Chapter Fourteen

Chastity had been at the prison camp for a couple of weeks and was ready to break out. She’d only planned to be there for a night, but hadn’t been able to talk any of the prisoners into escaping with her yet. She realized she’d have to earn their trust, which she was beginning to do.

The other women were slowly starting to depend on her, realizing she was a lot stronger than them. She was the one who could take the beatings from the guards and she took a lot of their workload. The hardest part for her was trying to make it seem as if it was actually hard. The other part she struggled with was not killing every soldier there. She had yet to find a lick of humanity in a single one of them.

“This isn’t break time. Get back to work,” a guard shouted at her when he realized she’d paused for a moment. She had to look down so he wasn’t able to see the fire burning in her eyes. He took her bent head as submission, which was lucky for him because she didn’t think she’d be able to take being poked in the back one more time with one of their worthless weapons.

Their sergeant was very lucky he hadn’t tried to rape her yet because that’s where she would’ve drawn the line. Beating her didn’t do them any good as it didn’t cause physical pain, but if the man tried to touch her body, she wouldn’t hesitate to take his life. She looked around at the other women, feeling heartfelt empathy for what they’d gone through.

The men felt it their right to take the women into their beds any time they felt the need. They enjoyed it when the women fought them. Most of the prisoners learned taking their abuse was far easier than putting up a struggle. They all seemed broken and defeated. Chastity knew she could no longer stand aside while the soldiers used their power to abuse decent people.

The longer she stayed with the prisoners, the more confused she became that Josiah chose to do nothing. How could he watch the kind of suffering they were going through without stepping in? It was wrong. Now that she’d been with them and gotten to know them, she couldn’t turn her back.

She finished her chores for the day and was marched through the showers with the other women who were set aside for the sergeant. They were the few who were actually kept clean, even if it was done in the most despicable way possible. The women got used to the cold water and the humiliating scrubbing, though Chastity didn’t see how anyone could ever accept the torture. They arrived at their pathetic room and were finally left alone.

“I can’t take this anymore and I managed to smuggle in a weapon. I’ve found an escape route and with the sergeant and most of the guards gone tonight, looking for that camp, it’s a perfect night to escape,” Chastity told the women.

They all stared at her with intense fear in their dark hollowed eyes, but for once there was also a glimmer of hope. She made eye contact with each of them, encouraging their trust in her, conveying with her body language that everything would be okay if they listened to her.

“But if they catch us, you know what will happen,” one of the women said with raw terror, causing her voice to shake. If the women were caught escaping they’d wish for death because the guards were allowed to do with them what they wanted for as long as they wanted. There were stories throughout the camp about a few women who’d tried and failed to escape, and what had happened to them was horrible enough that no one had made an attempt for a long time.

“I guarantee we won’t get caught, but if for some reason it were to happen I’ll tell the guards I threatened you with this weapon and was using you as human shields. I promise you won’t be harmed,” Chastity said. There was no way she’d allow any more harm to come to these women who’d suffered such severe physical and mental anguish.

“I want to get out of here,” another of the women said just above a whisper. She looked around as if afraid the guards were going to burst through the doors at any moment because of her words. Prisoners weren’t allowed to even speak of leaving the camp. They weren’t considered human among the sadistic guards.

“Let me explain my plan and you can tell me what you think,” Chastity said. When no one spoke, she laid out her escape plan. She gave them enough information to feel secure with her plan, but not enough that they’d figure out who she really was.

“Now try to get a couple hours’ sleep so you’ll have full energy for our journey. This will all begin about two in the morning,” she told them.

The women were silent, but the transformation in their expressions of hope and determination brought tears to Chastity’s eyes. She embraced each one, praying a silent blessing that they would be ready when the time came and none would be left behind or harmed.

They all lay together, as they did nightly, trying to preserve their body heat and finding comfort in each other – but this night, the women all held hands and the power of the Light flowed within their veins, unbeknownst to them. Chastity walked to the other room and waited. She didn’t need much sleep and wanted to stay alert. She didn’t want to wake the women when she went out to accomplish the first part of their escape. If they saw what she did, it wouldn’t take them long to figure out something wasn’t quite right about her. She couldn’t afford to not have their complete trust.

When she heard the guards do their one-thirty pass, she waited. The other women were sleeping so they didn’t see how effortlessly she quietly dismantled the door. She silently approached the two passing guards and they were dead with a quick and silent snapping of their necks.

She quickly moved their bodies out of sight, then continued through the camp and stealthily took care of each guard who was awake. Chastity lithely approached the fence and broke the wiring so there was a section for the women to pass through without notice. If Chastity had been working alone, she could’ve casually scaled the fence, but she had to simplify her plan for the human women. It would look too odd for her to stumble into her brother’s group alone. She had to have the other women with her to validate her story. She couldn’t leave them behind, either. She knew the guards would torture them, trying to get information on how she was able to escape.

She slid back into the cabin and woke the women. They looked at her with their trusting eyes and she prayed she wouldn’t let them down. They’d have to move quickly because the journey was long and she needed to be far from the camp before the sergeant and his crew got back. They’d be seething when they found the dead soldiers and it wouldn’t take them long to begin a manhunt.

“It’s time to go. I got the door open and there’s no one around right now. I found a weak spot in the fence and that’s where we’ll escape through, so we have no time to waste,” Chastity told the women, and was happy when they quickly jumped up. All five of them mustered the courage to come with her.

“I managed to get some bread today and a couple bottles of water without getting caught, but wait until we’re outside the walls. Then we’ll have to be conservative with what we use so we can keep up our strength. I heard there’s a refugee camp in the mountains and I know the general direction, so that’s where we’ll head.” she told them. Then, not wasting another minute, she led them outside.

The women huddled together and she could see their hesitation. The few yards to the fence were the scariest part because that small stretch was where they’d most likely be discovered. That would be all it took for the full wrath of the guards to come down on them.

“Don’t worry, it’s all clear. We must go – now,” Chastity told them, the urgency in her voice waking the women’s souls to stand strong. The women followed her and quickly slipped through the fence. The sound of all their racing heartbeats thundered in Chastity’s ears.

“Run that way, but be quiet,” she told them. “I’ll catch up in a second. I want to fix this fence so it’s not so obvious to the guards.”

They were off like rockets toward the cover of the trees. Chastity quickly straightened the fence so well it was hard for even her own eye to notice it was faulty. The women would have a good four-hour lead on the soldiers before they discovered their men dead and the women missing.

Chastity quickly caught up with the other women and led them deep into the woods. She knew exactly where they were going and the shortest route to get there, but it was still a three- day journey and that was only if they moved quickly. They’d get little sleep and she’d have to be on constant alert for enemy soldiers. The soldiers were going to be beyond furious, especially since it was women who’d gotten the upper hand. They would want brutal revenge.

With Chastity in the lead, the women followed close behind her through the woods, no one complaining about the brisk pace. They wanted to get as far from the prison as possible or die trying. Even if they were caught and tortured, they’d already received a taste of freedom, making it all worth it. There was a light shining in their eyes Chastity hadn’t seen from any of the prisoners over the last couple of weeks. It was breathtaking to behold, reinforcing her vow to protect them and get them safely to the refugee camp.

They moved nonstop until about nine in the morning, judging from the sky, then found a stream with a couple of fruit trees next to it. The women eyed the water and fruit longingly and glanced at Chastity, but said nothing. She found it sad that they’d pass right by what they wanted so much if she were to tell them no.

“We’ve made really good time. I expected us to rest earlier, so I think we’re more than safe to stop for a few minutes and fill our stomachs. Our bodies will need the fuel for this journey,” Chastity told them. The women immediately headed for the trees. They couldn’t remember the last time they’d had fruit. The camps would’ve never given them anything so nutritious. It was saved for the soldiers. The prisoners were lucky to get moldy bread and only fed enough to stave off death, sometimes not even that much. Most of their loved ones died from disease, starvation or brutal beatings.

“This is so good,” one of the women sighed as she bit into the crisp red apple, closing her eyes to savor the moment. The others nodded and Chastity munched on one simply because she enjoyed the crunching sound it made. Chastity was moved once again as she watched the pleasure on the faces of the women grow with each bite.

They quickly ate their fruit, picked more to take with them and refilled the water containers. Then it was time to move on. The quick stop had done wonders for their morale. The women were beginning to smile and there was a bounce in their steps. Chastity was humbled by them.

They walked the entire day, only stopping a couple of times when they reached water or food. They were more fearful of being caught than willing to give in to exhaustion. Chastity could see they were barely able to stand, let alone walk, so she started looking for a safe place for them to rest. She found a rock outcropping that would give them adequate shelter.

“We need to stop for a few hours and get some sleep,” she told them. She saw conflicting emotions cross their features. They were physically exhausted but still driven by the fear of being caught.

“I know you’re afraid, but we have many hours head start on the soldiers and they have no idea what direction we’ve taken. It will be safe to rest and we’ll be able to travel faster and farther,” she told them. The women lay down, huddled closely together and were asleep within seconds.

Chastity climbed high in the trees and was relieved to see no sign of soldiers anywhere near them. She stayed on alert for the few hours she allowed the women to get much-needed rest. When she felt they’d stayed as long as they could, she gently woke them. It was still dark, but the women became alert quickly, eyes darting wildly, straining to focus in the dark.

“Everything’s fine, but I think we should get going,” Chastity said. Even though they were still tired, no one complained. They rose, each one helping the other up, and were quickly on their way, silently hoping the rumors of a safe place were true. Chastity was the only one who knew the place existed for sure and though they were heading straight for it, the women had no idea and held on with blind faith.