Boy's POV

  Darkness filled my vision, almost mirroring our current situation. There was nothing out there but pure darkness.

  I wondered why.

  Why wasn't there no light? Why was it so dark and gloomy?

  Ah.

  I see now.

  "Ngh..."

  My groaning reminded me where I was and what was really happening.

  Using that thought as an arm, I slowly opened my eyes, flickering like a light switch. At first, my vision was blurry. Then, it sharpened, and I saw the room I was in.

  I was sitting on the floor after realizing I'd been lying on it.

  Ah, yes.

  Everything came back to me now.

  Even my name—Kibishi. Though I couldn't remember my st name to save my life. A seventeen-year-old boy who survived the massacre of the end of the world.

  Ten years had passed since that fateful day. Everything I knew had crumbled to the ground. The pce had been scorched by fire, and the stench of corpses still lingered in my nose.

  Despite all that, the very beings who caused this destruction had treated my wounds. Afterward, Tao and I were locked in a smelly cell. The pce wasn't great—cracked walls, barred windows blocking the outside "world," and uncomfortable beds made of wooden blocks with "pillows" (which were just more wooden blocks).

  To make matters worse, chains bound me from the neck to my hands and down to my ankles. Every movement rattled them. Not to mention, they were heavy...

  I held my head with my left hand, thinking about what had happened back then. Obviously, I had failed to protect Tao from those creatures. All these years, we'd been doing bor for these monsters. Some adults had other jobs, but I didn't know what they were. All I knew was that Tao had been picked for them too...

  Which was strange because they always returned with scratches and wounds—worse than the "workers" like me.

  Both men and women from that department—the one with that other job—ended up bleeding between their legs.

  I always wondered what kind of work caused such injuries. I asked Tao, but she refused to answer. And so, I was left in the dark...

  It pained me to admit it, but she was right. Knowing would only anger me, not satisfy my curiosity.

  The only theory I had was that they worked their legs so hard that wounds opened up, and blood poured out from the pressure.

  Thinking about it logically, I satisfied my curiosity for now and stopped dwelling on it whenever I saw the adults.

  But it was different when it was people my age.

  Tao, for example, shouldn't have been with the adults—she was a teenager like me. But I knew she'd just reject my questions again.

  That’s strange, indeed. Tao is my age and shouldn’t be with the adults. Why are these creatures doing this?

  For now, I focused on my pn to break these chains and escape this pce.

  Ah.

  I raised my head when I realized Tao wasn't in the cell. I scratched my head, pondering, until I remembered the answer from earlier. That other job I mentioned? Yeah. She must've been picked again.

  Usually, I'd scream and shout at the creatures guarding this pce, but that would get another prisoner killed. It had happened before, and it would happen again if I did the same thing.

  The first time, Tao had been tortured in front of me.

  I had bcked out. When I woke up, the creatures y dead where they stood. Tao never expined it. She just said, "Everything's okay now. I'm still here with you."

  I still wondered about that. I am a curious person when it comes to the unnatural.

  But dwelling on mysteries wouldn't help if I couldn't solve them. Honestly, if I could, I'd figure out this pce and our situation.

  But there was only so much I could do alone...

  I slowly stood and dusted myself off. I gnced around, spotted our "bed," and walked over to sit on it—the distance was short anyway. Once seated, I sighed deeply and stared at the bars blocking our exit. Without them, I could've walked out and run away with my best friend. But these chains held us back.

  In the corner of the wall, there was a small knife with a chipped bde—more like a worn-down pencil needing sharpening. There was also a golden neckce that the monsters had given me after finding it around my neck that day.

  I wasn't sure why, but I felt like they were mocking us by leaving our belongings here to make us "comfortable."

  "Not like that bothers me..." I muttered, then smiled faintly.

  As long as Tao was safe, that was all that mattered.

  Now, all I had to do was wait for her return...

  A Few Hours Later...

  It was getting te. Night fell before I realized it, and some prisoners cried themselves to sleep. The cell next to mine stayed quiet, the occupants whispering about escaping. A man and a woman, I thought. Now that I considered it, some cells were like that—grouped together. Of course, there were cells with two men or two women, but those were rare.

  Was it by section? Or by how we were captured?

  I'd have liked specifics, but I knew I'd never get answers. Pushing the thought aside, I spaced out—

  Knock! Knock!

  Someone tapped the wall to my right, snapping me to attention.

  "Hey! Your friend's coming back! The creatures are bringing her!" a male voice said.

  I sprinted to the wall and pressed my ear against it. "Really?"

  "Yup! And a few others are returning to their cells, too—the ones who were with Tao. Just giving you a heads-up!" a sweet female voice added.

  "Thank you, Riley and David!" I called back before returning to the "bed."

  Soon, I saw her—my orange-haired friend in rags, sandwiched between two jellyfish-like creatures with horns and long human noses.

  One of them lifted a tentacle with a key and unlocked the cell.

  Cree...

  The jellyfish then suddenly shoved Tao inside face-first. I panicked and rushed to her.

  "Tao!"

  I lifted her and turned her toward me. New scars covered her body. There was even a small opening in her chest area—I wouldn't go into details, but I could see her growing chest.

  I covered her up—not that she minded, since it was me, but I still did it anyway.

  I gred at the creatures, but they ignored me and floated away as if nothing had happened. I wanted to yell at them, but it was useless—they didn't care about my opinions.

  Instead, I lifted Tao and gently pced her on the wooden bed.

  The guards left for the night.

  On all fours, I grabbed the hidden half-eaten pillow and a sheet I had cleaned during free time. As long as you obeyed, nothing else mattered—they wouldn't kill you on the spot.

  I repced the wooden pillow with the softer one and draped the bnket over Tao. Outside, the night was deep.

  Yeah...

  It was te.

  I slid my back against the bed and sighed.

  "What did we do to deserve this...?" I whispered sadly, staring at the ceiling. So much about this world—or the surface we once lived on—didn't make sense.

  Sughtering, killing—they did it effortlessly. Maybe because no one could stand against them. If we fought back, we died. If we got sick, we died. If we made mistakes, we died. The only reassurance? Work hard, and they'd return you to your cell to rest. Run, and you were dead.

  "Like some sick joke..." I muttered bitterly.

  A joke? If it was, I wasn't ughing. What kind of monster imprisoned the st survivors of humanity?

  "Oh well..." I shrugged and gnced at Tao's sleeping face. She didn't even have the strength to greet me tonight.

  Knock! Knock!

  I heard some knocking once more.

  "Hey! Is she okay, Kibishi? Tao, I mean," David asked worriedly.

  "Yeah, she'll be fine!" I called back.

  "That's good to hear! Here," Riley's voice followed—

  Cree...

  Something slid through the drain between cells. Two fresh ham-and-cheese sandwiches appeared.

  I knelt and picked them up, blinking. "Are you sure you don't want one?"

  "Nah, we already ate! Word on the street is that someone from the other department stole a bunch and shared them. Their partner died, but the one who got the food is alive, crying to her best friend. Huh. Now that I think about it, everyone here has someone close..." David muttered, but loud enough to hear.

  "I... can't say for sure," I admitted quietly.

  "Ah, it's fine! Wake Tao up so you two can eat! I heard tomorrow's gonna be hell for the girls here—me included!" Riley said cheerfully, though her words sent chills down my spine.

  "R-right..." I nodded and tossed a coin from my pocket. "Give this to the receiver for me. Tell her I'm sorry for her loss. I know it's useless now, but you know. A-anyway, good night!"

  "Got it! Night, Shi! See you tomorrow!" Riley replied brightly.

  I hurried to Tao's side and gently shook her awake.

  "Mm... wha...?" she mumbled, dazed.

  "Hey, Tao! It's dinner time. Eat up, okay?"

  "Really...?" She eyed the sandwich in my hand and smiled. "Thanks, Kishi. You're wonderful..."

  She slowly stood up and then crawled on top of my p, sitting between my legs. Once she was comfortable, I handed her the sandwich while she leaned against my chest. I wrapped my arm around her and held my own sandwich.

  Tonight's meal was good—st night had been moldy bread and spoiled cheese. Tao had gotten sick, but they still made her work. Even now, she was still feeling the effects. Not that it was new.

  We'd both gotten sick from meals before. As long as we could walk, they forced us to work. If we colpsed, the creatures examined us, dragged us back, and picked random prisoners to repce us.

  I still didn't understand the point, but that was a question for another time.

  Tao suddenly pressed a hand to her chest.

  "What's wrong? Fever again?" I asked softly.

  "Not sure. It's been happening tely—ever since we became teenagers..."

  "I see..." I lowered my sandwich and hugged her.

  "You never told me, Tao."

  "It's not a big deal. And it will go away like other sicknesses. Just forget about it, okay?"

  "No way! You're my best friend—of course I'll worry!" I grinned.

  "You're always worrying about me. I don't mind, but... you'll suffer if you keep protecting me. Like st month. You can barely move now, right? Your body feels heavy..." She gnced at me.

  "That's just—" I held her tighter. "I don't care! You're the most important person in the world! A little fatigue won't stop me!"

  "Saying that makes me worry more, you know?" She turned and sat on my p, resting her palms on my chest. "Those wounds—on your chest and back—they never healed. They just closed. If you move too much, they'll reopen. I've read about scars, Kishi. I've never seen ones like yours... though maybe I just don't know enough."

  I lowered my head.

  I touched my chest. It was a miracle I was alive. My wounds had never healed, huh. That made sense. I was dancing between death's door and the living—or maybe like a confused dog in a busy street, unsure where to go.

  Either way, I wouldn't let it stop me from protecting Tao. Never.

  I hugged her tightly, savoring her warmth—the only thing keeping me sane.

  "A-ah..." She was surprised but didn't pull away. We'd hugged like this since we were kids. Nowadays, it was a little embarrassing, but still nice.

  "Don't worry, silly. I'm still here. I won't leave... okay?" I whispered.

  "...Promise?" Her voice wavered. "Promise." I stroked her orange hair as we stayed like that, sharing warmth.

  One Hour ter...

  An hour passed before Tao finally pulled away.

  "You should sleep. Tomorrow might be worse..." She gripped her left arm, a hint of sadness in her voice.

  "..." I nodded slowly.

  Something felt off.

  "Tao, is something wrong?"

  "Ah!" She flinched. "N-nothing! Just rest, okay? Sorry for worrying you!"

  "O-okay. Why don't you sleep too?"

  "Oh, no! I mean—" She scratched her cheek. "I need to... find my bracelet! And think about some things, so go ahead without me!"

  "..." I looked down.

  "...Kishi?"

  "O-oh! It's nothing!" I forced a smile. "Just... don't overdo it, okay?"

  "Overdo it?" She tilted her head.

  "Don't stay up too te. Goodnight..." I y down and turned away.

  "Right... goodnight..." Her voice trailed off as she walked away.

  This wasn't new. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but it was a personal matter. When she was ready, she'd tell me. I wouldn't pry.

  As my thoughts drifted, darkness took over.

  No matter what, I would protect Tao. She was all I had left. My family was gone. She was the only thing keeping me sane.

  If she was gone too... then what was the point?

  Tao was my everything.