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If anyone complains that I should have posted this into the 'Long stories etc' thread I will poke you in the eye because the forum is dead and nobody reads things there. Anyway here is my short story, the cell.
The Cell
He lay on the floor of the cold, damp cell, shivering. The barred window offered no protection from the icy cold night or the flakes of snow that blew in and melted on the hard stone floor. He cast his mind back to the Sunday, when he walked down Archer Street with his wife, son and daughter. He had been looking forward to Chanukah and visiting his family and friends to celebrate the New Year.
He distinctly remembered the street becoming incredibly quiet; the only sound was the hollow echoing of their footsteps down the narrow cobbled street. He remembered the shadowy, silent figures standing at the end of the road and the scream of his fragile young daughter as she was grabbed. He remembered the Nazis surrounding him, and leading his wife and son away. He remembered shouting out and frantically attacking one of the soldiers and then being thrown to the floor. He remembered nothing more
His memories faded as the dirty metal cell door opened and two figures stood, glaring down at him. One of them produced a shiny, iron bar and the other laughed. The guard with the bar bent over him, drew his arm back and then struck him over the head with all his force, the blackness came back again.
His own coughing awoke him, he turned to his side and spat out a thick red liquid; his own blood. He felt a huge swelling on the back of his head and winced when he discovered his face was covered in spit. He tried to raise himself but didn’t have enough strength, he hadn’t eaten for at least 3 days, maybe 4. He continued his attempt to stand up, but his effort was in vain. The cell had become colder and he could see his own breath in front of his face and his cheeks were numb from cold. He had not one thought in his mind except were his wife and children all right?
He had heard before about the Nazis executing Jews in death camps but he never thought it would happen to his family, it was just a rumor, wasn’t it?
The metal door rattled as his daily allowance of water was pushed through the thin grate at its foot. He crawled over to it and lapped it up like a thirsty dog.
He then retired to his position in the corner, he lay there slumped, uncomfortable and barely breathing, but still alive. He thought again about his family and wished to be with them wherever they were. He missed them intensely and he blamed himself again and again for what happened.
His thoughts were broken by a shrill scream from the next cell and the evil laughing of the guards on patrol as they tortured the occupant with their twisted daily beatings. As the sound of their heavy boots echoed and then froze outside his cell he knew it was time for his thrashing. His heart raced inside his purple, bruised chest and he closed his eyes in a silent prayer that he would remain unhurt. As the door swung open he stared up at the guards, this time armed with a baton and a rope. They looked at each other and spoke “Er sieht kranken” muttered the guard brandishing the baton.
“Ja, er tut” replied the other, “Er den siehe zum doktor benotigt”
He understood German very well, although he spoke English as his first language. They had said that he looked badly ill and needed a doctor. He eagerly awaited the doctor’s visit, as he knew he needed medical help and that he was becoming worse and worse. As the guards left, the heavy metal door screeched and the lock clicked and he was once again alone.
It was later that day that the door was unlocked and the doctor entered; he wore a long black coat and carried a leather medical bag. He briefly conversed with the head guard before been locked in the cell. He crouched beside the man and looked at his purple ribs, his dark, shadowy eyes and his bloodied nose. He then spoke in a soft and friendly voice. “I can help you get out of here my friend.” He pulled up the sleeve of his long black coat to reveal a Star of David. “You are called Abraham Decré am I right?” Abraham slowly nodded. “I am Doctor Oscar, I will arrange your escape, but first I need to get you back to health.” Dr Oscar opened his leather medical bag and took out some pills. “You take these pills for the pain and I have arranged for some warm food to be given to you. I will return but until then you must try to eat and sleep, OK?” Abraham nodded.
Abraham followed Dr Oscar’s instructions for the next few days, he ate the food and took the pills he was given. The days following the doctor’s visit he slept soundly and dreamt continually of his family. He told himself he was going to get better and when he escaped he would find his family and move away from this terrible godforsaken country.
He woke with a start to a tickling sensation on his left cheek. He snapped his eyes open and was startled to find a large, black spider slowly maneuvering its way over his face. He brushed it off and with a firm stamp of his boot it was no more than a small, shriveled mess.
He felt much stronger today and a lot more confident, he was nearly prepared to escape, his dreams of freedom were not far away from becoming reality.
It was a few hours before Dr Oscar arrived again. The door of the cell was forced open and struck the brick wall behind it like a battering ram against a castle wall, making the deep metal sound echo throughout the Nazi stronghold. Dr Oscar motioned for the guard to leave him on his own with the prisoner, the guard obliged and slammed the filthy metal door, sealing the cell.
Dr Oscar spoke in the same calm and friendly tone, “You appear to be much better Abraham.”
“I am doctor, much better.”
“Do you feel strong enough to run?”
“Yes doctor I do, why do you ask?”
“Time is of the essence. Tonight there is a Nazi meeting in the town, most of the guards from this prison will be attending it. The prison will be almost empty.”
Dr. Oscar opened his leather medical bag and produced a shiny knife that appeared incredibly sharp, a rough piece of paper with several times and noted jotted on it, obviously the times the guards would be leaving and returning. He also took from his bag an envelope with ‘Abraham Decré” scrolled across the front. Dr. Oscar spoke in a more serious tone “This letter is only to be read once you have escaped, understand?” Abraham nodded. Dr Oscar walked towards the door of the cell to call the guard to notify him he was done. He reached into his pocket before calling the guard then took out a rusted bundle of keys and left them on the tiny wooden table of the cell. He then turned around, looked Abraham right in the eye and said in a meaningful and serious voice, “Good luck.”
It was late, about 10 and Abraham had rehearsed his escape to perfection, now it was just a matter of bringing it into real life. The prison would be sparsely guarded between 11pm and 2am and he could hear the distant, rowdy talk of the wardens in the office and could tell they were ready to depart. He paced up and down the cell again and again, he had the knife, the keys and the important letter that remained unopened, and he was as ready as he would ever be. After an agonizing wait the Nazi guards finally deserted the prison, leaving just a handful of guards on patrol.
Abraham’s breathing became heavy, he was nervous and scared but relieved he finally had his chance of escape. He slid the heavy, rusty key into the old steel lock and turned until he heard a click. He silently slid the keys into his pocket and inched the door open. He stepped out into the darkened corridor and briefly looked around, after seeing nothing he pulled the door gradually and waited for the lingering click. He turned left, towards the flickering light of the guard terminal, which he hoped would be abandoned, he was right. He was just outside the office and he was advancing towards the stairs when he saw a shadow in the dim light and ducked into the office, concealing himself under a desk. He heard the pulsating footsteps get louder and louder before they stopped dead outside the office. The figure looked around the office but not finding what he wanted turned heel and started to leave. Abraham slid himself out from under the desk and pulled himself softly to his feet. He walked swiftly behind the guard, keeping in time with his footsteps so as not to be heard. When he was inches away from the guard the covered the guards mouth with his cold hand and thrust the shiny metal blade into the guard’s thick neck. The guard let out a murmured shriek of agony before collapsing. The deep crimson liquid pumped out of the guard’s neck across the green tiled floor. Abraham was shocked by his actions but then remembered the torture and beatings the guards gave to the innocent prisoners and the sick pleasure they got from it.
His guilt vanished and he continued towards the stairs. He took them two at a time, hoping the noise wouldn’t disrupt more wardens. As he reached the floor below the eerie silence struck him. His soft footsteps echoed around the building but it seemed it was deserted. He took his time softly treading down the icy cold corridor until he reached his goal, the main entrance, the one and only way out. He tiptoed his way to the central office, which housed only one guard who was reading a newspaper. The exit was clear. He took a deep breath, he knew it was all or nothing, he paced slowly to the door. He picked the bunch of keys from his pocket and searched for the correct one. He inserted it into the lock and twisted, the door slid open quietly and Abraham slipped out into the dark, frosty night.
He was now in the outer part of the compound, only a wire fence to hinder his escape, he sprinted towards the fence and reached it panting. He produced the knife again and started to cut a hole in the wire. He was interrupted by a deep bellowing sound coming from inside the prison, he realized it was the alarm, he glanced back and saw a spotlight searching for him, or someone. He heard the barks of the guard dogs that had been let free to hunt down and savage the escaped prisoner.
He didn’t have time to slowly cut the wire anymore, he grabbed the fence and pulled with all his might, deforming the fence and giving him ample room to flee. He crawled under the fence and ran towards the lights of the town, towards civilization, towards home. He ran as hard as he could but he couldn’t run forever. He stopped to regain his breath on an embankment out of view of the prison. He then reached into his pocket and took out the crisp white envelope, he tore it open and unfolded the letter inside. He read ‘Mr. Decré, Finally you have escaped the terrible prison but there is some terrible news I have to inform you of. I have discovered that your wife and children were taken to Sobibor, a Nazi death camp. I have checked all the lists and I regret you inform you that the Nazis have killed your family. Please accept my deepest sympathy, Dr Oscar.’
Abraham stared blankly at the letter, his family was the sole purpose of his life and they had been taken away from him in an instance. He heard the shouts of the guards searching for him in the distance. His head spun and he was unable to think, he grasped his head and fell to his knees sobbing bitterly. The barks of restrained hounds and angry yells of the prison guards grew closer. Abraham’s life was empty and pointless, he had nothing left to live for, there was no point in his existence. The guards and their dogs approached him and paused, expecting him to flee, but there was no point. He stared emotionlessly into the unforgiving eyes of the head guard and watched as he drew his gun from his holster. The guard pulled back the catch, aimed and firmly pulled the trigger. Abraham didn’t even flinch as the hot bullet pierced his skull and lodged itself deep in his brain. His defeated, lifeless body dropped to the cold, frost covered ground with a deep thud. The darkness closed in and his pain was no more.
The Cell
He lay on the floor of the cold, damp cell, shivering. The barred window offered no protection from the icy cold night or the flakes of snow that blew in and melted on the hard stone floor. He cast his mind back to the Sunday, when he walked down Archer Street with his wife, son and daughter. He had been looking forward to Chanukah and visiting his family and friends to celebrate the New Year.
He distinctly remembered the street becoming incredibly quiet; the only sound was the hollow echoing of their footsteps down the narrow cobbled street. He remembered the shadowy, silent figures standing at the end of the road and the scream of his fragile young daughter as she was grabbed. He remembered the Nazis surrounding him, and leading his wife and son away. He remembered shouting out and frantically attacking one of the soldiers and then being thrown to the floor. He remembered nothing more
His memories faded as the dirty metal cell door opened and two figures stood, glaring down at him. One of them produced a shiny, iron bar and the other laughed. The guard with the bar bent over him, drew his arm back and then struck him over the head with all his force, the blackness came back again.
His own coughing awoke him, he turned to his side and spat out a thick red liquid; his own blood. He felt a huge swelling on the back of his head and winced when he discovered his face was covered in spit. He tried to raise himself but didn’t have enough strength, he hadn’t eaten for at least 3 days, maybe 4. He continued his attempt to stand up, but his effort was in vain. The cell had become colder and he could see his own breath in front of his face and his cheeks were numb from cold. He had not one thought in his mind except were his wife and children all right?
He had heard before about the Nazis executing Jews in death camps but he never thought it would happen to his family, it was just a rumor, wasn’t it?
The metal door rattled as his daily allowance of water was pushed through the thin grate at its foot. He crawled over to it and lapped it up like a thirsty dog.
He then retired to his position in the corner, he lay there slumped, uncomfortable and barely breathing, but still alive. He thought again about his family and wished to be with them wherever they were. He missed them intensely and he blamed himself again and again for what happened.
His thoughts were broken by a shrill scream from the next cell and the evil laughing of the guards on patrol as they tortured the occupant with their twisted daily beatings. As the sound of their heavy boots echoed and then froze outside his cell he knew it was time for his thrashing. His heart raced inside his purple, bruised chest and he closed his eyes in a silent prayer that he would remain unhurt. As the door swung open he stared up at the guards, this time armed with a baton and a rope. They looked at each other and spoke “Er sieht kranken” muttered the guard brandishing the baton.
“Ja, er tut” replied the other, “Er den siehe zum doktor benotigt”
He understood German very well, although he spoke English as his first language. They had said that he looked badly ill and needed a doctor. He eagerly awaited the doctor’s visit, as he knew he needed medical help and that he was becoming worse and worse. As the guards left, the heavy metal door screeched and the lock clicked and he was once again alone.
It was later that day that the door was unlocked and the doctor entered; he wore a long black coat and carried a leather medical bag. He briefly conversed with the head guard before been locked in the cell. He crouched beside the man and looked at his purple ribs, his dark, shadowy eyes and his bloodied nose. He then spoke in a soft and friendly voice. “I can help you get out of here my friend.” He pulled up the sleeve of his long black coat to reveal a Star of David. “You are called Abraham Decré am I right?” Abraham slowly nodded. “I am Doctor Oscar, I will arrange your escape, but first I need to get you back to health.” Dr Oscar opened his leather medical bag and took out some pills. “You take these pills for the pain and I have arranged for some warm food to be given to you. I will return but until then you must try to eat and sleep, OK?” Abraham nodded.
Abraham followed Dr Oscar’s instructions for the next few days, he ate the food and took the pills he was given. The days following the doctor’s visit he slept soundly and dreamt continually of his family. He told himself he was going to get better and when he escaped he would find his family and move away from this terrible godforsaken country.
He woke with a start to a tickling sensation on his left cheek. He snapped his eyes open and was startled to find a large, black spider slowly maneuvering its way over his face. He brushed it off and with a firm stamp of his boot it was no more than a small, shriveled mess.
He felt much stronger today and a lot more confident, he was nearly prepared to escape, his dreams of freedom were not far away from becoming reality.
It was a few hours before Dr Oscar arrived again. The door of the cell was forced open and struck the brick wall behind it like a battering ram against a castle wall, making the deep metal sound echo throughout the Nazi stronghold. Dr Oscar motioned for the guard to leave him on his own with the prisoner, the guard obliged and slammed the filthy metal door, sealing the cell.
Dr Oscar spoke in the same calm and friendly tone, “You appear to be much better Abraham.”
“I am doctor, much better.”
“Do you feel strong enough to run?”
“Yes doctor I do, why do you ask?”
“Time is of the essence. Tonight there is a Nazi meeting in the town, most of the guards from this prison will be attending it. The prison will be almost empty.”
Dr. Oscar opened his leather medical bag and produced a shiny knife that appeared incredibly sharp, a rough piece of paper with several times and noted jotted on it, obviously the times the guards would be leaving and returning. He also took from his bag an envelope with ‘Abraham Decré” scrolled across the front. Dr. Oscar spoke in a more serious tone “This letter is only to be read once you have escaped, understand?” Abraham nodded. Dr Oscar walked towards the door of the cell to call the guard to notify him he was done. He reached into his pocket before calling the guard then took out a rusted bundle of keys and left them on the tiny wooden table of the cell. He then turned around, looked Abraham right in the eye and said in a meaningful and serious voice, “Good luck.”
It was late, about 10 and Abraham had rehearsed his escape to perfection, now it was just a matter of bringing it into real life. The prison would be sparsely guarded between 11pm and 2am and he could hear the distant, rowdy talk of the wardens in the office and could tell they were ready to depart. He paced up and down the cell again and again, he had the knife, the keys and the important letter that remained unopened, and he was as ready as he would ever be. After an agonizing wait the Nazi guards finally deserted the prison, leaving just a handful of guards on patrol.
Abraham’s breathing became heavy, he was nervous and scared but relieved he finally had his chance of escape. He slid the heavy, rusty key into the old steel lock and turned until he heard a click. He silently slid the keys into his pocket and inched the door open. He stepped out into the darkened corridor and briefly looked around, after seeing nothing he pulled the door gradually and waited for the lingering click. He turned left, towards the flickering light of the guard terminal, which he hoped would be abandoned, he was right. He was just outside the office and he was advancing towards the stairs when he saw a shadow in the dim light and ducked into the office, concealing himself under a desk. He heard the pulsating footsteps get louder and louder before they stopped dead outside the office. The figure looked around the office but not finding what he wanted turned heel and started to leave. Abraham slid himself out from under the desk and pulled himself softly to his feet. He walked swiftly behind the guard, keeping in time with his footsteps so as not to be heard. When he was inches away from the guard the covered the guards mouth with his cold hand and thrust the shiny metal blade into the guard’s thick neck. The guard let out a murmured shriek of agony before collapsing. The deep crimson liquid pumped out of the guard’s neck across the green tiled floor. Abraham was shocked by his actions but then remembered the torture and beatings the guards gave to the innocent prisoners and the sick pleasure they got from it.
His guilt vanished and he continued towards the stairs. He took them two at a time, hoping the noise wouldn’t disrupt more wardens. As he reached the floor below the eerie silence struck him. His soft footsteps echoed around the building but it seemed it was deserted. He took his time softly treading down the icy cold corridor until he reached his goal, the main entrance, the one and only way out. He tiptoed his way to the central office, which housed only one guard who was reading a newspaper. The exit was clear. He took a deep breath, he knew it was all or nothing, he paced slowly to the door. He picked the bunch of keys from his pocket and searched for the correct one. He inserted it into the lock and twisted, the door slid open quietly and Abraham slipped out into the dark, frosty night.
He was now in the outer part of the compound, only a wire fence to hinder his escape, he sprinted towards the fence and reached it panting. He produced the knife again and started to cut a hole in the wire. He was interrupted by a deep bellowing sound coming from inside the prison, he realized it was the alarm, he glanced back and saw a spotlight searching for him, or someone. He heard the barks of the guard dogs that had been let free to hunt down and savage the escaped prisoner.
He didn’t have time to slowly cut the wire anymore, he grabbed the fence and pulled with all his might, deforming the fence and giving him ample room to flee. He crawled under the fence and ran towards the lights of the town, towards civilization, towards home. He ran as hard as he could but he couldn’t run forever. He stopped to regain his breath on an embankment out of view of the prison. He then reached into his pocket and took out the crisp white envelope, he tore it open and unfolded the letter inside. He read ‘Mr. Decré, Finally you have escaped the terrible prison but there is some terrible news I have to inform you of. I have discovered that your wife and children were taken to Sobibor, a Nazi death camp. I have checked all the lists and I regret you inform you that the Nazis have killed your family. Please accept my deepest sympathy, Dr Oscar.’
Abraham stared blankly at the letter, his family was the sole purpose of his life and they had been taken away from him in an instance. He heard the shouts of the guards searching for him in the distance. His head spun and he was unable to think, he grasped his head and fell to his knees sobbing bitterly. The barks of restrained hounds and angry yells of the prison guards grew closer. Abraham’s life was empty and pointless, he had nothing left to live for, there was no point in his existence. The guards and their dogs approached him and paused, expecting him to flee, but there was no point. He stared emotionlessly into the unforgiving eyes of the head guard and watched as he drew his gun from his holster. The guard pulled back the catch, aimed and firmly pulled the trigger. Abraham didn’t even flinch as the hot bullet pierced his skull and lodged itself deep in his brain. His defeated, lifeless body dropped to the cold, frost covered ground with a deep thud. The darkness closed in and his pain was no more.
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Nice...
Right cheers mate :-)
You posted it on the 21/11/2002, it's still in the forums so you can pop it...
http://ukchatforums.reserve.co.uk/search_topic.php, use the advanced search to find topics that are still replyable..(not a word)
http://ukchatforums.reserve.co.uk/search_topic.php, use the advanced search to find topics that are still replyable..(not a word)
I wanted to simply pop the post but I couldn't find it in the archive so I thought it would be alright if I posted it again. The first time I posted it I don't think anyone read it anyway and assumed nobody woul even notice. Could someone please explain how the archive works and if there is a way of searching for titles of past posts. Sorry if this annoyed anyone but it wasn't just me trying to get my word count up, if I want to do that I simply paste forwarded emails here :-P
Putting a disclaimed doesn't make it OK.
If I started a child porn site but the home page said *warning, contains child porn* would it be OK?
If I started a child porn site but the home page said *warning, contains child porn* would it be OK?
Still, if you ever need an extra 2241 words on your word count...
Here it is!
Just post this again!
Here it is!
Just post this again!
http://ukchatforums.reserve.co.uk/display_messages.php? threadid=60462&forumid=423
out of interest... do you actually believe that anyone with a small degree of a life is actually going to read the entire thing?? i for one began, but lost my trail of thought at the first mention of something to do with a cell?? (is that the title... oh!)
this i do not believe is actually for the forum, and by the way, if you have some way of being able to poke people in the eyes through the internet... i would very much like to know how.
this i do not believe is actually for the forum, and by the way, if you have some way of being able to poke people in the eyes through the internet... i would very much like to know how.
Uh Kyle you also posted it a few weeks ago here and in the Universe forum...
El Blokey wrote:
> A is for Apple.
>
> P is for paragraphs.
>
> And the Life forum or Stories forum are both for stories.
I is for I copied and pasted it from a word document which DID have paragraphs in, the text box format obviously doesnt accept them though.
Did you not read my foreword... *Reaches for the poking stick*
> A is for Apple.
>
> P is for paragraphs.
>
> And the Life forum or Stories forum are both for stories.
I is for I copied and pasted it from a word document which DID have paragraphs in, the text box format obviously doesnt accept them though.
Did you not read my foreword... *Reaches for the poking stick*
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