Retribution - Part 8

The whip had hit hard, and it opened the skin immediately. A line ran across the shoulder from it, already draining blood. Oliver stiffened from the surprise of it, and from his position in the stocks, he could see some of the women amongst the crowd turn away.

The whip flashed again, and this time Oliver was ready for it. He did not react. He took it like a stone. He'd faced far worse pain than this. The pain would fade, as all things did, though the scar on his back where the whip had slid across the other shoulder would likely remain. Again the skin split and more blood came with it.

The next strike came to his oblique on his side, as the sergeant worked to avoid the more glaring wounds of his back. The change brought more pain with it, worse than the other two strikes, and more blood as well. Again, Oliver did not flinch.