Within These Walls

Chapter 4

"Carson!" I rush over to him and fall to my knees beside him. He's flat on his back, his face clear of emotion and his chest still.

No. He can't be dead.

"Idiot," Marcus mutters. "Serves him right for eating something in this place."

His lack of regard burns me. I'm about to reach out and feel for Carson's pulse when his lips twitch.

"Did he just—?"

A laugh erupts from Carson's mouth, cutting off Willow's question. He opens his eyes, sees us looking down with dumbfounded expressions, and begins to laugh uproariously.

"What's wrong with you?" Alec says grumpily.

Carson sits up and grins around at us. "Just wanted to give y'all a break from the testosterone party before someone got hurt."

"You almost gave us heart attacks instead," Willow says.

"It was worth the risk."

I give Carson a hand up. Even with the fear gone, my legs are still limp. "Did you really eat the bread?"

"No way. I've taken food from some questionable people before, but I draw the line at trusting kidnappers." He points at the white clump on the floor next to a box of beans and peas. "I broke off that piece and chucked it over there while y'all were distracted."

"You think this is funny?" Marcus asks in a quiet, frightening voice.

The grin falls from Carson's lips. "S-sorry. Just wanted to loosen up the tension a bit, that's all. Won't happen again."

Marcus flashes him a glare and marches out of the room. Buzzcut follows him like the good lapdog he's turning into.

"You okay?" I ask Carson.

He scratches his collarbone, laughing a little. "I'll be fine. I've run into his type before. Pushing kids like me around. It's nothing new."

"Why did you get involved?" Alec asks.

"Saved you the hassle, didn't it?"

There's a gleam of respect in Alec's eyes. "Guess I owe you one."

I'm impressed with Carson for putting himself on the line to help a stranger out. That takes a lot of courage. The kind of courage I don't have. "We'll have to test our food supply sooner or later. We're going to need it if we'll be in here for more than a day."

"Anyone brave enough to eat what could very well be poisoned food?" Alec asks.

"When you put it like that . . ." Willow says dryly. "Sorry, I'll pass. Carson?"

He lifts his hands and backs away. "Not me. I've reached my danger limit for the day."

"I think I'll pass, too," Alec says.

That leaves me. I decide to turn down the offer without compromising my need to put on a strong front. "Why should we do all the work? Let's give someone else the chance to save the day."

Alec takes one of the bread bags. We return to the cafeteria and find a quarter of the people we left earlier. When Alec asks a nearby girl where everyone went, she says, "Captain found a locked door in the gym. He's still trying to open it."

"Captain?" I ask.

She shrugs. "That's what he told us to call him."

Marcus. Of course.

Willow rolls her eyes. "Let's go see if Captain has had any luck breaking us out of here."

We reach a wide doorway labeled GYMNASIUM. The interior is spacious, with a half-court and bleachers on one side. In one corner is some gym equipment: weights, a dangling heavy bag, and a couple of treadmills. The overhead lights bounce off the gleaming hardwood floor, accentuating the newness of this place.