All The Dark Little Things

Chapter 16: The escape plan 1

I scrutinized the infirmary while mopping the hall floors. It was off-limits for the girls, but I intended to sneak in and interrogate Dennis.

He had a purpose for being here, and he wouldn't find answers if they kept him confined. As soon as I heard Mayoress Oda's voice, I swiftly averted my gaze, making myself as small as possible.

"Why are you admitting students when it's almost Sabbath? You know it's prohibited in this camp!" She reprimanded the mayor of the boys' section. The sections were merely separated by a compound, with the infirmary in one central location.

"It wasn't my intention. They claimed he came with Pastor Timi. You know what that implies. He has connections with the bishops. How can we turn him away? What would people say?" The mayor retorted, his anger rising.

"What would people say? We are not psychologists or healers! Rectify this absurdity before I take matters into my own hands!"

"Don't threaten me, woman. I'll tolerate your insolence at home, but not in public. The boy stays," he growled menacingly.

Their relationship didn't surprise me; they frolicked around like rabbits during mating season. This place disgusted me every day, and it needed to be shut down. They claimed to be holy but succumbed to temptation and their own desires.

"So what? Are we going to feed him and take care of him like our own son?" She asked in a hushed tone, barely audible. I strained my ears to catch the rest.

"We won't do any of that. He might have been sent here as a spy. Otherwise, why would he arrive in the middle of the Sabbath? Don't you know his parents were in the police force?"

"They're dead, you know," Mayoress Oda sneered bitterly, displaying her disdain for Dennis Harrison. "Besides, the pastor brought him himself and paid his fees. They said he's not in the right state of mind. I already have plenty like him in my section," she sighed in frustration.

"The pastor's daughter? Keep an eye on her while I watch over this one," he muttered under his breath.

"She knows too much. Frankly, I'm afraid of her. Should we release her?"

"Into the public? No. Her family hasn't come for her yet. They'll both stay until we break them," the man responded.

"Put the boy in solitary confinement. Don't feed him for three days. Let's see. Perhaps by questioning him about his time here, he might reveal something useful. Useless teenagers!" She hissed, her footsteps fading away. It was evident that she held the reins in their relationship.

My legs trembled at the sound of her annoyance. Dennis Harrison had chosen the wrong moment to arrive at the prayer camp. Even if he sought answers, he should have waited until after his parents' burial. Now he would be sent to the hole for no reason.

I was accustomed to the hole, but could he retain his sanity after being confined there? I clenched my chapped lips; maybe it was none of my business. So far, I had accumulated five points, and cleaning this hall would earn me an additional two points.

I tightly gripped the mop one last time, avoiding the open wound on my pinkie. I had gotten it while plucking corn from the farm, unaware of the thorns concealed among the maize stems.

Upon reaching the office to submit my report, I encountered a long queue. Girls and boys stood in separate lines, each clutching their buckets, brooms, clothes, and ashes. I deliberately avoided the line where Faye stood, as she had been avoiding me like the plague.

Who knows what was bothering her? I couldn't care less.

My card remained missing. The other day, I waited until the girls went to bathe and rummaged through their bags. There was no shiny or gleaming item inside. Someone had taken my card and remained silent about it.