Chapter 41: The Assassins
Countdown: 40:20:00. Dawn's pale light filtered through the high, narrow windows of Penitentiary-18. Elian Thorne stepped through the hissing alloy door of his cell. Prisoners lining the corridor snapped their heads towards him, eyes wide with blatant surprise. Whispers slithered through the stale air – they hadn't expected to see him emerge after five days in the Box. This time, however, Elian didn't stride purposefully down the hallway. He remained statue-still, waiting for the grating prison broadcast to crackle to life before falling into line with the shuffling queue heading for breakfast. The rumors solidified instantly in the inmates' minds: this kid had pissed off Lucian Reed, endured days of solitary confinement and torment, and lost whatever special privileges he'd briefly enjo
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