Lock Down (Supernatural Prison Trilogy Book 1)

by Aella Black

  The worst part? There was no clock.

  I had no clue how long I’d spent in this five-by-ten space, prowling around like a caged tiger. There was a small cot pushed against the wall and a little toilet out in the open, but that was it.

  I felt grateful to be alive, though. It might have been false hope, but it made me think this meant my friends were still alive, too. I wished I could say the same for Oscar.

  I was no forensic detective, but no one could have survived a gunshot to the chest like that. Why did Wolf do it? I understood wanting to get away, but he didn’t need to kill Oscar to make that happen.

  Our group would have never killed a guard to ensure our freedom. Not that we’d discussed it. We didn’t have to. It was cold-blooded and senseless and reeked of everything the SCC was and we were not.

  I just wished I knew what they planned to do with us. Hours of near darkness, my thoughts the only thing to keep me company, and that was all I could think about. Well, that and Oscar, but I tried not to think about him lying on the garage floor, his life bleeding out of him. When I thought about it, I wanted to punch something, but these concrete walls didn’t look very forgiving. I didn’t have super strength, and I certainly didn’t have super healing.

  Though, I supposed, in some ways I kind of did.

  A sniffling sound yanked me out of the time I’d spent in my own head. I looked all around like someone would suddenly appear through one of the four concrete walls. Then I realized the sound actually was in my head.

  “Uh, guys?”

  I never thought I’d be so happy to hear the sound of Cathy’s voice. I wonder if everyone else felt the same way. It was a power that couldn’t be contained by any form of imprisonment, and I’d have traded her in a heartbeat for that ability right now.

  There was a pause, during which time I was sure Cathy had forgotten we couldn’t answer her. Then she sniffed again and said, “Thought you’d want to know. A bunch of guards just marched past my cell. They had Wolf. And Ghost, Zapper, Dizzy. And Woody.” A pause. “Why? Why did he do that to us? It’s his fault they killed Oscar!”

  The sound of her crying reverberated through my head like a sorrowful symphony. There were many notes, but it was the same sad song.

  I felt guilty. Here, I’d been thinking about Oscar without once considering how devastated Cathy would be. If I could break through these walls to go give her a hug, I would. But instead, I listened to her cries and honored Oscar’s life and sacrifice with my silence. There was nothing to say and no one to say it to, anyhow.

  After a while, my thoughts shifted to the one who’d orchestrated Oscar’s demise. Okay, that wasn’t entirely true, but it felt like it right now.

  The more I thought about Woody’s betrayal, the more it made sense. He’d reacted to Xander’s return so severely that Wolf was bound to have noticed. He could have approached Woody, got into his head, and convinced him to spill our plans in exchange for being a member of the Wolf Pack.

  What I was having a harder time coming to grips with was the fact that I was equally responsible. I had no need for a mirror in this cell, because I wouldn’t have been able to look at myself anyway.

  It wasn’t arrogance—and it certainly wasn’t a stretch—to assume I was a key factor in Woody’s betrayal. It had been obvious since the day Xander arrived that Woody didn’t like him, and it hadn’t helped that I did.

  My buddy Sun Tzu never warned me what to do if someone on my team was crushing on me and I didn’t share their feelings. That particular piece of advice would have come in handy.

  And though I probably could have handled things better, I knew, deep down, I wasn’t to blame. But I couldn’t help it. We were supposed to be out of here by now. And Oscar. I blamed myself for him, too. He’d put down his gun to let me go free and Wolf had shot him with it.

  My thoughts—and accusations—would have continued cycling round and round, but an ear-splitting siren interrupted them.

  My hands flew to the sides of my head. Cathy’s voice rose above all the racket.

  “What is that? Is someone else trying to break out?” A pause, then a frustrated, “I hate this stupid power! I hate having one-way conversations every day! And I hate this room, too!”

  Blessedly, Cathy’s anger had overtaken her grief for the moment, because I wasn’t sure I could handle her cries on top of the shrill alarm.

  And my questions. They were loud enough all on their own.

  Was someone else trying to escape? That didn’t make sense. They hadn’t sounded an alarm when we tried to leave.

  Maybe… But no, it couldn’t be. Could someone be trying to break in? If so, that siren was the equivalent of a beacon of light in the near-dark.

  Although if we didn’t make it to find help—and Wolf’s pack obviously didn’t—then who did? It was possible someone took advantage of our attempt to make their own escape. But would they have gone straight to the authorities? And if they were raiding this place, would they think to look down here?

  Just like when I arrived here, I had too many questions and not enough answers. And then, as if someone, somewhere, had heard that exact thought, the very person with whom I spoke after my arrival appeared at my door.

  The sirens cut off as if declaring the warden’s presence. “I’m disappointed in you, Phoebe,” Warden Will clucked, shaking his head. As if I were a misbehaving child. “You’ll wish you hadn’t done that.” Then, pausing, he added with a wave of his hand, “This was nothing compared to what’s coming.”

  It was hard to see in the dim light, but he looked concerned—very concerned.

  I swallowed. “What’ll happen to us?”

  Another pause. “Nothing yet.”

  I hated his vague non-answers. Hated them. But I knew from experience, demanding a response led nowhere fast. So I asked a question he might be inclined to answer. “What’s happening? Why the sirens?”

  Since the cavalry hadn’t appeared to swoop us all off to safety, I assumed we weren’t going anywhere. My ears still ringing, I waited for a response.

  Just when I thought he wouldn’t answer, miraculously, he did. “The Missouri flooded. The water is headed for Leavenworth. We are currently evacuating all inmates to Lansing.”

  “Lansing?” My mind raced. From what little I knew, we did not want to go there. But wasn’t that preferable to death? Then, something occurred to me. “You know Wolf killed Oscar, right? He shot him. We all saw, no matter what they try to tell you. Is he going to Lansing, too?”

  Warden Will’s expression turned grim. “Wolf will not be taken to Lansing, no. You don’t have to worry about him anymore.” Yet another pause. I really wished he’d just spit it out. I couldn’t take any more suspense. “The warden, however…” He raked a distressed hand through his hair. A sheen of sweat shone on his face. “You’re in for some rough times, Phoebe. I really wish I could have kept you here.”

  His words speared fear through me. “It’s that bad?”

  “Worse than you can imagine.”

  After the warden left, I attempted to doze on the piece of material that passed for a cot. It was no use. I kept imagining flood waters pouring into the basement where we were all trapped, filling our cells until our lungs filled with fluid. Drowning was a new, horrible way to die I’d never considered. In fact, other than worries of succumbing to cancer, I’d never really thought of the many, varied ways to die. Who knew there were so many?

  They didn’t seem to be in that big of a hurry to get us out of here. A sliver of fear crept in that they’d already taken everyone and left, forgetting we were here, leaving us behind to suffer through the flood. Or starve to death, if that didn’t pan out. I was trying to decide if screaming at the top of my lungs would help when Cathy’s voice entered my head again.

  “They’ve taken Wolf. He put up a fight.” Of course he did. Wait. What about everyone else? “Sounded scared. Wonder what they’re going to do to him.”

  Cathy didn’t know about the ev
acuation. If so, I was sure we’d have all heard her freaking out about it by now. What I wasn’t sure was why Warden Will told me. For some reason I couldn’t explain, his visit seemed personal. Plus, the warden had said Wolf wasn’t going to Lansing.

  I swallowed thickly. Then I shook my head, though no one could see.

  No. Wolf killed Oscar. He deserved whatever punishment he got.

  But no matter how many times I told myself that, I’d stared death in the face, known the all-consuming fear that my brain would cease to function and my heart would no longer beat.

  Evidently, “I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy” really was true.

  34

  Guards unlocked my cell and cuffed me. My heart beat wildly against my chest. Had Warden Will just been trying to scare me? How bad could Lansing be?

  When we hit the hallway, I spotted Birdie in front of me, shoulders hunched, the hulking guard next to her utterly unnecessary. Poor girl. I couldn’t imagine how terrifying it must have been alone in that tiny room, fear and loss her only companions. She’d been fond of Oscar, too.

  We were led up the stairs, through a hall, and into the garage—the same garage we had so desperately tried to escape. A large van’s back doors were open. I watched as they hoisted Birdie inside, making her sit on one of two long bench seats. They pushed me in after her.

  She gasped, and I looked behind me to what she’d seen but it turned out what she’d seen was me. “Phoebe, your nose!”

  Confused, I reached up and touched my nose. Ow. I’d almost forgotten the elbow to the face I took when trying to get the keys. That guard outside must have really done a number on me. So much for my super healing.

  “I’m okay.” Leaning into her, I asked, “Are you okay?”

  She trembled but nodded. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out,” she whispered.

  I wished I could give her a hug. “It wasn’t your fault,” I assured her. “You did your part perfectly. Those birds were incredible.”

  Xander appeared, and when he climbed in, his eyes instantly sought me out. I watched him struggle against his cuffs, and then he was pushed from behind to the seat next to me. “Phoebe, your nose…”

  I didn’t have a response to that. It hurt, yeah, but others were worse off. Namely, Oscar.

  Next in the van were Tex, Cal, and Cathy, followed by Rocky pulling up the rear. She looked like a feral cat. I winced, hating that I let her down when she’d believed in me enough to join our rag-tag little renegade group.

  No Woody. No Wolf Pack. Probably for the best. I wasn’t certain how Xander’s cuffs were holding his hands together, but I had a feeling an appearance by any of them and he’d find a way to break free.

  Especially if it was Woody.

  Once we were all loaded, the van doors slammed behind us. We sat in silence, tension so thick I was almost choking on it.

  The van started and pulled forward. A few minutes later, Xander finally spoke. “We took on Leavenworth,” he said. “We can handle Lansing until we figure a way out.”

  I wished I felt as confident as he sounded. The fact was, we were currently being transported to another prison, this one filled with supernaturals so dangerous even Wolf hadn’t made the cut. That meant even tighter security. Chances of escaping Lansing were slim to none.

  “It was a good effort, y’all,” Tex said, “a good effort.”

  “But not enough,” Rocky snapped. “If I ever see Woody again, he’ll wish he was never born.”

  “Yeah, man. Did not see that coming,” Cal said.

  Rocky, who apparently had been plotting Woody’s death during solitary, continued, “If he hadn’t gone all Benedict Arnold on us, we’d be halfway to Alaska by now.”

  “Why’d he do it?” Birdie asked quietly. “I thought he was our friend.”

  “Guess Wolf got to him,” Xander said.

  I swallowed hard, my muscles tense. Had I told them what happened between me and Woody, maybe they would have seen what I didn’t. Woody’s wrath had become his weakness. That, in turn, made him our weakness. Maybe then none of this would have happened.

  I hung my head, the weight too heavy for me to hold up any longer. “He did it because of me.”

  Silence. Then, “What?” Next to me, Xander had shifted his body, and I knew he was looking at me. Wondering. Waiting. He deserved to know. They all did.

  I inhaled a deep breath and let it out, and then I faced my friends. “Yesterday, in The Quad, Woody…” Why was this so hard to say? “He told me liked me. As in, not just a friend.” I felt Xander tense next to me. “I tried to be nice about it, but I told him I wasn’t interested. I knew he was angry, and I should have told you guys. I know it doesn’t mean much now…” I looked around the van at each one of them in turn. “But I’m sorry.”

  My eyes landed on Rocky, whose jaw visibly clenched. It wasn’t anger I saw in her eyes though, rather disappointment. That was way worse.

  “This is not on you, Phoenix.”

  Tex. Dependable, lovable Tex. “It kind of is, but thank you anyway.”

  “Nah, dude, that was personal. So you don’t want to tell everybody your business?” His eyes flicked over at Cathy. “No biggie.”

  “It is when it affects you guys. Which it did—obviously.”

  Cathy spoke up. “I wish you’d told us, but I understand why you didn’t.” Her eyes filled, and I wished the van floor would just open up and put me out of my misery. “Woody made his own decisions. Not your fault he couldn’t handle rejection.”

  Birdie lay her head on my shoulder. It meant more than any words could say.

  We settled into silence, and within minutes, Birdie’s soft snores sounded in my ear. This was all too much for anyone, let alone someone her age. I felt conflicted. I hoped she wasn’t scarred for life, but I also hoped she had a life to scar.

  The van rumbled on, and in the near silence, I heard a whisper. “You should have told me.”

  I nodded, not wanting to wake Birdie. Not needing to say aloud what Xander already knew.

  More minutes passed, and I tried looking out the opposite window. It was too dark. What were the point of windows if they were tinted so no one could see out?

  Just outside this vehicle, there were thousands of people living their everyday lives, completely unaware that a van loaded with supernaturals sped past them. It was infuriating. We were so close to help, yet we had no way of letting anyone know we were here.

  It wasn’t a long drive. We slowed, then stopped, then slowed again a few times. Our driver woke up Birdie when he punched in a gate code. When the van pulled forward again, I felt my stomach drop like a stone.

  This was it. We were inside. Would we ever make it back out?

  The van came to a stop again, and then the engine was cut.

  Then, nothing.

  “Well, here’s some good news,” Xander said, shattering the silence with his sunny-side-up outlook on life. I hoped his dose of positivity meant he wasn’t too angry with me. “Warden Will isn’t all bad. If the entire population of Leavenworth is getting transferred to Lansing, maybe he’ll be there to help us out a little. He’d be in charge of us while the other warden is in charge of the dangerous ones, right?”

  It seemed like a rhetorical question, so I didn’t respond. I didn’t want to be the one to shred that little bit of hope he’d just provided. The warden hadn’t actually said he wasn’t going, but based on the brief chat we’d had before we left, I didn’t think so.

  Tex sighed. “Once we arrive, there’s no guarantee they’ll keep us together. That we’ll even see each other.” My stomach flipped. I hadn’t considered the possibility of being separated. “So in case I don’t see y’all, just know that Leavenworth wouldn’t have been the same without you.”

  “Same,” Cathy said. “Without you guys, I wouldn’t have had anyone to talk to,” Cathy said.

  “Oh, you’d have found someone,” Cal teased, bringing some much-needed levity to the moment. “And yeah, y
’all are some cool dudes.” He looked at Tex and smiled just a little. I hoped their friendship would outlast Leavenworth.

  Rocky snorted. “You guys are nauseating.”

  “We love you, too, Rocky,” Tex said.

  There were some soft chuckles. But the banter did nothing to chase away the fear.

  The back of the van was wrenched open. I didn’t recognize any of the guards who commanded us to get out. Whether that was good or bad remained to be seen.

  Stepping out into darkness—I guess we’d been in solitary longer than I thought—the pitch black, stormy night felt particularly appropriate for the situation. I looked up. The building that towered over us was several stories high with bricks so decrepit I’d have sworn it was built in the Middle Ages. It was like something out of a horror movie.

  As we were led toward the entrance, I remembered reading that they’d performed hangings here back in the day. Followed by the electric chair. Followed by lethal injections.

  People had died here. Lots of them.

  More might be dying here now.

  A shiver rippled through me.

  Guards waited for as at the doors. A voice behind us called out, “Where do you want them?”

  “We’ve got ‘em!” one of the door guards called out.

  The other one gave us a surly look. “We’re taking you lot to meet the warden.” My throat went dry. We were about to meet the person Warden Will had warned me about—the one that made him break into a sweat. “The others are already waiting. Troublemakers,” he added under his breath and then turned to open the door.

  Great. As if things weren’t bad enough, it appeared our reputations preceded us. We’d been branded with a label that could only cause problems for us in our immediate future.

  We needed help. “Where’s Warden Will?” I asked as I passed the guard.