Armageddon by Kaitlyn O'Connor Read Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kaitlyn O'Connor
hadn’t managed to pry the information they were looking for from Morris before they’d killed him and replaced him. They thought she knew something.
She was still alive because of that, but she wouldn’t be once they figured out she didn’t have a clue of what was going on.
* * * *
No doubt the windowless cell in which Lena found herself would’ve made it impossible to gauge the passage of time even without the drugs that kept her off balance, but with them, she was most certainly lost, drifting in and out of consciousness.
Time passed. The sudden, sharp intrusion of metal scraping against metal roused her. She pushed herself up on her elbows just as two trays skidded across the stone floor, shoved through a narrow opening at the base of the wall. A hand appeared briefly, leaving behind two tumblers filled with liquid.
Lena’s throat closed with thirst. She could almost smell the water. Even as she rolled off the bunk, however, the woman in the bed below hers hit the floor and scurried toward the trays.
Lena narrowly missed landing on top of the woman. In the next moment, she was sorry she hadn’t flattened the bitch for as she struggled to her feet the woman grabbed the food off of both trays and began stuffing it into her mouth as fast as she could. Uttering a
27
feral scream, Lena dove toward the tumblers.
Alerted, Lena’s cellmate whirled to meet her.
The struggle was brief. Lena was too incapacitated by the drugs in her system to put up much of a fight. She hit the floor, but rolled over almost at once, scrambling frantically to reach one of the tumblers, both of which were now rolling around on the floor.
Her questing fingers snagged one, and for a moment a sense of hope filled her.
She discovered when she got it to her mouth, though, that little more than a few drops remained. The cooling drops didn’t do much more than dampen her mouth.
With a growl, the woman slapped at the cup in Lena’s hands, driving the edge into her tender lip and splitting it.
Blood filled her mouth. Pain completely disoriented her for a handful of seconds.
It was all the woman needed as an advantage. Grabbing Lena by the hair, she dragged her across the cell and slammed her into the wall several times.
Apparently satisfied when she saw Lena was unable to do more than slap at her, she released her after a moment and scrambled toward the food strewn around the floor.
Lena stared at the woman dully for a moment and finally pushed herself upright.
Except for the puddle on the floor that her cellmate was sitting in, the water was gone. Lena studied the gleaming liquid for a moment, struggling with the urge to charge the woman again and collect what she could off the floor. Finally, she merely turned to the bunk and, after several failed attempts, managed to climb onto the mattress again.
When she’d settled, she rolled onto her side and put her back to the woman before she thought better of it. Realizing, dimly, that the woman might attack her again, she switched sides so that she could watch her cellmate.
Nausea and anger swept through her as she watched the woman gobble the food, stuffing it into her mouth until her cheeks bulged like a chipmunk. “I hope you choke on it, you bitch!” she muttered.
The words were scarcely out of her mouth when the woman coughed. Her body undulated, as if she was trying to disgorge what she’d just swallowed. Half chewed food fell from her mouth and splattered the puddle of water. Convulsing, the woman tipped over on the floor and drew her knees up, curling into a tight ball. As Lena watched with a mixture of satisfaction and horror, foam formed around the woman’s mouth, oozed between her lips and puddled beside her cheek on the floor. After jerking and twitching for several moments, she went still.
It took many moments for it to sink into Lena that the woman wasn’t moving because she was dead. The minute it did, bile rose in her throat. Briefly, she waged a
She was still alive because of that, but she wouldn’t be once they figured out she didn’t have a clue of what was going on.
* * * *
No doubt the windowless cell in which Lena found herself would’ve made it impossible to gauge the passage of time even without the drugs that kept her off balance, but with them, she was most certainly lost, drifting in and out of consciousness.
Time passed. The sudden, sharp intrusion of metal scraping against metal roused her. She pushed herself up on her elbows just as two trays skidded across the stone floor, shoved through a narrow opening at the base of the wall. A hand appeared briefly, leaving behind two tumblers filled with liquid.
Lena’s throat closed with thirst. She could almost smell the water. Even as she rolled off the bunk, however, the woman in the bed below hers hit the floor and scurried toward the trays.
Lena narrowly missed landing on top of the woman. In the next moment, she was sorry she hadn’t flattened the bitch for as she struggled to her feet the woman grabbed the food off of both trays and began stuffing it into her mouth as fast as she could. Uttering a
27
feral scream, Lena dove toward the tumblers.
Alerted, Lena’s cellmate whirled to meet her.
The struggle was brief. Lena was too incapacitated by the drugs in her system to put up much of a fight. She hit the floor, but rolled over almost at once, scrambling frantically to reach one of the tumblers, both of which were now rolling around on the floor.
Her questing fingers snagged one, and for a moment a sense of hope filled her.
She discovered when she got it to her mouth, though, that little more than a few drops remained. The cooling drops didn’t do much more than dampen her mouth.
With a growl, the woman slapped at the cup in Lena’s hands, driving the edge into her tender lip and splitting it.
Blood filled her mouth. Pain completely disoriented her for a handful of seconds.
It was all the woman needed as an advantage. Grabbing Lena by the hair, she dragged her across the cell and slammed her into the wall several times.
Apparently satisfied when she saw Lena was unable to do more than slap at her, she released her after a moment and scrambled toward the food strewn around the floor.
Lena stared at the woman dully for a moment and finally pushed herself upright.
Except for the puddle on the floor that her cellmate was sitting in, the water was gone. Lena studied the gleaming liquid for a moment, struggling with the urge to charge the woman again and collect what she could off the floor. Finally, she merely turned to the bunk and, after several failed attempts, managed to climb onto the mattress again.
When she’d settled, she rolled onto her side and put her back to the woman before she thought better of it. Realizing, dimly, that the woman might attack her again, she switched sides so that she could watch her cellmate.
Nausea and anger swept through her as she watched the woman gobble the food, stuffing it into her mouth until her cheeks bulged like a chipmunk. “I hope you choke on it, you bitch!” she muttered.
The words were scarcely out of her mouth when the woman coughed. Her body undulated, as if she was trying to disgorge what she’d just swallowed. Half chewed food fell from her mouth and splattered the puddle of water. Convulsing, the woman tipped over on the floor and drew her knees up, curling into a tight ball. As Lena watched with a mixture of satisfaction and horror, foam formed around the woman’s mouth, oozed between her lips and puddled beside her cheek on the floor. After jerking and twitching for several moments, she went still.
It took many moments for it to sink into Lena that the woman wasn’t moving because she was dead. The minute it did, bile rose in her throat. Briefly, she waged a
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