"Get out of my way, you coot."

Toby was suddenly roughly shoved. He stumbled, nearly falling flat on his face on the cold stone ground. He hastily regained his posture, glaring at the lanky boy that pushed him.

"A simple 'excuse me' would do the trick," Toby said sharply.

"What for? You were wastin' space as always," snapped the bully. Toby gritted his teeth and dusted his threadbare clothes. His mind burned with anger and desperately sought revenge, but it wasn't the Christian thing to do. He breathed deeply, struggling to remain calm. Wasn't he used to this sort of treatment? He was never very popular amongst the children in the workhouse.

"'Ow am I wastin' space, Adam? I'm doin' the same thing as you are in this spike."

"Your slow and stupid, tha's why," growled Adam. "Now move along and don't potter about."

Toby scowled before returning to his work on the machines. The menacing metal monster glowered down at him before reluctantly spinning the wool. Toby carefully controlled the machine, his entire body tense. He had seen many instances where the machines would snag the young boys' uniforms and wrench them in before mauling them to death.

"So 'ow does it feel, coot, to find ou' ya parents are dead?"

Toby stiffened. His heart wrung with pain at the mere memory about it. Just three days ago, he had painfully discovered that his mother starved to death and his father succumbed to sickness. The workhouse was their killer. Toby clenched his hands into fists, fury searing in his mind.

"Shove off, Adam," snapped Toby, forcing his mind to concentrate on his work.

"Poor bleeders, dying off like tha'. Though I got t' say, s'not much o' a loss. They's probably coopered numskulls like ya," snickered Adam. "Useless, brainless dogs that didn't do nothin'."

"You shut ya trap, Adam," Toby retorted. His teeth were clenched and he could feel a dangerous fire brewing inside his chest. "If ya say one mo' thing 'bout me folks, I swear I will give ya such a sockdologer tha'-"

"What's this I 'ear?" smirked Adam, crossing his arms. "Lil' Ragg's threat'nin' to beat me? Tha' ought to earn ya a good whipping, or a week in the Punishment Block."

Toby pursed his lips before turning his back on Adam, pointedly ignoring him. Adam growled and leaned closer, his chapped lips scraping Toby's ears.

"I don't care 'ow young you are, I'll beat the shit out of you if you e'er mess with me."

Adam chortled coldly before slapping the back of Toby's head. He swaggered away, still chuckling. Toby gritted his teeth, abhorrence burning his throat like vomit. Stupid Adam, thinking he grew ten inches overnight. Just because Adam happened to have an actual home to go to after a hard day's work didn't make him any better than Toby, did it? He pushed the thought out of his mind, thinking only of the coarse spinning thread.

"Help! No-STOP!"

Toby perked up at the sound of pleads. He spun around wildly, searching for the oppressed. Hastily shutting down the machine, he scampered towards a huddled throng of children. Loud voices and thumps rang out like church bells. Toby squirmed through the tightly knit wall of boys and girls. Adam and another unfortunate boy was surrounded by the children. Adam beat and clawed at the poor boy, his grubby fingers digging into his skin. He gave a high-pitched laugh before thrusting his hand into the boy's curly hair and gripped it tightly. Like a puppeteer, Adam banged the boy's head over and over again on the icy floor. The boy thrashed and sobbed, his arms flailing to throw off Adam.

Toby bit his lip. He was afraid of offending Adam, for Adam was indeed popular in the workhouse for giving the worst whippings. But the poor boy's cries and screams pierced his heart. He braced himself before grabbing Adam by the shoulders and shoving him off of the victim.

"Stop it, you git!" bellowed Toby. "Get away, you hear?" All fears of Adam fighting him disappeared when he saw the blood on the poor boy's face. Instead of disobeying, Adam silently slipped away. Toby ignored this and helped the boy in a sitting position. His eyes were blackened and his nose was most likely broken. Toby gulped at the grotesque sight.

"Can you move?" Toby asked. "Someone, get Master-!"

"What's goin' on in 'ere?" bellowed a raspy voice. Toby felt his entire body freeze at that voice. Master Hampton had arrived. Like the Red Sea, the crowd of boys hastily parted, forming a passageway for Master Hampton. Toby fearfully glanced up and realized with a jolt that his shirt and hands were covered in the boy's blood. Master Hampton's every step added another cup of fear into Toby's mind until it nearly overflowed.

And on top of everything else, Adam was right next to Master Hampton, grinning sardonically down at Toby. Toby shivered with a mixture of fear and indignant anger.

"Ragg, what in hellfire do you think you're doing?" growled Master Hampton, grabbing Toby by the nape of his neck and forcing him onto his feet.

"I didn't do anything wrong, sir!" Toby pleaded.

"Come on, Ragg, we all know you're lying," Adam sneered. "Master 'ampton, Toby's been beating up ol' James 'ere, an' all these kiddies know tha' too." He immediately shot the iciest glare at the surrounding boys that could've froze not only hell, but Toby's anger too. That was not an easy feat. The boys squeaked with fear and hurriedly nodded. Toby's eyes widened.

"I didn't do it, sir!" Toby cried. "Adam was the one beating up James! I stopped 'im and tried to help 'im!"

"Then why did Adam fetch me to stop you from hurting James?" hissed Master Hampton. "That's it, boy, this means thirty lashes for you."

"Believe me, sir, I wouldn't lie! I never 'urt 'im! Ask the boys, they know the truth, they's jus' scared o' Adam!" He turned desperately to the circle of children, begging for backup. "C'mon, lads! Don't lie! Tell the truth! I ne'er 'urt James!"

The boys coiled away in fear, shaking their heads vigorously. Toby's heart froze before Master Hampton roughly grabbed Toby by the hair and threw him to the ground. Toby didn't have time to crawl on all fours before sharp pain tore his back. Toby yelped as the rubbery whip clawed at his skin and left angry welts. He clenched his fists and bit his lip, swallowing his half-uttered screams. But it wasn't the whip that hurt him the most. All he could think of was Adam's laughs as he was hurt, Adam's lies that forced him into this situation, Adam, Adam, Adam. A scorching anger singed his insides that made him have the urge to jump onto his feet and claw Adam to death.

When the last lashing fell onto his back, Toby's entire torso was throbbing. He clambered on shaky feet as the Master scoffed at him and haughtily returned to his refuge of blancmanges and cigars. Immediately the guilty onlookers turned away in shame, firmly busying themselves with their work. Toby trembled as he slowly made his way to his machine.

He wanted to tear Adam into pieces, to watch him bleed and get punished. He sought vengeance more than anything else. Hate was a poison and revenge was the antidote. But no...he shouldn't get revenge. It would eat him alive. He must...must stay calm...

"Aww, is wittle Toby cwying from the big, bad whipping?" crooned the most horrible, ugliest voice in all of London's history. Toby swallowed a mouthful of saliva and gritted his teeth. The welts on his back stung even more at the sound of Adam.

"Adam, you be'er get away from me now. Get away from me, or else I won't e'en try t' control my anger," Toby warned in a low voice.

"And then what? Get yeself another whipping?" Adam grinned. "Your back will get so swelled up you'd be one o' those humpbacks. Ragg the Humpback!"

"I swear Adam, you make me any angrier an' then-"

"What can ya possibly do, eh? Do me in? Ha! Like tha's e'er gonna 'appen-"

Toby whirled around, his fists clenched and his teeth bared. Adam stepped back in mild surprise.

Suddenly, everything happened in the speed of light.

Adam had gotten too close to a working machine. The metallic monster snagged part of Adam clothes and reeled him in. Adam screamed, his eyes bulging with fear and the machine pulled him in. Toby gasped and squeezed his eyes tight as Adam's high-pitched screams echoed and tore his ears. The yells were suddenly silenced and only the rusty clanking of metal was heard. He blearily opened his eyes, afraid of what he would see.

Clumps of churned flesh was smeared all over the machine. Tufts of Adam's hair was tangled in the metal teeth and boiling blood oozed and stained the factory.

Three times through for them to be tender and juicy...