Page 64 of Caged

“I got my point across.”

“You’re going to get us killed,” I yelled.

He pointed to the door. “That fucker torched my truck!”

“Are you fucking serious right now?”That’s what he’s worried about?

“As a heart attack!” Anger rolled off him in waves.

I took the bait. “That’s why you have insurance. You do have insurance don’t you?” I asked. Not that it would matter if we died here.

Will this fucking alarm ever stop?

“Of course I have insurance. I’m not a complete idiot.”

“From where I’m standing you’re the idiot who wants to piss off the guy who gets to decide if we live or die.” My voice sounded hoarse from the strain.I should probably stop arguing.

“He plans on killing us no matter what we do. Or were you not paying attention?” His sarcasm thicker than molasses.

I returned his glare. “I was, but I’d rather not rush to the scaffold, if it’s all the same to you.”

“He has a plan; our actions are irrelevant,” Jaden shouted as he turned and walked to the back wall. He slid down to the floor and rested his elbows on his knees, his hands still blocking out the sound.

“Your actions will piss him off and we’ll die sooner because of it.”

“You think playing nice will save you?”

“No.” Maybe. Hopefully. “But it could buy us some time.” Time for SSI to find us and save us.

“Maybe, but we may not want to buy ourselves too much time.” Resignation replaced his sarcasm.

Once again, I had a feeling he was speaking from experience. I wanted to ask him about it, but discussing anything in a calm, rational manner was near impossible with the alarm blaring non-stop.

“So, what? You’re just giving up?” I pulled my hands away from my ears to put my hands on my hips and instantly regretted it. The alarm seemed loud with my ears plugged, but it was nothing compared to the eardrum-rupturing level when they weren’t.

The sliver of light coming from under the door was just enough for me see him shake his head back and forth. “I didn’t say that.”

Good. We’d need to work as a team if we had any chance of survival.

I went back to the side wall and sat. Plugging my ears as best I could and waited it out. It may have lasted minutes or hours, it was hard to tell.

When the alarm finally stopped, the silence sounded foreign.

Finally, I can hear myself think again.

“Thank God.” Jaden said, as he stood and stretched his neck.

Given how my mind raced with a thousand and one ways this could end, all of them badly, it wasn’t much of an improvement.

My brain had conjured up images of everything from Jaden and I slowly starving to death in the cell while being psychologically tortured, to being physically tortured, clinging desperately to life until our broken bodies gave up the fight.

There wasn’t a single scenario among them I wanted to experience.

“You okay?” Jaden asked.

I wasn’t. But Roman was probably watching, so I refused to admit it or show any sign of weakness.

“I’m okay. Pissed off, but okay. You?”

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