Chains (Non TB/DL, contians violence) [Short]

[Manveru]

This is a short story I wrote a while ago for no real reason. I think I might have posted it here, but i'm not altogether sure.

My life has been spent in chains. Ever since I was a child, darkness and cold brick have been around me.

I am a prisoner of war. I am a child stolen from his family, from his mother and father, from his home, from his siblings, from anything that resembles a life, and flung into a cell. The chains have gone from cold and restraining to warm and comfortable - I’ve spent over ten years in this cell, chained to this wall, so the chains have been my only contact. The guards bring me food from time to time, just enough for me to survive. I hang, limp and deteriorating, chained to the stone.

This is the story of how the chains that bound me for so long led me to my freedom.

Ten years in a cell - at least I think it’s been ten. Time seems to distort itself when you’re deprived of light for so long. I know it was not long after my tenth birthday when I was taken, so I figure I’m around eighteen to twenty years old. Had I been free, I would have been drafted to fight in this seemingly never-ending conflict. My mind is so far gone that I can’t even remember who’s fighting who and why. All I know anymore are my chains. These chains that bind me - they keep me from my freedom, secure my in my prison, but at the same time, comfort me. They let me know that they will be here, supporting me, day after day, until I am either killed or released.

Now my time is coming. The gunfire comes closer and closer to the prison, the bomb blasts shaking the very foundations. The guards run and yell orders in a language that sounds vaguely Germanic - but words no longer register to me. All I know is that my freedom is finally at hand.

Today, my hopes finally come true. A bomb goes off near my cell and shatters the solid wall that has held me against it for so many years. My chains fall to the floor, rattling as I fall with them. My muscles have atrophied due to lack of use, and it takes me near an hour to be able to move even an inch. I stand, shaking, and pick up my chains.

“How ungrateful it would be,” I think to myself, “To abandon these chains that supported me for so long.” So I pick them up, wrapping them around my arms. They seem to tighten around my arms - not constricting, but making sure they are secure. This must be my imagination, for these chains could not move themselves! I move around the rubble, leaving my cell for the first time. The light that filters in through the small barred windows on the opposite wall, dim as it is, seems blinding to my darkened eyes. I hear footsteps nearby and see a guard running towards me. He yells something and raises his gun to fire. I cock my head at him questioningly, as I seem to have forgotten how to speak. The chains on my arms rattle almost threateningly - like a snake’s rattle. He pulls the trigger and I close my eyes, waiting for the bullet to penetrate my body. I hear only rattling and clanking. I open my eyes to see that the chains have sprung from my arms and formed a shield in front of me, protecting me from the bullet. My eyes and the guard’s eyes widen in unison. Had I made the chains do that? Can I make them do more?

Can I make them kill?

No sooner has the though entered my head than the chains shoot forward and snake around the guard, entangling his legs, arms, and neck. They tighten quickly around his neck, and with a crack, take his life. The chains then return to my arms.

“What’s going on,” I think to myself, “What are these chains made of that I can control them like this? Or is it my power?”

I realize quickly that it no longer matters. I have but one goal: escape. I must navigate alone through the maze of tunnels and rooms that is my prison and find a way outside - a way home. I hear more yelling from behind me, in a language that is much more familiar. Allies? Friends? I have not known anyone for so long, and any one of them could be another enemy. I quickly hide myself with the chains, dropping them on top of me so that I appear to be no more than a pile of chains. The men run past me, not even looking twice. I wait until the hallway is clear and stand again, re-affixing the chains to my arms. I move quickly down the hall, not having any clue where I am or where I’m going. I see a door to the right and enter. There are many dead bodies inside, but there are a few men standing. One of them, I recognize his voice. He is the guard that served me pitiful amounts of food for ten years.

“He is an enemy,” I think to myself, “a captor. He must die.” The chains again launch themselves from my arms and wrap themselves around the three men in the room. They struggle and scream as the chains slowly tighten. I hear the slow crunching sounds as the chains break their arms and legs in turn, and then fling them, limp and groaning, against the stone walls. Their heads crack, and they do not rise.

I leave the room, travelling again down winding hallways and corridors, hearing the gunfire grow closer and closer. I turn a corner to see conflict - gunfire is being exchanged. The men closer to me are wearing the same color clothing as the guards I killed - uniforms! I realize then that the men on the other side must be on my side - the enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all. The chains leap again from my arms and attack the soldiers. They are dispatched quickly, as they were unaware of my presence. The other soldiers seem to hesitate for a moment and talk amongst themselves, presumably asking each other whether or not to attack me. One finally walks forward and extends a hand. I take it and he shakes it, speaking to me. I start to recognize some words, such as ‘Thank you’ and ‘follow.’ I nod and follow the soldiers, praying that they will lead me to somewhere safe. My ears are ringing from the gunfire, and my muscles ache. But as long as my mind is strong, I shall not fall. We encounter no resistance on the way out of the prison compound, and for the first time in ten years I breathe fresh air and feel grass underneath my feet.

I am overcome with joy and fall to the ground, weeping. I clutch the grass, holding it tighter than I have ever held anything. I am finally free. My chains seem to be joyful as well, snaking along the grass and rattling in the air as in jubilation. The chains are a part of me now, and I shall not remove them.

[Atsu]

Wow... That was very good. You are a very talented writer Mani. I just want to suggest you read your work over two or threee times before though ^.^ As there are words that should not be there. Such as though instead of thought. But other then that you have a great talent for capturing readers and even in this short 13 paragraph story, it contains a lot of emotion and thought in it. Thank you for sharing Mani!

[baseball4life]

A pretty cool story. I prefer fictional stories that aren't as far-fetched as yours, but nevertheless it was great. Thanks for sharing.

[Unfused...]

OHH! i read that on your deviantwhatchamacallitartthingy a long time ago! It's even better the second time ^-^

I love it