There was a large piece of grassland behind the Patel Island. Following the prison guard, Abby and
Sasha got out and were tasked to remove weeds using the tools they were given. After they worked hard
for a long time, it was almost noon. The sun shone brightly above the almost cloudless sky. As Abby
threw the weeds into the basket, beads of sweat trickled down from her forehead. She tried to wipe them
off as she looked up in the sky.
Then, she felt that her sight was a little blurry due to the extreme heat. She hadn’t eaten much these
days. Hence, she felt weak and tired after doing such tedious labor. At the same time, the prison guard
instantly noticed the pale look on her face. He remembered that his superior specially told him before to
take special attention of Abby. Therefore, when he saw her condition, he immediately gave her a bottle of
water.
“If you can’t stand the heat, drink some water first and take a break.” The prison guard carefully observed
her as he spoke. Abby was thin, short, and plain-looking. She didn’t look like a big shot at all. However,
his superior clearly reiterated that he should take good care of her. In fact, whenever she needed
anything, he was to give it to her. While the prison guard was lost in his thoughts, Abby’s words brought
him back to his senses.
Not far away from them, Sasha stood up and decided to find a cool place to take a rest. After all, the heat
was also killing her. That was when she caught a glimpse of the prison guard and Abby, who seemed to
be talking and laughing. “You’re welcome. You can continue working when you feel better. Don’t worry.
When the authorities come, I’ll inform you immediately.” As she listened to their conversation, Sasha
gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on the sickle in her hand. “Mr. Warren.” With a gleam in her eyes,
Sasha walked up to the prison guard. “What’s wrong?” Sherwood Warren, the prison guard, instantly
changed his demeanor. Sasha wiped the sweat on her forehead and said softly, “I kind of feel dizzy. Can
I rest for a while?”
After saying that, she looked at Sherwood with expectant eyes. “What? Of course not.” Sherwood
frowned. “You are here to weed, not enjoy life! You will just rest if I say so! No. 1618, bend your knees
and go back to work now!” Sasha’s face turned pale, startled that she was suddenly scolded.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’ll get back to work!” Sasha lowered her head and started slashing the weeds again.
Her eyes was burning in anger as she glanced at Abby and the guard. ‘What the hell?! Why can Abby
take a break and not me? That bastard! Sasha’s eyes were filled with hatred, thinking that she was
wronged. Looking at Sherwood, who had a sour face, Abby stood up. “Mr. Warren, I feel better now. Can
I go help Sasha with her work so that she can at least rest for five minutes as well?”
“But… That is against the rules.” Sherwood frowned. According to the rules in the prison, no one could
actually rest during work hours. He was already making an exception to let Abby take a break, so he
hesitated to grant her request. But when he remembered that he was to give her whatever she wanted,
he eventually compromised.
“I guess it’s really hot today. Fine! You two can rest here for five more minutes while I go to the bathroom
first.” “Thank you, Mr. Warren.” Sherwood nodded and left after he called a colleague to temporarily
replace his post. After Sherwood was out of sight, Abby quickly handed the bottle of water in her hand to
Sasha. “Here. Drink some water and have a rest.” “I don’t need your..” Sasha raised her voice and
wanted to shake off Abby’s hand. But words stopped coming out of her mouth when an idea suddenly
flashed in her mind.
“Sasha? What’s wrong?” “Nothing. Never mind.” Suppressing her anger, Sasha forced a smile. “Abby, I
saw earlier that there’s a slope over there. The area looks cooler. How about we go weed there later? I
know that you haven’t eaten well these past few days. If you keep working under the direct heat of this
scorching sun, you will get a heatstroke.”
Abby looked in the direction that Sasha was pointing at and saw the slope. It was a small hillside about
three hundred meters away from where they were. Because there were two or three trees on that spot,
their branches overlapped, forming a shade against the sunlight. “Okay then. That sounds like a good
plan.”
Abby nodded with a faint smile. Then, when Sherwood came back, the two asked for his permission to
go to the slope and work there instead. Sherwood agreed, so they began walking, carrying their tools.
However, about ten minutes later after they began working again, a woman’s scream was suddenly
heard. “Abby!” Sasha shouted in panic. It turned out that Abby slipped, rolled down the hill slope, and hit
her head against a big rock.
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