Chapter two
They finally removed Alissa's body after it started to swell. The stench had been unbearable, her skin bloated and stretched tight. Her body kept making strange noises—groans and soft hisses—that only added to my already terrified state. I knew she was dead, and I knew those sounds were just air escaping, but it didn't help much. My mind wouldn't let go of the idea that maybe—just maybe—she was alive, calling for help. The thought gnawed at me, driving me closer to insanity.
When they finally took her away—body and soul—the room felt different. Empty, but no less suffocating. I couldn't stop the tears from rolling down my cheeks. Hot tears, a sharp contrast to my freezing skin. I didn't want to break down. I didn't want them to have the satisfaction of knowing they'd finally cracked me, even a little. But my body didn't care what I wanted. My breathing was erratic, my body trembling uncontrollably, and my chest felt like it might collapse under the weight of my cries.
"Don't worry, Lilly. We're going to make it out of here eventually. We have a plan, remember? We just need to be patient. Implement it slowly so they don't realize what we're doing. Wait for one of the guards and attack."
Her voice echoed in my mind—the last conversation we had before everything went silent. I wondered if they had microphones hidden in this room. Had they heard us? The thought made my stomach twist. The room was bare—just white walls, gray floors, and a blanket as thin as paper—but paranoia had me searching anyway. My hands grazed every corner, every crack, but after minutes of desperate fumbling, I found nothing.
hopelessness crept into my chest like a lead weight.
Will I be next?
The thought sent shivers down my spine, cold and sharp like a blade.
A loud knock shattered the silence, making me jump. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst, and my head throbbed in rhythm with its frantic beat. The door creaked open, and a pair of dirty boots stepped into the room. A hand reached down, placing a piece of bread and a bowl of murky water on the floor.
"Dinner time," he said, his voice dripping with smugness. His lips curled into a cruel smile, as if daring me to speak.
If only I could wipe that smile off his ugly face.
"Don't worry. You'll be joining your friends soon enough," he said with a snicker, locking eyes with me — delight gleaming in them like a predator savoring its prey. Friends?
There were more of us.
Fuck.
I stayed curled up in the same spot, in the same position as when they'd removed Alissa. My body betrayed me; it started to shake without my permission. I hated the way his eyes lit up at my trembling, the way he seemed to feed off my fear. I clamped my mouth shut, afraid I might say something I'd regret. They never liked it when you talked back.
I always had a bad habit of talking back. Lois and I used to fight constantly because of it. Mom would roll her eyes and complain to Dad about our endless bickering. The memory hit me like a punch to the chest, sharp and sudden. I hadn't thought about my family in so long. It hurt too much to remember what I'd lost.
The bread sat there, hard and moldy, untouched. Even if I wanted to eat it, I couldn't. My stomach twisted in knots, the stress of witnessing Alissa's death and hearing the guard's taunts too much to bear. I forced myself to sip the water from the bowl, its metallic taste only amplifying my nausea.
As I sat there, curled up in the same spot, the room felt colder. The walls seemed closer, pressing in on me. I couldn't stop the question from echoing in my mind:
Will I be next? I wondered As I looked up at the dark sky I could see from the many holes in the ceiling.