Forever Broken: Chronicles of Araxx

The cell floor was as hard and cold as ice.

Annaleah had sat on it for so long that she no longer felt the cold or the pain.

Rippled and worn, her clothes were too big for her. She was covered in grime from years of confinement, and her feet were bare.

The walls encompassing her were dark, the floor was dim, all that in Annaleah's cell was dim.

Red was the only bright color she ever saw.

Her matted, messed-up red hair was the first, even though the guards kept it short and cut it when it reached her shoulders. Blood was the other red thing she saw every day.

Annaleah could always count on seeing red every day, whether it was her own blood from the constant beatings or the blood of the many rats who entered her cell.

Her attention was drawn to a squeaking sound coming from the opposite side of her cell.

In an effort to locate the source of the sound, she stood up from her knees and looked around the room.

The floor was swept by a single rat. As it chased a large spider, it scratched the ground with its sharp claws. It got the room and gotten away from through a break in the wall, followed intently by the rodent, albeit the rodent didn't get past the hole as effectively as the bug did.

Annaleah had frequently attempted to help the insect and the rodent escape the prison.

Every effort had failed.

Now, even the rats didn't give the young girl a second thought.

Annaleah felt the chill in the air, and the hair on her arms stood on end as it moved across the room. Like dreams and freedom, the air smelled clean and cool.

Annaleah moved from her seated position to the far wall and got up. She looked up after placing her hand on the icy stone.

An opening for a window was on this wall.

a tiny window with bars high up against the wall. Annaleah had to stand on her tip-toes to look through it because it was so close to the ceiling of the cell that it was level with the ground outside.

The night sky was pitch black. From where she was standing, she could only make out a few stars, and there was no moon in the sky.

She was weak because it had been three days since they had given her any actual food.

In addition to the cycles of the sun and moon, the guards could also tell how long she had been in the cell. When they were outside guarding, they would occasionally converse. Annaleah would occasionally arrange a date or time. But to her, it was all pretty meaningless. When all she had to look forward to was her next meal, what was the point of the passage of time?

Outside her cell, loud footsteps could be heard in the passageway. Someone was walking down the corridor, Annaleah could hear.

She moved to the back wall, the one closest to the door, knowing the procedure by now. The guards would probably leave her alone if she stood at the back of the room with her head down. Naturally, that was entirely dependent on which guard was approaching. She wouldn't be able to escape without being beaten, whether it was Jacob or Kane.

She never bothered to remember the names of the others, but a few of them took pleasure in hitting her. She hoped it was one of the new guards who was passing through. She was left on her own. It appeared almost as though they were afraid of her. Typically, footsteps only indicated two things. either more food or another beating. Annaleah was hoping for the latter. Angrily, her stomach rumbled loudly. She had every confidence that it would be food.

Annaleah paid close attention to the footsteps. The corridor's stone floor reverberated with the sound of heavy boots in the silence. A blessing was that the footsteps did not sound familiar. Or so Annaleah had hoped.

Annaleah became proficient at identifying which guard's footsteps to be wary of and which guard's footsteps to follow because the new guards were always too afraid to approach her.

She heard the newcomer being greeted by the guard who was already guarding her door.

Her cell's echoing silence was broken by the loud sound of the heavy wooden door unlocking.

With a boisterous squeak, the entryway opened and the light from the passageway filled the hole, outlining the man in the entryway, the one who was bringing her food.

As soon as the door opened, she could smell it. Annaleah gave herself permission to smile briefly.

"Here you go, I don't know why Kane keeps you alive or why he keeps you fed." The food was thrown to the ground by the guard. When the plate hit the ground, it shattered and some of its contents fell out.

Annaleah remained still, unwilling to move, despite her stomach's complaints about the waste. She had no idea who this guard was, and she had no idea that one move could result in a beating or the removal of food. She didn't want to put that at risk.

Before lifting her head to collect her scraps, Annaleah waited until the guard left the room. There were bones from what appeared to be lamb chops and an old, stale bread bun. There was still some meat on them.

Annaleah ate eagerly, enjoying each significant piece, each taste as though it was the exact opposite thing she could at any point eat. It's possible that it will be someday.

Annaleah returned to her usual seat as the cell fell into silence once more.

As she sat on her stomach and stared out the window at the outside world, she chewed on the bone in her mouth.

Even though the meat was cold and had a greasy texture, it was the nicest thing she had eaten in a long time and the taste of it lifted her spirits.

She had spent so much time in the cell that she had almost forgotten about the outside world.

Annaleah concluded that she had been held captive for approximately nine years, the last four of which had been spent in this cell.

She would have been sixteen, if not nearly seventeen, had she not been taken from her home when she was seven.

She had few recollections of the moment she was taken. Fire, death, and waking up in this castle were all she could recall. Despite the fact that she had never seen it from the outside, she imagined it to be a castle. Despite the absence of a prince charming on his way to rescue her, the walls reminded her of castles she had seen in movies prior to her capture.

She had no idea why Annaleah had been taken and held captive. She didn't know why a man by the name of Kane had taken her away from her home.

Kane kept asking, "Where is it?" when he first saw her.

Annaleah had no idea what he was seeking.

She heard from Kane that her parents had hidden something, and it was his. Annaleah had to find it for him because he wanted it back, but he also didn't seem to know what he was looking for.

After being questioned for a few weeks, the beatings began. He became enraged when Annaleah failed to respond to Kane's inquiries. He hit her more frequently as her rage increased.

He eventually gave up and left her with his guards. For many years, they played with her as a toy. Annaleah was aware that they did nothing wrong when they abused, mocked, and beaten her.

The questioning had stopped for a number of years.

Since then, they would simply beat her until she was bloody and unconscious, lock her up, and repeat the process the following day.

When the beatings stopped happening as frequently, Annaleah was glad, but they didn't let her go.

Although it had been weeks since Kane had last returned, Annaleah would occasionally receive a horrifying beating.

She wished for freedom numerous times, but she never received it.

Annaleah had attempted numerous escape routes but was unable to locate any.

She gave up after years of wishing she was free and for her parents to return to save her. She simply began wishing that everything would soon come to an end. It never happened that a guard would strike her hard enough to kill her or that they would forget to feed her for a few weeks.

Annaleah eventually fell asleep on the hard, cold ground.

One of the younger guards who felt sorry for Annaleah and pitied her gave her an old dog bed. Although the dog bed was filthy and smelled old, it was better than sleeping on the hard, cold floor.

She curled up against the cold as soon as she found the most inviting spot on the dog bed. She began to think in the shadows.

That evening she laid down with a full midsection, as full as feasible for somebody caught in unending starvation.

Annaleah ended up in a home.

It was a wonderful house with old wooden pillars on the roof and lovely blocks encompassing an old chimney. The mantelpiece contained flowers in a vase and the walls were a warm cream color. The family that lived in this house was depicted in a painting above the fireplace.

The child's bright red hair suggested that Annaleah could recognize herself in this painting. Annaleah, who had once been a happy child, was beaming.

Despite the fact that she was unable to recall them clearly and their faces were not in focus, the other two people in the painting must have been her parents. It appeared as though the faces had been covered with paint.

As they held her in the picture, she could see their bodies. The man had short brown hair, and the woman, like her, had red hair that was long and straight.

Annaleah focused on them, but the more she concentrated, the more difficult it was to see them.

Annaleah turned to look out the window. The curtains were a light brown color and framed a big bay window. Outside, she could see trees and grass. The house looked like it was in a forest, or at least not in the city. It must have been sunset because the sky outside was also orange. Annaleah wanted nothing more than to play outside because the environment there looked so stunning.

A voice from behind her gave joy, in spite of the fact that she couldn't exactly make out what it was talking about. The voice was suppressed and seemed as if it was submerged. The woman who gave the voice quickly came up to her. Because of the color of her hair, Annaleah thought it was her mother. She grabbed her and held onto her tightly. Too snug. The grip her mother had on her felt familiar, though it hurt. It didn't matter if Annaleah was holding on too tightly because she remembered. A familiar odor filled her nostrils as she inhaled deeply. Oranges and roses were the aroma. It had the aroma of her mother's house. She felt dizzy and woozy from the smells.

Despite Annaleah's inability to clearly hear what the woman was saying, she could tell that she was speaking in fear and panic. With Annaleah in her arms, the woman moved quickly, but the fire moved faster.

Despite the orange glow filling the house, Annaleah had not previously noticed the fire that was raging around her. She began to cough as smoke filled the space above her head.

Out of the door and down the rocky path, the woman ran with her in her arms. She had a pleasant, sweet, and familiar scent, but it was quickly replaced by the smell of burning and smoke.

Through the tangle of red hair that hung down her mother's back, Annaleah caught a glimpse of the woman over her shoulder.

The house she had grown up in was on fire, she saw. Her house burned to the ground as the flames rose higher and shattered the windows. The thatched roof had quickly collapsed, leaving nothing behind. To put an end to the blaze, she extended her hand toward the structure, but nothing happened.

Annaleah was unable to comprehend. Why was her residence on fire? Why was this woman rushing after her while holding her? And who were all the strange people in their immediate vicinity?

She was so preoccupied with everything else that she hadn't noticed these people before. They appeared to have just entered the garden. The idea entered Annaleah's thoughts that individuals could have been there to assist with handling the burst, however the looks on their countenances altered her perspective. Their expressions were twisted into snarls of rage. They lacked humanity.

When Annaleah's mother, the woman who was running for her life with the tiny red-headed child version of Annaleah, tripped over something on the ground, she fell quickly and dropped Annaleah simultaneously. She instinctively reached out to save her daughter, but one of the men in their immediate vicinity grabbed her instead.

He grabbed her mother's throat.

The one and only word Annaleah was able to utter was "Mother!"

It was past the point of no return.

He tightened his grip on her throat even more.

Annaleah's mother fought back against the force, but the man was too strong, and as a result, she became weaker.

Annaleah got up from the ground, realizing that her legs were hurting, that her arm was burning, and that her tears were clouding her vision. Her burned right arm and scuffed knees were visible when she briefly glanced down at herself.

She concentrated and tried to confront the man who was strangling her mother, but before she could even reach them, someone picked her up like a rag doll.

Her mother's lifeless and cold body fell to the ground after the big man had sucked every last drop of life out of her.

There was something wrong as Annaleah stared into her mother's wide, dead eyes, which were still open and looking right at her. The face was twisted and no longer appeared human.

Annaleah screamed in fear, but her screams were muffled.

"What are our options for the child?" A loud voice questioned.

Annaleah was powerless to speak. She was too small and too young to do anything about the death of her mother. Another person said, "Boss wants her alive." The man appeared, obstructing Annaleah's mother's view. What is this? " As he held Annaleah's burned arm in his hand, he inquired.

"Appears as though she was scorched in the fire, Sir." The man holding her replied.

“Well. It appears that the boss did not mention that he would not harm her. He pressed on Annaleah's burnt arm.

She cried out because the pain was so unbearable.

"He wanted her only alive." The man raised his hand, packing it into a clench hand. He punched Annaleah in the face with all of his might.

She groaned in agony.

Awoken with a full breath and torment in her arm, Annaleah checked out her cell.

She was back in the present moment after the dream had ended.

It wasn't just a dream at all. It was a memory that was both hazy and crystal clear at the same time.

She peered down at her arm, the consume scar pulsated a bit. Although it would no longer hurt, it would forever serve as a reminder that the men who were now holding her prisoner had set her mother on fire.

This dream came to Annaleah nearly every time she dreamed.

It haunted her that she could never see her mother's or her father's face.

Why was it that she was unable to recall the names of the people who brought her up? Why was she unable to clearly hear her mother's voice? And why was she unaware of her father's whereabouts?

Annaleah was still surrounded by darkness, but she was far too awake to go back to sleep.

She got out of her improvised bed, massaged her aching back, and made her way to the bars on the wall that led outside.

She used the ledge to hold onto as she climbed the wall using only a few small footholds.

Annaleah was determined to finish the job, despite the strain on her arms to keep her there.

Annaleah had begun adjusting the bars in front of the tiny window a week earlier. There were six bars all together, and as of right now, four of them were loose enough to let go of the concrete slots in them.

She had previously been held in more than one cell. In fact, Annaleah was unable to recall the number of cells in which she had been imprisoned. By this time, it must have reached well into the double digits. She had been able to escape a few times before by taking advantage of cracks in the doors or getting around a new guard who hadn't been told about her, but this cell was harder to get out of.

Annaleah had to work on her strength for several months before she could lift her own body weight enough to work on the bars.

When the guards looked at her cell, she had been twirling, pulling, and pushing at the bars to free them from their fixings. After that, she would put the bars back where they belonged so that no one would ever suspect anything.

The guards kept a closer eye on her since she escaped the previous time by using a small drain in her cell that led to the sewers below. However, they assumed that the window's bars were too high to pose an escape threat. How erroneous would they be?

In the end, the bar Annaleah had been working on for about an hour opened up. So far, it had been the easiest. The other ones typically required several hours or more to free themselves from their concrete supports.

Annaleah murmured to herself, "It might be sufficient."

But she couldn't risk running away right now. There would be a shift of guard shortly as the sun began to peek above the horizon. After the guards changed once more, she had to wait until nightfall. She could guarantee that no one would check on her for a good few hours in this manner, giving her enough time to escape.

Annaleah took in the view of the land beyond her cell. About half a mile away, there was a distinct break in the tree line. She might have a chance if she could get there.

For the first time in a long time, she had a chance at hope.

She could hear the chirping of birds from someplace, but she couldn't tell where.

Annaleah gave in and let herself fall from the wall, landing softly on the ground. She quickly got over the impact, which sent shooting pains up her legs.

The approaching footsteps and voices indicated that a change in guard was necessary.

She quietly went to the door to find a better place to listen to what they were saying.

Annaleah could occasionally hear bits of useful information during the handover. She would learn about the outside world that she no longer remembered during these brief conversations, and she would also learn whether or not she would be questioned that day.

"Are you in bed? Boy, get on your feet! Ordered by the guard approaching.

It appeared as though Annaleah's night guard had fallen asleep on duty from the outside shuffle and noise.

He shook his head and firmly said, "Sorry Sir."

No need to apologize. The guard said, "I'm not going to tell anyone you fell asleep."

"Quiet night, shall I accept?"

Sleepy stated, "I didn't hear a sound from inside."

"She is usually quiet." It appeared that the new guard had placed something on the ground based on the sound of the metal clanging on the floor.

It probably sounded like a bowl.

Annaleah hoped that it would provide her with more food. She felt her stomach growl at the thought.

"May I ask you a question, Sir?"

"Pull out all the stops fellow."

"Why is the boss keeping her in jail? What use does she have for him?

It remained Annaleah's only unanswered question throughout all of that time.

The guard responded, "The truth is, I really don't know." The boss seems to be the only person who remembers why we kept her locked up for so long. Even though he insists on asking us where "it" is, neither of us nor she knows what it is. Before going on, he paused. Before you clock out, please be nice to me, lad.

"Yes, Mr.?"

"Keep this in mind for her. The supervisor will be in sometime in the afternoon. The youngster will require her solidarity."

Then Annaleah's cell entryway opened.

She moved back from it past the point of no return and taken a gander at the man remaining before her with a bowl of hot soup. Her stomach growled even louder than usual as the soup's aroma caused her mouth to start watering immediately. She looked at the man who was holding the bowl in panic and waited for him to put it down.

She was so close to him that he looked frightened, and he couldn't have been older than her.

Why would he have worried about her? She was a tiny, weak, and without muscle. Or at least that's what everybody thought. Even though she was underweight, she was strong for her size, and she was aware that her oversized, baggy clothes concealed a toned body.

Annaleah couldn't help but think of how simple it would be to subdue this man—not a boy—standing in front of her with visible shaking. He would probably drop the bowl and let her go if she rushed him.

She might have thought about it if the other guard in the corridor wasn't there. Annaleah, on the other hand, simply stood in her cell with her head bowed and eyes fixed on the door.

The young man shut the door once more and set the soup bowl on the ground.

Annaleah drank heavily as she lifted the bowl from the floor. After the previous night's stale bread and cold meat, the hot soup was a pleasant sensation.

Annaleah listened until the guard change was over before deciding to rest but not sleep for the time being.

She would need to be awake if Kane came later.

She couldn't get out of the bars because they weren't ready, and the opening was too small for her.

Annaleah prayed that Kane was not on his way to see her and that the guards made a mistake.