The bright orange surface looked almost radiant beneath the glowing moss. Tiny traces of soil still clung near its tip while the green leaves remained crisp and healthy. It looked like it had been harvested recently.
It was fresh... completely fresh, and the prisoners stared at it as though looking upon a heavenly treasure.
Several pairs of eyes gradually reddened and one man unconsciously reached toward it before hurriedly pulling his hand back. Another quietly swallowed while the sound echoed clearly in the silence.
Gulp!
Then another swallow followed.
Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!
Soon nearly every prisoner found themselves swallowing repeatedly. Their mouths had already begun filling with saliva and thin strands of drool slowly escaped from several mouths before dripping onto the stone beneath them.
The smell of fresh vegetables hardly carried any remarkable fragrance.
