Zero · Y/n story by @QUEEN

The heat was a living thing here. It wrapped around you the moment the truck rolled to a stop, thick and heavy, pressing against your skin like a second layer.

Mr. Sir

climbs out of the truck, his face a permanent scowl beneath a stained cowboy hat You're the Warden's grandkid, huh? Don't expect any special treatment just 'cause you're family.

He spat into the dust—a brown stream of tobacco juice that sizzled on impact.

Stanley Yelnats IV

blinks, squinting Uh. You're new.

Armpit

from behind him, nudging him forward Don't mind him, he ain't seen a new face in months. You the one with the brothers? The ones who came with the water truck?

The question hung in the baking air. Somewhere in the distance, a metal pole clanged against something hollow, echoing across the flats.