"They can't keep us here." Tyron paced back and forth clearing the width of the entire cell in a few quick strides. On the bunk Sophia wiped her sister's brow with a tiny piece of ripped blanket, she didn't even bother to look up. The man seemed to her a blowhard, any response only encouraged his ranting. He had been the first to break the silence of the cell and now, several hours later, Tyron was still going over the same old arguments.
To her left Bow shifted his position on the floor. He had not moved far from the spot taken during the soldiers entrance, close to Serenity's motionless form. Sophia did not know how to feel about this new entrant to her little circle, especially his interest in her sister whom now and again she would see him glance at with almost reverent tenderness. Her emotions felt tangled and raw, worry for her sister, fear at their surroundings and an unfamiliar sense of attraction for the tranquil and slightly grungy figure of Jordan who sat on the adjacent bunk tapping out guitar chords with his fingers. Sophia could feel the heat from his body as he lounged next to her, their shoulders almost touching. It sent goose bumps up and down her arms.
At the other end of the room Tryst still sat almost foetal like at Angel's feet her wide fearful eyes darting between the pacing figure of Tyron, Sophia's small group and the motionless figure of Angel. To Sophia the pampered woman looked too helpless to be genuinely distressed and she suspected the woman had come here on some latest fad treatment rather than in the state of desperation she and Serenity had. She clung to the sheets of the bunk like some princess awaiting rescue and, Sophia noted with dismay, had managed to edge one perfectly formed shoulder out of the scrubs neckline so the garment hung more like some fashion item than the prison uniform it was.
"What time do you think we eat?" She turned to find Jordan looking straight at her, she wondered how on earth he managed to have such a playful smile on his lips even now. Words failed to come and instead she went back to stroking her sister's hair blushing furiously. Bow shifted on the floor beneath them.
"Whenever they feel like feeding us." His voice was far more gravelly than his sinewy form would have implied and he spoke little, these being the first words he had uttered since sitting down near them. Tyron watched them with undisguised distain.
"How can you think of food at a time like this?"
"Because I'm hungry." Laughed Jordan stretching out on the bunk. Sophia almost jumped out of her skin as she felt him lean on her shoulder, his warmth and scent seeping through her. Tyron snorted, grinding his teeth.
"Damn hippy, damn you and your stomach. We should be thinking of ways to get out of here."
"And what do you suggest?" retorted the musician languidly. "Burrowing through the walls with a teaspoon, cutting through the bars with a nail file? We're stuck in here for a while, there's no point working yourself up over it." Tyron's face went almost purple.
"No point working myself up." Jordan nodded.
"Pick a bunk, catch some sleep."
"What and wake up with some...demon ripping my throat out." Snapped the businessman. Tryst let out a nose like a frightened deer her eyes creeping open another centimetre.
"No one else is going to turn into one of those...things, are they." She bleated. Sophia almost bit her lip, she had always hated woman like that. Barbie dolls that with one flap of their eyelids could make men jump through hoops for them, it made her sick to her stomach. Tyron sneered at Tyrst.
"What you don't think that was the last of it do you? You heard the tattooed freak show over there. The monsters all had numbers of them, just like us...and not all of us have come back into the world of the living yet." Tyron licked his lips nervously staring at the unconscious form on the bunk, his eyes looked fever bright. "...we should put her out of her misery before we're trapped in here with another one of those monsters."
Sophia lunched herself at Tyron managing a single blow to his face before Jordan dragged her off and wrapped both arms around her shaking form. In the background Tryst began screaming hysterically. Bow sprang to his feet, he grabbed the portly businessman by the throat and pinned him against the wall. Bow snarled.
"Even think that again and I promise you will wish those things had got hold of you. Understand." Tyron nodded awkwardly, his face fearful.
"Stop it all of you. Bow put him down." Vespera was sitting awake and upright on her bunk a steely look on her face, beside her Angel stood stalwartly, watching the proceedings with emotionless eyes. Bow let go, leaving the man to fall to the floor coughing. Vespera stood shakily, holding Angel's arm for support.
"Do you want to bring the guards back in here? As if we didn't have enough problems."
"I won't let you hurt her." Sophia quavered her voice muffled by Jordan's shoulder. "You can't she hasn't done anything wrong." Vespera's face softened in an instant, she reached out and laid a comforting hand on the woman's back.
"No one's going to hurt your sister Sophia I promise. If she was going to attack us she would have done so when the others...changed. She's just taking longer to come round than we did, that's all." Sophia sniffed, her whole face looked strained with worry. Jordan pulled her back into the nook of his shoulder.
"It will be ok." He whispered into her hair. "She'll be fine and we'll get out of here you'll see."
"Is she coming back then?" It was Tryst's voice, the woman had a puzzled look on her face.
"What do you mean?" Vespera asked slowly. Tryst looked up at her vacantly.
"Well she's not in her bed, is she?" Sophia frantically pushed herself away from Jordan's embrace.
"Oh no, not now. Serenity!" They turned to look. The bunk were Sophia had been sitting with her sister was empty save a few ruffled blankets, there was no sign of the unconscious woman. Serenity was gone.