Page 7 of Day Break

I stilled. My body went limp as I was carried down another hallway and tossed unceremoniously onto a hard floor.

Without a word, the door shut behind me, and I was left in complete darkness. Alone.

I curled up into a tight ball, holding my knees to my chest and rocking back and forth.

I didn’t cry.

I made no sounds as I lay on the cold ground, my clothes torn, my bruised body shivering with the chill.

I didn’t care.

I felt nothing.

I didn’t know how long I lay there. I didn’t care. I slept for a while. How long, I had no clue.

My only thoughts were of just how dark it was in the room, twice as dark as my room the night before.

Several times, panic tried to creep into my mind. It screamed warning signs that I was blind. That I would never see again. There wasn’t even a sliver of light from under the doorway.

Even though I couldn’t see, I could at least still hear. Dull, faint sounds reverberated off the thick metal door.

My ears strained to make sense of the voices down the long hallways, trying to turn murmurs into words that I could understand. I gave up trying when everything outside grew quieter and more distant.

I didn’t even try to explore the space. I didn’t care how big or small it was. I lay there in the same spot they had tossed me until the door was opened.

My bladder was full thanks to the coffee I’d drunk hours before. Or had it been days? I didn’t know how long I’d been in there.

My eyes hurt when I stepped out into the sunlight, and I had to blink many times to get them to adjust. I stumbled against the wall. Hands shoved me, and I walked like a blind person back down the hallway and once more into the dining room.

Again, there was a line. Without thinking, I picked up a tray and waited for my food.

This meal was a slab of lasagna with bread.

Dinner.

When I sat down this time, three others came over and sat next to me.

Two were skinny Caucasians, one old with jet black hair, the other a redhead who was around my age. The third woman was a petite Hispanic woman roughly in her forties.

“That was sure fun watching you take out Crazy Carlie,” the redhead said. “I’m Sam, this is Lindy.” She pointed to the older dark-haired woman. “And that’s Rizzo.” She pointed to the other one.

I watched them until she stopped talking, then I turned back to my food.

“Did they stick you in the hole?” Rizzo asked.

I glanced up and shrugged.

“You lose track of everything in there,” Lindy said.

The three of them were eating and didn’t seem to be too bothered that I hadn’t spoken yet. They just continued chatting as if I was an active part of the conversation.

“In case you don’t know, it’s the same day. Dinner time,” Rizzo said.

I nodded and continued eating. I wasn’t even hungry, but I didn’t know when I’d be able to eat again, so I figured I’d better finish every bite. What I needed was a bathroom. I didn’t know if there were common ones or if I had to make my way back to my own room. It didn’t matter. I’d been forced to hold it in before.

“Listen, we don’t want you to get the impression that this place is all… crazy. Like Carlie. Sure, there are a handful of people you should steer clear of, but for the most part, we look out for one another in here,” Rizzo said.

“At least in here, you can pick and choose your fights,” Lindy added.