Chapter 27 Chapter 27
When you stare at death too long, it leaves an imprint forever
The open fields stretched endlessly before Clara, a wide expanse of muted green broken only by the slow, deliberate movements of inmates scattered across the yard. Some lifted weights welded from scrap metal. Others walked in tight, restless circles like animals pacing invisible cages. A few simply stood still, faces tilted toward the sky as though daring it to answer them.
Clara stood among them but felt nowhere near present.
The wind brushed past her cheeks, cool and clean, carrying the faint scent of iron and disinfectant from the nearby halls. She inhaled deeply, letting it fill her lungs, letting it empty her head.
Her gaze stayed fixed on the horizon where the fence cut into the sky like a scar, It was definitely peaceful out here and quiet too, sometimes predictable. Overall, safe.
“Clara.”
She jolted.
The sound of her name cleared the fog in her mind so sharply that her body reacted before her mind could catch up. Her shoulders tensed, breath hitching as she turned.
Trinity stood a few feet away, hands tucked into the pockets of her uniform, brows drawn together in concern. She looked exactly the same as she always did; alert, grounded, solid and sleepy deprived.
“Oh,” Clara said, then smiled.
It came easily. Too easily.
“Yes?” she asked, her tone light, almost cheerful.
Trinity blinked. The smile unsettled her immediately. It was soft and warm, but it didn’t quite reach Clara’s eyes. They remained distant, glassy, as though she were looking through Trinity instead of at her.
“I’ve been calling your name for a while,” Trinity said slowly “You didn’t hear me?"
Clara tilted her head, considering this as though it were a mildly interesting fact. “Really? I must’ve been lost in thought.”
“In thought...." Trinity repeated. “Are you okay?”
Clara’s smile widened. “I’ve never been better.”
Something twisted in Trinity’s chest.
Clara turned back to the field, eyes following an inmate dragging a tire across the dirt. “You know,” she continued, voice almost dreamy, “I was just thinking how nice it would be to keep working here. Maybe till we're at the age for retirement"
Trinity let out a short laugh before she could stop herself. “That’s funny. You're funny”
Clara glanced at her. “Why?”
“Because even if you didn’t read the fine print, you should know our contract expires in two years. Saint Ridge isn’t a forever thing.”
Clara hummed softly, unbothered. “Two years is not enough time.”
The way she said it made Trinity uneasy.
Trinity studied her more closely now; the relaxed posture, the way her hands hung loosely at her sides, the absence of the usual nervous fidgeting. Clara had always been tense here, always alert. Now she looked… unburdened. Empty.
A sudden thought struck Trinity hard enough to make her stomach drop.
She leaned closer “Have you been drinking?”
Clara laughed lightly “What?”
“Smoking? Pills? Anything?” Trinity pressed. “You know that’s not cool. You know what kind of trouble that could get you in.”
Clara turned fully toward her, still smiling “You worry too much.”
Before Trinity could respond, a shadow fell over them.
Both women stiffened.
Hale stood directly in front of Clara.
He hadn’t made a sound approaching. No footsteps, no warning. He simply was too close, too solid, his presence bending the air around him. His posture relaxed in a way that felt rehearsed.
“Clara,” he said calmly.
Trinity stepped forward instinctively “She’s working.”
Hale ignored her entirely.
“Crawl to me,” he commanded.
The words hit like a slap in the face. Trinity’s eyes widened, this had to be a joke.
Clara’s muscles went rigid. For a split second, something flickered across her face; fear, confusion, a ghost of resistance.
Trinity saw it and grabbed Clara’s arm "What the hell do you think you’re...”
Clara pulled away.
Slowly, deliberately, she lowered herself to the ground.
“Clara,” Trinity hissed "Stop this madness now.”
But Clara was already moving, her knees pressed into the dirt as she crawled forward, head lowered, expression serene. The yard seemed to go silent around them, inmates pausing mid motion, guards watching without intervening.
Hale’s lips curved upward. The feeling of victory bloomed in his chest.
When Clara reached him, he crouched and placed a hand on her head, fingers threading gently through her hair.
“Good girl,” he said warmly then he patted her head.
Something inside Trinity snapped.
She yanked Clara up by the arm, hauling her to her feet with more force than she intended. Clara stumbled but didn’t resist, her expression still placid, eyes unfocused.
“Stay away from her,” Trinity growled, stepping fully between them “Or... Or I’ll kill you.”
The words came out low and deadly and she meant every word.
Hale threw his head back and his frame shook as he laughed.
It was loud, sharp, echoing across the yard in a way that drew even more attention. Then, just as suddenly, he stopped.
His smile vanished.
He leaned in close to Trinity, voice dropping to a whisper that still carried unmistakable menace. “Enjoy the protection Peterson’s shadow brings you,” he said softly “Because the moment you step away from it....even for a minute...you’ll die. Slowly. Painfully. I'll be there to make sure of it”
Trinity’s jaw clenched, but she didn’t back down.
Hale straightened and turned back to Clara.
His expression softened instantly, his eyes warm, affectionate. “You did so well,” he told her. “You’ll be rewarded for being a good girl.”
Clara smiled up at him.
“I love you, master,” she said sweetly.
The words landed like a gunshot, Trinity felt her blood turn to ice.
Hale’s smile widened in satisfaction. Without another glance at Trinity, he turned and walked away, his steps unhurried, confident.
The yard slowly resumed its noise, but the damage had already been done.
Trinity grabbed Clara by the shoulders and forced her to look up. “What did you just say?”
Clara blinked. “What?”
“Don’t play dumb,” Trinity snapped. “What is going on with you?”
Clara frowned slightly, as if genuinely confused by Trinity’s tone. “Why are you yelling?”
Trinity released her and took a step back, breathing hard. She searched Clara’s face for anything familiar; fear, anger, sarcasm but there was nothing.
Only calm obedience.
“You don’t crawl for anyone, You never should." Trinity said quietly. “You don’t talk like that. You don’t..." Her voice cracked despite her effort to keep it steady. “Where have you been?”
Clara tilted her head again, that same distant smile returning.
Trinity swallowed fearing that the inevitable might have happened
“Where have you been these past three days,” she demanded, “and why are you suddenly acting so weird?”