Page 11 of Us Dark Few

“Not completely horrible. There are worse block placements. Just watch yourself with Steele,” he murmured.

“Steele?”

“Don’t stop working.” He glanced to the left as a guard walked close by. Khalani promptly grabbed bulkier rocks, huffing from the weight.

When the guard strolled away, he continued in a faint voice, “Takeshi Steele. He’s the Captain and runs your block. His aggressive temper precedes him. He’s even murdered some of his own guards. My best advice would be to keep your head down and stay away from him.”

So, the devil did have a name.

No doubt Takeshi Steele had already placed her on his mental kill list of inmates.

A loud, high-pitched buzz reverberated across the stone walls, startling her. Everyone around her set down their pickaxes and wheelbarrows and began exiting the tunnel.

“That’s the end of the morning shift bell.” Prisoner 189 strodetoward the exit and peered over his shoulder when she didn’t follow. “C’mon, criminals aren’t allowed to straggle. Not unless you like being whipped and roaches served with your meals.”

That’s when Khalani knew she officially resided in hell.

5

Don’t try to fathom me,

I can’t even traverse my jagged depths.

“Get your ass to the back of the line!” A man with shaggy brown hair and a few missing teeth pushed a scrawny kid to the ground.

The boy, sporting a black eye and messy hair that hadn’t seen a comb in years, stumbled to his feet.

The kid didn’t say or do anything to defend himself. He lowered his head and slowly shuffled to the back of the food line.

Khalani frowned and peered over her shoulder at the pale boy. Something about his body language and facial expression indicated that this treatment was routine for him. His eyes met hers, and she quickly snapped her head forward. A hint of guilt brushed her heart and she didn’t know why.

The food hall lay in a spacious man-made cave with high ceilings held aloft by stone pillars. All the prisoners were lined up for food, shuffling forward lethargically. A girl in front of Khalani continuously rubbed her lower back, groaning in pain.

Khalani’s back didn’t fare much better.Several guards stood posted throughout the cave, but Takeshi Steele was nowhere to be found. She was thankful for that, fearing the potential repercussions of their earlier interaction.

She slowly approached the front of the line and grabbed a green tray. A bulky woman with hair tied in a messy bun and red scabs of acne scattered over her face scooped up the “food” and dumped a clump on her tray. “Next!” the woman shouted, not sparing her another glance.

Khalani paused and leaned down to sniff the wet slab of processed meat. An odor of burnt feces emanated from the brown goo, and bile immediately crept up the back of her throat. She held her breath, suppressing waves of nausea.

A sharp, electric shock suddenly sliced through her back and she doubled over, shaking uncontrollably as white spots flashed in her vision

“Keep moving, prisoner. You’re holding up the line!” a bald guard yelled, clutching a taser with no remorse in his cruel eyes.

Her back muscles spasmed as if wrapped tight in a coil. She gritted her teeth and continued to push the tray as her fingers visibly trembled. All she had to do was keep moving.

A female worker handed her the same vitamin D supplement every Apollo citizen took daily.Shaking, she swallowed the orange pill and noticed the guard tapping the taser against his palm in sweet anticipation.

She quickly walked away, letting her brown hair fall to the side of her face in a protective curtain.

The thick strands were the only shield she had.

“You, okay?” Prisoner 189 asked, stepping to her side.

“Fine,” she muttered.

“C’mon. You can sit with me.”

“It’s okay. I’d rather be alone,” she admitted, reluctant to be close with anyone.

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