Tammy stared at the clock. The soft ticking of the second hand soothed her. Tick. Tick. Tick. It was the only clean thing in the cell.


The walls were smeared with dirt and blood, and it had many dents and holes from the previous prisoners. The bed she sat on was nothing more than a slab of wood covered with a thin sheet of white cloth that was so worn, you could see through it. The floor had never been swept so dust and debris had settled upon it from many years. The small enclosed space had dank, stale air. The clock however was shiny, clean, and had not the smallest scratch upon is. Maybe that’s why she was so fond of it.


She got up sluggishly and trudged across the room to it; her footsteps softly padding across the floor. Tammy slowly stretched out her hand to touch the surface of the clock. when her fingertips were just inches away, she quickly dropped her arm and turned to face the voice behind her.


“They’re coming Tammy. Lie; do whatever it takes to stay alive.”, she said. It was Anna. She was a short and curvy girl who usually wore a troubling smirk, but now looked concerned. She had on a pair of ripped jeans, a band shirt, and her face glistened with metal studs.


Anna was pretty. Short, cute, and dangerous. Tammy on the other hand had seaweed like hair that was flat and fell from her head in streaks to her waist. Her features were set into a grim frown.


“How did you get here?”, Tammy croaked. “I can’t explain right now but just try to stay alive, alright?”, Anna answered. Footsteps rang in the empty hallway. SOmeone was whistling and jingling a set of keys. Tammy hurried to the door and shot Anna a questioning look when she stayed where she was. “It’s okay. He won’t mind.”, she replied.


The guard was large and had a look of laziness on his face. He had thick stubble that coated his chin. He unlocked the door to the cell and escorted her to a small room.


It was empty other then the plain wooden table and the three chairs that accompanied it. A male and a female stepped into the room.


They both wore black suits that were perfectly tailored. No creases or specks of lint was to be seen. The man had a round face that was stern; however, Tammy could see through his look of intimidation. She saw that his eyes were sunken in from many sleepless, tiring nights. Something about the soft glaze in his eyes told Tammy that he had seen better days. The woman wore a thick layer of makeup that made her face look flat and plain. Her blonde hair fell in pin-straight locks around her shoulders. She would’ve been very pretty if she wore a smile and less makeup.


They both stiffly walked into the room, smoothly sat down, and laid down perfect, crisp papers held within a yellow folder.