Chapter 25 Chapter 25
“Truth Sounds Different When It Hurts"
Truth closed the door behind her and let the silence stretch a moment too long. Clara shifted uneasily, but Trinity didn’t flinch. The camera light blinked in the corner, still recording.
Without warning, Truth stepped forward and switched it off.
The sudden click echoed sharply in the small room.
She turned back to them, folding her arms. “Good. Now we can talk.”
Clara felt her throat tighten. Trinity’s gaze sharpened.
Truth leaned against the table. “Let’s start simple. How were you two recruited? Who reached out? Were you handpicked? Did you answer a hidden government listing? A private recommendation? How exactly did you end up working here?”
Clara inhaled, ready to speak because honestly, what would be the harm in explaining? Rome had interviewed them normally, hadn’t he?
But Trinity stepped slightly in front of her.
Her voice was calm, flat, and final. “We’re not answering that.”
Truth’s brow rose. “Why not?”
“Because it’s confidential,” Trinity replied without hesitation. “And if you want to know how the recruitment works, ask Rome directly. That’s his department.”
A slow smirk tugged at the corner of Truth’s mouth. “Smart girl.” Her tone dipped, colder now. “If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t give away evidence either. Not when people in this place get killed and discarded like trash.”
Clara stiffened. Trinity… didn’t blink.
Then she laughed. “Your mind games won’t work on me. If you’re done, we’ll take our leave"
Truth didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
Didn’t blink.
Something in the silence pressed against them, too heavy to ignore. Clara could feel her heartbeat in her ears.
They turned toward the door, ready to leave....
“Wait.”
Truth’s voice cracked slightly when she said it.
They stopped.
“My sister is missing.”
The words hung in the air, raw and desperate. Clara’s chest tightened instantly, sympathy rising like an instinct she couldn’t stop. But Trinity’s body language stayed rigid.
“I know,” Truth continued, voice trembling with restrained anger, “I know it’s connected to this Penitentiary.”
Clara turned toward her fully, heart twisting.
Trinity didn’t.
“We can’t help you,” Trinity said quietly.
Truth ignored her. “She worked here. She was hired as one of the officers. For the first few weeks, she seemed fine. Then… something changed. She was withdrawn. Tense. Like she was scared to speak.”
Clara swallowed hard.
Truth took a shaky breath. “And then one morning, I woke up and she was gone.No warning. Just a letter saying she was leaving to ‘start over.’ That I shouldn’t look for her.”
Her voice cracked.
Trinity crossed her arms. “Maybe she just wanted to move away.”
“No,” Truth snapped. “She wasn’t like that. My sister is responsible. She doesn’t disappear. And the day before she left....” she swallowed “she called me. Her voice was trembling. She told me to forget her. To never call her again.”
Trinity lifted an eyebrow. “Then maybe you shouldn’t look for her.”
Truth’s composure finally shattered. “Stop letting yourself be used by bad people!”
Both Clara and Trinity startled at the sudden intensity.
Truth stepped forward, voice rising. “People are going missing every day in this place. And you’re standing here acting like it’s nothing! Like you’re safe. You’re not. None of you are. I know the pattern, Trinity. And sooner or later....” she pointed at them “you and Clara will be next.”
Clara felt chills race down her spine.
But Trinity didn’t budge. Didn’t crack. Didn’t even blink.
She simply grabbed Clara’s wrist.
“We’re leaving.”
And she pulled her out of the room without looking back.
The door barely clicked shut behind them before Clara spun around.
“What is wrong with you?” she snapped.
Trinity turned slowly, her eyes already narrowing. “Oh, this should be good.”
“When did you become so hard-hearted?” Clara demanded. “A woman just told you her sister vanished, and you treated her like she was insane!”
Trinity scoffed and tossed her ID badge onto her b. “Clara, our lives are at stake. You don’t get it. We cannot get involved in whatever madness is happening in this place.”
“So the paycheck is all that matters now?” Clara shot back. “Is that it? Did the big salary blind you?”
Trinity stepped forward, eyes blazing now. “It’s not the pay. Stop acting childish. It’s survival. That reporter isn’t here to save anyone. She’s here to drag everyone down with her paranoia.”
Clara shook her head in disbelief. “Giving hints isn’t risking our lives. Trinity, what if we’re the key to finding her sister? What if...."
Trinity burst out laughing.
A sharp, mocking sound.
“You sound stupid,” she said coldly. “Utterly. Stupid. Go outside and touch grass for once, Clara. You’re letting your emotions make you a puppet.”
Clara’s eyes burned. “You’re cruel.”
“I’m realistic.” Trinity jabbed a finger toward the door. “She tried to manipulate us. She used fear, guilt, threats, classic tactics. And while you were already melting like butter, she was recording us with a camera pinned to her chest dummy”
Clara’s breath trembled. “People are really missing, Trinity. You can't deny that fact"
“And we’ll be missing too if we don’t shut the fuck up,” Trinity snapped.
Silence slammed down between them.
Clara stepped back, hurt and frustrated. Trinity turned away, jaw clenched so tight the muscle twitched.
Truth stood alone in the hallway as her crew packed up the heavy equipment. She didn’t join them. She didn’t help. She barely moved.
Her hand trembled as she reached for the tiny camera clasped to her chest before moving to the other one on the middle of the room.
She unlatched the side panel, sliding out the memory flash.
This...this little chip held recordings she hoped would connect dots no one else dared acknowledge.
She slipped it into her pocket.
“Chief, we’re done packing,” one of the crew members said.
Truth nodded but she wasn’t listening.
Her mind was still replaying the fear in Mina’s eyes… Trinity’s coldness… Clara’s wavering sympathy.
Someone in this place knew the truth.
And someone else was terrified to speak it.
As her crew headed toward the exit, Truth’s phone buzzed in her hand.
She glanced at the screen.
Unknown number.
Her heart thudded.
She hesitated just for a breath then answered.
“Hello?”
Static crackled.
Then a voice.
A voice she knew better than her own heartbeat.
“Truth…?”
Truth froze, knees almost buckling.
“Sis?” she whispered.
The line hissed with static while Truth’s entire world tilted.
It her sister, alive, breathing and probably terrified
The call cut abruptly.
Truth stared at the phone, numb. She knew then and there that she had to do something real fast, even though it involved getting her hands dirty. All that mattered to her was getting her sister back, safe and sound.