Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
He was close. Possibly the very next cell. Shey wasn’t alone.
“I know it sounds crazy, but what you’re feeling isn’t real. That bitch has some strange technology or freaking magic. Each time she talks, fear grips you, making you want to do whatever she asks.”
“Yeah,” Shey whispered.
Hearing the other prisoner’s words was enough to wash away the worst of the terror that had nearly strangled him. Logic and reason flowed into his brain. The fear that had flooded his veins was turning quickly into rage.
“Who the hell is she?” Shey growled. He scrubbed a hand over his face. Tears dampened his palm, and he sneered at them, hating the woman for making that happen.
“I call her Scarella, as in Scary Ella, but she’s never given her real name to me or said where we are. But I can tell you how to get around her fear voice.”
“How?”
“They dropped off your food, right? Did you get a roll? If you did, give me half and I’ll tell you.”
For a second, Shey could only stare at the bars of his prison. So much for the brotherhood of fellow inmates looking out for each other.
A hand reached out. Slender fingers extended into his view from the left wall of his cell. Like the voice, it was a young man’s hand. Maybe someone in their twenties.
“Come on. I’m just asking for half. It’s really the best thing out of the slop they bring us,” the other prisoner cajoled.
Shey unfolded himself from his bed and walked to where the guard had left his tray in the center of the room. There was a sandwich with a slice of meat that might have been ham, a tiny salad of wilted greens and a single sliver of a carrot shaving, something yellow he couldn’t name at all, and a small round roll of dark brown bread.
He picked up the roll and sniffed it before tearing it in half. It smelled okay, though not exactly fresh.
“Is the food safe to eat?” he inquired, carrying both halves to where he was closest to the other man.
“It’s not poisoned or drugged, if that’s what you mean. However, there doesn’t seem to be any nutritional value whatsoever. Even when they bother to include a piece of fruit, it’s disgusting. If I have to choke down one more mealy apple, I might snap. And the coffee! Don’t get me started on the coffee. Those monsters should be burned at the stake and fed to pigs for the atrocities they’ve committed in the name of coffee!”
“Breathe, coffee boy,” Shey murmured. He stuck his hand through the bar and pushed half the roll into the other person’s fingers. The other prisoner latched on to it instantly, causing their fingers to brush. Shey could have sworn he felt a spark, and he twitched, cursing. Had he lost control of his powers because he was still worked up over that woman’s spell?
Or had that come from his companion?
No, it had to be him. He needed to get control of his shit, or there was going to be an accident. Nothing good could come of revealing himself to his captors.
Then there was the other prisoner. Was he really a captive, or was he a plant put in place to get Shey to lower his guard and talk? It was a technique he and his people had used multiple times to get gang leaders, smugglers, and even a few spies to spill their guts without resorting to torture.
He’d have to be careful.
“Come to papa,” the other man said, talking to his newly acquired piece of bread.
“Hey! I paid for the info. Where is it?” Shey barked.
“Mm, yeah,” the prisoner mumbled around a mouthful of dry bread. “Stuff something in your ears.”
“Are you kidding me? You got half my roll for that?”
“What? It’s good info.” There was a new lightness to his voice, and Shey swore the asshole was laughing at him. “Wait. I’ve got an upgrade for you. Do you have a mattress on your bed over there?”
Shey’s gaze strayed to the thin cushion on the metal shelf. It was a stretch to call it a mattress. “Yeah.”
“Okay, so tear off a bit of the cover or pull out some of the stuffing. Put that in your ears. I guess you can also tear off a piece of your clothes if you want to go that route. Either way, make sure it’s small enough that it doesn’t stick out where Scarella or her minions can see it. They’ll rip it out of your ears and probably take some of your ears with it. Oh! And don’t put your fingers in your ears.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep. There was another guy in the cell across from mine. He began doing that, so she had all his fingers cut off. He didn’t last much longer after that.”