Page 68 of Shadowman

“Was probably a no-brainer for him. Anything to stay in the Warden’s good graces. And now, well… there’s no other way to put it, Brit boy. You’re fucked.”

“With a capitalfucked.”

Shivering with rage and confusion, my fists ball behind my back. I can’t even fathom what I’m hearing. I don’t want to believe them… But then what would they get out of lying?

That’s why Sven wouldn’t tell me shit. That’s why we’ve been traveling for more than twenty-four hours, and why it feels like we’re on our way to another bloodyplanetright now.

A place with no federal regulations… A place you can’t ever leave.

I assumed Dr. Love would keep tabs on me from wherever he was…But as it turns out, he wasn’t the only one watching.

Closing my eyes, I give up the fight, physically and mentally. I’m tired of running… Honestly, I’m tired of breathing.

My soul is exhausted.

“So…” I gust, disparaged enough that even my snark feels weak. “What’s thisprisoncalled, anyway?”

Sparring by myself isn’t an ideal situation.

But sometimes it’s all I have.

Things have been fucked up lately, and the isolation of being in this cell alone for most of every day is weighing on me. I never thought I’d say this, but I’m beginning to understand why Luthor is always moping when he loses a cellmate.

Speaking of…

I launch my foot at the pillow I have tied to the bars. My makeshift punching bag.

Dash is gone.

Punch.

O’Malley is dead.

Hit hit hit.

And I’m trying not to obsess over any of it, because all I have are questions and no goddamn answers. It’s clouding up my head with so much noise, I’ve barely slept in days and have been living in a constant state of migraine.

Strike, strike… strike.

Kick, punch.

Fight it all. Fight off the emotions.

Punch and kick them bloody.

Sharp pain sears through my hand, and I realize the pillow fell. I’ve been hitting metal.

Great.

Guards enter the row. And not that I care about their feelings, but Jasper and Hancock both look equally stressed and exhausted as they gather us all for breakfast. I’m sure the loss of two inmates in twenty-four hours hasn’t been easy on any of them…

Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Velle in days.

The entire island is on lockdown thanks to this drama, but no one really knowswhy. All we know for sure is that Dash and O’Malley are both gone, in different ways. We have no idea how or why it happened, who’s responsible, and what the fuck this means for the rest of us, prisoners and guards alike.

Luthor comes to walk next to me, but neither of us says a word, sharing only a brief, solemn look of mutual unease. When we get to the end of the row, Ren’s cell is empty, and a wave of nauseated fear hits me so fast, my legs almost give out. I can feel Luthor having the same reaction.

“Where…” he chokes quietly. “Where is he??”