The Prison Project (by Bethany Donaghy) novel Chapter 36

Margot’s POV

The guard’s hand gripped my arm like a vice, yanking me and Cara inside with a grunt of frustration as the door slammed shut behind us.

“What block are you two in?” he barked hurriedly, already scanning the hallway like a bomb might go off any second.

“Block F!” I answered fast, voice high and tight, not caring that Cara wasn’t in that block but not prepared to leave her after what we had just seen.

I gave her a look to be quiet, as she nodded knowingly, face wet from tears.

My heart was hammering against my ribs like it was trying to crack its way out of my chest, my adrenaline through the roof.

“Move. Stay close.” The guard pushed on.

He didn’t wait for confirmation. Just turned and took off down the corridor at a pace that forced us to jog to keep up with him.

Sirens exploded to life a second later, shrill and echoing down every hallway like some horror movie alarm as we both jumped – clutching on to one another instantly in fright.

Red lights strobed from above us as the guards spilled into view, their shouts bouncing off of the concrete walls, “Return to your blocks! Everyone back to your assigned areas – NOW!”

“I really don’t like this Margot!” Cara gasped from beside me, one arm covering her head like debris might start falling.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

Everywhere we turned, people were moving frantically. Guards yelling. Inmates being herded or restrained or ignored entirely as chaos reigned – girls whimpering.

But all I could think about was Coban. The blood. The crack of bone when that rock hit the other guys head. The flash of metal as the blade swung. The way his body twisted, protecting us even when he was the one under attack…

I didn’t even get to see if he was okay…

But why did I seem to care for him so much? A man who I met last night for the first time? A man who I knew barely anything about other than how dangerous he was…

“Move it!” the guard ahead of us shouted, snapping me back to the moment. He shoved open the Block F doors, barely holding them for us to squeeze through before barking over his shoulder, “Get in your room and stay there!”

He didn’t wait to see if we obeyed either.

“Come on,” I whispered, gripping Cara’s wrist now, dragging her across the familiar common room until we reached it – the last room on the end.

Our room.

Coban’s room.

I fumbled to push open the door, my hands trembling so bad I almost missed it with Cara practically tripping in over the threshold as I slammed it shut behind us – hearing it lock automatically.

I leaned back against it, gasping for air like I’d just finished running a marathon, sweat slicking the back of my neck.

Cara didn’t speak right away. She just stared around blankly at the room – our untouched bed that Coban had surprisingly made that morning, the shared desk, the light shining in from the outside window.

Then suddenly she moved, pacing hard and fast like a caged animal, her hands yanking back through her hair as she shook her head in a panic.

“What the fuck are we doing?!” she snapped. Her voice cracked like something inside her had just shattered. “Why did we sign up for this shit?!”

I didn’t answer. Not right away. My back slowly slid down the door until I hit the carpet with a soft thud, legs folding beneath me. My limbs were still buzzing with adrenaline, my stomach turning in sick spirals.

“Don’t ask me,” I managed after a beat. “You convinced me to come here! We need the money, remember?” I state, reminding her of her own master plan as she groaned.

Cara went quiet for a long second. The silence was almost worse than the screaming outside.

“Do you think they’ll tell us?” she finally whispered. “If something happens to them? Or do they just cover it up and hand us someone new with a fake smile and a clipboard?”

I stared at the door, listening to the distant sounds of sirens and boots and muffled yelling.

Would they tell us?

I had no idea.

Would Coban and Leo just become a distant memory to us? As though it hadn’t even happened at all? It didn’t seem right. It wouldn’t be fair.

–

“We just have to wait here for now, wait and see what happens next. If they say something bad happened, then we just quit.” I shrug, nodding at the idea as Cara squints.

“We can’t go back home…” She suddenly whispers.

Fuck.

She’s right…

Because home to us was far worse than here.