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Shocked murmurs spread among the prisoners when they saw the inmate Dr. Strauss had taken out of line yesterday, now standing directly beside him.

The male prisoner stood as tall as the Dealers, without a scratch on him. But his face was chalky pale, his cheeks were gaunt, and the light in his eyes had dissipated.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.” Dr. Strauss proclaimed. “How are we doing this fine morning?”

No one answered.

“That well, huh?” He laughed maniacally, chilling the already cool air.

“Seems we may need to increase our efforts to make you all more productive members of our society. And if you behave well, like this man here,” Dr Strauss gestured to the expressionless prisoner beside him, “maybe it will be less painful for you, too.”

With a nod, the prisoner stepped forward, joining the line of inmates, like he was still one of them.

Her insides prickled as one of the large, burly prisoners stepped out of line.

“When are you going to release us and send us back to our families?” he yelled, the loud tenor echoing across the vast space.

A few Dealers rushed forward, weapons drawn, but Dr. Strauss held up a hand, halting them.

“What is your name?” Dr. Strauss chuckled as he stepped forward.

“Dennis,” the man growled.

Dr. Strauss glanced down at his clipboard, jotting down a note. “Well, Dennis, you ask a great question. And lucky for you, I have an answer. You’ll all leave these walls and return to your families when you are ready.” He paused. “And clearly, you’re not quite there yet.”

Dr. Strauss made a hand gesture and Dennis began to seize, collapsing to the ground. Two Dealers grabbed his trembling body, dragging Dennis across the gravel toward the black building.

Dr. Strauss watched the scene with a smirk playing on his lips.

Silence reigned over the remaining prisoners.

They were afraid to breathe. Afraid to move even an inch.

After Dr. Strauss finally left the inspection area and retreated to his den of nightmares—her new name for it—a Dealer barked, “Get going to the mines!”

As Khalani and Takeshi trudged forward, she noticed a few men approaching the prisoner Dr. Strauss had taken the day before.

“Reno…Reno, are you okay?” someone asked.

“What the hell happened in there, man?”

“What did Strauss do to you?”

Reno didn’t respond. It was as if he couldn’t see or hear. Like he was lookingthroughthem instead of at them.

Reno turned away, ignoring the multiple questions and walked toward the mine, arms barely swaying by his side.

She rubbed her arms, trying to shake off the dread that refused to be expelled.

“This is bad,” Takeshi murmured beside her, focusing on Reno’s retreating form.

Understatement of the century.

“What did they do to him?”

“Nothing good, I can tell you that,” Takeshi glared in the direction Dr. Strauss had left but shot her a determined look. “We have to make progress today.”

She nodded, struggling to pull her gaze away from the building, knowing she needed to stay away. But a part of her almost wanted to peer inside and witness the true horrors that lay in the dark.