Tempest - Kris Michaels Page 0,1

She started to back up. Whatever was inside that room could stay in there.

"She wants you to see this." His accent was one she couldn't place, Slavic perhaps. He reached out and snagged her arm.

"Let me go!" The door opened and she was pushed into a dark hole. The door slammed in her face. She grabbed at it and then flipped around praying nothing was going to attack her from the darkness. Fluorescent lights flicked on and blinded her for a moment. She jerked right and left bouncing her attention from point to point.

Sink. Toilet. Bed.

"Oh, my God!" She took a step toward the cot in the corner of the room. "Oh, dear merciful heavens." A person was on the bed. She covered her mouth, but this time not because of the stench, but because she was going to puke. They put her into a cell with a dead person!

The huddled form moaned and tried to turn, only to gasp in pain. No, not dead! She darted across the small room. Shaking like a leaf, she moved to touch his shoulder. "What can I do to help?"

The form was nothing but skin and bones. Bruises covered his body. There was a wound on his leg that was caked with blood. God, he needed to be cleaned so infection… but dear Lord, infection was the least of this man’s worries. She leaned over him and shifted the ripped scrubs bottoms covering the man’s fragile frame. He flinched away from her. "I promise I won't hurt you."

She whispered the words as her eyes flew around the little cell. She ran back to the door and pounded on it. "I need medical supplies. Get me medical supplies or I'll tell her you touched me and made me touch you!"

The small door at the top of the metal bars opened. She backed up so she could see him. "Shut up."

"Bring the supplies or I'll make sure she thinks you attacked me." Pilar pulled at the neck of her shirt, ripping it. She scratched at her face, desperate for the damn fool to believe her.

The man's eyes widened. "Wait." He shut the little window and she heard him move away from the door.

She scurried back to the cot. She tugged off her shirt, shredded the cotton fabric, and moved to the stainless-steel sink bolted to the wall. The water stayed on only as long as she depressed the plunger on the faucet. It took time to wet a larger patch of the material, clog the drain and fill the sink with water. It was a slow tedious process. The water, bloodied by cleaning his wounds, needed to be emptied many times.

The door opened and a white case was thrust in her direction.

She grabbed it and demanded, "Give me your shirt." Her camisole wasn't going to be warm enough to wrap around the injured man.

"Go to hell."

"Then I'll meet you there! Because she'll send you before she sends me," she hissed and held out her hand in expectation. The man growled but his shirt came off and was tossed in her face. She snatched it, spun and dropped to the floor by the cot. The door to the cell slammed shut. "Look. Here we go." She broke open the seal on the first aid kit and examined the contents. "Damn it. I'm sorry, but the only thing for pain is acetaminophen." She dug through the contents and found a small cup. Two pills went into the bottom of the cup and she poured water over the top to soften them. The drink was going to taste like shit, but maybe it would help him.

The man's eyes opened. No white was visible in either sclera. Red filled around the gold- flecked green of his eyes. She shook her head. How could anyone do this to another person?

"What happened? Who did this to you?" She carefully reached and pushed back his hair. It was filthy with sweat and blood. The dark brown strands were long. So damn long. At least a foot in length if not longer. It rested on his thin shoulders and fell down his back. Each vertebrae of his backbone punched through bruised skin.

"Why are you here?" The words were low and came from bloody, broken lips.

"Here. It won't help much, but I have some pain killers." She grabbed the cup, but he closed his eyes and turned away from her.

"Why are you here?" His body shook against the bare mattress.

"I'm being taught a lesson."