Two Alive, стр. 42
It made the office feel even smaller, almost isolated, with monsters so loud outside the store it felt like they surrounded the ten by twelve-foot room. The first day, Carver had the windows outside the office covered with newspapers so the brothers couldn’t look out into the security room. However, it also worked for the boys because no one could peer into the office and watch the brothers when they started searching the room.
The calendars and posters on the wall were evidence that whoever once worked in this office was organized and kept track of everything on multiple notes and different agendas. Planners were stacked on the desk and papers were scattered on the floor where Miles had knocked them over when he was checking the drawers. Nothing in the desk other than sticky notes and a few pens and paper clips. Antonio took the pens earlier and was eager to use them as stabbing weapons if the right opportunity presented itself. A water cooler was against the wall adjacent to the door but the five-gallon jug had long since been taken. The florescent lights above them didn’t work when you flipped the switch the wall during the day, but at night the brothers could turn them on and they were dim like the bulbs were burning out.
“We should just get rid of that hive outside for them and they’ll give us some food. If we do that for them they’ll give us food. They said they would.” Miles’ lip was still hanging out as he talked to his brother.
Antonio had his ear pressed against the door and put up a hand to quiet his younger brother. “I think I… I thought I heard ‘em say somethin’. I think they gon come in here.” He backed away from the door and went to get two pens from the office desk. He held them in a reverse grip as though they were knives. He saw the expression on Miles’ face and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. “They ain’t gon give us no food. They ain’t gon tell us to take care of them strikers outside. They don’t even know what to do. They gon try and kill us. Watch.”
Miles sighed and got down, kneeling on the floor. Antonio rolled his eyes again, more exaggerated this time and went to take a knee near his brother.
Then Miles started, “Lord God… thank you for…waking us up. Thank you for keeping us alive through yesterday and… and hopefully today these people will let us go and give us some food. We wanna go back to the hideaway so, help these people let us go. And bless them to stay alive too I guess… God. Help us through one more--”
The office door came open and interrupted the boy’s prayer. Antonio and Miles both stood to their feet as Ben came in with Burrows, toting his pump action twelve-gauge shotgun. Antonio and Burrows locked eyes and the soldier raised his weapon, cautious from previous encounters with the child. Antonio dropped the pens in his hands and raised his empty palms. Then Lesly entered and covered her nose when the smell of the office hit her. After two days of being locked in this small room and the boys still doing their workouts, it didn’t take long for the small space to grow funky with the brothers’ odor. Not to mention the bucket that the boys were given to do their “business” was in the far corner and was almost full. To put it bluntly, the room stank, but Miles and Antonio hadn’t noticed.
Lesly turned her head when she saw the boys wearing only boxers and fought the urge to gag when the smell of the room hit her. “Oh my god.” She whined, trying not to gag.
“It stank in here huh?” Antonio said with a sly smile. “It’s probably cuz y’all don’t let us out of here and it’s hella hot.”
“I get it.” Ben wanted to cover his nose too but also didn’t want to offend the boys.
“Damn. Stinks to high heaven in here.” Burrows wasn’t as courteous.
“I convinced the major to let us take your clothes and wash them and to give you two a shower.” Ben gave them a soft smile.
“Yeah! We gotta wash our clothes.” Miles added, “We don’t got nothin’ to wear. We gotta do laundry.” He pointed at the pile of clothes that the brothers made in the corner, “Those clothes stink. We gotta do laundry.”
“Is that everything you want to clean?” Lesly pinched her nose with one hand.
Miles and Antonio, without hesitation, both took off their underwear and were standing naked as they held out their undergarments. Lesly was floored and turned away again. Burrows was surprised, just like Ben, but both the men just avoided eye contact with the boys as they all stood in the awkward predicament.
“Uh, ok.” Ben chuckled.
“You can just put those with your other clothes.” Burrows shook his head and tried not to laugh. He was a large man with a spotty beard framing the square jawline of his pale face.
“Could you put all that in a bag, Nathan?” Lesly shook out a garbage bag and held it out, still holding her nose.
“What? I just came to make sure they didn’t attack y’all. I ain’t the cleanin’ lady.” Nathan Burrows complained but still took the bag and went to gather the clothes in the far corner.
“Lesly, could you go get some towels for them.” Before Ben could finish the sentence, Lesly was already rushing out, eager to escape the reeking room.
“I’m hungry. When y’all gon feed us?” Antonio griped.
“Yeah, I’m hungry. I’m so hungry.”