Victor hit the bottom of the icy ditch with a heavy thud. He was not a corpse.
The extreme negative eighty degree temperatures slowed his heart to a sluggish crawl. He fell into a deep hypothermic coma while chained to the steel pole.
Captain Dan unchained him hours ago to make room for a new rebellious worker. The tactical guards tossed Victor into the deep latrine trench to rot. The sudden brutal impact against the frozen dirt jolted his failing heart back to a weak rhythm.
Victor gasped loudly. Thick freezing air rushed into his burning lungs. He rolled onto his side in the mud.
Caroline and Cynthia watched him move. They huddled around a pathetic smoking fire burning inside a rusted metal trash bin. They did not stand up to help him.
"He is still breathing," Caroline rasped. She c
