CHAPTER 72
Laney pulled the threadbare blanket more tightly around her, trying to stave off some of the cold. She knew it was a wasted effort. Her teeth continued to chatter and she shivered violently. The flimsy material could not combat the steadily dropping temperature.
She and the men who’d been working the day shift had been brought back to the sleep enclosure only a few minutes ago. They’d been given a cup full of what could only be described as gruel. It seemed to be made of lukewarm water and beef gristle.
Laney was starving, but she only managed to choke down half of it before giving up. The man across from her had stared hard at her cup. She’d handed it to him without a word. He swallowed it down quickly with a nod of thanks. After their two-minute dinner, a guard barked at them to go to bed.
Tom had led Laney to a bedroll and taken the one next to her. First, though, he’d helped his friend Seeley find a spot. The man seemed to be only physically present, as if his mind had escaped elsewhere. In this place, that was probably a blessing.
As Laney curled up on the bedroll, she was sure she would fall asleep as soon as she hit the ground. Her bones practically wept from exhaustion. But she hadn’t counted on how hard the ground would be, or how cold. The bedroll was barely thicker than a bed sheet. It didn’t seem to keep any of the cold from seeping into her.
She had been trying to sleep for thirty minutes now. She was so cold and shivering so hard, it had proven impossible. She'd tried to hold back the tears, but she didn't have the strength to fight that either. She felt weak for crying, and selfish. These men had been here for who knew how long and here she was, crying like a baby, on her first night.
Hearing a rustle behind her, she glanced over her shoulder. Tom had moved his bedroll right beside hers, so that his back was to her back. The man whom she’d given her dinner also moved closer to her, his back now right in front of her. The men sandwiched Laney between them. After a few minutes, the cold tremors subsided. She wasn’t actually warm, but she didn’t fear freezing to death, either.
Laney mumbled her thanks. Neither man heard her. They were already asleep. And a few minutes, so was she.