Excerpt of a violent scene in Captive

He glares at me with dark blue dangerous eyes, "what is wrong here? Are they dead?"

"No, not dead, just tired." My voice is hard and filled with rage.

"No sleep, no rest 'till I say so. Get them up and get back into line." He pointed his long arm, the size of a tree trunk towards the slow moving stragglers trying to keep up. Their clothes are rags, their hair grey with dust and their tears have left tracks of cracked mud stuck to their faces. These are my people and I don't recognize them.

"No, need rest, all need rest." I point to the line of tired worn out people. "’Less we are meant to walk 'till we dead, if so kill us now." I stand up to my full height and look him right in the eye, daring him to disagree.

His huge hand came up fast and the blow knocks me off my feet into the dirt. He steps over me grabbing both kids and takes them towards the column of people. I get up ignoring the pain in my face and run for my babies. I jump on his back hitting him as hard as I can, screaming, biting and kicking. He shrugs me off and keeps going, like I am only a bug. I try again, this time getting in front of him and hissing. "don na touch ma kids."

He only laughs and hands them over to a man herding my people along. I start toward the kids and his hand tangles in my long thick black hair, as he yanks me away from them, dragging me towards the trees. I try to get back on my feet to ease the pain from my hair being pulled out by the roots.

"You stupid woman. Now what am I supposed to do with you? Choices, choices, what choices are there?"

I lie on the ground holding my traumatized scalp. A huge dirty boot presses on my chest forcing my body into the dirt, like I am a bug to be stamped to death. I squirm but the more I squirm, the more weight he applies.

"I can crush your rib cage, puncturing your lungs and let you choke on your own blood. I could strangle you with my bare hands. Watch you die. I could just stab you and leave your body here to rot. However, you are worth nothing dead and you could be worth a lot alive." He pauses. "Hmmm, I choose, not to kill you. Now I am left with 2 choices: Beat you or to leave you with a warning. Which choice shall I make?"

I look him in the eye and don't move a muscle. I won’t let him see fear. I look directly into his cold hard eyes with defiance. He just stands there, thinking, studying me like I’m something he’s never seen before, an animal. I don’t move. I wait. He moves his head to the side, a look of curiosity comes over his features and then he has made a decision. I can see it in his face. I hold my breath.

"If I leave you unpunished others will fight me and I don't want that, so, I must choose to beat you, but not too much, you still have value."

He bends over and takes the front of my doe hide dress in his big meaty hand hauling me to my feet. Before I can take a breath and balance myself, his fist drives into my stomach, knocking any air left out. I can’t take a breath. I can’t scream. Then he slaps me again and again hard enough to leave ugly bruises. My whole head is jarred by each strike, my face is one sharp hot pain and then when he finally finishes beating me, he throws me onto to the ground. Tosses me like I’m waste.

"You are a woman filled with courage and fight, but you fight the wrong battles. You do not think. We will talk again soon. The next time you feel like fighting, don't. I will not be so merciful next time."