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My mind still lingered in a haze of clouds, surrounded by the fluff of dreams and imagination. My mouth dried from the stale bread, but I still managed to keep eating. Not like this roll is the worst thing I've ate in my life. Royce said earlier that food is scarce in the Barracks, and I need to eat as much as I could so my recovery would be short.

Basically, eat the damn food and shut the hell up Sora.

After deciding the best choice was to head back to the Barrack we would permanently reside in, Royce left the room so I could put my clothes back on. I found them on a shelf in a closet, the only item on the cool ledge. I hastily put them on, silently cursing the tight pants and coat. Such an impractical article of clothing for a girl who is going to be living in muck and dirt. Black fur of my coat, reminding me of the mans midnight hair tickled my cheeks as I hugged the hide close to my frame.

Pine needles and wood refused to leave the air around me. I smelled home with every intake of breath, and I became more depressed by the minute.

I wish I could go back. I wish I could hold Mare and Nesta closer, and not yell at Denae as much. I wish I could do it all over again.

If only I knew then what I knew now.

Royce decided that I needed more food than he had readily available so he directed me towards the kitchen. Once we broke into the kitchen, which wasn't too far from my room in the infirmary wing, I helped him stuff his leather bag full of bread and other food scraps. Many people needed more food in our Barrack, he told me. People are dying like flies and the only way they will have the slightest chance for survival is if they get more food in their bellies. But even then, Royce didn't sound so sure of himself.

I don't think I'm too sure of him either.

Lost in thought, while munching on the stale roll, I could not help myself from staring blankly at the floor. The memories- no, hallucinations- of Red Eyes killing me infested my mind. Nothing made sense. He had killed me, repeatedly. Shot me between my eyes once, drown me the second. Stabbed me, even. I knew the images had to be nothing more than vivid dreams caused by potent medication, but at the same time it felt all too real.

I remember the water sloshing up against my skin.

I remember how the gritty dirt felt under my fingers as I touched it once more before a bullet plummeted through my skull.

Yet, the memories were nothing more than fragments of my imagination.

You're just crazy Sora. Admit it.

I took another bite from the roll, trying to block out the thoughts. I'm not crazy. Am I?

"You about done Sora?" Royce asks me, chewing on his fourth roll.

No.

"Yeah."

"Before we leave we'd better fill up our water canteens," Royce murmured. "They don't give us much out there."

Oh isn't that just peachy? Not like I expected much of anything else. I see the Elite will carry on with their forms of cruel and unusual torture.

I slumped against the side of the sink, watching the way the crystal clear liquid seemed to effortlessly pour into the canteen. Strange how the key to life can be so simple, but threatening. The glossy, pure water would serve me a great deal of food in the barracks, undoubtedly. Instantly, I regretted taking a bath in the river for granted. I longed to feel the cold, crisp water flow over my skin in a relaxing way. I will only become more desperate as time goes on.

Red eyes are laughing down at me, changing from mossy green then back to beady eyes, holding my head under the crashing waves.

Maybe I'll wait on taking a bath until it's absolutely necessary, if I ever get the chance to take one.

"Don't be too surprised when you get out of here," Royce said around another bite, breaking the silence looming over us. "It's not a pretty picture book sight."

I didn't ever think it would be.

Royce helped me maneuver out of the kitchen and through the darkly lit building. He has only been here for a few days but he appears to already be an expert navigating through the foreign complex.

I've only met Royce a few times, but I can tell there's something different about him. They way his shoulders look defined and muscular, with his toned back and thick arms make me feel strange- lighthearted almost. A voice from deep down within me told me I could trust Royce with my life, but at the same time I felt as if I needed to keep my guard up around him.

He could try to hurt you. Try to kill you in your sleep.

If he is going to kill me in my sleep, why would he try to protect me while I was in the infirmary?

"Stop being ridiculous," I mumble to myself. You need an ally, a person you can trust. Royce can be that person.

"Stop being what?" Royce asks me, looking down at me. He looked worried, as if I were actually going crazy.

"Nothing," I reply, trying to shake off my feelings of doubt and worry. The only thing I need to worry about right now is life in the barracks. If I survived the first night. "How deranged are the men after the shoot up?"

Royce sighed, shrugging a little. "Some are shook up, and others are acting less than desired."

Others are acting less than desired. Such a leisurely term for insanity.

"Is it safe?"

His eyes bore into mine, sending a small shiver up my spine. He looked sad and old, worn from the worry and stress of Barrack life already. He appeared so young and careless when we first met at then recruiting station. It's a terrifying thought to think I might have the same dramatic change.

"No. But we don't got much of a choice do we?"

"No. I suppose you're right." I bite my nails. How much danger am I going to be if the Barracks aren't even safe for Royce?

"I won't let anything happen to you, if that's what you're worried about Sora," Royce softly whispers, nudging my shoulder in a friendly gesture. He looks around, making sure the coast is clear before we run off to the dirty barrack number Nine. "Like it or not, you've got yourself a friend. And after you see a sneak leak of the hell hole we are living in, I'm sure you're going to want one."

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Posted on February 13, 2017.
Not edited yet guys!

Tell me what you think!! Happy early Valentine's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to be eating food! (Go me!)

Remember to vote! Sorry it's rough, but it's something!

1185 words.