Tested

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Four soldiers kept watch at the entrance of the detention centre. Around the walls, I noticed more people on guard.

“Looks secure,” I said, seeing Dad’s expression.

“Sure is,” Dace said. “We take care of business.”

The woman made a sound that might have been a snort. “Just settle them in,” she said scornfully. Then she left us and walked across the yard to a smaller building annexed to the main one.

“This way,” Dace said tightly. “Got a few things to sort out, then you can get cleaned up and get some rest. The generators keep a bit of heat in the place, and there are plenty of blankets and towels to go round.”

“My daughter stays with me,” Dad said.

“Yeah, whatever.” Dace opened the door of the main building and led us inside. Seeing two girls in the hallway, he beckoned them over. One looked a bit younger than the other, but they were both in their teens.

“Need something?” the older one asked, her hands on her hips. Her curly hair was black, her eyes almost as blue as Dace’s.

“This is Jess. Make her feel welcome while I break down the rules to her dad.”

“Hey, Jess,” she said, looking at me with interest.

I nodded and tried to smile. Teenage girls terrified me.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Dad said before following Dace down the hallway.

“They pick you up tonight?” the older girl asked.

“Yeah, Dace saved us from a group of… monsters.”

She fanned herself as the younger girl nudged her. “Wish I could see him in action. We came voluntarily during the first roundup. Might make a break for it, just so he can rescue me.”

I thought that was stupid but decided it would be even more stupid to actually say that out loud.

“I’m Beth, by the way.” She gestured at the younger girl. “This is Mae. She got a nice epic Dace rescue, too. Bitch.”

“Meh,” Mae said. “I was too terrified to appreciate it.”

I looked around with interest. “This doesn’t really look like a prison.”

“That’s because it’s a low-security detention centre,” Mae said. “For the not-so-bad bad boys. There are a few cells, but mostly it’s like dorm rooms. Not too bad, but safe enough that nothing can get in if the place goes into lockdown.”

“How old are you?” Beth asked.

“Um, seventeen.”

“I’m eighteen. Mae’s sixteen. No other girls our age here, and all the boys are hidden away in a different section. Boring. So what’s it like outside?”

“Right outside? Dead. The streets are empty. We were just passing through, trying to make our way north. Looks like the fight is following us.”

Mae shivered. “People keep telling stories. You don’t know what to believe.”

“It’s bad,” I said. “Nobody can get in touch with their families. People are being ripped apart. I mean, literally. I saw something on the telly before everything got cut off. A woman in Ireland telling reporters that everything is real, and that people have to work together to fight back.”

“Oh, we heard about that,” Beth said, wrinkling her nose. “But don’t worry, there’s none of that crap here.”

“What do you mean?”