Chapter 5 Part 2

Alexis drifted restlessly in and out of sleep, waking to the sound of scratching or weeping originating from some far off cell. Her shoulder now throbbed as the bandage grew too tight from the swelling. She could not move it no matter what she did, and it hurt with an endless aching.  Her head rang with a deafening roar that drowned out her thoughts and encouraged the panic that lurked unbridled in her breast.

But she mustn't give in, she mustn't give up hope. She bit back the scream that strangled her throat and rubbed away her tears with dirty, ice-cold hands. "Calm down," She told herself, rubbing her feet with her good arm in a vain attempt to warm them. "Don't let them hear you cry. If they know you're hurt, they win. Come on, you can get out of here. Just think."

She took a deep breath and let it out shakily, shifting her weight against the jagged stones of the walls and floor. "Robin can't save you, he has no idea where you are. If you had stayed with him, listened to him, told the truth..." She broke. Her head fell to her knees, her body shook with new sobs. She was sorry, the guilt of what she had done pressed down upon her like the iron chains binding her wrists. She had gotten herself into that mess, and there was nothing she could do. No one to rescue her.

She sat up slowly, forcing herself to swallow and breathe again. "Stop it, now!" She seethed, scrubbing her face. "Crying won't get you anywhere. You can pity yourself later, now you need to come up with a plan.

"Right. The Sheriff will be down here in the morning. You need to get out before then. Well, first things first, you need to get out of these chains. And the cell..." She bit her lip and settled back, lost in thought. The hours dragged on and she eventually slept again, her head in her hand, back slumped.

She awoke to the sound of clanging metal. Her heavy-lidded eyes vaguely made out the form of Gisborne as he threw open the door. Her head swam and she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but with a few large strides he had crossed the room. He now stood above her laughing, "Well, good morning my little thief. Before you meet your new friend, I have a few questions for you." Grasping her bad arm, he dragged her roughly to her feet as she screamed out in pain.
Ignoring her cries, he shoved her against the wall and held her shoulders so she could not fall. She clenched her teeth against the increasing pressure on her broken arm and stared at the ground, hiding her tears. He was clothed head-to-toe in a well fitting suit of black leather that mirrored his dark hair and eyes. His grip was perilously strong and his voice was deep and threatening as he whispered to her, "We shot you in the woods. Your body was never found, and here you are, back from the dead, it appears! Tell me, who is responsible for such a miraculous situation?"

She remained silent, now staring defiantly back at him. He saw this and pushed harder, digging the bandaged arm into the wall until she cried out again and again and tears rolled down her face. But she refused to answer his questions.

"Perhaps you are so simple you do not understand me. A group of men in the woods, did they find you? Robin Hood, were you with Robin Hood? Answer me!" He roared, slamming her against the stones and then flinging her body to the ground where she writhed in pain. The world around her was dark and blurred, her head rang and every inch of her frame ached. Her lungs were tight and she felt she couldn't breathe as tears and cries strangled her, but still she said nothing. She would never reveal her secrets, though Gisborne beat her until she was dead.

"You insolent little dog!" Gisborne yelled, kicking at her thin frame repeatedly. "Tell me now, was it Robin hood? It was, wasn't it?"

"That's enough!" A voice cried from behind him. The two turned to see the sheriff himself leering in the doorway. "Now, now, Gisborne, is that anyway to treat a lady?"