Page 21 of Bishop

"Gabi?" She calls for me, and I rush to get up by her head.

"Yes, sweetheart, I'm here. It's okay now. It's all over."

"Tell me... tell me about outside. I forgot." She croaks, her eyes fluttering closed as tears slide down her cheeks.

"Oh, well, where I'm from, there are so many trees. Tall evergreens and oaks. The birds sing every morning, even in the blistering cold. Animals rummage through the forest for food and just to have fun. There's one little deer that comes into my backyard every day. She's chestnut brown and has two spots on either side of her eyes. She looks like a little raccoon to me. It took me a long while to figure out that it was her stealing from my vegetable garden."

Willa lets out a soft chuckle, so I continue.

"That's nothing compared to the family of squirrels that live on my roof. I don't know how they got up there or what they're doing, but I hear them every morning when I wake up. It's like they know I'm going to get ready for the day. I bring out seeds for them. Every morning, like clockwork." A soft smile pushes up my lips as I think back on my home life. How I wish I'd get to see them again. Just the little idiosyncrasies that I took for granted before. I used to hate the squirrels on my roof; they'd run around super early in the morning. Now I'd give anything just to see them running back and forth on the ledge all day.

"What about the people?" Willa asks, her words slurring.

"Oh, everyone is so nice where I live. When I first moved there, I was surprised. I wasn't used to people waving hi to me as I walked down the street."

"Good people." Willa whispers.

"Yes, there are good people. They're everywhere. You'll get to see some good people soon. Soon you won't have to worry about any of this. Soon you'll be free."

That's the last thing I say to her. A promise that she's going somewhere better. I'm not omnipotent. I can't be sure but as she dies in my arms all I can do is pray that I'm right.

Fourteen

Bishop

Willa's death destroyed us all.

The guards wouldn't even come in to pick up her body. We wrapped her in whatever we had, with her unborn child, and laid her to rest in the far corner. It was the best that we could do.

Last night, I woke up to see Gabrielle sitting next to Willa's body, crying. I didn't have it in me to bring her back to lay down. There's nothing more that I can say to her. Nothing that I believe. That small kernel of hope I had before is quickly diminishing. Part of me just wants it all to be over.

This morning, the girls sit against the wall, just staring off into space. All of us are trying to ignore the horrible stench coming from Willa's body. What's the point of complaining about it? Nothing is going to be done.

The medication Gabi and the girls put on my back has begun to work. I'm still in pain, but it's not as severe as it was yesterday. I feel like I'm losing my mind. I want to scream. I want to punch the walls, but I won't do that to Gabrielle or the other women. Right now, they need me to be solid. Just from the look in their eyes, I can tell that I'm the last bit of strength any of them have.

The guards slid some food in earlier, and as much as I tried, I couldn't get any of the ladies to eat or drink. They're giving up. I know the feeling.

Just as my eyes begin to drift closed, I hear the sound of the lock on the door sliding open.

"Not again," I whisper more to myself than anyone else. I feel so defeated.

The guard walks in and instantly puts his hand up to his nose. "What the fuck? No one has come for her yet?" He shakes his head and walks in my direction. It's only one guard. That's strange. Usually, it takes, at minimum, three guards to get me out of this cell. Maybe they've figured out that I don't have much fight left in me. Maybe they've figured out that I'm on my last legs.

"Come on, Bishop, Liam wants you." The guard gestures for me to get up.

There's no thought of me fighting back. I know it'll be useless. Still, it's strange that only one guard is here. I stand slowly and walk in front of the guard, looking over my shoulder once just to make sure the girls are okay. They look up at me, but no one says anything.

The guard puts a hand on my back, and I flinch away at the pain.

"Shit, my bad." The guard readjusts his hand and lays it on my shoulder.

The walk towards Liam's torture room isn't very long, but on my way there, I can see how much everything has changed. A few days ago, the hallway was lined with guards. Now it's all but barren. There's trash accumulated in the corners, and somehow it looks as if it's dirtier than usual. I focus my senses the best I can, but I don't hear anything. Usually, I'd be able to hear the guards talking among themselves somewhere nearby, but not now.

The guard behind me huffs impatiently as we get to the door of Liam's room. He pushes open the door without knocking first.

"It's not my problem. I have other business to attend to," Shade hisses in Liam's direction.

"That's bullshit. We had an agreement," Liam barks back.