ELENA POV
I woke to shouting.
Not the usual prison noise, guards doing rounds, inmates arguing, but something urgent. Panicked.
Footsteps running. Radios crackling. Commands are being barked.
I sat up on my mattress, disoriented. What time was it? Early morning, judging by the dim light.
"Stay in your cells!" a guard yelled. "Everyone, stay back from the doors!"
"What's happening?" Tanya's voice called out.
"None of your business! Stay back!"
But the inmates were talking anyway, voices overlapping:
"Someone's hurt."
"Cell Block C"
"I heard they tried to kill themselves."
"Who?"
"Don't know, but they're bringing a stretcher."
I pressed my face against the small window in my cell door, trying to see.
Guards rushed past, moving fast. Then came the stretcher, two paramedics carrying someone on it. I caught a glimpse of an orange jumpsuit, limp arms, and an oxygen mask.
My heart lurched. Was it someone I knew?
