Breeder Nation

Chapter Twenty-Five Part Two ~Maddie~

11:00am

Another whistle blows telling us it's time to go back inside.

"See you guys later," I tell Alex and Danielle and pull myself from the ground, lazily making my way over to the single file line.

A nap... I could really use a nap right now.

12:30pm

Oh my... that smells so good. The smell pulls me right out of sleep, straight out of my bed, and over to the table carrying the source of that mouthwatering smell- a grilled chicken sandwich, cheese oozing out the sides, a small salad, a bag of chips, apple juice, and water.

They could hide poison in this food, and I think I'd still eat it.

I'm not sure how long it's been sitting here and there's no sign of anyone outside either. I hope it hasn't been here so long that they'll come back for it before I can eat it.

12:45pm

Yeah... they could have come back for that plate ten minutes ago and it would have been licked clean already.

2:00pm

The warm water sprays against my neck, falling down my body. I watch as it pools at my feet, swirling around and down the drain. Ten minutes and they'll shut the water off on me, but I'll enjoy every minute until they do so.

I stretch my neck to the right and then to the left, the hot water loosening every tense muscle. Turning around, I let the water fall onto the top of my head and down my face, losing myself in the momentary calm.

Will I ever leave this place?

3:00 pm

Thirty-seven square tiles line the ceiling of my small room. I just get finished counting them when I see Jenkins walking past. That split second is all it takes for him to make eye contact with me and he stills, craning his neck to look up and down each hallway.

No. No, no, no. I pull myself up in bed and wrap the sheet tightly around myself as he inserts his key into the lock. Twisting the door handle open, he enters the room and makes a beeline for me. If it's possible, I push myself back into the bed further, but I know there's no escaping him. Maybe if I scream...

He grips my chin in his hand roughly. "Don't even think about it. I'll make your life here a living nightmare if you make so much as a peep," he says through clenched teeth. The mark on his cheek is a light green and yellow now, barely noticeable.

I nod but can barely move my face in his tight grip.

"I don't have long, so I'm gonna make this quick. I know there's something going on with you and that dipshit Brennan."

I begin to shake my head, but he squeezes me harder, and I can't help the quiet cry that escapes my lips.

"Don't bother denying it. I heard you yelling for him. And the way he looks at you, how defensive he is over you, none of it adds up...unless you know each other. Do you know Lieutenant Brennan?"

He loosens his hold on me. "No," I answer quietly.

"Fucking liar. I should call a code blue on you. Would you like that?"

I shake my head frantically. "No, please. I don't know him, I swear. He looks like someone I went to high school with, but I don't know him."

He grips my face again, slamming my head back into the bed. "He's up to something, I know it. And I'll be watching. If he so much as makes a wrong move, he's a dead man. And if you're lying," he points at me with his other hand, "and you think that you two will get away with this, you're sadly mistaken. There's no way in hell you two would ever make it out of here alive. They'll shoot him down the first chance they get," he says, releasing me with one last shove.