Shadows in the Siberian Cold

Chapter 2: The First Days

The first days at Baryshnikova Prison passed uneventfully. Istvan observed the routines, the daily marches, the hard labor imposed on the inmates. He studied their faces, their expressions, noting the fear and defiance that simmered beneath the surface.

In the evenings, he sat alone in his small office, reflecting on the day’s events. The prison was a place of silence and shadows, the only sound the distant howling of the wind outside.

His orders were clear: maintain order, enforce discipline. And he did, with a measured hand, pushing boundaries as he saw fit. A slap here, a shove there—small acts of dominance that left him strangely exhilarated.

The prisoners began to fear him, and their fear was palpable, almost tangible in the cold, stale air. Yet, in the back of his mind, something darker stirred—a voice that whispered of deeper cruelty, of a hunger for more.