The quiet of the night pressed down on me like a heavy weight. My heart pounded in my chest, and every muscle in my body seemed to lock into place as I watched Lena and the officer disappear down the dimly lit corridor.
A rush of adrenaline flooded my veins, filling me with a sense of urgency but also fear; this was it; the moment when I would decide whether or not to push the limits of everything I knew about the prison, about myself, and about Lena.
I glanced back toward my bunk, the silence in the cell thickening. My stomach twisted in knots, my fingers trembling. I had no plan, no idea what I was about to do. I was about to break every rule, risk everything, and possibly make things worse.
But something in me; something I couldn't quite explain, demanded that I find out what was happening, and why Lena, of all people, was sneaking around in the middle of the night.
I stood still for a moment, weighing my options, every possible consequence rushing through my mind. If I got caught
