Dead Cells - 01 by Adam Millard Read Free Book Online Page A

visiting room watched as Officer Tyler staggered, banged his head on the far wall, and hit the deck with a thud.
    'Holy shit!' cried Officer Jenson. He reached for his two-way and called for help.
    With the taste of Holly still on his lips, Shane watched as the guard writhed and spasmed, cheered on by the rest of the prisoners, who thought it was the best show they had ever seen.
    Something, Shane thought, was definitely not right.

    *

    'I have a home to go to,' Marla said, although Warden Dean simply could not grasp the concept. 'I know there's something going around, but I'm not a witch ; I can't just make it all stop.'
    'Then why the fuck do I employ you?' Charles Dean snarled. 'You don't seem to have the slightest clue what is happening here. All I know is that one of my men was bitten yesterday, and now he's stretched out unconscious with some sort of superbug that, stop me if I'm wrong, you should be aware of.'
    'I'm not in the CDC,' Marla retorted. 'When was the last time you noticed me wearing a biological suit? Huh? Never, because I don't deal with superbugs. I patch up your prisoners when they get stabbed; I make sure they get their Aspirin if they get a migraine. I never said I could prevent the plague.'
    'That's what you think this is?' Charles asked with an expression that suggested he had already thought about it himself. 'Some sort of supervirus ?'
    Marla took a step back. The room, all of a sudden, didn't seem big enough for both of them. 'I'm not suggesting anything,' she said. 'All I know is that I have a life out of work, and I would like to live it. You know the protocol. Those infected should be taken to the hospital under guard. There is nothing more that I can do for them.'
    ' Protocol ,' Charles grunted. 'What the fuck do you know about protocol. You just walk around here, prick-teasing and then complaining when somebody takes you up on the offer.'
    Marla didn't know what happened, but before she could do anything about it, her hand was already connecting with the side of the warden's face. His head jolted backwards, and his eyes bulged with the shock that followed.
    'How dare you!' she said. 'You know that your fucking guard was out of line.'
    Charles didn't speak; he couldn't . He was still mortally offended that she had slapped him. He had gone a peculiar shade of red, too, which made him look as if he might explode at any given moment.
    'If you don't put the call in to transfer Officer Tyler and Cyrus Clay, then I will.' She said it knowing that it would prompt a response from the man, who would never let her do such a thing.
    'I'll make the call,' he said. 'But if I were you, I would start to look for another job, because I believe that you are of no further use to this facility.'
    Marla smiled. 'First thing tomorrow,' she said, and turned to head for the door. She managed two steps before an alarm went off. It wasn't the fire-alarm, which she had heard on numerous occasions. This one, she didn't recognise.
    She turned to find Charles Dean looking slightly anxious.
    'Looks like you won't be going anywhere just yet,' he said.

    *

    'Can you see anything out there?' Billy Toombs asked. He was still clenching his book, aware that the chances of an actual riot were slim.
    'I can see a few of the guards running around at the end of the row,' Shane said. 'Apart from that, everybody seems to be in their cells.'
    He looked out at the cells across the landing. Prisoners were pressed against the bars trying to get a better look. A few of them were shouting obscenities towards the guards, who ran past with baffled expressions. The alarm seemed to go on forever, and after a while the shrill scream that filled the prison was enough to give everyone a migraine.
    'Probably a suicide,' Billy said, picking up where he had left off with Vonnegut.
    ' Maybe,' Shane replied. 'But they try to keep suicides quiet , don't they? Why would they be raising the roof with that fucking racket if someone had hung themselves