Ace's walk back to the cannery felt like it took forever. Every step was a struggle, as if the guilt from what he had just done was a heavy backpack full of rocks. The happy and relieved voices of his friends, which he had heard through his earpiece earlier, had gone quiet. They could tell from his breathing and his slow, tired footsteps that something was very wrong.
When he finally made it inside and pushed open the heavy door, his three friends were all waiting for him. Their faces were first full of worry, which then quickly changed to shock and fear when they saw him in the light.
"Ace! Your hands!" Evelyn cried out, running over to him.
He looked down at his own hands. His palms were bright red and covered in painful blisters from the electrical shock, the skin looking sore and damaged. He hadn't even felt the pain until now; his panic and shame had been blocking it out.
