Wayne strolled out into the Pit, groggily following everyone else in a large group, with the weasels who led them leading the pack. With eyes half shut, he looked up at the overcast sky, and it seemed as though everyone around him was in a brighter mood due to the current conditions. Wayne had spent the entire night replaying the tirade he had went on yesterday after he had woken up, the screaming, the anger, the cursing, but it was all for naught. The Warden told him he was in a ‘nice’ mood, so he wouldn’t lash him for letting out such toxic behavior on his first day. His wrists were bound, and he was thrown into the equivalent of a dungeon, only let free once inside the cold, crowded room. If he were to act like that again, they said, the worst would come to him with no questions. He took the plead, and kept quiet. He didn’t want any more trouble than necessary. Walking upon the raw stone ground with its uneven surface and its oddly warm feeling against his feet wasn’t the easiest. If the ground was warm today, it would be scorching when sunny. Ahead of him, the enormous stone formations and boulders grew bigger, and there were pickaxes lying about on the bedrock floor in various small groups. The rocks reminded him of the Arizona desert, but rather than the rocks being eroded by water, they would be eroded by hand. Everyone among him began to spread apart and head for an axe, along with the team leaders, who acted like security cameras. Evic stopped and waited for Wayne to catch up to him, slowly.

  “’Ave you ever used one of these before?” the weasel asked in an unspirited manner himself. At least Wayne alone with the lack of enthusiasm.

  “No...” Wayne answered disgruntled.

  “Alright...” Evic sounded very displeased now having to swing the axe as a demonstration, “Watch.” They swung the heavy pickaxe in a windup motion, bringing it down above their right shoulder, striking the stone in front of them. Many fragments shattered away, some tiny chunks hitting Wayne. After just one swing, with Wayne viewing Evic’s posture telling him how dense the metal tool was, the weasel already seemed surprisingly out of breath. “Like that... You keep...” Evic took a moment to take a deep breath in, “doing that. If you find any met’al veins, you got’ta yell for one of us. We come over, look at it, and then it’s your job to keep workin’ until that stone is empty of anything. You only go to a new spot when your rock is clear and there isn’t anything left. If the met’al bits break off, tell us, we’ll come grab it.”

  “I’m not doing shit for my fucking kidnapper.”

  “’Ey! Listen ‘ere, you stupid shit! You ‘eard what the Boss said! I’m in charge ‘ere! You want this?!” Evic turned his back, still covered with open sores with cracked dried blood, and thumbed to it.

  Wayne didn’t respond.

  “That’s wha’ I thought! I didn’t drag your ass out ‘ere to hear you complain and not do work after weeks of living off handouts! I did my job, and you lied around! Well, now it’s your turn to do some damn work! Get to it!” Evic dropped the axe to the ground with a very loud clang. Evic began to walk away, “I’m get’ting you a bud so you can complain to them!” His voice kept getting quieter, “You’re lucky I din’t drop that on your foot!” Wayne heard him scream in the distance. Evic passed by another weasel, whose voice was incoherent, but Wayne heard, “Shut up!”

  Wayne had trouble balancing with the heavy equipment. As he attempted to swing, all of the momentum ended with the opposite side of his body, his bad side. The aching pain down below didn’t distract him from the beating his right shoulder was getting. Minutes later, the weasel returned, this time with another slave.

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  “Here! Complain to him! I ain’t dealin’ with that!” They pushed the stoat who had tagged along into their position, “And I don’t want any talkback from either of you, or else I’m reportin’ you!” Evic stomped off, mumbling things he was calling Wayne by.

  The stoat kept glancing at Wayne awkwardly, and Wayne peeked once or twice. The stoat had an all-white coat and a tipped-black tail, and it was clear they weren’t from this area and had been taken just like Wayne had. Their build was modest, yet toned from the labor-intensive work. Many minutes passed, with Wayne struggling more with every new one. The two points on his body slowly turned into all over, and he wanted a break, or at least some water. He couldn’t imagine how much worse it would be if the sun was shining.

  “Hey,” The white-bodied stoat alongside him struck up something in a hushed tone amidst the background noise, “you’re that new thing, right?”

  The term ‘thing’ didn’t sit well with Wayne, and it was a great start.

  “Yeah,” Wayne began, speaking between labored breathes, “I’m the thing.”

  “Listen... As long as you work and keep your head down, these shitbags don’t care. As long as that’s moving, you’re fine.” He referred to the pickaxe in Wayne’s hands. “Don’t push yourself. Do the least amount of work. In fact, as long as they’re not looking, don’t do any work.” The stoat looked down, “I saw your leg isn’t doing too good.”

  “No shit. Ah-!” Wayne felt a short wince of pain in particular. After a few breathes, he let it go.

  “Yeah, take it easy. You don’t wan’na get whipped.” Wayne turned and caught a glimpse of his scarred back during their downswing.

  “What am I looking for? All that fucktard said was metal.”

  “Jaspillite, iron... bismuth, bauxite.” The musteline snuck in a pant. “JIBB. That’s how I ‘member it.” Another strike. “Been... here for awhile.” Another strike. “Hey, don’t just talk to me, make sure you’re workin’ ‘fore they see you.”

  Wayne attempted again, as he had been for the past ten minutes. It had been only ten minutes out of God knows how long of a shift.

  “Fuck... I don’t know if I can do this...”

  “You’ll get it. I was like you when I got here.”

  “Well, why... don’t you run away?” Wayne panted himself.

  The talk cut short for a moment.

  “Trust me... I tried.” The cohort’s voice had lowered. Wayne thought of the scars he didn’t want to receive.

  “Did they catch you far away from here?” Wayne blurted out, not realizing how rude it sounded, not that rudeness was his main focus at the moment.

  “...Yes.” Clang. “I’ll tell you one thing, though...” Clang. “There’s nowhere to go.”