"How do you expect him to tell you anything if he's half dead?!" Seeing Josiah like this infuriated me. We would never be lovers, but he would always be someone I cared for.
“I won’t tolerate some Walker bitch questioning my methods,” he growled in response.
“Your methods are barbaric!” I screamed back. My outburst seemed to anger him because without warning, Blan backhanded me, and I fell to the floor. My cheek hit the hard concrete, and Josiah's blood covered my dress and face.
"That’s how I like to see my Walkers: cowering at my feet." He smirked as I looked up at him. Blan wiped spit from the corner of his mouth and licked his bottom lip before rearing his fist back once more. I threw my hands up to protect my face from any further assaults just as Cyler stormed forward and punched Blan. The loud crack of bone bounced off the walls of the prison.
Josiah choked out my name in a hoarse voice as he struggled against his chains. "Ash, Ash! Are you okay? Answer me!"
Blan fell, out cold, onto the ground. His cheek was already swelling from the force of Cyler's punch.
I grasped my own cheek and shook away the pounding pain. "I-I'm okay." Cyler bent over and cradled me in his arms. Silent tears streamed down my cheeks as I grasped his shirt. Although everything hurt, I was more worried for him. Cavil would surely punish us for hurting one of his men.
Josiah leaned against the brick wall in relief once he realized I was okay. "The second I get out of here, I'm killing him," Josiah said
"Get in line, Stonewell," Cy replied.
"Is anyone else listening in?" Jo asked.
Cyler gently let go of me, surveying the room before walking away to check outside. Josiah coughed up more blood, and I itched to search Blan's body for the keys to Josiah's chains, but the fetter on my wrist stopped me.
"This is a fucking hell hole, why are you even here?" Josiah asked. "Cavil is crazier than Lackley." Josiah coughed up more blood, and I crawled over towards him. With light fingers, I touched his face and he winced at the contact. Blan let out an unconscious moan.
"You can’t trust anyone," Josiah explained with a hiss. Cyler stomped loudly back into the room. I shook my head in confusion.
"Lackley thinks he’s doing right by the world. He thinks he’s preserving the human race. He thinks he’s just weeding out the unworthy." Josiah coughed. "But Cavil? He’s deranged. He enjoys the pain and gore."
"Tell us something we don’t know," Cyler said sarcastically.
"None of the remaining scientists are alive. Lackley killed them ages ago, it's why he needed Maverick," Josiah explained. I wiped my blood-stained hands on my dress. “Cavil wants the names of the scientists. Once he finds out they’re dead, he’ll kill me. I’m only here because they think I have information they want. Not to mention...” Josiah trailed off.
"Tallis and Mia are supposed to be in Galla talking to your mother. We were hoping that she'd gather the Galla army to rescue her son so we can escape," Cyler said, ignoring Josiah’s cryptic comment.
Josiah let out a sad chuckle. "She doesn’t care about me. Linda Stonewell is all power and politics. You know she's the one that got me involved with Lackley? She told me that he would be a good mentor. I didn’t realize she was fucking him in secret."
"Lackley and Linda?” I asked, in shock. Lackley visited a few times, but I never suspected something other than obligatory politeness was going on between them. “What are we going to do?" My voice wavered as I watched Josiah wince.
Cyler punched the wall again just as Blan groaned and moved. While shaking the sting out of his fist, he continued to pace. Each stomp seemed to pound against the concrete floor.
"Do you think you can survive a bit longer?" I asked Josiah. He looked rough, but he needed to pretend he had information for Cavil for just a little longer if he wanted to live.
"I'm hoping to die first," Josiah said dramatically.
Cyler scoffed. "You're not going to die. As long as they think you have the information they want, they'll keep you here," he grumbled.
"Wait," I began. "We need to hint that Josiah knows more. Jo, you need to bargain with them. Send them on a wild goose chase. It could buy us time," I said eagerly as Blan moaned and tried crawling to a standing position. His