“Color me confused, Barb.”
“I’m going to nab one and throw it in there. Tell ‘em that only one person is making it out of there alive.”
“Oh shit,” I breathed. “That’s diabolical.” The wheels in my mind started turning in overdrive. “He’ll choose to save himself.”
“Without a doubt. It’s the woman I’m interested in.” Barb pulled a manilla file folder from a slim, built in counter and cabinets at her side. “Natalie Crawford; twenty-one years of age. Abuse and neglect evident in the home as a minor. Life patterns so far indicate low self-worth but an innate drive to survive despite it.”
A stone dropped in my stomach, and saliva filled my mouth from the vomit brewing where it fell. Natalie…
She was me.
Flashbacks of my human life were a ringing assault in my ears. The memory of the absolute overwhelm of hatred I’d felt for myself came back ten fold like a sucker punch to the face. Every day was a battle between life or death. I felt too worthless to live, but was terrified of what would come next. Was there an afterlife? Would I be welcomed to sanctuary or doomed to the same torture for eternity?
That fear kept me fighting. I’d been so poor at it, though. It had been a pitiful attempt at life.
“That’s,” I whispered, trailing off as I scrambled to form a thought. Literally, any thought besides the parallel to my human life would be great. Jesus took that moment to clean his asshole. It wasn’t the distraction I was looking for, but I was thoroughly grossed the fuck out. “Nasty ass,” I whispered shakily in his direction.
“I’m interested to see whether or not she deems her life worthy over a child’s.”
“Jesus and Judas you’re sick,” I whispered.
Something shifted. Self-preservation versus innocence sounded simple until my brain offered a different pairing: not a child—a before.Before the deal. Before the rot. I didn’t love that my head went there on its own.
“Evolution provides a millenia worth of research material.” Barb scratched her chin again and added, Even angels and demons cannot be spared from psychology,” like an afterthought.
The line landed and my pulse ticked up for no good reason. Not my situation, not my choice, and yet something in me answered like it recognized her intentions. I filed that away and kept watching.
“The human race is truly lucky to have you, Barb. So, why the man? What is he in all of this?”
“I’m happy you asked. I’ve been feeding him about three thousand calories a day; a thousand per meal with every essential nutritional value present. Her, though, I’ve fed about fifteen hundred daily; half in the morning, half in the evening. For a while he shared, but thatgenerosityonly went so far once itbecame clear they weren’t getting out of there. In phase three, I’ll insert a small key into one of his meals. He swallows it.”
“She’s withering away and his biggest trial is going to be shitting out a small key?’
“Certainly not,” she smiled and it was the most barbaric shit I’d ever seen. “The child will be introduced into the room and I’ll provide instructions for the end game–only one person will make it out alive. The key in his stomach will unlock any of the ankle cuffs.”
“Well that’s stupid. They’ll just wait for him to take a dump in the corner.”
“They won’t be given that choice.”
“Oh yeah? What are you gonna do? Go in there and threaten them with your walker?”
“After I beat your ass with it, yes.”
“Pfft, yeah. Jesus would smite you.”
“God did the smiting, Dany.”
“What the fuck ever Bible police. Get to the point.”
“The point has been made. I set the scenario and take notes as to how the experiment ends. I suspect that even though she’s suffering from exhaustion and malnutrition, her adrenaline stores will aid her in overpowering the man. Whether or not she kills the child, though, is what I’m waiting to see.”
“What’s the prize?”
“I’ve laced their meals with cyanide. I’ll tell them there’s an antidote for whoever makes it out.”
“Barb,” I said with narrowed eyes. “There’s no antidote for cyanide.”
“I know.” Barb was too old to realize she’d just dropped the evil-mastermind mic.
