By Peter B. and Art Intelli
Chapter Eight: The Test of Hands
The morning came with a shift in the air.
No whistle. No commands.
Just silence.
Peter sat on the edge of his cot, arms limp, legs heavy from the ball and chain still welded to his ankle. The collar remained tight around his neck — by now more a part of him than an intrusion.
Then came Wade’s boots. Slow. Deliberate. Dust-streaked from dawn patrol.
“On your feet, chain boy.”
Peter rose.
Outside, Colt stood next to a second prisoner. Younger. Pale. Dressed like he’d been dragged out of a dorm room and dumped in the desert. His eyes were wide, darting. He trembled at the sight of the twins.