A Life for a Life

He sat with his back against the wall, his knees bent, and his hand pressed against the ground beneath him, slowly brushing over the rough and compact dirt. He sighed and closed his heavy eyelids. 'Lord, I'm tired.'

"Hey, there! No sleeping!" Benson barked from the other side of the prison's bars.

Eliezer opened his eyes and smiled. "No worries," he told the man in the chair whose feet rested comfortably on the table in front of him. "I wouldn't dream of it."

He chortled, self-amused, and put his head back, his eyes turned upward. His heart labored from exhaustion.

'Now might be a nice time to save me. Though, I will leave the timing open to your discretion, as per our usual arrangement. Howbeit, I do request you not take too long. I'm afraid my heart cannot handle much more of this.'

He heard the sound of the door opening, and he turned his head to the side to see the man as he entered.