Kloric turned away from the pit.

  For a moment he wondered if it was possible to close it up somehow… or move it somewhere else to stop the smell. But he already knew the answer. That wasn’t something a prisoner could just ask for.

  So he started walking back toward his cabin, his stomach still aching.

  Melissa didn’t say a word during the walk back. When they reached the cabins, she quietly turned and went toward hers.

  Kloric stepped into his cabin and looked at the clock mounted on the cavern wall.

  3:07.

  Still some time.

  He turned toward the door again, planning to head out—but then he noticed movement.

  The hardened man from earlier was sitting up.

  Guess he’s awake, Kloric thought.

  The man stood up and stretched, his joints cracking slightly.

  “What time is it?” he asked.

  Kloric didn’t answer at first.

  The man rubbed his neck. “Yeah… forgot. No clocks around here.”

  “There’s actually one right there,” Kloric said, nodding toward the wall. “It’s 3:07.”

  The man followed his gaze and gave a small nod.

  “Guess there’s no excuse for waking up late then.”

  After a moment he looked back at Kloric.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Kloric,” he replied. “And the kid on that bunk—he’s my brother. Terren.”

  The man nodded.

  “My name’s Brannic,” he said, then added, “Brannic Dorrinwight.”

  He paused for a moment before continuing.

  “And before you say it—yeah, I know I look older.”

  Kloric raised an eyebrow.

  “I noticed you kept looking at me like I’m in my thirties,” Brannic said. “But I’m actually 24. My voice just ended up deeper after years as a foot soldier… and surviving some crazy stuff.”

  Kloric nodded slowly.

  “Yeah… I thought you were mid-thirties,” he admitted. “But looking closer, you’re probably right. It’s just the muscle build and the voice.”

  Brannic leaned slightly against the wall.

  “I’m guessing you woke up earlier,” he said. “When I got up, you weren’t here.”

  He looked at Kloric carefully.

  “So… did you check our surroundings? Notice anything useful?”

  Kloric nodded.

  “Yeah.”

  He held up a finger.

  “Number one—one of the prisoners who came with us is dead.”

  There was a short pause.

  Brannic tilted his head.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “You planning to elaborate?”

  Kloric blinked, snapping back from his thoughts.

  “Yeah. He tried climbing the fence. Got shocked to death.”

  Brannic nodded slowly.

  “And I found a sign on the fence,” Kloric continued. “It shows 3:45 AM to 7 PM. That’s probably when the electricity is active.”

  Brannic thought for a moment.

  “Right,” he said. “That means the soldiers can come in around four without worrying about the fence. And it lets them relax during the day knowing we can’t escape.”

  Kloric nodded again.

  “And one more thing,” he added. “There’s a huge pit behind the camp.”

  Brannic raised an eyebrow.

  “Let me guess,” he said calmly. “Waste… or bodies.”

  Kloric nodded.

  Bodies.

  He watched Brannic carefully.

  There was a faint cold glint in the man’s eyes, but no real disturbance.

  Kloric frowned slightly.

  He’s not bothered by that at all…

  Now he wondered what Brannic had actually seen before to react like that.

  “When did you join the military?” Kloric asked.

  Brannic looked at him for a moment.

  “Is that because of the pit?”

  Kloric didn’t answer.

  Brannic sighed slightly.

  “Just know this,” he said quietly.

  “Anyone who goes into war and expects to stay sane… is already dead.”

  He folded his arms.

  “If survival is your goal, you throw your sanity away first.”

  Kloric understood the logic.

  But even so…

  It felt cold.

  Brannic watched him for a moment.

  “You blacked out for a second there,” he said. “What were you thinking about?”

  Kloric blinked and leaned back slightly.

  “I was wondering how their slave system works,” he said. “Some factions keep slaves permanently. Others slowly integrate them into their ranks if they perform well.”

  He crossed his arms.

  “So I’m trying to figure out which kind this is.”

  Brannic nodded slowly.

  “That’s actually easy to test,” he said.

  “How?”

  “If they keep weekly performance rosters.”

  Kloric frowned slightly.

  Brannic continued.

  “If they track performance, it means they’re evaluating people. And if they’re evaluating people, there’s usually a path to integration. Not fast though—takes years most of the time. But historically it does happen.”

  Kloric considered that.

  Brannic then added, his tone more serious,

  “But I’m sure you’re smart enough to know this already… still, I’ll say it anyway.”

  Kloric looked at him.

  “Never act smarter than your superiors.”

  “Even if they’re reckless,” Brannic said. “Even if they’re wrong.”

  “They’ll execute you on the spot for that kind of attitude.”

  Kloric nodded once.

  “Yeah, I know.”

  He glanced around the cabin.

  “In a place like this we’re basically inside a lion’s den. Best thing to do is act dumb and let them throw their tantrums while we learn how things work.”

  Brannic gave a short nod.

  “Alright. You are smart enough then. Just making sure.”

  He stretched again.

  “So what now?”

  “Should we wake the others and introduce ourselves,” he asked, “or keep exploring until they wake up?”

  Kloric rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

  “Introductions are brief,” he said.

  “So let’s explore for now.”

  Brannic nodded and stood properly.

  Then he asked another question.

  “What about food? Did you notice anything about food supply yet?”

  Kloric thought for a second.

  “Maybe.”

  Brannic raised an eyebrow.

  “I did count the cabins earlier—well, not exactly count. I just multiplied the rows I saw. Thirty-two total. Spread out in rows.”

  He gestured vaguely in the direction of the camp.

  “But one building looked bigger than the rest.”

  “Where?”

  “Closer to the pit.”

  Brannic frowned slightly.

  “That’s a weird place for it.”

  “Exactly,” Kloric replied.

  “So maybe it’s storage… or a kitchen.”

  He looked toward the door.

  “We can check there first.”

  Brannic gave a small grin.

  “Well,” he said, “guess we’ve got somewhere to start.”

  The two of them quietly headed toward the door.

  Outside, the camp was still dark.

  And the clock was slowly moving closer to 3:45.

  As they headed out, they saw Melissa standing with another person—a girl about her age.

  Melissa waved when she spotted Kloric.

  “Surveying again?” she asked.

  Kloric nodded.

  She recovered fast, he thought to himself. But who cares.

  She asked where they were heading, but Kloric didn’t reply. He kept his eyes forward.

  Brannic noticed the awkward silence and spoke instead.

  “To a cabin that looked different,” he said. “We’re checking it for food.”

  Kloric thought quietly to himself, I hope they’re not trying to make friends.

  We could die tomorrow. I’m not trying to be cold… but I’m not getting attached.

  He kept walking. Brannic followed behind him.

  Melissa joined as well.

  The other girl hesitated for a moment before shrugging. “Why not,” she said, and followed them.

  Soon they had to pass the pit again.

  The smell hit them immediately.

  Even Brannic slowed down this time, one hand briefly covering his mouth as he tried to keep his stomach steady.

  Yesterday he had seen worse.

  But those in the pit were still human.

  And one day… he might end up the same.

  They pushed past it quickly.

  Not long after, the building came into view.

  It was indeed larger than the others.

  The doors had already fallen off their hinges, and a wide hole gaped in the roof. Even the guard railing looked weak—one strong push and it would probably collapse.

  They stepped inside carefully.

  The floorboards creaked under their weight, some of them bending slightly as if they might break at any moment. Because of that, their steps were slow and deliberate.

  As their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they saw a large dining table stretching across the middle of the room. Smaller tables were scattered around it.

  Behind them was what looked like a kitchen area.

  Kloric had been right.

  But there was a problem.

  The place was so run down it looked like it could collapse at any moment.

  Then suddenly—

  A scream came from behind them.

  The other girl had jumped back after seeing a rat dart across the floor.

  Her foot came down hard on a weak board.

  Crack.

  The wood gave way beneath her leg.

  She dropped halfway through the floor and immediately began shouting for help.

  Kloric honestly felt like leaving her there.

  But that would make him look cruel.

  So he and Brannic grabbed her arms and pulled.

  With a sharp tug they dragged her back onto solid ground.

  She looked shaken.

  “Th-thanks,” she said, breathing heavily.

  Then she quickly backed toward the door.

  “I’ll… I’ll wait outside.”

  No one stopped her.

  The remaining three split up, checking storage areas and dark corners for anything useful.

  Crates.

  Shelves.

  Broken cupboards.

  Nothing.

  When they met back in the hall, they realized the place was completely empty.

  The only real occupants were the rats.

  Dozens of them.

  They scurried along beams, crawled across tables, and vanished into cracks in the walls.

  It looked like an entire colony had taken over the place.

  Brannic sighed.

  “So what now?”

  Kloric stood there for a moment, thinking.

  There has to be something…

  Then suddenly an idea formed in his mind.

  He turned and headed toward the door.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I think I’ve got this.”

  They stepped back outside.

  By now more prisoners were awake, wandering around the camp and looking at their surroundings.

  A crowd had gathered near the fence.

  The burned body from earlier had drawn their attention.

  As Kloric approached, he spotted two familiar figures nearby.

  Terren.

  And the brown-haired boy.

  They were standing outside their cabin, talking quietly.

  Waiting for them.