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XXIII

June 5, 2173

The next morning I wake up to Ash yelling at a guard, "Just because she's not awake yet doesn't mean I can't save her some breakfast for when she wakes up!"

I get up and out of bed and ask, "What's wrong?"

"See she's awake now, I told you she would be awake soon!"

"Here." The guard says while giving me a tray of food then walks away.

"What happened?" I ask.

"You weren't awake when breakfast was going around and he said you don't get food or I would have to wake you up." He says. "I didn't want to wake you up because you needed some rest and he wouldn't let me save the food so you could eat it later, then you woke up."

"Thanks, but I would have been okay without it." I say while finishing the small stack of pancakes I was given.

"I don't think so, you devoured those pancakes and I can hear your stomach grumbling." He says laughing then I hear my stomach grumbles again and I blush.

"Do we just get three small meals a day?" I ask.

"Yeah, they really underfeed us." Iris complains before Ash can answer.

"Have you had any ideas on how we could break out?" I whisper.

"No, this place is literally locked up like a vault, there is only one way out that I know of." She says while sighing.

"We will get out, don't be such a downer." Ash says.

"We probably will be here our whole lives if the don't execute us first!" She yells then groans in frustration.

"Stop yelling." I warn her.

"Sorry, I'm just frustrated." She says.

I am worried she is right, maybe we will be in here the rest of our lives.

Or maybe we will be executed for hiding from the police for so long and resisting our arrest.

"I just realized we don't know how old you are, how old are you?" I ask her after a long silence.

"I'm nineteen." She says hesitantly.

"Why did you hesitate? Do you not trust us?" I ask.

"No, it's because I'm not sure." She admits. "I have been on the run for months, I'm really from North Carolina, I didn't tell the truth when I first met you because I didn't know if I could trust you. I haven't checked the date since then. So I might be eighteen still."

"When's your birthday? I ask.

"June 5th." She says.

"Today's your birthday! You're nineteen!" Ash says excitedly.

"Really?" She asks with a smile spreading across her face.

"Yes! Happy birthday, Iris!" Ash and I say together.

"Thanks guys!" She says and smiles.

╝╚╔╗╬ ═╓╩

It is about 7:00 so the guard is coming in with dinner soon, which is hopefully different and a larger serving today.

"Here's dinner you little bastards." He says handing us trays with servings smaller than yesterday. "I heard your complaints on the serving sizes so I decided to change it for you."

"Son of a bitch." Iris whispers.

"What did you say to me?" He asks while practically growling.

"I said you're a son of a bitch!" She yells in his face.

"That's it, follow me. All of you and leave your food here."

"Why?" I ask.

"No questions." He growls.

We follow him to a closed off room and he locks the door behind him but he has the keys so he can leave us in here and leave if he wanted to.

He starts to unbuckle his belt, "Take off your shirts."

"Why?" Ash asks.

"I said don't ask questions!" He yells then slaps him across the face.

"Don't slap him!" I yell while walking in front of Ash, but the he takes his belt and whips me across the stomach with it.

I scream and fall to the ground as a get his repeatedly.

Ash is yelling things and him but I can't hear a thing because of the beating.

When he finally stops hitting me he turns to Ash and does the same thing to him, but instead he is screaming insults at him.

"Stop crying, I thought you were a man." He says to Ash after he stops hitting him.

When he turns around I try to crawl over to Ash.

"Are you okay?" I whisper weakly.

"No." He says quietly then he passes out.

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