War of the Union

Chapter Seven

When David woke up he found himself in a jail cell. He sat up and put his hand to his head. When he removed it, his hand was covered in blood and his head was throbbing. He slowly got to his feet and stumbled over to the bars. His vision was blurry and he struggled to regain his focus. He put his hand to his head again and slightly shook it, shutting his eyes tightly and opening them again. He had to do this a few times before he was finally able to focus his sights. He looked around the room.

He saw two Confederate soldiers sitting at a table playing cards.

"Looks like the little spy's awake." Stated one of the soldiers.

"Yeah looks that way. Whatcha think we should do with e'm?" replied the other.

"Let's have some fun." The soldier pulled out his pistol and pointed it at David. He c****d the hammer back and, with a smile, pulled the trigger. The bullet ricocheted off the floor and in-beded itself in the wall behind David. He ducked out of the bullet's path and leaned up against the corner wall of the cell. The soldiers were both laughing as he shot again and again until the g*n's chamber was empty. He was reloading when a higher-ranked officer came bursting into the room.

"What the Hell is going on here?!" He shouted, looking at the soldiers.

"Just havin a little fun with the prisoner, that's all lieutenant." Stated one of them. The lieutenant sniffed the air. Then looked towards David.

"Why do I smell gunpowder?" He asked, looking back at the soldiers. He went on.

"Were you shootin at the prisoner?" He asked. Neither of them replied. He walked over to the cell.

"This man's a prisoner of war! Not a damned sideshow for your amusement! He deserves to be treated with dignity and not treated as a clown! Understand?!" The soldiers nodded with their heads down.

"Now..." He continued. " I don't want to hear anymore gunfire is that clear?!"

"Yes sir."

"Yes sir."

"If anything happens to the prisoner on your watch, because of your stupidity, I'll have both your heads for trophies! Literally! Got it?! And get him cleaned up! The Coronal doesn't want him looking like that when he gets to the camp!"

"Yes sir."

The lieutenant looked at David as he walked out, slamming the door behind him. As he slammed the door, David could feel the vibrations of the door closing. It had made a loud bang and if he slammed it any harder, thought David, it would probably have come off its hinges.

David sat in his cell thinking about Sam and her family. He felt bad for the situation that they were in. And he knew it was all his fault. For if he'd left before, they wouldn't be in this predicament; nor would he, for that matter.

He was cleaned and his wounds tended to. He couldn't get Sam and her family off his mind. He then began to think of his own family. And tears began to weld up in his eyes. After being cleaned and his wounds dressed, he was put back into the cell. He laid down on the cot and, facing the wall, curdled himself up in the fetal position and cried. The thought of dying so far from home, and not seeing his family again, scared him so much that he shook with fear. But he thought if I am going to die I wouldn't go without a fight. And I wont show them I'm afraid. I wont give them the satisfaction of it. And with that, the tears stopped, and he closed his eyes and got some much needed rest.