Read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5
It can take a while until you starve. Dying of dehydration happens a lot quicker. But for the best effect, you have to combine these two: Don’t drink, don’t eat. Go into complete strike.
I’ve been refusing any food or water for three days now and already feel really lightheaded. My stomach hurts constantly and I’m freezing. The tongue in my mouth is dry and raspy like sandpaper. I lie on the floor of my cell and stare at the ceiling.
”Have you still not eaten anything?” The woman in the cell next to me asks. She has been trying to get me to eat and drink since I started refusing to do both. Her condescending behavior had stopped and been replaced by worry. Who would have thought.
”I am not eating”, I reply. ”I’d rather die than allow them to get more information about the resistance from me.”
”I don’t understand how you can be that loyal to a bunch of strangers.” The woman sounded agitated. ”They wouldn’t do this for you, why are you doing it for them?”
”But they would do this for me. Why do you think they wouldn’t?”
”It is just not how the world works, child.” Ah, now she’s condescending again.
”Maybe that’s not how the world works for primaries. But we others need to help each other, especially in the resistance. Trust is everything we have left.”
She doesn’t answer anymore. Maybe she is thinking. Maybe I insulted her. My thoughts drift off. It’s hard to keep it together. Everything feels very blurry. Fuzzy. Hmmmm.
The door swings open and almost hits me in the head.
”You need to eat, inmate”, the guard who’s standing in the doorway says, like he does every few hours. I think he sounds concerned. Not sure. So cloudy, everything.
The guard crouches down next to me.
”You are no use to us if you’re dead! I’ll have to take you to the hospital wing. Can you walk?”
”Hmmm I am not even sure if I can stand up”, I answer truthfully. The guard sighs. Then he lifts me up and carries me out of my cell.
”Where are you taking her?” Huh, the woman seems really worried about me. Maybe I should tell her goodbye.
”I’m fine”, I slur and try to wave.
Suddenly, there is a soft bed underneath me. Someone covers me with a blanket. The sharp pain from the IV keeps me from drifting off but only for a moment. Then I fall asleep.
As I awake, I’m disoriented for a few moments, but my head is a lot less cloudy than it was before. I must have slept several hours and it seems the transfusion rehydrated me to an appropriate level. What a shame.
I try to move but notice that my wrists and ankles are attached to the bed frame. No hope to escape.
”Would have been too fucking useful”, I mumble.
Suddenly, the door to my room opens and a woman with raven black hair walks in, holding a writing pad. Her clothes suggest that she’s a nurse.
”Well, what do we have here now?” She says, her eyes fixated on her notes. ”Hunger strike, huh? That doesn’t really work here.”
She looks up and immediately freezes when she sees my face. I guess I look just as shocked as her.
”Eve?” She exclaims. ”What the hell are you doing here?”
”Hi Claire”, is all I manage to say.
”Hi? Are you serious? You break up with me, go completely ghost for three years and then turn up in the medical wing of a high-security prison? You have to be kidding me.”
”I guess ‘I’m sorry’ won’t cut it, would it.”
”Not even in the slightest.” Claire moves next to me. She examines me with her eyes and then shakes her head. ”You look like absolute shit, Eve.”
I laugh.
”Charming as always. I missed that.”
”You missed me?” Claire asks. I bite my lip.
”Leaving you was the dumbest thing I ever did”, I say. ”I was afraid. Afraid because what we had was way too real. I never felt so connected to anyone before.”
”And then you left because you were afraid that I might hurt you”, Claire concludes. ”My god, you can be so stupid.” Carefully, she moves a strand of hair out of my face.
”What are you doing here, anyway?” I ask in an attempt to make the situation less awkward. Claire raises one eyebrow.
”What does it look like? I work here! They couldn’t find a primary to be a prison nurse. It pays a lot more than my last job at the hospital.”
”Yeah, okay, that was kind of obvious”, I admit.
”True”, Claire says. ”But you’ve been severely dehydrated, I forgive you for not being as smart as usual.”
”Thanks a lot.”
”My pleasure. Now, I think we have some work to do.”
”What?”, I ask confused.
”What do you think? Can’t let my ex-girlfriend stay in a prison! I’m going to get you out of here. And then, you’ll take me out for lunch.”
Reference:
How Long Can a Person Survive Without Water?
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