A/N: To clear the air of any confusion, this Seattle sub-plot is taking place around July, which means we took a trip backwards in time. Around this time of the year, Dina was still pregnant, and Ellie hadn't gone after Abby yet.

I have to add that this was one of the hardest chapters for me to write, and the harder ones are yet to follow. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Cheers!


Chapter 23 – Black and White

Through the narrow cell window, Ben watched the sun move in the sky, shielded by clouds enough to be able to look unhindered at the orange disk. The slight warmth of daylight pleased him after a long cold night. When he regained consciousness, he first got up to shake off the mud and ice, and then kicked the floor and clapped his hands until the numbness passed, as far as the pain threshold allowed. His whole body still hurt terribly, but he was determined to endure it in silence. He would not give his captors pleasure by moaning or crying.

The day was very long and boring, and he had nothing left to do but to think. Did they look for me? He wondered desperately. Or maybe they left me. He tried as hard as he could to suppress those thoughts, but he couldn't find anything positive on the basis of which he would be optimistic. His whole life was one great suffering. He never had a peaceful childhood. He had to leave his home, then he lost his father. And then his brother, only he was to blame for the latter. Just when he was hoping things might get better, Wolves captured him, and he would remain imprisoned until he died. The sad fate of one man, he even laughed ironically.

His attention was drawn to the figure that appeared in front of the cell. He looked up slightly and saw Abby. He was in so much pain he couldn't even be surprised. She stood straight and proud, as if Ellie hadn't shot her at all. She looked at him with deadly determination in her eyes.

"Where is she?" she asked, skipping greetings.

He tried to get up in a more comfortable position, but the pain prevented him. Noticing his anguish, her gaze softened a little and she sighed. "I'm sorry they did that to you."

She's sorry? Last I remember, she shot me.

"I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Isaac went too far."

"Tell him that." he said in a hoarse voice. His throat ached because he slept almost naked in his torn clothes, and the night was cold.

She grinned ironically. "You killed Nora, Owen and who knows who else. I saw what you did to Nora. You tortured her." Her face was serious when she said that. There wasn't even a hint of compassion in her eyes.

"Not Nora. I didn't even touch her." Isn't it your fault? You stood to the side while Ellie tortured her, and you didn't move a finger. "I killed Owen. I didn't want to, but I did."

He fists clenched as if she was about to throw a punch from that distance.

"If only these bars weren't here.."

"You'd just end my suffering."

Silence.

"They didn't kill Joel! They didn't have to die! Fucking tell me, where is she?"

Now he was looking her straight in the eye. "I don't know."

"Is she back in Jackson? Is she still here? Where is she?!" now she was yelling at him, pounding her fists at the bars. A guard passing by looked at her with trepidation in his eyes.

"I said I don't know."

"Fine! I'll find her, and when I kill her, I'll bring her head to you. If you're still alive. I'll kill her just like you killed Owen."

The rage in him, the rage that had seldom been awoken, now lit him like a torch. He gritted his teeth so tightly he thought the bones would break, yet the strength had betrayed him. Ben couldn't stand up. You won't do that. I won't allow it!, he thought what he couldn't say, yet another voice joined in, How can you protect her if you die here?

"And then what?" he whispered, thinking at first she didn't hear him. Abby grabbed the bars with both hands, resting her forehead on them. She sighed again and looked up, and her eyes met his. Those were eyes full of hatred. Like Ellie's. He couldn't help but notice the similarities between her and Ellie. Both of them lost their loved ones. Both of them would seemingly do anything to satisfy their thirst for revenge. It was a sad state one human could be in. "When you kill her, then what?"

"She'll pay for killing my friends."

He smiled, "You killed her father. What did you expect?"

"Joel killed my father, but I guess that part doesn't matter."

What?, he looked away, shocked for a moment, forgetting all the pain he felt. Does Ellie know?

"That's right. He killed him in cold blood. My father was just a doctor, a man trying to find the cure. The fucking cure for all this crap!" she yelled and hit the bars once again. "And fucking Joel took him away from me!"

Ben swallowed the lump in his throat. "A cure for what?" She doesn't mean the infection, does she?

"What do you think, huh? A cure for the infection, what else?"

"Why did…" Ben started, slowly. "…Joel kill him?"

Abby scoffed, "It doesn't fucking matter now. He's dead. His murderer's dead too. I have no regrets."

Cycle of revenge… it's endless. "Yes, you do."

"You don't know shit about me."

"I know more than you think." he said sadly. Looking at her was like looking at Ellie. He felt as if he had already known her for years. It was funny in a way. Yet even more sad. "Revenge. Everything's about revenge."

When he looked up again, Abby was not there. No doubt she went to look for Ellie with blood on her mind. If nothing else, that gave him hope that Ellie was still alive. But for how long? If Abby finds her... He just hoped Abby wouldn't go to Jackson which could start a full-scale war resulting in deaths of too many. At least that probably meant she was alive. Maybe she though he died, and that's why he never saw her after the theater. He didn't blame her, nor anyone else. He just wanted to go home to them. But he couldn't stop thinking about Abby. Perhaps it's not too late for her? If she comes here again, I have to try… try what? God, this pain… I can't take it any longer, but I must try to convince her, to persuade her!

He returned to his thoughts immediately after Abby left. After all, what else was left for him? He did not understand why Isaac didn't kill him on the first day, after that bloody sport. Instead, he left him in a cold cell where he spent time alone fantasizing about how to escape and hopeful return home to his sister and girl he loved, even though he had no chances with her. He was somewhat amused by the hopeful thought that Ellie felt the same way he did. Then he immediately remembered Lana, the dark-haired girl with whom he had spent many nights whispering in the dark when her mother and brother were asleep. He laughed at the memory of how nervous he was when she was curled up next to him. She was very cute, they could talk about everything, but he never told her about Ellie. Those few days spent with her had let him realize about his lack of experience with girls. Jesse would know what to say, he caught himself thinking about it often when she told him something he either didn't understand or understood as a flirtation.

One night, by the fire, Ben could not sleep because he was having nightmares. Lana sat next to him and they talked a little, after which she tried to kiss him. All the reasons not to kiss her came flooding in. He felt the soft panic that could grow or fade depending on what he did next. It would fade if he backed away, but would grow even more because he had never kissed a girl before. It would grow into a vortex of stupidity, or he could breathe real slow, and back away. In the end, he almost kissed her, but he couldn't stop thinking about Ellie. You're saving yourself for a girl that doesn't love you the same way you love her. Ben, you pathetic idiot. Nonetheless, Lana was very disappointed when he backed away, finding some stupid excuse to say just like always. Few days later, Connor found them, raped Lana and then killed her, as well as her mother. His friends, soldiers young just like him, were all laughing and cheering on him, before they took turns. Ben hated them with all of his existence, but he despised Connor the most. He realized long ago that the real world was far less fun than the one in his head.

After a while, he fell asleep, waking up to see it was dark outside. When the lock moved and the bars parted, he was overwhelmed with a sense of relief that he would finally feel death. He raised his hands, allowing the two soldiers to pull him out of the cell. Grasping his arm, they injured his broken finger. He sobbed in pain. When he was released in front of the cell, the weak body betrayed him and he fell to his knees. His vision slowly cleared, and he saw several faces around him, recognizing the most. Isaac stood in the middle of the small group, and to his left stood Connor and his companions. On the other side was Mike, Abby and two others he didn't recognize. Ben prepared himself for death, for the end. Years after escaping from St. Louis were a gift, despite a hard life. He met joy and sorrow, swearing that he would fulfill his spirit with dignity. His father and his blood deserved it, regardless of the price.

Isaac stood above him with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. Ben stared at him for a moment, then turned his gaze to Connor, who was frowning in place, shifting his stance from foot to foot. He seemed angry.

"What you did was amazing." said Isaac at last. "You destroyed three of our bases without killing fifteen people. You took the stealthy approach, knocked them out cold and immobilized in one place, then destroyed our supplies and weapons with explosives. I understand what a man you are, and one part of me admires you, but the way you fight, you would never have defeated us in that war of yours."

"I don't torture people I admire." he gasped somehow.

Isaac's stance was unwavering. In the dim light of the lamp, he looked even older than he was. "You have humiliated me in front of my people, and I do not tolerate that, nor weakness. We'll see if you possess the latter."

"What do you want to say?"

"Mike, take him to the medical wing. Let the nurses take care of his wounds."

Connor shifted in place and cursed softly at his chin, making sure Isaac didn't hear him. He was biggest one in that group, but he still looked like a little cat next to Isaac, simply because of the enormous presence of the leader of Washington Liberation Front. With a nod, Mike walked over to Ben and picked him up with the help of another soldier.

"Why?" Ben managed to ask.

Isaac, who had already turned to leave, stopped after five steps. He looked at him with the same narrowed eyes in which there seemed to be not a shred of mercy, "We will talk."

Bright light completely dazzled him when they took him to the medical wing to lay him down on the bed. There were five beds in the room, yet he was the only patient. Abby lowered him surprisingly gently and adjusted his pillow. Mike talked to the medics and left the room, but Abby stayed for a few moments, watching his wounds up close, which she didn't have a chance to do last time.

"Thank you." his voice was still hoarse when he said that.

Abby just shook her head. "Don't thank me."

"You don't have to kill her." If I couldn't talk Ellie out of it, I have to persuade Abby. She looked at him sharply, but he wouldn't let her speak. "The cycle of revenge. You have to break it, only you can."

She frowned and approached him, "My friends are dead because of her."

"And half of her world because of you."

She flinched at his words and took two steps back, then turned and stormed out of the room. Two nurses approached him to take care of him and clean his wounds, but then he fell into the darkness.

Ben could barely remember the first day of his stay in the medical wing. The fever gripped his weakened body, probably infected during his stay in the unclean cell. The nurses cleaned his skin with cold water, which probably was what saved him. The two of them nurtured him with maternal devotion, bathing him and cleaning his festering wounds with a cloth dipped in some boiled dark liquid. He moaned at every touch, which was why they had to press their palms over his mouth in order to muffle the screams. The screams bothered the other patients.

Abby came to visit him on the third day and, to his surprise, she didn't talk about revenge or Ellie. It amused him that she came to check up on him, and he used the opportunity to meet her. They talked about the monstrosity they faced in the hospital. Abby was shocked when he told her the creature survived and was still lurking out somewhere. In the end, she was just an ordinary girl who wanted to live a life normal as much as possible. Connor stopped by several times to threaten him and had reminded him of the day he tortured the family with whom Ben spent his time after the theater. Ben, still weak, couldn't do anything to him, but Connor didn't dare to inflict physical pain on him either, because he knew that Isaac would skin him alive if he disobeyed his orders. Ben still wondered why Isaac had him treated by the nurses. What was in store for him? Maybe his luck was turning, maybe he had hope to stay alive after all.

The children entered the room irregularly and watched him with undisguised curiosity, the man who "led the rebellion" against the WLF. The days passed slowly, but the nurses gave him books that he was very happy to read.

x

Ben stood in the deepest shadow of the room, shielded from the moonlight that crept through the window. A few minutes earlier, the nurses gave him antibiotics which he consumed. Most of the wounds were healed in those couple of weeks, and the scars would remain only in a few places where the skin was worst damaged. His mood improved a little, but he did not allow himself to divert his thoughts from the right goal. Isaac and the WLF were still his enemies, and he kept his intentions to end their misdeeds.

"You look strong." said Isaac as he entered the room. Mike and Abby were standing behind him. Ben turned to meet the man he hadn't seen since the day he was put in that room. And since he couldn't move outside except to go to the toilet, he didn't even have a chance to see him. Ben ignored his comment, deciding to stay in the safety of the shadows.

"Well, I believe you're feeling well enough. I told you we'd talk."

"Let's talk then."

"Oh, no. Not here." Isaac said. "We'll talk with Annabel."

Abby froze in place and looked at Isaac wide-eyed, while Mike shifted frowned. Ben shuddered.

"Who's Annabel?" he asked, almost in a whisper.

Isaac laughed. "You'll meet her soon. Come with us."

He followed the three Wolves outside the medical wing, followed by the curious glances of the guards and the other Wolves. They passed through the main corridor of the stadium, across the grass field to the stairs that led to some sort of underground room. He wasn't sure what that part was intended for in the past, but even now it seemed abandoned, as if everyone simply… avoided it. Lamps lined the concrete hallway to illuminate the corridor, and the doors stretched on either side of the wall, closed. At the end of the hall was a door that led inside, made of iron and painted black. When Isaac opened the door, a bright light illuminated them. Ben noticed that the door was white on the inside. The room in which he found himself was spacious, and emptied of any kind of furniture. The moment he stepped inside, something felt odd, as if the air inside was different. Ben shivered when he examined the room. The walls were black, except for the ceiling and the floor, which were white. There was a lonely chair in the middle of the room, and next to it was a woman, slightly taller than a ten year old girl. When they approached her, Ben noticed that she looked indeed like a girl, even though she obviously wasn't. She wore a completely white dress, pretty ordinary except lace around the neck and the end of short sleeves. Her skin was almost milky white. Her hair was so light that it seemed to blend in with the color of her clothes, and it was cut short. She looked at him with all her gray eyes and Ben suddenly froze.

Although her face looked young, her eyes were certainly not. Then he noticed two scars on the edge of her mouth. Scar! She is one of them. He was very confused, he did not know what was happening. How was it possible that one of the Scars was free in the presence of the WLF leader?

"This is the man I told you about, Anna." Isaac explained, and Annabel watched Ben almost fascinated. In two steps, she found herself right in front of Ben. She seemed as if she was floating with grace. He twitched his head backwards as soon as she raised her pale hand to his face, looking at him with wide eyes. Cold overwhelmed him when she touched his cheek, measuring his face. "He's perfect."

At those words, he took two steps back and turned, noticing that Abby and Mike were standing in the doorway. Confused, he didn't even notice that they didn't follow them inside. He looked at Isaac, and even he didn't seem as steadfast as he used to be. Too many questions swarmed in Ben's head, too many questions he had no answer to.

"Talk to him. Learn where the other refugees are. I have some other things to attend to." said Isaac in a stern voice. After her slow nod, he turned to walk out.

"You said we'll talk!" Ben shouted after him. "You said-"

The door, white on that side, closed with an echo that spread through the spacious room. From that point of view, he could not distinguish how big the room was. It seemed smaller for an moment, then bigger. He blinked twice to clear the headache.

"Isaac initially brought me only those who were of the strongest will. However, those were very rare, and I was very bored. Ever since, he began bringing me almost all the prisoners." she explained, walking around him, examining his presence, his posture, his looks. She was much shorter than him, barely reaching his shoulders. And Ben was never really tall. "Please sit down. I'm really looking forward to your company."

"Who are you?"

Annabel pulled him by the arm gently and led him into a chair. The fact that he simply let her lead him confused him the most. Annabel was barely taller than him even when he sat down.

"I am Annabel! You must have heard many stories about me."

He tried to remember, at first nothing came to his mind. And then he remembered that Marco, one of Manny's brutes, might have mentioned her once or twice. But he couldn't remember what he said. He rubbed his eyes, feeling dizzy all of sudden. "I wouldn't really know."

She giggled, "Then you and I will get to know each other very well."

Before he became aware, she chained him to a chair. When he noticed the chains, he had to blink a couple of times when he saw them, to realize they were real.

"What...? When-?" he asked her but his vision was so blurred. The walls and ceiling were constantly curving and changing shapes, and Annabel seemed tall and thin as a thread, and the next moment she was very short and stocky. The next moment he saw three Annabels. Then he remembered the antibiotics the nurses had given him. What if those weren't… What's going on here?!

"And so..." she said as she approached him, taking on her normal appearance. She had pliers in one hand and pincers in the other. "…we can start."

"Woah, woah! What is that? What are you doing?" His eyes widened of surprise when he spotted the tools in her hand. What the hell is going on?

She giggled again and put the pincers and the pliers away and shrugged. "Oh, these are just my favorite two toys. I am too much of a show off, I like to impress people. Guilty as charged."

What the fuck? Why would she carry these with her?!

"What's happening with me?" he asked, panic swirling inside. It was becoming hard to even breathe. His vision was blurry. The room seemed darker, then lighter. One tiny part of him was aware that he was drugged, but he couldn't comprehend why. The chains around his naked wrists and ankles tightened to the point it began to hurt. Sudden cold creeped in from somewhere, and he shivered since he only wore a shirt and shorts. There were no windows. Where is this cold coming from, damn it?

Annabel burst out laughing as if she heard a funny joke. Ben was so dizzy he couldn't even react to it. He raised his eyes, gazing at her standing in front of him, all in white. From the brightness of the room came an even brighter glow that he had to close his eyes. Ben blinked furiously to try adjusting to the light that blinded him. He remembered what his father once told him about God and His angels. Annabel looked exactly like one, just like his father described. The angels were sent by the Gods to protect the weak and keep the peace. Is she going to protect me?, he asked himself in that numb state, barely able to think straight.

"Now." Annabel said in her melodic voice, "Old man Isaac wants to know where the refugees are. Can you pleeeasseee tell me?"

Ben shook his head, noticing that his vision was clearing again. The glow disappeared, but she still resembled an angel in some twisted way. He was not aware how long he was sitting in that chair, but he only knew that his back hurt and that his wrists were still chained behind his back, as well as legs to the wooden chair legs.

"What?"

"Coooome ooon, Bennie. I'm sure you want to tell me, don't you?"

Bennie? "I never told you my name."

She opened her mouth as if she was disgusted, walking away two steps. "You just told me your name!"

"What are you even talking about?" She is straight up crazy! Is she going to torture me? What the hell is this? Is this a dream? I want to wake up. The fear travelled in Ben's veins but never made it to his facial muscles or skin. His complexion remained pale and matt, his eyes steady as if he was eating his breakfast in peace. He let out an understated sight as if to ignore her, showing her he wasn't afraid. Long time ago, he'd learned to mask his fear, even though it was almost crippling him at the moment.

"Yes, you did!" she spoke like a child. Ben couldn't take his eyes away from the scars around her mouth. "Don't lie to me, Bennie."

Ugh, why does she keep calling me that? What a weirdo.

Suddenly, her angry child expression changed into a blank one, and she approached him slowly, like a snake when it's tailing its prey. Every step sent shivers down Ben's back. She got in his face.

"Do you want to know how I got these scars?" she whispered, her face just a couple of inches apart from his. "I'm sure you do. Well!" she exclaimed and hopped away. The way she changed her expressions and demeanor scared Ben the most. What have I gotten myself into? "You see, my mom, well, they called her a Prophet. Not any prophet, but the Prophet. She led Seraphites, you see. That large group everyone calls Scars, you know. I hate that name, by the way. Every Seraphite has to carve a bloody smile into their face, to prove that they're imperfect! I didn't see it that way, and my mother did it herself! Oh, it hurt so much… so so much… Well, my mother never loved me, you see. She was a bit of… what do you call it… a fanatic! Yes, a fanatic, perfect word. Actually, not a bit, but a whole lot of bit!" She seemed to get lost in her thoughts as she explained, mumbling something to herself, then giggling about it. Ben raised an eyebrow. "The thing is, I really, like really really love to play, but she never went with it. She cast me out! My own mama!"

Annabel laughed as if that was the funniest joke in her life, while Ben stared at her, utterly shocked, eyes widened. She resembled an angel, but every angel was fully capable of becoming a demon. Every last one of them.

"You love to play? How do you play?"

She giggled when she looked at him, "Oh, we will play the game now, my dear Bennie."

"Don't call me that."

She made a sad face and pouted her lips. Ben had never wanted to leave someone's presence as much as he did now. There was something in her that awoke some unseen fear in him he couldn't explain.

"Before we start, can you tell me where you hid the refugees?"

He looked away, keeping his lips sealed.

"Bennie, old man Isaac really wants to know, as do I."

Nothing. He didn't say a word.

"Please? Pretty please?"

Still nothing.

"Okay, then." She sighed and pulled out the pliers. "Guess we'll have to play then."

Chained to the chair, he couldn't move much or resist, for that matter, when Annabel grabbed his right hand, outstretching his point finger, placing the pliers on his nail. "You sure you want to play, Bennie?" she asked with a giggle.

"I'll never tell you." Ben hissed through his teeth, his breathing intensifying as panic build up inside him. Pliers, large pincers… They were probably used in "situations like this", that assortment of tools.

She closed her eyes sadly. "Poor Bennie. I hope it won't hurt much. I'm not that rough, so you don't have to worry about a th-"

Much too easily did she twist his nail. A thousand needles stabbed him in the tip of his finger when she ripped the nail out with the pliers. His scream echoed in the room as he squirmed uncontrollably. Eyes went down, staring at the red mark on the tip of his finger, the place where his nail once was. My nail! She ripped out my nail!

"Bennie. Question still stands."

He gritted his teeth and stared daggers at her. She masked a sad expression on her face as her eyes looked at him with genuine compassion. "Never! I won't give them up to the likes of you!"

Annabel widened her eyes of shock, disgusted by the insult. "But, but, but… I thought that we… oh Bennie. You still don't know me well enough. The two of us will get along real good, I promise you."

Another scream broke out when she ripped another nail. "Count to ten, to calm down. Believe me. It will help you."

You stupid, fucking… bitch!

"Where are they?"

"Fuck you!"

Scream. His head tilted backwards as the saliva dripped down his cheeks. The pain was unbearable. It was unlike anything he had ever felt. Is this why you sent me to the medics, Isaac? You fucking psycho! To give me to her! Is that it? Adrenaline flooded his system, somewhat easing the pain. Heart was pumping and beating like it was trying to escape. Ben feared it would explode, and his eyes were wide of fear he couldn't mask anymore when Annabel pointed the pliers on the fourth nail. His lips moved, silently saying the prayer he once heard his father say. Adrenaline surged so fast he could almost vomit, he could taste saliva thickening in his throat and beads of sweat trickling down his brow. At some point this had to end, he knew it. But when? When will it end? At the moment, he had to remain awake, to live through whatever he was going to get from her.

"Bennie!" she screamed his name, and for the first time, he saw her becoming angry. "Pretty please!"

As much as he was afraid, he was also confused. The pain that made his whole right arm pulse rapidly was interrupting his thinking. All he could think about was how it hurt so much. He barely managed to swallow the lump in his throat when she put the bloody pliers on his lips, which he tried to keep sealed, even though he knew it wasn't going to do help down the road. Is she going to rip my tongue out? No, no, she wants me to speak. My teeth then?

But she was quiet, and almost motionless. Pliers left a bloody stain on his lips when she put them down in the end. "No. Not your face. No, no, no. Not your face at all. You're beautiful, though you could use a shave."

A shave? Is she going to slit my throat?

"I'll shave you next time."

Next time?! Oh god.. No, no, no. I want you to stop. "Please stop!"

"Oh, Bennie. I know it hurts, and I am so… so sorry. Count from one to ten. Trust me, I would never lie to you."

She's mad!

Fourth and fifth nail followed before she asked the same question again, one of fingers was broken, which caused the ripping even more painful. His throat was sore from screaming, and he squirmed wildly each time she ripped out one of his nails. Once she was done with his right hand, she moved over to his left, starting with his thumb. He never said anything. I'll never rat them out! Never! He couldn't scream anymore when she ripped out the third nail of his left hand.

"One…"

Annabel grinned and moved her head closer to his. "You're talking, Bennie! Now, where are…"

"Two…"

The face she made couldn't be described as disappointed, but it was obvious that she wasn't pleased that he was ignoring her question.

"Three…"

Dissatisfaction on her face was immediately replaced by a merry expression. "You're counting! That's great, it will help you just like I said. Now, one to ten, one by one, slow and out loud."

"Four…"

He got to seven when blackness came over him. Like a blanket, but not a blanket of warmth but a blanket of coldness making him shiver. But somehow it was making his eyes feel heavier and heavier. Ben finally closed his eyes when she ripped the last nail of his left hand, when the shock finally sent him into a dreamless sleep.

When Ben opened his eyes, he was in his cell, alone. It was pitch black inside, except for the few reflections of the light on the corridors visible through the bars of the cell. His hands were trembling when he moved them, leaving him confused. But when the memories came back, he bent over and vomited on the cold cell floor, his eyes drenched in tears.

She tortured me!, that lone fact made him vomit once again, tears rolling down his cheeks. Is it over? Did I tell her anything?

A sense of relief came when he remembered that he never said anything about refugees. The moonlight sneaked inside, enlightening him, revealing his fingers wrapped in bandages. His wounds were taken care of once again, which meant only one thing. His time with Annabel was far from over. Isaac made sure of it.

"Isaac, you damn bastard…" he whispered in rage. "You had this planned right from the start…"

He heard a stir in the cell next to his own.

"Did they pick you? Were you with her?" whispered a voice on the other side of the wall.

He ignored him, as he had the first time he had just been put in this cell. The only difference now was that he knew what that prisoner meant by pick you.

"Ain't she magnificent? Annabel, so graceful and magnificent. How loud did you scream?" the cellmate giggled when he asked.

Ben closed his eyes, trying to keep another rush of tears at bay. This is madness! Everyone here is crazy! I have to find a way to escape. I have to!

x