sorry, too. I was being a real dick.”
“No you weren’t. You were just frightened. We both were.”
“Well, it still didn’t give me the right to holler at you. So I apologize.”
“Apology accepted.” Jared grinned. “But you’re wrong about Castaways . Best show on television.”
Jeff snickered quietly, then chuckled, and then threw back his head and laughed. Jared joined him, slapping his thigh. The two of them sat there giggling until their eyes watered.
“Shit,” Jeff sighed. “That felt good. I needed that.”
“Yeah.” Jared nodded.
“So…”
“So.”
Jared’s expression grew serious again. “What are we going to do when he comes back?”
“I don’t know. We could try rushing him and tag-team his ass.”
“I can’t. I’m sorry, but I just can’t. Especially after watching him shoot Scott in the knee like that.”
“Well, don’t feel too bad. To be honest, I don’t think we’d get away with it anyway.”
“So what do we do?”
“You mean which one of us goes next?”
Jared nodded.
“We could draw straws,” Jeff suggested.
“But we don’t have any straws.”
“Well, then I guess the only thing we can do is wait.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. Unless you can think of something?”
“Maybe do what you said. We could try to attack him when he opens the cage the next time.”
“No. You were right. Not after what happened to Scott.”
“I thought what Scott did was very brave.”
“But it didn’t work out for him, did it?”
Jared didn’t respond. Jeff stifled another yawn. Then he scooted his box over to the wall, leaned backward, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes. He let his chin droop down to touch his chest and focused on his breathing so that he wouldn’t have to think about anything else.
Jared mumbled a whispered prayer. “Dear Jesus, please forgive me for my sins. I accept you into my heart. Please don’t let me die in here.”
He paused. At first, Jeff thought he was finished.
“Is that how it’s done, Jeff?”
“I guess so. Sounded okay to me.”
“Thank you, Jesus,” Jared said. “I’m so sorry. Please…”
Jeff tuned him out, but he couldn’t tune out the signal, humming insistently in the background.
When Jeff woke up again, Jared was screaming.
Jeff didn’t move. Not a muscle. Not a twitch. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, made sure his breathing seemed regular, and pretended to be asleep. He didn’t need to see to know what was happening. He could hear it.
“No,” Jared squealed. “I don’t want to go. Jeff, wake up! I’m not going to go out there. You can’t make me.”
“Stop it.”
“Leave me alone! Get away from me ri—”
Flesh smacked against flesh. Jeff was pretty sure that Simon had just slapped Jared across the face. He resisted the urge to jump at the sound. Jared continued to sob and shriek. Another smack rang out, followed by a more solid, meaty thud. Jared fell silent, as if someone had flipped a switch. Jeff wondered what had happened, but he kept his eyes shut. Perhaps Simon had pistol-whipped Jared, or maybe he’d knocked him out cold. He heard Simon grunt, heard the chain links jingle, and then Jared began to scream again.
“Take Jeff instead! Not me. Take him. He wanted to rush you. He’s the one who’s disobeyed.”
Bitch, Jeff thought. I see how you are.
“Take him,” Jared insisted. “Get him instead of me! He was plotting against you the whole time.”
“He’ll get his turn.”
“Oh Jesus. Oh Jesus, help me! I don’t want to die.”
“Want me to shoot you in the balls?”
“No, no, no, no, n—”
“Then quit wiggling.”
“Please. Please, please, please! Jeff, wake up! I don’t want to die.”
“Stop it!”
“I don’t want to die. I don’t want to—”
He was interrupted by a third smack. Jared groaned, and then went quiet for a moment. Simon’s boots echoed off the concrete. Then Jared began to yell—a high-pitched, keening wail that seemed
“No you weren’t. You were just frightened. We both were.”
“Well, it still didn’t give me the right to holler at you. So I apologize.”
“Apology accepted.” Jared grinned. “But you’re wrong about Castaways . Best show on television.”
Jeff snickered quietly, then chuckled, and then threw back his head and laughed. Jared joined him, slapping his thigh. The two of them sat there giggling until their eyes watered.
“Shit,” Jeff sighed. “That felt good. I needed that.”
“Yeah.” Jared nodded.
“So…”
“So.”
Jared’s expression grew serious again. “What are we going to do when he comes back?”
“I don’t know. We could try rushing him and tag-team his ass.”
“I can’t. I’m sorry, but I just can’t. Especially after watching him shoot Scott in the knee like that.”
“Well, don’t feel too bad. To be honest, I don’t think we’d get away with it anyway.”
“So what do we do?”
“You mean which one of us goes next?”
Jared nodded.
“We could draw straws,” Jeff suggested.
“But we don’t have any straws.”
“Well, then I guess the only thing we can do is wait.”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it. Unless you can think of something?”
“Maybe do what you said. We could try to attack him when he opens the cage the next time.”
“No. You were right. Not after what happened to Scott.”
“I thought what Scott did was very brave.”
“But it didn’t work out for him, did it?”
Jared didn’t respond. Jeff stifled another yawn. Then he scooted his box over to the wall, leaned backward, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes. He let his chin droop down to touch his chest and focused on his breathing so that he wouldn’t have to think about anything else.
Jared mumbled a whispered prayer. “Dear Jesus, please forgive me for my sins. I accept you into my heart. Please don’t let me die in here.”
He paused. At first, Jeff thought he was finished.
“Is that how it’s done, Jeff?”
“I guess so. Sounded okay to me.”
“Thank you, Jesus,” Jared said. “I’m so sorry. Please…”
Jeff tuned him out, but he couldn’t tune out the signal, humming insistently in the background.
When Jeff woke up again, Jared was screaming.
Jeff didn’t move. Not a muscle. Not a twitch. He kept his eyes squeezed shut, made sure his breathing seemed regular, and pretended to be asleep. He didn’t need to see to know what was happening. He could hear it.
“No,” Jared squealed. “I don’t want to go. Jeff, wake up! I’m not going to go out there. You can’t make me.”
“Stop it.”
“Leave me alone! Get away from me ri—”
Flesh smacked against flesh. Jeff was pretty sure that Simon had just slapped Jared across the face. He resisted the urge to jump at the sound. Jared continued to sob and shriek. Another smack rang out, followed by a more solid, meaty thud. Jared fell silent, as if someone had flipped a switch. Jeff wondered what had happened, but he kept his eyes shut. Perhaps Simon had pistol-whipped Jared, or maybe he’d knocked him out cold. He heard Simon grunt, heard the chain links jingle, and then Jared began to scream again.
“Take Jeff instead! Not me. Take him. He wanted to rush you. He’s the one who’s disobeyed.”
Bitch, Jeff thought. I see how you are.
“Take him,” Jared insisted. “Get him instead of me! He was plotting against you the whole time.”
“He’ll get his turn.”
“Oh Jesus. Oh Jesus, help me! I don’t want to die.”
“Want me to shoot you in the balls?”
“No, no, no, no, n—”
“Then quit wiggling.”
“Please. Please, please, please! Jeff, wake up! I don’t want to die.”
“Stop it!”
“I don’t want to die. I don’t want to—”
He was interrupted by a third smack. Jared groaned, and then went quiet for a moment. Simon’s boots echoed off the concrete. Then Jared began to yell—a high-pitched, keening wail that seemed
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