Unspeakable

This week, we’re asking you to make “silence” a presence in your post.

Sybell bite down hard upon the tip of her tongue, locking in the bitter words of the curses that were bubbling up inside of her head. She tasted the coppery tang of fresh blood. A huge fist crashed into her chest. She felt a flare of agony as one of her ribs snapped under the blow. Rage filled her soul.

“Witch! Witch! Witch!” Harsh male voices chanted. A hob-nailed boot ground her left hand into the dirt. Grimly she held to her Vow. The street gang might kill her, but if she Spoke the Council definitely would. Silence was her only refuge. Wicked words fueled visions of mayhem that danced in her mind. Grunts and groans of pain seeped out, but she said not a single thing. Long moments later the beating stopped.

“Make her open her mouth!” A large hand pinched her nose closed. Sybell swung weakly at her tormentors. They laughed at her puny efforts. Smothering she was forced to inhale fresh air through mouth. A single hiss of pain escaped. She glared at them with swollen eyes while words of fire burnt in her brain. Stubbornly she refused to release them.

“Speak Witch! Speak!” Words formed of sharp cutting knives trembled on her lips. She gulped down air and blood but made no other noise.

“She won’t make a sound, she’s no fun!” One of them complained.

“Let’s go find someone who will be.” The leader commanded. They dropped her contemptuously.

Sybell clapped both hands over her mouth and swallowed the vile words with the acrid flavor into submission. She heard them tromp away. She gathered what little strength remained and dragged herself across the street to lie in the gutter. Bloody and sore, she curled into a tight ball of misery while passing pedestrians ignored her.

She lay undisturbed for hours, her body racked by pain. A gentle hand touched her shoulder. “Are you all right dear?” A sweet voice said. Sybell recoiled and shook her head no. “Let me give you a hand.”

With the stranger’s help she straightened up as far as she could. Her fingers flashed in Sign Talk. *Thank you, I’ll mend.* She said.

“You’re a witch!” The woman gasped, dropping her hand and backing away from her in terror.

Sybell nodded yes and limped away.

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In response to Weekly Writing Challenge: The Sound Of Silence. Emily
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/the-sound-of-silence/