out of the darkness.

What I saw was something that cannot even be whispered through the pages of this journal....

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