Time passed by again, and then the door suddenly opened.

  Then, two guards walked in. The two guards dragged in a limp figure, dumping him unceremoniously onto the filthy floor. The prisoner gasped in pain, but the guards weren't the slightest bit concerned, turning around to walk off into the distance, the door smming shut behind them with a final, metallic thud.

  Cale’s breath caught.

  "Adin!"

  He scrambled forward, his fatigue forgotten as he ran towards the person he seemingly recognized. Adin’s face was a mess of bruises, and his shirt torn, revealing angry red marks around his chest. Yet, despite the pain, his lips twitched into a weak smile as he recognized Cale's voice.

  "Hehe, you look terrible," Adin rasped, looking upwards, wincing as he tried to shift.

  Cale hooked an arm under his shoulders, before hauling him up, casting a wary gnce at the other prisoners, making sure to keep clear of them as he half-dragged, half-carried Adin to the corner he had been sitting in for the past few hours.

  Setting Adin up against the wall, Cale asked, his voice tinged with worry.

  "What happened?" Cale demanded, voice low. "Do you know where the others are?"

  Adin grimaced, scratching his head. "No idea. Those guards just… brought me here. Cough!"

  Cale’s grip tightened as he looked at his battered friend. "We need to get out of here."

  "Yeah, no shit," Adin groaned, rolling his eyes. "Got a pn for that?"

  "I’m… working on it," Cale admitted awkwardly.

  Adin exhaled, leaned his head back as he took in their surroundings, though there was not much to see.

  "Wow. Big cell you got here, Cale… very spacious too. I might add,” he then murmured, “Mine wasn’t even half this size." His nose wrinkled from the scent that filled the prison. "However, it was cleaner."

  "You get used to the smell," Cale muttered.

  Sighing, Adin leaned back when his fingers suddenly brushed against something beside him. Picking it up, he lifted it slowly. It was a hooded robe, tattered and stained but still intact for one to wear. Pondering, he looked towards his side, asking, "Hey, Cale… what’s this?"

  "Oh. That belongs to some guy I met here," Cale responded nonchantly as he rested up against the wall.

  "Kid?"

  "Yeah. Not sure how old he is, but he looks… weird. He wears a blindfold over his eyes. And his cheeks—..." Cale thought for a moment before gesturing to his own face. "They’ve got these slits. Like someone tried to carve a smile into him."

  I'm not sure how he got here, but he's from Earth like us. I think he's around 16 or 17, Cale thought inwardly as the memories of the guy resurfaced in his mind.

  "Earth? Like us?!... You sure?"

  "Yeah, when I first met him, he asked me how long had it been since the apocalypse started, and I told him."

  Adin's brow stiffened. "Wait.. Isn't that odd? If he's from Earth, shouldn't he already know how long it's been? Or what, did he somehow manage to get himself stuck here?" Adin asked.

  "No idea," Cale replied, "before I could ask, the guards suddenly came in here with swords and carried him out of here."

  Adin remained silent before asking. "Remember when you said you had a pn to get us out of here? Do you think he would work with us if we offered to help him escape from here alongside us? I'm not sure how strong he is, but to be able to make those guards take their swords out must mean something."

  "I remember earlier, when I first got captured, I saw that 3 armed creature we almost defeated being taken in along with us. And when that thing tried to attack one of the guards, the guard didn't even spare him a look before backhand spping it, knocking the creature against the wall."

  Cale's eyes widened. "R-really?"

  “Um,” Adin nodded his head as Cale's evaluation of the boy drastically changed.

  He already knew from the start that there was something up with the boy, but Cale didn't expect him to be so strong.

  Even with all 5 of us attacking at the same time, we still barely managed to put up a fight against that monster, and you're telling me a guard one shot it like that?! Cale's inner monologue trailed off as he thought about the situation.

  "So, what do you think, Cale?" Adin said, getting Cale's attention again.

  "Huh?"

  "What do you think are the chances of the boy helping us escape from here?"

  "Errm, I'm not really su-" Cale was about to finish his sentence when loud, cnging footsteps were heard.

  Adin’s expression darkened slightly, but before he could respond, the cell door groaned open again.

  Cale’s head snapped toward the sound. Again? Another prisoner? One of ours?

  *Thud.*

  The guards tossed in another body, however this time retreating faster than before, their boots pounding against the stone as they fled.

  A groan was soon heard in the prison cell.

  "Ugh… Would it kill you guys to be a little gentler?…"

  The figure stirred, pushing itself up with slow, deliberate movements. As he made his way to his corner, he suddenly paused, sniffing the air.

  A chill ran down Cale’s spine. As he looked at the boy, lost for words, along with Adin.

  The boy’s head then turned—his action too precise, too aware—until his blindfolded gaze seemed to lock onto Adin.

  "Oh?" His voice was light, almost pyful. "Looks like we have another newcomer."