Brigida - Iron

I peek through one eye as my cell bars slide open.
A heavy boot swings towards me and I wince as it slams into my face.
"Get up."
I push myself onto my knees and press the wall to stand. My legs shake, and I wrap my blanket around my shoulders, trying hard not to collapse to my mattress.
The man grabs my hair and drags me to the old doors where the inmates are allowed to see each other.
He throws me onto the floor and I slide at least five feet.
The men laugh cruelly and I hear the door close.
One of my friends, Ashlynn, pads over and helps me over to the other girls.

Chelsey and Marie are snuggled up in a corner, asleep in each other's arms. 

Jasmine is staring at the floor. 

I see Veranda up on the stage, performing a routine for the men. 

She undresses herself and moves her body fluidly. 

Her eyes are empty. 

I start to crawl into Ashlynn's lap and go back to sleep, but sharp pain erupts in my back, and I hear a few little clinking noises.
I turn and see the men laughing.
Ashlynn makes a sound in the back of her throat and I feel something slip through my skin.
She holds it up.

Green glass. 

From a beer bottle. 

The other half is shattered on the floor.
"Get up, girl," One of the men orders. "Go perform for us."
I force myself to stand and wince as the torn skin on my back stretches.
I make my way to the stage, and Veranda gives me a sad look before hurrying away to join our friends.
I make uncomfortable eye contact with one of the men, and I break it immediately.
"Hey, look at me. I'm your master."
I slowly let my eyes drift back up to his, and he smirks.

I feel sick. 

My knees hit each other. 

I start breathing heavily. 

I can't think. 

I cover my ears to hide their snorting 

and burping 

and every other 

disgusting 

noise they make. 

Suddenly, there's a hand on my wrist, jerking it away from my head.
I try to pull away, but he growls and holds me tighter. "I thought we told you to perform."
My heart races and I yank my hand out of his.
He grabs my waist and I start flailing, hitting him multiple times in his stomach, face, and chest.

The adrenaline stops when I smash into the ground. 

My head feels like it cracked along with every other bone in my body. 

My little birdwing shoulder blades, 

my bruised collarbone, 

my sharp hipbones, 

all shattered into 

little glass pieces. 

The man is wiping blood from his face with my dress, which has come off of my body in the scuffle.

I'm lying on the concrete, exposed and cold and scared. 

Eighteen pairs of lost little girl eyes stare in horror. 

Ashlynn is covering her mouth. 

Jasmine looks alert. 

Marie and Chelsey have woken up and are both crying silently. 

One of the men plugs in an iron.
Another snaps his fingers at me, and the sound echoes through the room. "Get over here. Now."

I can't get up, 

can't respond, 

can't function. 

My own breathing becomes the only thing I can hear.

Shallow, but labored. 

One of the men comes over and stands on my stomach.
I feel myself exhale hard, and then no more air will come in.
"We told you to move."
I just stare at him.
He steps back onto the floor, and quickly takes all his clothes off.

I can't move, 

can't breathe, 

can't cry. 

The dull ache between my legs comes back. 

I hear the cruel male roar return, along with my own noises: 

little squeaks and 

sharp breaths and 

then I feel the hot tears come. 

I am still alive, as much as I would like to leave this place. 

The man gets back up, and I try to go into my ball, my little turtle shell, but my body won't move.
"Now get over here." The snapping man growls.
I have gone mute and paralyzed again.
He rolls his eyes. "Fine, bring her over."
I can't fight this time, and the still naked man pulls me over to the group.
The man I hit grabs an iron and smiles sickly at me.

I hear my own screaming fill the disturbing silence as the hot metal claims my inner thigh. 

Burning flesh scent fills the air. 

I scream louder.
Someone hits me hard.

I try to move, 

try to escape, 

try to stop the agony. 

"Shut up," Someone hisses in my ear. "We're keeping this here until you're totally silent, you stupid girl."

I bite down on my lip, but little squeals still come out. 

I bite harder. Blood squirts out and covers my chin and neck. 

The only noise from me is in my head, and it's now that I hear my friends' quiet sobs. 

I don't understand why they aren't taking the iron away.
I've been perfectly quiet for at least five minutes, and blood continues to pour from my lip.
I look down and find that it has been unplugged and put back where it was. There's a huge red patch on my thigh, with a few little black spots and brighter red places.
The men have dropped my arms and the rest of my body is starting to ache from being dropped to the stony floor.
"One of you, come get her." They're talking to my friends.

Jasmine stands up, and they all look at her. 

She's the last person anyone would expect to go through a curtain of men. 

But she does, and she looks completely devoid of emotion until she meets my eyes. 

Then she is fragile and upset. 

She slides her cool, bony arms under me and lifts me up. 

I let her, my body going limp.
She takes my dress from the bleeding man and returns me to the circle of girls, armed with scraps of their own garments and water.
Jasmine carefully lowers me onto my blanket, where I left it with Ashlynn.

I can only make little half noises as they dab water on the spot, which soaks it up 

immediately 

like the ground after a 

six 

month 

drought. 

Finally, Marie pours the last of the water on a large piece of a dress and wraps it around my leg.
I sigh as Ashlynn places my head in her lap, and close my eyes.