Chapter 5 Once You're Here, You Can't Escape

The crowd below erupted. At first, just a few people muttered their complaints.

Soon, more joined in, their protests growing louder.

"These rules are too harsh! We're nurses, not prisoners!"

"You want us to eat and sleep with criminals? Who guarantees our safety?"

"We want to leave! You're liars!"

Alice frowned, agitated, and raised her hand to join the protest.

The next second, Clara yanked her hand down hard.

She leaned close to Alice's ear, her voice urgent. "Do you have a death wish, Alice? Don't join this."

"Why not? If everyone protests together, we can get better treatment! Clara, don't be a coward. Raise your hand and fight for our rights."

Alice was swept up in the moment, but Clara saw only the countless gun barrels surrounding them.

She clearly saw the officer on the platform had already put his finger on the trigger.

Clara broke out in a cold sweat, staring at the man on stage.

Suddenly, she gripped Alice's hand tightly, her pupils contracting.

She saw it—the officer raised his pistol, his veined wrist pulling the trigger.

"Bang!"

The bullet flew past Clara's eyes.

Clara had never been this close to death. She froze, even her survival instinct gone.

The next second, bright red blood exploded in front of her.

The woman at the front, the loudest protester, the one leading the charge—she was killed instantly.

The anger hadn't even faded from her face. A bullet hole appeared in the center of her forehead, and she collapsed right in front of Clara.

Clara's face went pale. She couldn't make a sound.

The entire square went silent for a moment.

Then the crowd lost control. Screams, stampeding, crying all at once.

Alice trembled, gripping Clara's hand hard. "Run! We need to get out of here!"

Clara's ears rang, her mind blank. "We can't leave, Alice... There are guards all around us. We can't escape."

A tear slid down Clara's cheek. Deep despair washed over her.

Maybe this time, they really couldn't get away.

"Quiet!"

The officer fired two more shots into the air.

The noisy square fell silent again. This time, everyone's eyes showed nothing but pure terror.

The officer swept his cold gaze across the crowd, his expression icy. "I'll say this one more time. Follow the rules, and Ironhold Prison promises generous compensation after you complete all tasks—one hundred thousand dollars, plus property worth seven hundred thousand dollars. We will ensure your safety throughout. Now, anyone who wants to leave can go immediately."

Clara's legs went weak, but her eyes slowly grew determined.

One hundred thousand dollars, plus a home of her own.

If she left empty-handed now, she'd get nothing.

Alice was torn too. "Clara, should we still leave? That's a hundred thousand dollars, plus the house I've always dreamed of."

Clara's chest heaved. She raised her hand and wiped the blood off her face.

The bright red blood made her skin look paler, her golden hair radiant in the sunlight.

She turned to Alice, her eyes determined. "I've made up my mind. I'm staying."

Alice nodded, fear still lingering in her eyes. "If you stay, I stay."

No one could resist that kind of temptation.

Most of the women willing to work as nurses at this prison were desperate, bottom-of-the-ladder people with no other options.

Clara scanned the square and saw that no one was trying to escape anymore. Not a single person chose to leave.

The officer looked satisfied. A smile appeared on his stern face for the first time.

He raised his hand and tapped the lottery box beside him.

"Now, come up one by one to draw."

Alice wanted to pull Clara forward to draw first, but the women around them rushed forward wildly, taking all the front spots.

The two stepped back to wait in line.

Alice hadn't recovered from the shooting. Her palms were cold, her eyes full of lingering fear.

"Clara, that was the first time I've seen someone die right in front of us."

After the shock, Clara's trembling actually stopped. "I'm scared too, but poverty is scarier than death. And we're nurses—we'll see much more life and death from now on."

Soon, the people at the front finished drawing. Each received a file on their assigned prisoner.

Some looked pleased, others regretful and distressed.

Alice made the sign of the cross over her chest and prayed quietly. "I hope God protects us."

Clara silently echoed the prayer.

When their turn came, there were exactly two lots left in the box.

Clara drew one at random, and Alice took the last.

Alice opened her file immediately, her gloom vanishing.

She hugged Clara excitedly. "God must have heard our prayers! He just broke his leg during a robbery, that's all. Quick, check yours."

Clara's heart raced. Filled with both anticipation and anxiety, she slowly unfolded her file.

She froze for a few seconds, then clutched the paper to her chest, flooded with relief.

"My prisoner is very healthy. He's in jail for theft. Should be easy to care for."

She had prepared for the worst, never expecting such an ordinary, harmless prisoner.

No violent tendencies, no murder record, healthy body. It seemed too good to be true.

Alice was genuinely happy for her. "That's wonderful, Clara! We'll definitely make money here. Luck is finally on our side."

Just then, two guards hurried through the crowd, looking around.

"Who drew prisoner Bryan?"

Clara gripped her file tightly, her face instantly draining of color.

She hesitantly raised her hand. "That's me."

The two guards gave her a look of hidden sympathy.

They quickly walked up and verified the lottery information.

"Ma'am, the prisoner you drew has been transferred to another prison. The patient you'll actually be responsible for is this one."

The pity in the guards' eyes deepened. They looked at Clara as if she were about to die.

Clara looked down at the new file. Her mind went blank, buzzing.

She flipped through the file, unable to believe what she was seeing, her hands shaking. "This... this is my patient? Why the sudden change?"