The cell never stopped humming.
It wasn't loud, it wasn't obvious. Just a low, constant vibration deep in the concrete, like the whole block was a throat trying not to cough.
Zubair sat on the edge of the narrow bed, his forearms resting on his knees, and his eyes on the opposite wall. From anyone else's angle he looked almost relaxed, his shoulders loose, his spine easy, and his bare feet flat on the floor.
It was only his hands gave him away.
They were constantly flexing. Sure, it was a slow, careful movement, like he was squeezing something's neck he couldn't quite reach.
You are wasting time, the creature inside of him muttered. It was coiled hot behind his ribs, like it was just waiting for an excuse to burst out from inside of him. Rooms like this were not for waiting. They are for breaking.
"Breaking the wrong thing gets Sera killed faster," Zubair answered under his breath.
