Blood Moon Lake

Chapter 13

The five of us sat there eating the mush they gave us for lunch. It may not taste bad, but there are better things to eat, especially since we can't keep it for rations. Leo left a quarter of his breakfast to be safe, and it dried like cement.

Leo jabbed his plastic spoon against it. "What is this stuff made of?"

"I don't know," I replied, "But if you keep hitting it, the spoon is going to break."

As if on cue, the next time the spoon hit the dried sludge, the handle cracked. The domed part clattered against the mush as Leo glared at it.

I slid his new bowl toward him. "Eat the new mush before it dries out too."

Sighing, he picked up the new bowl and began shoving the paste into his mouth with a disgruntled look.

I shook my head. Not sure what he was hoping to achieve with that. It's a good thing they gave us new spoons with the meal.

Setting my now-empty styrofoam bowl on the floor, I peered out the bars. Untamed foliage grew all around us. It's almost like we haven't left the forest at all. Eyes darting around, I searched for any sign of a camera. A gleam of metal, a blinking red light, anything too new for it to belong here.

Roving over lights and looking through planters, nothing caught my eye. Huh, looks like they don't have any cameras. At least not that I can see. Someone else might have caught a glimpse of something.

Though I would be shocked if they had any, this place doesn't look like it can house much more than lights. Even those flicker too often to function properly. They would have to repair whatever power source this place is on before hooking up anything else.

"Are you going to eat the rest of that?" Anna asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"No," Leo replied.

She batted her eyes. "Can I have it?"

He shook his head. "No."

She frowned. "Why not? It's just gonna cement."

"Because," he said, "I need it for later."

"What could you possibly use it for?" she asked.

He grinned. "You'll see."

Looks like Leo is up to something. I'm sure it's for the escape, but why? What could we possibly use that stuff for? It's rock-hard when it dries.

The afternoon came and went with little excitement. The adults talked to us some, but we mostly kept to ourselves. Leo's leftover lunch dried, and he put it in the bowl with his breakfast. I kept an eye out for any sign of cameras or other security, and I noticed some of the others doing the same.

The sound of marching boots echoed against the stone floor. Glancing up, I noticed a new guard walking toward us. His poster is ridged and his hair is graying and shaved short. Hmm, they must have switched sometime after lunch.

Shoving the tray through the bars, he marched off without a word.

He's less friendly than the lady earlier; she at least announced the food.

"Is that the same guy every evening?" I asked.

Carmen picked up their three bowls and nodded. "Yep, never says anything even if we try talking to him."

"Do you know if there's anyone after him?" Ella asked.

Chase took his bowl from his brother. "No, haven't had a way to find out."

"By the time it's morning, the lady is back," Amelia sighs.

Ella frowned. "That's a problem. Mister nice guy doesn't seem like he'll be easy to get past."