CHAPTER 6
As Eloise lay pinioned on her bunk before another all too short night's rest she
thought again of Sara and those happy days so long ago when she stayed with her
after the Army's initial training was over.
If only they had not gone into town with Sara's friends that last night before
returning to camp!
Mind you, thought Eloise, that guy she had been introduced to had been pretty
dishy! Shame about his friend, though! Oh, goodness, why, oh why had she ever
spoken to him?
She must have had a bit too much to drink, she supposed. Reg, his name was, she
remembered on her hard prison bunk, trying to snatch some much-needed sleep
before the horrors of the morrow, but the events which had led her to this hell
on earth were too vividly passing through her mind to let her go just yet.
Sleep finally came over the poor girl and morning came with the usual volley of
insults and abuse from her captors.
After a foul tasting breakfast she was taken for a ten-mile run around the camp
perimeter. As she was reaching the end of this first stage of her daily torture
she wondered why she was almost enjoying herself. Well - there is some pleasure
to be derived from the contemplation of one's own physical fitness, however
arduous the process of achieving it might be. There was a certain grim pleasure
also to be gained from seeing Cpl Jenks visibly tiring as she pedaled beside her
on the camp bicycle.
She would have been less happy, though had she known just what a strenuous day
lay ahead.
Private Eloise stood rigidly to attention outside the Sergeant's office as she
had done so many times already, and would do so very many more times in the
three long years that lay ahead. Sergeant Patterson was not in a good mood today
and her vicious insults stung the girl as never before. "You filthy, digusting
cow. Look at your dirty feet, you bitch!"
Eloise glanced down and saw that the morning run had left her feet caked with
mud.
"Sorry, Sergeant", she said, " but I have been running round the camp for the
past three hours, and it is a wet day, or hadn't you noticed?"
Shit. Shit. Shit. Don't you know any better than that after all these months,
the girl said to herself.
"You cheeky cow, you fucking insolent bitch!" screamed the Sergeant. "That's
another month more you'll be with us for that."
"I'm sorry," said Eloise, "I didn't mean to be insolent, but it is a wet day and
I haven't had a chance to shower after my run before reporting to you"
Patterson looked at the tall, blonde girl and smiled.
"I guess you have a point, but I have the rank and that is what matters around
here. I don't know why you are with us, but I do know you must be bad news to be
here four years - correction four years and four months. Never talk back to me!
Now here's your work for today."
Eloise gasped as the Sergeant continued.
"You see the load of gravel that's just been dumped at the camp gate? You spread
it all over the perimeter path where you have just had your morning run.
Tomorrow you will run around again. You'll have sore feet then as well as dirty
ones! If you haven't finished by two you'll be punished"
As Eloise cast the thousandth shovel full of gravel over the tarmac of the
perimeter path, she thought with apprehension of the very uncomfortable morning
run she would have next day! Her feet would probably be cut to ribbons after ten
miles running over this!
Eloise remembered the one and only time she had tried to talk to a guard about
her plight. She had been viciously struck in the gut with a heavy truncheon by
the charming Sgt. Patterson and then marched to the punishment post, tied
spread-eagled and whipped until she passed out, only to be revived with cold
water so that she could appreciate the severity of her beating. She shuddered at
the memory. Five times she had fainted only to be revived again so that her
torment could continue. She had never spoken out of turn again.
She continued spreading the gravel and her mind recalled the first days of her
sentence. The weather had been atrociously hot and the ground had caused her
tender bare feet to blister. She had never known such pain, but the guards had
shown her no mercy and forced her to work all day. Even when she had been
whipped she had been returned to duty and forced to work as hard as ever.
She had survived it all and here she still was!
The first winter had been her most awful time. The other prisoners had been
given work indoors during the worst of the cold, but Eloise was kept outside all
day, with the occasional chance to warm herself at the warm air vents. It was
pretty obvious to her that she was not meant to survive, but she HAD survived
and she would go on surviving. Too damn right she would! There's going to be a
happy ending to this story. There HAS to be.
She prayed that some day there would be an opportunity to prove her innocence
and get back to her life.
Finally the path was completely covered with a layer of gravel and her day was
still only half over. She looked at the surface of the next day's morning run
and realized that her feet were probably tough enough to survive it and come
through with flying colors. She raised one foot and rubbed the sole with her
hand. Pretty darned hard she thought. It'll hurt, but I can take it - Hell! I've
got to.
The weather had warmed up after the snow of the day before, but was still pretty
chilly. Most girls would have goosebumps she thought to herself with reluctant
pride, but her suntanned skin was smooth and glowed with health. This ordeal was
actually doing her good!
The gravel duly spread, Eloise was marched back to the camp office to await her
next duties. She had failed to complete the task by two as instructed although
only by a couple of minutes and was pretty confident she would not be punished
for such a trivial matter. Silly girl!
"The whipping you got last year wasn't enough, I can see", said the angry
Patterson.
"Take her to the punishment post and give her five lashes. Leave her tied up for
an hour and then get her digging a few six-foot trenches. When she's finished
that she can fill them in again"
The beating hurt, but the hour she was tied up in the cold was worse, much
worse. She was numb and half conscious when released. The ground was hard after
the cold weather and it was an agonizing ordeal digging the trenches. Her bare
feet hurt as she tried to force the spade into the ground. Somehow she made
progress and the exertion started to get the blood flowing. After a couple of
hours, she was even sweating slightly.
By ten at night she had dug seven trenches and then filled them in stamping on
the ground to make the ground level again.
As she was chained to her bed the welts on her back which she had almost
forgotten, caused her to moan with agony.
"Sleep well, you ugly bitch" was the parting insult from her jailer, accompanied
by a stinging slap across her mouth.
As she tried to sleep despite the pain, she thought once again of the desperate
plight she was in. The regime was getting worse and worse. There MUST be a way
out!
And so there was. But it was a hard and a long one. She must make sure she
incurred no more penalties so that she could survive until her release.
Sergeant Patterson looked out at the wintry scene as Cpl Jenks, wearing a warm
winter great coat cycled beside Private Eloise, nude as ever in the swirling
snow, running around the perimeter as she had been for the past four and a half
hours.
The snow had protected her feet from the layer of gravel and the running was
keeping her feet from freezing, although the pain was intense and getting worse
after so many miles.
"Smarten up, you idle, lazy, fat, ugly cow" shouted Jenks "You know what you got
yesterday you dirty idle lump of shit! I was just getting into the mood after
five shots at that poxy back of yours. They'll let me go on a bit longer next
time - so MOVE IT BITCH - LAZY FAT ASSED COW"
The shouting was audible to the Sergeant as she watched from her office window.
She smiled wryly as she considered that what Jenks lacked in originality of
phrase she more than made up for in venom. She could see the poor girl wilt
under the verbal assaults.
What a sight that bitch is, though she mused to herself, admiring the
long-legged girl as she strode effortlessly around the camp, even after getting
on for five long cold weary hours. Pity about the snow, though. Maybe tomorrow
it would have gone and then she would run her around until she dropped, until
her feet were raw and bloody. I'll break her. I must. It's my job, worse luck
'cause I'm getting to admire her her stamina and courage. And hell - she sure is
beautiful even with here hair cut so short. We'll let her grow it back a bit and
she can have her pubes back if she likes.
She watched as Eloise came closer before starting off into another circuit. The
red marks on her back still stood out vividly against the flawless skin. Shame
to spoil such a lovely body. We won't do that again for a while - not strictly
legal any way, even if the authorities had assured her that they would turn a
blind eye to infringements of the penal code for such a special prisoner.
She remembered how long it had taken for Eloise's back to heal after that first
terrible lashing that she, Sergeant Freda Patterson, had personally given her
fifteen months ago. She had fainted away several times and had had to be revived
she remembered, but had not uttered a single cry. And she had carried on working
afterwards as if nothing had happened. She was one tough cow and no mistake.
Patterson ruefully rubbed her shoulder in memory of the sore arms she had
herself suffered as the result of such a prolonged effort. How many strokes had
it been. She had lost count , but it couldn't have been short of 100, maybe
more.
What job to give her today? She could carry on running for another hour and then
have her first meal. Something to tire her arms and shoulders, I suppose. Some
heavy carrying and lifting perhaps. She can dig up those trenches again and
carry the sacks of soil from one end of the camp to the other and back. That was
today taken care of.
Tomorrow she could run around on the hopefully exposed gravel all morning until
she begged for relief (which she would NOT get) and after that she could sweep
it all up and return to the pile from which she taken it yesterday.
