Stone added, “And it’s not like you have a lot to lose by doing it.”

Donny considered this. “Okay. Not that I believe you’re a fed, but what the hell.” His voice sank lower. “Any meal you get, don’t eat the damn carrots, just flush ’em down the toilet and then practice your dumbshit look for the boys with the billy clubs.”

A guard started to move their way and Donny skittered off.

Knox said, “Well, that was informative but not particularly helpful except for the carrots. You believe him?”

“Maybe.” He gazed once more up at the walls. “They designed this place well, Knox. I don’t see many weaknesses.”

“Day gets better and better.”

A horn sounded and the prisoners started shuffling in.

Stone said, “The only way I see—”

The shot hit the cement right next to him, shards of concrete splattering up and slicing Stone and Knox in the lower legs. Both men grabbed at their calves even as another shot hit close to them. These were clearly no dummy bullets.

“Get your hands up!” screamed a tower guard through a bullhorn as the shooter stood next to him, his scope crosshairs dead on Stone’s brain.

They both whipped their hands in the air as the blood trickled down their pants and into their shoes.

“What the hell—?” said Knox.

“Ain’t walking fast enough, boys,” Donny cackled over his shoulder.

“What the hell happened to the dummy bullet for first offense rule?” Knox snapped as they hustled after the group.

“Apparently, that doesn’t apply to us.”

“Yeah,” Knox snarled.

A female nurse came to their cell later. They were stripped, searched and then shackled while she stood and watched surrounded by guards.

Through the open door and into the hallway outside, Stone could see a video camera bolted to the wall. He gauged that whenever a cell extraction was done the camera was perfectly positioned to, at best, capture a nice shot of the guards’ backs while they pounded the crap out of the unseen inmate.

Invisible for sure.

The nurse cleaned their injuries and bandaged them up while the guards made snide comments about sissy wounds.

Neither Stone nor Knox said a word.

However, when the nurse was finished Stone did say, “Thank you, ma’am.”

He was instantly hit in the mouth with a toweled billy club, the blow felling him. “You don’t talk to the lady, asshole,” screamed Manson the one-eyed guard as he leaned down into Stone’s bleeding face.

The nurse smiled graciously at her defender as they headed out.

Knox helped him to his feet. “We’ve got to get out of here, Oliver, or we’re dead.”

“I know. I know,” said Stone as he wiped fresh blood off his face, and then he froze.