Carry Each other. Day 20 part 1

 It was dawn, the moment when the lights began to slowly illuminate the room, some of the group had picked up on that Cipher had gotten into the habit of slowly turning on the lights, simulating a sunrise. The group had moved to the far wall away from the large fallen weights and metal beds after their torture of Day 19 had ended. In the hours that they slept and rested, while the lights were out everything had been cleared away under the cover of darkness. Once the entirety of the group had awoken they moved to the center and waited for the monitor and for Cipher to release number 19. 

Jessica Sherwood, a child therapist had been trying to analyze her time in the room as she would any bad environment that a child patient of hers had been a part of, but could not wrap her mind around such a task. This time here was horrible, but she knew kids who had been through horrible situations and she watched them grow. She watched them forgive and reach out to bullies who had hurt them; she saw compassion in a face that the previous weeks were stained with tears. She knew she would take this experience and grow from it in some way. She clutched her number 20 tag and rocked in place, a habit she wasn't sure if she had picked up from her kids or if it was just the natural thing we all do to find a happy place in our minds. Rock back and forth to remind us of those times we were swaddled in our favorite blanket and held so close and protected, we were innocent, we felt safe, and we were happy. Cipher called out her number and she stopped rocking and began to cry, she was scared she'd never feel safe again, but she would leave and she would try.

"Good morning all." Cipher stayed on the monitor and the group reluctantly listened awaiting to hear what the torture of day 20 would bring. "I have a proposition for three of you, Dalton step forward, Scott step forward and Anne step forward." the three did, Dalton and Anne looked back to Liz and Jim concerned what their fate might be, they didn't want to be like the others who ended up flat on the beds yesterday. "I have a proposition for each of you, I do not plan on doing you any harm, I will not hurt you, and so rest assured this is not like yesterday." The three stood their, still not relieved and waited for the second part of Ciphers so called offer. One of the other three doors opened and everyone turned to see what would come out. "Scott, if you want to hear my offer. Enter that room." Almost without hesitation Scott goes to the room and the door closes behind him. "Dalton..."Cipher pauses and another door opens, Dalton paces back and forth and he to begins rocking as he does, he clenches his fists and goes to the room, the door closes behind him.”And finally, since I'm and equal opportunist, Anne..." A third door opens.

"Go to Hell." Anne turns her back on the monitor.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, go to Hell, I want nothing from you, I have my number, I'll wait my turn, so unless Ross and Daniel are in that room and the thing you need me to do is help them come in here you can go shove it." Anne she walks over and stands with Liz.

"Whoooo, you are a fire cracker. I like that and apparently you're psychic." Everyone just looks around, Cipher as well waiting for some sort of acknowledgement. "Really, you don't get that one? You're psychic, as in you guessed it.....nothing." he sighs. "Wow, okay I'll spell it out, Ross and Daniel are in the room and you should go help them out."

"Yeah right, like I said, go to Hell."

"Okay fine. P90s." out from the last room two bodies come falling through the door way as if two drunks were being tossed out of a bar, Ross and Daniel hit the floor.  "If you people don't want them, I'll put them back, that's fine."

A massive amount of the group run over, Liz and Anne leading the pack as they get to them and begins to lift them off the floor. Anne gets Ross to his feet; he is bruised and appears to be slightly out of it. "I thought you were dead." Anne holds his face and looks into his eyes.

"But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? What's happened to the world? - Gandalf, Lord of the Rings, priceless stuff." he smirks

"You're priceless, he looks like hell and he's quoting Tolkien." Anne smiles with tears in her eyes happy to see her friend.

Liz leans down to pick up Daniel with Jim, "I got this, I got this." he says as he tries to help himself up.

"Oh, you're a tough guy. Get on your feet pal. Let’s find out how tough you are." Liz laughs and grabs at him.

"Liz, what's wrong with you?" Jim grabs Daniel under the arm and lifts him up.

"What?! That's from a movie. Come on seriously, are we only allowed to quote books or something today." she grabs Daniels other arm.

"Breakfast Club... you come at me with Breakfast Club?" Daniel gets to his feet and hugs Liz.

"See, he gets it."

"I got it; I just didn't want to ruin the moment." Ross smiles and everyone for a second seems to have forgotten again where they are.

"Well then, allow me to ruin the moment." Cipher, still on the monitor interrupts. "Daniel, I have a proposition for you if you’re up for it. You and I in a room, no P90s, what do you say?" a light comes on above the door Daniel was just tossed out of. He lets go of Liz,  stands up straight and rolls his shoulders to crack his back and moves his way back through the crowd to go back in the room he just left.

"Wait! Don't do it, it has to be a trap." Ross shouts out.

"You just got back, stay, don't go, please." Liz goes after him. "Don't do it, listen to Ross."

"No. I'm not listening to him this time."

Ross turns away from him and hangs his head down; Anne pulls him in and hugs him, confused why Daniel would hurt him like that.

"You just got back to us, we need you, you always help carry this group." Liz holds his hand and tries to get him to walk back with her.

"You'll have to carry each other, I have to do this. He told me I'll get what I want. I want this." Daniel slides his hand from hers and turns and goes into the room. The door shuts and the light turns off.

"I'll be right back; I have a few things to attend to." Cipher shuts off the monitor and the room seems so much dimmer.

"Did he really tell him he's going to get what he wants?" Anne walks with Ross

"Yeah, but he also told him he's going to get what he deserves." 

Day 20 begins