When Hope Dies

Hello Hudson

Your P.O.V.

       I still sat tied to the chair, my head hung low. I was bruised, bloody, and beaten. Blood dripped from my lip and nose onto my leg. I had sat in this room with John for hours. "I personally think we've made a lot of progress today. Even if your pride stopped you from talking every now and then." John said, cleaning his hands in the water bowl on the cart. I didn't respond, worried that if I spoke up I'd be met with more pain.

       Picking up a knife, John walked to me, inspecting every inch of skin he could see. "Pride is your sin, (Y/n). First lets pick where to put it." He said, poking my chest with the tip of the knife. "Hm. No not there." He dragged the knife up, cutting me in the process. The tip of the knife stopped right below my collarbone. "There we are. That'll be a good spot. I'll just have to have your head held down so I have enough light to work with." John said, cutting a small 'x' into my skin, earning a weak cry from my sore throat.

There was knocking at the door. Placing the knife down on the cart, John went to the door. I couldn't hear what they said. I'd be able to reach the knife. I could end this. End John. Scooting forward slightly, I grabbed the knife by handle and moved it up into the sleeve of my shirt. Neither John nor the person at the door noticed. The door shut and John walked back, standing front of me.

"Next time I see you, we'll figure out what other sins will be put onto your skin," he said, looking at the cart next to me, "Now where's that knife..." Panic surged through me as he started searching for the knife. Swinging my legs out, I managed to kick both John and the cart. The cart fell onto its side, everything on top of it sliding away. John placed a hand on his shin where my foot had landed, a laugh escaping his lips.

"You landed a good hit, I'll admit that." John said, standing up again. He stood, staring at me with an odd smile for a moment before lunging forward, grabbing a fistful of my hair with one hand and putting the other on my shoulder. John roughly pulled me towards him, using the hand that held my hair to do the pulling. "Do that again, and I'll hang you next to Alex while I put your sin on you. And then I'll leave you there to die in the hot summer sun while the crows strip the meat right off your bones, even as you scream and writhe in pain." John muttered near my ear, roughly letting me go.

Loosening the binds that held me to the chair, John grabbed my upper arm and stood me up, practically dragging me out of the room. There were a lot of Peggies in the halls. I could see stairs leading up. That's how I'll get out, I thought with a nod. But not now. I'd be gunned down in less than a second. Guiding me to the end of the hall, a cell door was opened and John threw me in. I landed on the knife as I fell, resulting in my arm getting sliced up. Facing away from John, I bit down on my knuckles and felt the tears prick the corners of my eyes. He couldn't see, he might get suspicious if he did.

"Deputy Hudson. I've brought you a cellmate. Just to keep you from talking to yourself. It unnerves my men sometimes." John announced, shutting the cell door and walking away, whistling. Once he was gone, I sat up and looked around. There was one other person. She had her black hair in a braid and she sat against the wall. She looked as bad as I probably did.

She didn't say anything. "I'm (Y/n) (L/n)." I said softly, moving to sit cross-legged. "Joey Hudson." She said leaning forward a bit. "You're a Deputy?" I asked, scooting closer. She nodded. "You must've come here with the Junior Deputy, Daniel?" Joey perked up at hearing his name.

"Daniel? Is he okay? Where is he? He's not hurt is he? Is he coming for us?" She spoke fast, moving to kneel closer to me. "He's okay, last I saw. But... I don't know if he's coming for us anytime soon." I said, watching the hope fade from her eyes.

She only nodded. "That's okay. That's okay." She muttered, sitting back against the wall. She kept talking to herself and not me after that.

Daniel's P.O.V.

I woke up laying in the backseat of my car, still parked in the forest behind 8 Bit Pizza Bar. Why hadn't anyone woken me up? Or tapped on the glass? Climbing out of the car, I went inside. Everyone was there except (Y/n). "There you are! We were worried about you! We thought you'd disappeared up in Holland Valley!" Adelaide crowed, hovering over me like some odd worried mother. But with her tendencies towards men my age, it was creepy.

       "I was laying in my car. No one thought to check it?" I asked, looking at them. "You've been out for like, almost a whole day. We didn't see you in the drivers seat so we thought you hoofed it." Sharky said, the others nodding in agreement. A whole day?

"Where's (Y/n)? Any sign of her?" I asked. They all shook their heads. "Well, the plan doesn't change. Jess, we're going to Fall's End. If John has her, who knows how long we have." I said, grabbing a bottle of water before Jess and I left. Hang in there, (Y/n). We'll get you out of there.

Your P.O.V.

According to the Peggie guarding me and Joey, it had been 2 days since I had been shot by a Bliss bullet and taken. Did the others know? "Can you promise me something?" Joey suddenly asked, looking to me. Nodding, I turned to face her. "If you get out of here... If Daniel helps get you out of here... Will you come back for me?" She asked, watching me. "Of course, Joey. I wouldn't have it in me to leave you even if I hated you." I said, sitting down against the wall.

"Hudson. It's time to go back into the confession room." John said from behind the cell door. She looked panicked. "No. No, I'm not going back into that room! Don't touch me!" She shouted, standing up. As John entered the room, so did 2 armed Peggies who were closing in on Joey.

She kicked, she screamed, she swung at them. But it wasn't enough to change the Peggies or John's mind. Once the Peggies had a hold of her, they began dragging her out. "(Y/N)!" She screamed, her voice becoming quiet the further away she got. Getting up, I sprinted to the cell door. She needed help, I couldn't just leave her, what if-

My train of thoughts was interrupted by one arm wrapping around my middle and the other around my neck. John grabbed me and yanked me back with how he held me, sending me flying onto my back on the floor as he laughed. "I've gotta say, that little display of loyalty for your new friend was just adorable. But I'm not going to have you trying to run out each time we pull her out of this cell. I'll have you moved into a new cell before the day ends." John said, closing the cell door behind him as he left. I was left in the middle of the cold cell, my back probably all bruised up and the cuts on my arms reopening.

That was my window. There might not be so many Peggies next time they move me. And I can still find my way out from here. Moving to the cot I'd claimed, I laid down and reached into the sliced up part of the cot where I'd shoved the knife. Still there. With a shaky sigh, I pulled the knife out of its hidey-hole and slipped it back up into my sleeve. Even if it wasn't now, I've made it my personal goal to end John's life with this knife.