Patrick woke long enough to hear the death sentence, then fell into a state between consciousness and unconsciousness. The world was distorted and whole pieces of conversation disappeared in it. He heard Troy snicker that death was a cliché punishment, and mutilation even more unimaginative. He couldn't understand Claudius' answer, but the words were cold and disinterested.
Patrick was only semi-conscious when they carried him through the low tunnel and into the damp dungeon room. The plastic box sat against one moldy wall, near the piece of discarded milky plastic. In the wavery flashlight beam, smears of dirt on the plastic looked like blood. Patrick thought he saw Churo's sister wrapped in it, her chest ripped open and bleeding in the shape of a red heart.
He struggled and made uninte
