CELL

/ EIGHT /

Ryan yanked his arm back sharply, catching the outer edges of his hand on the bars of his cage. He pulled twice more, and twice more was unable to bring his hand inside.

Shit!

He turned his hand ninety degrees and then had it safely back within the embrace of his arms.

He held his breath. Where had the voice come from? It seemed to be its location hidden by the darkness. He closed his eyes and attempted to recall the sound, as if recreating it could give clues to its creator.

'It's not safe.'

A young voice. A girl. Soft, with the edges shaved by suffering. She had been standing forward of him, to the right of his outstretched hand.

Questions anyone?

Who was she? What was she warning about? The lurking monsters? The monsters that didn't lurk, but came in and dragged people out? How was she out there and not in somewhere like him? Why was she free to talk about? To speak?

Fucking questions with no answers. He could hardly ask Doc Bradley. If she answered, he'd be worse off than he was already. OK, so he'd ask the owner of the voice. If she could speak, then he must be able to, too.

"Ssshhh," she said. "Don't speak. You don't want to speak. It's not safe."

Of course not. So, he had to listen, but not say anything. It would be difficult, considering the number of things he needed to say. He had no choice, though. It wasn't safe.

How did she know he was going to say something? That was an easy one. How could he not respond to her voice?

"It's going to be OK," she said. "Don't worry. Do what they tell you to, and they won't hurt you. Not too much, anyway. Not like they did to m..." She didn't finish the word and didn't need to. Her meaning was clear. "Don't upset them."

Ryan was bursting to speak. He could feel the words bubbling inside him like Mentos dropped into a bottle of cola. He hoped he could avoid erupting.

He nodded. It was pointless in the darkness, as there'd be no way she could see it.

Still...

"Good. I have to go now. Be safe, ok?"

He nodded again. She was gone, he knew. He could sense the space she'd occupied was now empty and felt alone. There was no doubt the room was filled with similar cages, occupied by similar prisoners, yet he was alone. They were beyond his reach, in so many ways.

Still, she had been there. She'd taken the time to speak to him, something that must have put her in danger. Perhaps, They had underestimated the girl. They'd been less than diligent in their imprisoning of her.

He would find out how she managed it. She'd visit him again and he would figure out a way to communicate with the girl.

Until that point, he would... what? Wait? What else was he able to do? Become one with the darkness? Contemplate his navel, regardless of whether he could see it? His options were dramatically limited. He couldn't really pace his cage without the ability to stand fully. The floor was too hard to sit on for any real length of time.

"It's not safe."

You don't say. He was so pleased she'd told him, or he might not have known.

Wow, was he always so sarcastic and ungrateful? If so, he didn't like himself already. It wasn't the girl's fault he was there. If she had found a way out of her own cage, then good for her. If she'd found a way out, then so would he.

Somehow.

Ryan listened to the interruptions in the silence. He could hear his own breathing, but not that of anyone else. The cells were close enough that he should have been able to hear something from them. Their breathing. Their shuffles. An odd cough or sneeze. The thought of it made invisible hairs or dust mites feel as if they were tickling his fine nostril hairs, making him want to sneeze too. He held his nose, then wiped it on his fingers. It was dry, and the sensation went.