Shatter You

Chapter Three

Elise's Perspective: 

The door opens to its black abyss. I smirk as the cold draft from the outside world hits my pale skin. I miss the weather, the change in season that shows the passage of time and the fresh air that makes you feel alive. 

For a moment I just stare into the empty shadow that clouds the hall, protected by the door only open for a few minutes a day. For a moment I wonder if I could ever make it past this cage, if I will ever be able to feel the golden light of the morning sun hit my skin again. McKell thinks it's foolish to dream of even the possibility of escape, but I can't seem to confine my mind to this awful cell. 

"What the heck?" He looks between me and McKell in confusion. "They're letting us out?" 

For now, I think, we get to leave this stale room behind us. I know we're still trapped; in my mind I can understand we're not leaving, but I can't help but get excited every day. Even if it is temporary, even if I never really leave at all. I jump to my feet, feeling a sense of relief wash over me. 

"It's shower time," I say, moving around the three beds all lined up. I don't even care, I just need my moment of freedom. 

"We don't have much time," I hear McKell say from behind me, her voice the same cold monotone it usually is. "We have to hurry." 

The boy gets to his feet in no time and follows me into the pitch black void. "But there's no light—we can't even see where we're going," he all but whines. I bite the inside of my cheek to suppress my laughter. There is something so hilarious about watching a man who thinks he's so big and strong struggle with something as ordinary as the dark.

"Put your hand on the wall and follow it down," I call out, not stopping to see if he even listens to my suggestion. 

"Hey! Wait up!" He calls out, chasing after me. 

I ignore the alarm of the cell behind me and my hand finds the wall next to me. I relish in the rough texture against my soft skin. It's the closest I've been to touching real rock in 265 days. I hurry my steps, hearing me and McKell's new cellmate trip with a grunt behind me. McKell, who is behind me and in front of him, sighs but continues as well. We know our own routine well enough. The boy will have to figure it out too. 

I feel a slight pang of disappointment when the texture beneath my hand instantly changes from rough to smooth, but at least that means we're almost there. I go another six feet then call out, "Right," so he knows where to go. In two feet I reach out for the broken doorknob, granting me a hand full of splinters. At least it's real wood, which I'll be grateful for once I have time to think. I fall to my hands and knees and search for any scraps of soap. I find two. I hear McKell enter only a couple of seconds after me.

"Soap," I say, and I drop one of the bars into her hand. We split up and each go to one of the many showers, all in a nice line for the prisoners. I hear no showers running, a rare occurrence I am all too grateful for. Most of the inmates here don't care to shower, or simply can't figure out the way, so it's never crowded, but empty is better. I start running the freezing water when I hear the boy stumble in. 

"What are your names?" Dumb question, especially now when we all have better things to focus on. Especially for him, when he should be focusing on figuring out how things work down here. "Why won't either of you answer me?" He calls out after getting no response. 

"Focus on showering," I call out. For some reason, I feel responsible for him. There has to be a reason he's here; I just know it. And I have a gut wrenching feeling that if he messes up, me and McKell will be punished for it alongside him.

"What do I do with my clothes?" He calls out to no one in particular.

"Try not to get them wet," McKell says. 

"How long do we have?"

"Two minutes." I get the feeling McKell enjoys being the bearer of bad news. I smirk as I hear the boy scrounging around, trying to be as fast as he can. 

"Jesus, why didn't you say something?" 

I quickly wash through my hair and turn my shower off. I pull my sweater over my head, trying to contain as much body heat as I can. I allow myself to take one deep breath in, feeling the moisture hit my skin. 

"Are you done?" I call out, just a tad too early. I get anxious being late for things, so of course I always want to be early, just in case. And it works out well here, in a place where they beat you half to death for the smallest of mistakes. 

"Done," McKell calls back. 

"Yup, same here," the boy shouts, struggling with getting his shirt back on. 

"Two feet, make a left then follow the wall back to our cell," I call out, already on my way out. The boy picks up quickly and follows us back to our cell. I look around, disappointed to be back in this mind-numbing space, void of any color besides our window. It's the only thing that assures me the outside world is still out there, waiting for us. 

I slump back into my corner and McKell does the same. The boy grabs McKell's blanket and drapes it around her shoulders, then hands her her pillow, which she looks hesitant to take. 

"I'm sorry I'm such a jerk," he whispers as he backs away from her slowly. He grabs my blanket and gives it to me, and I immediately wrap it around my body. 

"I'm Alex," he says slowly. He grabs the side of my bed and moves it back to my side of the room. Me and McKell both look at each other in confusion. He moves the middle bed to the wall, so it stands in the middle of me and McKell. "You can- uh, have your beds back." 

I look over in McKell's direction, but I can't see her over Alex's bed. I slowly stand up and let my body collapse on my bed. It's barely an upgrade from sleeping in the corner. Alex. That name sounds so familiar.