Here is the first chapter of my wonderful book, Hellany. Merely a sneak peak, but if you are interested, please email me and I'll work out more for you to read!
Hellany
Chapter 1- Refugees
The train was rough, the tracks giving awful bumps that forced the refugees to bounce around in the car. With the churning of the wheels under their feet, they could not only feel it, but they could hear it. The clinks and chugs as it hit every rung of the train track, the friction of metal against metal, the screeches of the rusted breaks as it accelerated down the hill they couldn’t see. Within the car, the sounds of moaning and occasional coughs brought an unpleasant atmosphere. The air was thick and hot, sticking to the passengers skin with sweat and airborne bile. Nobody said a word, as they were either too sick or too deep into their own miserable thoughts to speak their mind, but there was too much noise within the cramped train car for it to be silent in there.
Hellany Bandawith sat in the far corner of the car, crouched over so she could see the view in the crack of the door. The tiny strip of land was pleasant and green, but she knew if she were looking on the other side of the tracks, she would see the gloom of the battlefield. Through the large metal doors of the car, she could hear distant gunshots of the wicked war, the passengers just hoped the train would never be attacked by such close shootings. Those not ill clung to the rungs of the walls, listening to every sound heard. One of them had been praying for hours, her body curled up in a ball with her hands clenched together so tightly, they were turning white as she whispered the prayer words under her breath. Hellany didn’t like to look at them, to see their ill-favored faces, she kept her blue eyes glued to the crack in the door, to see the view of what was once the view of the whole country. Green and beautiful.
One of the women screamed when the rusty brakes started to screech higher as the train was starting to slow down.
“What’s going on?” Another woman cried, “are they stopping the train?”
“Oh god, help us!” the croaking voice of an older woman wailed.
It was all women, most of the men were at war. As it slowed, the train came to a jolting halt, the G-force shoving people foreward. Hellany refused to look behind her to see the door being thrown open from the battlefield side. She knew there was Khyro soldiers standing there, ready to take them away, but she kept her eyes glued to the green through the crack. She gasped when a large hand gripped her shoulder, jerking her head to look up at the pursuer.
All she could see was that terrifying grey uniform, his dark eyes were stern and direct as he observed the child. The soldier tensed his bearded jaw and crouched down to face her. She broke her contact from him for just a half-second to see four other soldiers herding everyone out of the car. The little girl refused to move, standing there against the corner of the train, her eyes returning to the man. He kept observing her, cocking his head as he narrowed his eyes towards her.
“Are you good with delivering messages?” He asked.
Hellany, too afraid to speak, gulped hard and nodded.
“Good.”
The soldier straightened and reached in his pocket, pulling out a telegram neatly folded in his hand. He held it out to Hellany, but Hellany just stood there still staring.
“Take it.” He ordered, but when she continued to stare at him frozen, he waved the telegram, “take it!”
Hellany carefully took the telegram from him, holding it with both of her hands.
“How old are you girl?”
“Eleven.”
“That should be old enough. That telegram I just handed you needs to go to the conductor before he leaves. Once delivered, come directly back to me, you hear?”
Hellany nodded again.
“Now go!”
Hellany, her eyes still glued on the soldier, carefully walked around him towards the open doorway of the car. She jumped out of it, seeing the passengers rounded up and being moved towards a covered trailer. Her mother looked at her in desperation, holding out her hand for her, but Hellany shook her head and looked back over to the intimidating soldier.
“Git!” He snapped.
Hellany nodded again, but looked once more at her mother. She wanted to go to her, but instead, Hellany’s eyes shot down to the telegram and darted. She ran past the cars and towards the front of the train where she could see the conductor trying to talk to one of the soldiers. As she came closer to the person she needed to deliver to, she could hear shouts between the two. As soon as the conductor saw her, he stopped short and turned to her.
“What is it?!” He screamed, making Hellany shrink.
She dropped her head, lifting her hand in the air with the telegram. The conductor snatched it from her fingers and Hellany lifted her head. She watched as the conductors eyes shot from one side of the paper to the other, his face changing in emotion from anger to confusion. He raised an eyebrow as he turned back to her.
“Who sent you this?”
Hellany pointed down to where the soldier stood herding the passengers into the trailer. The conductor huffed, than nodded.
“Of course. Thank you.”
Hellany nodded again and darted back to the soldier, but the trailer holding the hostages was starting to move. Her mother, clinging to the rods on the back of the trailer, reached her hand out for her daughter.
“Hellany hurry!”
Hellany was going to keep running, but the soldier snatched the collar of her shirt.
“You’re not going with them.”
The young girl dropped her arms, watching her mother get further and further from her.
“Hellany!!!!!!!” Her mother cried, her face filling with tears.
Her mother wasn’t a cryer, yet here she was, her cheeks wet. Hellany wanted to embrace her, she couldn’t be separated, not after all that had happened.
“Mom!”
Her mother, with a trembling hand, blew her a kiss before the trailer got too far to truly see her teary face. Her mother had her hand out for her, but as she got further and further, Hellany felt another hand on her shoulder. She looked up at the man.
“That was my mother though. Why can’t I just be with my mother?” Hellany cried, but the soldier kept his eyes glued to the trailer moving on down the road.
“Because we need you here.”
“To deliver messages?”
He looked down at her, squeezing his hand tighter on her shoulder.
“You might be just perfect with your size to deliver the messages we need. The conductor was just the start. What’s your name girl?”
Hellany sniffed, trying to keep from crying.
“Hellany… Bandawith.”
“Well Hellany, this is a job not many girls get the chance to have. Most of the girls who were in that car were taken to labor camps. You, however, were lucky. Not only will you deliver the messages, but you will eat what we eat and sleep when we sleep. Your pay is the food and shelter, if you don’t follow orders, we will not hesitate to leave you out to die. You understand?”
Once again, Hellany nodded.
“Good. Now get in the car, I’m taking you to our camp.”
Hellany looked over the military jeep. It was so massive, standing there in black, towering over her like a beast she shouldn’t encounter. She followed the soldier towards the car, expecting to sit in the back, but he lifted her up inside and placed her between him and the driver. She wanted to get up and run back to the train where she could be safer, but as she sat there, squished between two large men, she watched as the whistle echoed in the air and lurched forward.
It was too late to enter the train even if she wanted to.
The train was rough, the tracks giving awful bumps that forced the refugees to bounce around in the car. With the churning of the wheels under their feet, they could not only feel it, but they could hear it. The clinks and chugs as it hit every rung of the train track, the friction of metal against metal, the screeches of the rusted breaks as it accelerated down the hill they couldn’t see. Within the car, the sounds of moaning and occasional coughs brought an unpleasant atmosphere. The air was thick and hot, sticking to the passengers skin with sweat and airborne bile. Nobody said a word, as they were either too sick or too deep into their own miserable thoughts to speak their mind, but there was too much noise within the cramped train car for it to be silent in there.
Hellany Bandawith sat in the far corner of the car, crouched over so she could see the view in the crack of the door. The tiny strip of land was pleasant and green, but she knew if she were looking on the other side of the tracks, she would see the gloom of the battlefield. Through the large metal doors of the car, she could hear distant gunshots of the wicked war, the passengers just hoped the train would never be attacked by such close shootings. Those not ill clung to the rungs of the walls, listening to every sound heard. One of them had been praying for hours, her body curled up in a ball with her hands clenched together so tightly, they were turning white as she whispered the prayer words under her breath. Hellany didn’t like to look at them, to see their ill-favored faces, she kept her blue eyes glued to the crack in the door, to see the view of what was once the view of the whole country. Green and beautiful.
One of the women screamed when the rusty brakes started to screech higher as the train was starting to slow down.
“What’s going on?” Another woman cried, “are they stopping the train?”
“Oh god, help us!” the croaking voice of an older woman wailed.
It was all women, most of the men were at war. As it slowed, the train came to a jolting halt, the G-force shoving people foreward. Hellany refused to look behind her to see the door being thrown open from the battlefield side. She knew there was Khyro soldiers standing there, ready to take them away, but she kept her eyes glued to the green through the crack. She gasped when a large hand gripped her shoulder, jerking her head to look up at the pursuer.
All she could see was that terrifying grey uniform, his dark eyes were stern and direct as he observed the child. The soldier tensed his bearded jaw and crouched down to face her. She broke her contact from him for just a half-second to see four other soldiers herding everyone out of the car. The little girl refused to move, standing there against the corner of the train, her eyes returning to the man. He kept observing her, cocking his head as he narrowed his eyes towards her.
“Are you good with delivering messages?” He asked.
Hellany, too afraid to speak, gulped hard and nodded.
“Good.”
The soldier straightened and reached in his pocket, pulling out a telegram neatly folded in his hand. He held it out to Hellany, but Hellany just stood there still staring.
“Take it.” He ordered, but when she continued to stare at him frozen, he waved the telegram, “take it!”
Hellany carefully took the telegram from him, holding it with both of her hands.
“How old are you girl?”
“Eleven.”
“That should be old enough. That telegram I just handed you needs to go to the conductor before he leaves. Once delivered, come directly back to me, you hear?”
Hellany nodded again.
“Now go!”
Hellany, her eyes still glued on the soldier, carefully walked around him towards the open doorway of the car. She jumped out of it, seeing the passengers rounded up and being moved towards a covered trailer. Her mother looked at her in desperation, holding out her hand for her, but Hellany shook her head and looked back over to the intimidating soldier.
“Git!” He snapped.
Hellany nodded again, but looked once more at her mother. She wanted to go to her, but instead, Hellany’s eyes shot down to the telegram and darted. She ran past the cars and towards the front of the train where she could see the conductor trying to talk to one of the soldiers. As she came closer to the person she needed to deliver to, she could hear shouts between the two. As soon as the conductor saw her, he stopped short and turned to her.
“What is it?!” He screamed, making Hellany shrink.
She dropped her head, lifting her hand in the air with the telegram. The conductor snatched it from her fingers and Hellany lifted her head. She watched as the conductors eyes shot from one side of the paper to the other, his face changing in emotion from anger to confusion. He raised an eyebrow as he turned back to her.
“Who sent you this?”
Hellany pointed down to where the soldier stood herding the passengers into the trailer. The conductor huffed, than nodded.
“Of course. Thank you.”
Hellany nodded again and darted back to the soldier, but the trailer holding the hostages was starting to move. Her mother, clinging to the rods on the back of the trailer, reached her hand out for her daughter.
“Hellany hurry!”
Hellany was going to keep running, but the soldier snatched the collar of her shirt.
“You’re not going with them.”
The young girl dropped her arms, watching her mother get further and further from her.
“Hellany!!!!!!!” Her mother cried, her face filling with tears.
Her mother wasn’t a cryer, yet here she was, her cheeks wet. Hellany wanted to embrace her, she couldn’t be separated, not after all that had happened.
“Mom!”
Her mother, with a trembling hand, blew her a kiss before the trailer got too far to truly see her teary face. Her mother had her hand out for her, but as she got further and further, Hellany felt another hand on her shoulder. She looked up at the man.
“That was my mother though. Why can’t I just be with my mother?” Hellany cried, but the soldier kept his eyes glued to the trailer moving on down the road.
“Because we need you here.”
“To deliver messages?”
He looked down at her, squeezing his hand tighter on her shoulder.
“You might be just perfect with your size to deliver the messages we need. The conductor was just the start. What’s your name girl?”
Hellany sniffed, trying to keep from crying.
“Hellany… Bandawith.”
“Well Hellany, this is a job not many girls get the chance to have. Most of the girls who were in that car were taken to labor camps. You, however, were lucky. Not only will you deliver the messages, but you will eat what we eat and sleep when we sleep. Your pay is the food and shelter, if you don’t follow orders, we will not hesitate to leave you out to die. You understand?”
Once again, Hellany nodded.
“Good. Now get in the car, I’m taking you to our camp.”
Hellany looked over the military jeep. It was so massive, standing there in black, towering over her like a beast she shouldn’t encounter. She followed the soldier towards the car, expecting to sit in the back, but he lifted her up inside and placed her between him and the driver. She wanted to get up and run back to the train where she could be safer, but as she sat there, squished between two large men, she watched as the whistle echoed in the air and lurched forward.
It was too late to enter the train even if she wanted to.