Cora's anxiety grew as she was lead down the hall, then a twist and a turn.
The guard scowled and shot at a rat, but that was the only thing to break
the monotony.
Salven looked smug, before he turned and poked Cora in the ribs.
"Merandez, this is our lucky day." he said.
"What the hell makes you say that?" Cora said drearily.
"Prisoners disappear from here. They get visitors, and bam! They're gone the next day!"
"Salven, you idiot! That's not a good thing! It means that they shoot the prisoners in the head and bury them in a godforsaken DESERT!" Cora was shouting at the end of her tirade.
The guard spoke a little English, but not enough to catch more than that Cora was berating Salven. Good, maybe if they got into a fight they'd kill each other. He remained silent though.
"Whatever you say, American." sneered Salven. 'Merandez', 'bitch' and 'American' seemed to be Salven's rotating titles for Cora. 'Merandez' when he was speaking to her as an accomplice or acquaintance, 'American' whenever he was in a particularly nasty mood, and 'bitch' when he was blinded with anger.
Finally, the guard lead them to a large door. The door had been painted a particuarly disgusting shade of green, not unlike the mold on a rock. The grotesque effect was only added to by chips of paint falling off the door like a slight rain, and the blobs of dried paint. Apparently, the one who had done this job had not been very skilled.
"I'm not going in there." Cora said, planting her feet stubbornly.
The guard looked at Cora and then Salven in confusion. What, did he expect for Cora to stride into what looked like the gateway for a slaughterhouse?
"Come on, American." Salven said. "It's not frightening to die, it's frightening to live. What, in these conditions I'm surprised a soft woman such as yourself lived so long."
"What, are inspirational quotes supposed to sooth death?" Cora retorted. "It's not a prose of poetry that makes people do things, it's that they want to win! In this case, winning is surviving, and I'd rather spend eternity in a cell with you then end up buried alive!"
"Stop being such a goddamn drama queen!" stormed Salven, and seized her forearm and swung the door open. The guard looked faintly surprised, but he nodded them through.
"You let go of me right now, Ruben Salven!" Cora shouted.
"No, Merandez! This is our way out!"
"Yeah, death doesn't count!" Cora growled. "Just you wait until I get my hand on a knife! Then you'll be noticably lacking an eye, yes you will."
"Oh, am I supposed to be afraid of the little girl with a butter knife?"
"I'll kill you, Salven!" Cora howled, but he finally got the better of her and pratically flung her through the door. The two went skidding to the ground. Just to get her retribution, Cora blindly swung her knee up, catching Salven in the gut. There was a choking sound from beneath her, but she brushed her hair out of her face and stood, wincing.
It was an ordinary room for visitors. Two men sat calmly in rather plush chairs, watching Salven struggle for breath and Cora rearrange herself to some semblance of a civilized person. There was a guard at the doorway, looking upon the two prisoners with amusement, as one laughs at seeing two kittens bat another. Cora glared at him.
"Now, now, Merandez." he drawled, unclipping the tazer from his belt. "We don't want any trouble, now do we?" he wasn't Mexican from birth, and was one of the more ruthless guards from taunts from guards and prisioners alike.
"What the hell is going on here?" Cora demanded. In response, he seized a handful of her greasy hair and pressed the tazer into the small of her back. Cora yelped and tried to wriggle away, attempting to sink her teeth in the guard's wrist. Finally he pushed her away with a laugh. Her skin tingled.
Salven was on his feet by this time, and he brushed more hair out of his face. He appeared to be grinning at Cora's pain.
"Miss Cora Marie Merandez?" one of the men in the suits said. Cora had forgotten why she was here in the first place. Her face turned red.
"Yes."
"Mr. Ruben Robert 'El Tiburón' Salven?"
"Yeah, I'm the Shark." Salven said proudly, then turned to Cora. "See, Merandez? I'm not in here for following Copley like a sheep."
"Right, so follow these suits instead?" Cora asked in disgust. "Look, gentlemen, forgive me if I'm curt, but dealing with Satan tends to do that to you."
"You may be curt many a time in future then." the second man said with a bit of a grin. Cora frowned at him.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"We come from Umbrella Incorperated, the world's largest pharmecutical company." The opposite of acting disgusted or dismayed by Cora's bluntness or violence, they actually seemed encouraged. "But we also deal with ... other issues."
"Other issues?" Salven looked slyer than normal. "And what issues require you to speak to convicts sentanced to fry?"
That brought a long pause from both of the suits, then one nodded at the guard. He simply walked off. Cora was amazed.
"I'll repay your brutal honesty with the same." the first suit said. "Our names are better unsaid. I'm Mr. Turn, he's Mr. White for the moment. You can call us that. We have a few ... potential timberboxes around the world. We've stepped in a bit of dog doo, so to speak. It is necessary, but we've also angered a few groups. So here's the deal, Salven and Merandez."
"Wait." Salven interrupted. "Timberboxes?" Turn ignored Salven.
"You can come with us and learn more, or you can die. Choose now."
Salven looked smug, before he turned and poked Cora in the ribs.
"Merandez, this is our lucky day." he said.
"What the hell makes you say that?" Cora said drearily.
"Prisoners disappear from here. They get visitors, and bam! They're gone the next day!"
"Salven, you idiot! That's not a good thing! It means that they shoot the prisoners in the head and bury them in a godforsaken DESERT!" Cora was shouting at the end of her tirade.
The guard spoke a little English, but not enough to catch more than that Cora was berating Salven. Good, maybe if they got into a fight they'd kill each other. He remained silent though.
"Whatever you say, American." sneered Salven. 'Merandez', 'bitch' and 'American' seemed to be Salven's rotating titles for Cora. 'Merandez' when he was speaking to her as an accomplice or acquaintance, 'American' whenever he was in a particularly nasty mood, and 'bitch' when he was blinded with anger.
Finally, the guard lead them to a large door. The door had been painted a particuarly disgusting shade of green, not unlike the mold on a rock. The grotesque effect was only added to by chips of paint falling off the door like a slight rain, and the blobs of dried paint. Apparently, the one who had done this job had not been very skilled.
"I'm not going in there." Cora said, planting her feet stubbornly.
The guard looked at Cora and then Salven in confusion. What, did he expect for Cora to stride into what looked like the gateway for a slaughterhouse?
"Come on, American." Salven said. "It's not frightening to die, it's frightening to live. What, in these conditions I'm surprised a soft woman such as yourself lived so long."
"What, are inspirational quotes supposed to sooth death?" Cora retorted. "It's not a prose of poetry that makes people do things, it's that they want to win! In this case, winning is surviving, and I'd rather spend eternity in a cell with you then end up buried alive!"
"Stop being such a goddamn drama queen!" stormed Salven, and seized her forearm and swung the door open. The guard looked faintly surprised, but he nodded them through.
"You let go of me right now, Ruben Salven!" Cora shouted.
"No, Merandez! This is our way out!"
"Yeah, death doesn't count!" Cora growled. "Just you wait until I get my hand on a knife! Then you'll be noticably lacking an eye, yes you will."
"Oh, am I supposed to be afraid of the little girl with a butter knife?"
"I'll kill you, Salven!" Cora howled, but he finally got the better of her and pratically flung her through the door. The two went skidding to the ground. Just to get her retribution, Cora blindly swung her knee up, catching Salven in the gut. There was a choking sound from beneath her, but she brushed her hair out of her face and stood, wincing.
It was an ordinary room for visitors. Two men sat calmly in rather plush chairs, watching Salven struggle for breath and Cora rearrange herself to some semblance of a civilized person. There was a guard at the doorway, looking upon the two prisoners with amusement, as one laughs at seeing two kittens bat another. Cora glared at him.
"Now, now, Merandez." he drawled, unclipping the tazer from his belt. "We don't want any trouble, now do we?" he wasn't Mexican from birth, and was one of the more ruthless guards from taunts from guards and prisioners alike.
"What the hell is going on here?" Cora demanded. In response, he seized a handful of her greasy hair and pressed the tazer into the small of her back. Cora yelped and tried to wriggle away, attempting to sink her teeth in the guard's wrist. Finally he pushed her away with a laugh. Her skin tingled.
Salven was on his feet by this time, and he brushed more hair out of his face. He appeared to be grinning at Cora's pain.
"Miss Cora Marie Merandez?" one of the men in the suits said. Cora had forgotten why she was here in the first place. Her face turned red.
"Yes."
"Mr. Ruben Robert 'El Tiburón' Salven?"
"Yeah, I'm the Shark." Salven said proudly, then turned to Cora. "See, Merandez? I'm not in here for following Copley like a sheep."
"Right, so follow these suits instead?" Cora asked in disgust. "Look, gentlemen, forgive me if I'm curt, but dealing with Satan tends to do that to you."
"You may be curt many a time in future then." the second man said with a bit of a grin. Cora frowned at him.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"We come from Umbrella Incorperated, the world's largest pharmecutical company." The opposite of acting disgusted or dismayed by Cora's bluntness or violence, they actually seemed encouraged. "But we also deal with ... other issues."
"Other issues?" Salven looked slyer than normal. "And what issues require you to speak to convicts sentanced to fry?"
That brought a long pause from both of the suits, then one nodded at the guard. He simply walked off. Cora was amazed.
"I'll repay your brutal honesty with the same." the first suit said. "Our names are better unsaid. I'm Mr. Turn, he's Mr. White for the moment. You can call us that. We have a few ... potential timberboxes around the world. We've stepped in a bit of dog doo, so to speak. It is necessary, but we've also angered a few groups. So here's the deal, Salven and Merandez."
"Wait." Salven interrupted. "Timberboxes?" Turn ignored Salven.
"You can come with us and learn more, or you can die. Choose now."
