Page 6 of The Care of Broken Things
“FUCK!”
Racer’s howl of pain had heads popping up all over the barracks like prairie dogs in spring.
“What the helldid you do that for!”
His heart rate was still up near the 200 beats-per-minute mark, and his breath was sticking needles in his throat. “My mistake,” he said, and was relieved by how little his voice trembled. “Creeping around like that. Thought you were a rat.”
“Motherfucker, are youblind?”
No, he wasn’t. But he had to pretend he was. “You shouldn’t shout like that when people are trying to sleep.”
“Sleep? Who can sleep with crazy bastards like you tossing shit around like Donkey Kong?”
He lay back down as if sleep really was his main concern, and not the angry muttering and sleepy questions going up all around him. He wanted to be anywhere but in bed with his back turned on a predator and a roomful of sleep-deprived criminals, but it didn’t matter what he wanted, and appearances were important.
Racer shot a bit more invective at his back, but a bark from Jameson had him slinking back to his bed. Samuel covered his face with his arm and waited for his pulse to ease. All around him heads were touching pillows again as the prison settled back to sleep. Not him, who lay there with vaguely trembling hands, waiting for the night to be over.
Chapter Three
Breaking the Fast
He was the first one out of bed when the lights came on—or at least, he tried to be. The Android stepped into his path. “Last to bed, and first to rise. You’re an industrious boy, aren’t you?”
The Android had the makings of popularity at first glance. He was classically handsome with his Roman nose, razor cut jaw, and well-placed dimples. But his blue eyes were cold.Muchcolder than Samuel could ever pretend to be. They said prisoners had disappeared around The Android. No bodies, no proof. Gone.
Don’t show your fear, he heard Jenny say in his ear. He tried to cloak himself with the protection she’d promised him, but after a night of lying awake, his nerves were shot. “Just taking it one day at a time, same as everyone else.”
The Android smiled. “Like everyone else? Hmm. If you say so.”
He couldn’t take it anymore. He hefted his shower caddy like a shield and stepped around him. “Gotta beat the line,” he said, and fled.
He didn’t go directly to the showers though. He went straight to his closet and slammed the door behind him, taking great heaving breaths.
There was a knock on the door. “Samuel?”
Even with his heart in his throat and his mind frozen herecognized that voice. He’d probably recognize it anywhere.
“Fuck off, Thompson.”
But fuck off, he didn’t. “Who was that officer? I don’t like how he was looking at you.”
Samuel had a hand pressed to his neck. Sometimes he’d visualize his pulse slowing and force himself into a calmer state. “I think you’ve got other things to worry about.”
After all, Racer hadn’t been crouched in front ofhisbed the previous night. Eli sure was popular.
“That’s another thing I wanted to talk to you about. Want to open the door?”
No. He didn’t. He wanted to stay right where he was until Eli got the hint and went to be blindingly beautiful somewhere else. But that would be proof the man unnerved him.Zero contact, he heard. But his sister’s voice was only a puff of breath this time. He opened the door and had something pushed into his chest.
His jar of Skippy’s.
“Always keep one of these on hand?”
He turned it over. There was a dent in the bottom, but otherwise it was unharmed.
“I like peanut butter.”
Eli chuckled. “I know. You put four packages of Reese’s’ cups into my welcome pack.”
