Brianna had no idea how much time had passed -- literally no idea, it could have been five hours, it could have been five minutes -- when she gave a scream of startlement at the sound of the door opening. This must be it. She prepared to plead one more time, but the words died in her throat as her eyes opened wide in astonishment, and she could only manage a single whispered word: "Jenny!"

Jenny was naked and dusty, and shackled in exactly the same way Brianna was. There were smudged streaks from tears down her cheeks; Brianna knew her own face must look the same.

Brianna struggled to sit up. It was very difficult: her hands were nearly useless, and she needed to get her feet farther apart than the hobble-chain allowed her, but at last her grunting effort paid off. She knew she wouldn't be able to stand without help.

The guard was leading Jenny by her leash and pushed her down roughly, and she cried out as she landed heavily on her arm next to Brianna. The guard pulled another padlock out of his pocket and went through the same search he had done for Brianna, looking for the end of the chain nearest Brianna's, in its pile on the floor. Finding it at last, he secured it to her collar with the padlock.

He turned to leave the room, then paused at the door and turned. Smiling, he said, "Nobody will ever see either of you alive again. We'll come back and push your bones aside in a few years." He chuckled and, as before, reached for something just outside the door; again, there was the sound of a switch being turned. He left the room, pulling the door shut. Brianna and Jenny could clearly hear the click of the door locking.

Brianna quickly wriggled towards Jenny, leaned down and kissed her lips. "Jenny, my love! Are you alright?"

Jenny winced. "My arm hurts, but I don't think it's broken."

"Oh, Jenny! Why are we here? Do you know anything?"

Jenny turned her face away and began sobbing. "I'm so sorry, Brianna! I know you can never forgive me for getting you into this!"

"What is it? What did you do?"

Jenny cried harder, gradually explaining between the heaving sobs. "That... briefcase... remember? ... The one... I brought... to your apartment... I asked you if you could keep it a few days... I just needed... a safe place for it... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!"

"Jenny lover, what was it? What was in it? It was locked, I couldn't open it. I'm sorry, I tried to peek...."

"Just... papers.... some secret papers.... They couldn't... afford to let them get out... I'm sorry, I got you involved in this... and I never told you how much danger there was... oh, I'm so sorry! We're both sentenced to death, and it's my fault!"

Brianna bent down to try to comfort the distraught girl. She lay down beside her and kissed her lips repeatedly, and her cheeks and neck. "Shhhh, my darling, shhh, it's okay, it's okay. I would have done it even if you had told me. You know I'd do anything for you. I love you! Shhhh, it's okay."

Jenny quieted down, still sniffling. "H-How could you forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, darling. Anywhere you go, I want to go there too. We're together now, and that's what's important. Here, sit up. It's no fun lying on the floor. Let me help you." Brianna sat up and put her foot under Jenny's shoulders, and soon they sat side by side on the floor, looking around the room.

"How long have you been here, Brianna?"

"I don't know. Part of it's... blank. I don't remember much before he brought you."

"Is there any way out? Did you try the door?"

"There's no possible way out. And even if we could open the door..." She jiggled the chain hanging from her collar with her knee. "We could never get anywhere. We couldn't get two steps outside the room, with these chains holding us."

Jenny suddenly cried out, "HELP ME! HELP US! GET US OUT OF HERE!!"

Brianna leaned against her. "Stop, Jenny-love. The door has to be soundproof. Did you hear him walk away after he closed it? And even if a little bit of sound could get out, there's nobody there to hear it. The nearest person is behind two other doors even thicker, far away."

Jenny turned to her, eyes full of fear. "What do we do then?"

Brianna shrugged. "Wait for them to come back. I don't think they'll just leave us here. They're going to do something with this chain, I feel sure of it. They haven't done it yet, so they have to come back. The guard couldn't have meant what he said, about nobody ever seeing us again. He just had fun, scaring us."

"When they come back, I'll tell them it wasn't your fault. They might let you go, at least."

"I don't want to go without you. Maybe something will happen. As long as we're alive, there's still some hope."

Jenny looked at Brianna, her eyes shiny with tears, but they weren't flowing anymore. "Maybe you're right. I hope so." She leaned over to kiss Brianna, and Brianna returned the kiss, for a very long time. They took turns kissing each other's breasts.

Jenny looked at Brianna, her eyes half-closed, dreamy. "Let's lay down and..."

"Wait." Brianna cocked her head, listening.

"What's..."

"Shhh! I'm trying to hear something." She closed her eyes, trying to make sure of what she was hearing. "Jenny, do you hear a hummimg noise? I think I've been hearing it, but it's so soft I can't tell. I could be imagining it."

"I... Yes, there's something. I think it's up there." She was looking at the barrel-shaped containers on the ceiling, from which the chains to their collars hung.

"That's it, yes. Why would it hum... wait, watch. I think I see something moving... no, I don't..." She stared at the barrel, her eyes growing wider. In a voice full of horror, she whispered, "Jenny, watch that link, the first one out of the barrel."

They both watched, and both understood. Neither spoke, not wanting their fear confirmed. But it became too obvious to ignore. Brianna said "It's going up into the barrel, isn't it? The chain. It's getting pulled up into the barrel."

Jenny's voice shook. "Oh! Brianna, remember when the guard stopped and clicked something outside the door? Like he was turning something on. That was it. He was starting the motor that wound in the chain." Tears started down her face again.

They watched in silence as another link disappeared into the barrel. It took about a minute.

"H-How long do we have, Brianna? How much time?"

Brianna looked along her chain, and up at the ceiling, trying to judge the distance, She picked out one of the links. "I think when this one reaches the barrel...."

Jenny counted the links from there. "I lost count. I think 90, maybe a hundred."

They both shuddered together. In about ninety minutes they would be hanged, would be strangled by the choke collars. They had that much longer to live.