Clara
After the guard left, the hallway slowly returned to its quiet misery.
No one spoke. No one moved much either.
The prisoners had clearly learned something I hadn't yet.
Screaming didn't change anything.
Eventually the footsteps faded and the heavy door at the end of the corridor slammed shut again.
The sound echoed for several seconds before everything fell silent.
I slid slowly down the stone wall until I was sitting on the floor again. My back pressed against the damp rock. The cold soaked through my clothes immediately.
My head still hurt. Not as bad as when I first woke up, but every heartbeat throbbed behind my eyes like a drum.
I glanced down at the pathetic meal the guard had shoved into my cell. A small chunk of hard bread and a wooden cup of cloudy water.
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