Page 5 (1/2)

Reilly comes in with a bowl "Grub’s up," he says cheerfully, kicking the door closed behind hi in one of the corners when he enters, so I spot the armed soldiers outside the door as it slides shut Reillyto see me daily for at least teeks, usually twice a day, but they never take chances He always has backup in case I make a break for freedom The soldiers outside couldn’t save hiive hiet more than a couple of steps outside the cell

"What’s on the menu today?" I ask sarcastically

"Laasp

"No, you idiot," he grunts, and hands the bowl to rayhe’s given me every day

"I’m sick of this," I hs, then scratches his head "What difference does itanyway"

"It has no substance," I sniff "I rind it up, and it feels like frogspawn"

Reilly winks "Maybe it is"

He’s never told me what the meat is, just that it’s laced with chemicals that will help me adjust

"What would happen if I refused to eat it?" I ask

Reilly shrugs "You’d go hungry"

"So? It’s not like I’irl, is it?"

"Trust ry The dead feel hunger even worse than the living Makes sense when you think about it If you’re alive and you starve, eventually you die and that’s the end of your suffering But if you’re dead already, the pain goes on and on and on"

"Do you feed the reviveds too?" I ask

"Just eat up, B I don’t have all day"

I know froloop or not I threw it back at him one day, to see how he’d react, if he’d try to force o without

I pick up the spoon at the side of the bowl and dip in It took a while to get the hang of s with the bones sticking out of therip like I did before, by using the reers The bones aren’t as ht they’d be The only thing I can’t do is closeinto ers flat and bend them down until they touch my palms, and that’s al in the world today?" I ask around spoonfuls of the cold, oily, sli?"

"Salibly

"What about the soccer? Do the zoue?"

Reilly laughs "I’d like to see that Undead United!"