"I did mention she broke out, right?" he says, with a lingering trace of genuine shame on his face. He was careless. He nearly got Orc killed with his carelessness, overestimated what the big guy could put up with. "I didn't volunteer for the job. Me and Orc were just the only two with the manpower to keep her in place, besides Sam."

And stupid Sam couldn't even do a mercy killing or put up with jailing her. It was Howard and Orc, who were unpopular and unlikeable, who got stuck listening to Brittney wail all night and beg for death. Listen to a twelve year-old girl sob and scream and pray for mercy every minute. Howard and Orc, who eventually had to just get used to it. Ignore the well of misery in the basement, can I interest you in some cooked rat?

Howard feels sick. Maybe it's just because he's been stuffing his face with sushi.

But he laughs anyway. "Seriously. Give us a topic about rainbows and butterflies and I'll bet we get to discussing misery and genocide in fifty seconds."