The doors were shut behind me, Josh on the other side giving me a sarcastic wave through the small window. I returned the gesture with my middle finger. The two guards each stood in front of a door, barely looking at me. They were dressed in black body armor that had the word 'SWAT' colored over, but you could still read the writing.

"So what now?" I asked.

"You find a spot and then sit," said the male guard on the left.

"Until...?" I made a rolling motion with my finger.

"Until we send you back to your cell," said the male guard on the right.

I felt like Alice trying to get information out of Tweedledee and Tweedledum. I laughed and they cast me a sharp look that said, "Don't try anything." This former mental hospital was going to turn me mental. With a sigh, I gave up trying to get anything from the two idiots and turned to face the cafeteria once again. Everyone was dressed in the same white shirt and blue pajama pants as the ones I was currently wearing. Someone caught a sale at mental-patients-attire-R-US. I should stop cracking jokes. I needed to find a way out of here.

My eyes landed on the windows as I scanned my surroundings. I dashed over to them to find bars soldered onto the outside frame. This was starting to look more like a prison, not a hospital. Even if I smashed the glass, the bars would stop me from escaping. The windows on the other side of the room had been outfitted with the same security measures. Except for one of the smaller side windows; it was boarded up.

I could tell we were on the main floor. Green bushes and shrubs reached towards the bottom of the windows like curious fingers wiggling in the light breeze. Toward the back of the cafeteria was the kitchen, also guarded by one lone female guard. This isn't where I'd be escaping from-but I would be escaping.

"A word of advice, don't try anything on your first day," said a guy off to my left. He had been watching me size up the joint from his spot at one of the bolted town, stainless steel tables.

"Maybe I was just admiring the lovely weather," I said.

"No one admires anything here. You had that look in your eye-we all did when we first got locked up." His eyes flashed to the guarded front doors.

I sat across the table from him in an uncomfortable steel chair-also bolted to the ground.

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

"Not a hundred percent sure. I didn't thing to start marking the days until a while into my stay, but I'd say a month and a half," he answered.

His smooth tan skin, black hair and build, made me think he was of Spanish decent. From his sitting position I couldn't gauge his height very well, but there was no way he was over six feet tall, maybe 5 '10. He also looked younger than me by a couple of years. He had to be twenty at most.

"Do you know how long this all has been going on?"

He itched at his cheek. "Not sure. Some of the longer term residents say they've been here for three months."

Well, at least they had long term people.

"I'm Bailey, by the way."

"Leo."

"So, Leo, what can you tell me about this place?" I leaned over the table toward him.

He let out a nervous laugh. "I don't know about any secret air ducts that can be used for a daring escape if that's what you're looking for." His eyes glanced toward the front doors again.

"You looking for someone?" I twisted around to peer at the guards.

"One of the ladies, Rose, was taken for testing today and they haven't brought her back yet."

"How often do they take people?"

"Depends on what they are doing, but sometimes they do multiple tests a day and sometimes they don't need a subject for days."

"What kind of test?" I wasn't sure I wanted an answer.

He licked his lips, then pulled his left arm out from under the table. He stretched it out for me to see all the bite marks and scratches that had healed but left behind scars. It almost looked like he had been burned there were so many.

"A personal favorite of theirs is trying to infect us while taking blood samples before and after."

"Before and after what?"

He gulped. "They bring in a dead-head to bite us." Holy shit.

"So what, they force you into a room with an infected until it bites you?" That's ... horrific.

"Pretty much. Once the infected bites you, they kill it and take your blood to compare. Oddly, they take good care of keeping the wounds from getting infected with regular germs-now."

"Now?"

"Someone died of blood poisoning a while back because they waited too long to treat the wound for the sake of their "study." Since then, they've deduced that they'll run out of subjects soon if they keep letting them die. The people running this place like to pretend they're doctors." He scowled at the last part.

"How many people have died since you've been here?"

"One lady died just a few weeks ago." He looked down at the table uncomfortably. I wondered what had happened to the lady, but I don't think I wanted the answer at the moment. This was all overwhelming enough as it were. "Other than her, around seven people have disappeared-that I've noticed since I've been here."

I jerked my head toward the guards. "You ever see them kill a person?"

"No, they have the guns but they don't use them on us. If someone gets rowdy, they get injected with drugs to calm them down or put in solitary."

"Jesus, this is a prison," I muttered.

"At least we get fed three times a day and are kept safe from the hordes of dead-heads or worse," Leo said.

When someone coughed, drawing my attention away from my questioning of Leo, I gawked around the cafeteria again. There had to be fifteen prisoners-sixteen if you counted the Rose person Leo had talked about. Most were keeping to themselves, a few clusters here and there. Various papers and books were scattered on the tables as well as game boards and there was a small flat screen in the corner surrounded by cushions and non-metal chairs. It was currently playing 12 Monkeys-how fitting.

"So, how did you end up here?" Leo asked, claiming my attention again.

"I was betrayed." I couldn't mask the venom in my words. Ethan had told Wyatt about my scratches. I don't think I could ever forgive him for this. If I live through this, that is. He had sold out his family to some crooked stranger. How could he have been to stupid? I didn't realize I was shaking until the metal table started to wiggle, the bolts loose.

Leo held up his hands. "Woah, sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

I unclenched my vibrating fists. "It's all right. Not your fault."

"Well, I pity the soul who betrayed you. You'll be kicking their ass when you get out of here, right?" Leo shot me a grin. His teeth were perfect-he'd definitely had braces at one point.

"I'll be dumping him, that's for sure." No longer would I have to worry about leaving Hargrove because where I was concerned, Ethan was no longer my problem. But again, I had to get out of here first.

"It was your boyfriend? Damn, that's shitty."

I didn't want to talk-or think about-Ethan's disloyalty anymore. "So where are you from? You don't sound like you're from the south," I asked.

"I'm from New York. I was just down here visiting my grandma when everything went to shit. How about you? You're clearly not from here either."

"Canada. Was here for Mardi Gras with a friend."

"Looks like were both miles away from home."

The guards moved away from the doors as they opened. Leo stood up, his eyes glued to the entrance. When they shoved through a larger-set male, Leo let out a gust of air and plunked back down on the hard chair. The tension in the air was practically visible, like the room had collectively held their breath. Once the man got to his feet and the doors closed behind him, that collect breath was released.

The man turned so I could see his face and I jumped up from my seat like Leo had. "Mac?!"

He stood deathly still before coming over to me, his slipper-clad feet shuffling the whole way.

"Bailey!" He gave me an enormous hug. "I wish I could say it was good to see you, but I wouldn't wish this place on my enemy."

We parted. "What are you doing here? You're not-"

His hand clamped over my mouth. "Shhh!" Then Mac steered me toward the nearest corner with his other hand on my back, away from Leo whose face was scrunched after witnessing our exchange.

"Let's not make that information public," he whispered.

"Why would they think you're immune?" I said back in a hushed voice.

"Did you ever go back to the apartments?" I nodded and he continued, "when the mercenaries attacked us, I bit myself and wrapped the wound quickly, then told them it was from an infected and that I never turned. They spared me." He was looking everywhere but at me. "I'm such a coward."

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Mac, they were armed killers. You did what you had to in order to survive," I said, paraphrasing from the pep talk Darren had given me before.

"Doesn't mean I don't feel guilty. They brought me out through all the carnage. So much blood." He put his head in his hands. I noticed a patch of gauze taped on his forearm. People will go to extreme lengths to stay alive-a fact I knew well.

"How have they not figured out you're not immune yet?" I asked, trying to tear him away from his guilt laced thoughts.

"Aside from Amelia, they aren't the brightest bunch. I've been acting out so they put me in solitary and they don't usually use those in solitary for testing until they're able to handle being among the population. Something about needing healthy minds," Mac answered. "That's why I'm back in here; they're trying to make me a viable test subject again."

I had no idea how to help Mac-or myself. I knew nothing about this place other than what Leo and Josh had told me. Maybe once I got to see the daily routine, I could devise an escape plan. This hospital wasn't escape-proof, but seeing that it was known for being a mental hospital, I was willing to bet the security measures were better than most.

"Don't worry, Mac. We'll be getting out of here. And for the record, I'm really glad you're alive." I cast him a smile, which he returned.

"Thanks, Steve McQueen."

******************************************************

A/N: Hey guys! In celebration of the 3rd book being released, This Would Be Paradise: Book 1 is on sale for 99 cents at every eBook retailer! If you have been waiting for a chance to purchase it, now would be the time.

Also This Would Be Paradise: Book 3 is now available at all retailers for purchase. Imagine, NOT having to wait to find out what happens ;)

If you are unable to purchase a copy, please consider donating a social media post (Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc.) about the This Would Be Paradise series being available. Or even telling some friends/family about it who you think would be interested in buying it. Any little bit helps!

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