The Broken

After a night of bad dreams, I wake up again. I would hope that the events of yesterday (I assume it's yesterday. Hard to tell with no light.) were all just another nightmare in the troupe that often haunts me, but I wake up still cradling the corpse of Ranger. He was just a kid- and he died painfully, needlessly. If it weren't for the hell we're stuck in, he could have had medical assistance, and still be alive, playing with his twin. But that's not true, and the only thing playing to his twin is the melancholy sounds of the wind whispering its condolences. I can't find a way out, after mapping every inch of this cell from my position sitting. All there is is three walls and the floor, all cold stone, and a fourth wall of ancient, rough iron bars. All I can figure out from my exploration is the room is large, probably underground, and ancient. It seems like it's roughly 12 metres by 10 metres, more than enough room to contain the bodies of the living and the dead trapped here with me. My plottings are interrupted by a groan emitting from the corner, which is soon echoed by another from near to me. One of the voices is Ash, and the other sounds like Kara. Although that is strange- shouldn't her luminous tattoos be glowing, giving us something to see by? But there isn't.

"Ash? Kara?" I say, blinking owlishly in the directions I think the noises came from.

"Yeah, here." Kara says, along with a vague rustling noise.

"I'm here. Where are we, and where is my family?" Ash demands.

I don't know if I can bear to tell him about his son. My mouth opens to speak, but before I say anything, Kara interrupts me.

"Wait wait, here, some light." Kara says, lifting the dim glow of a cell phone to her face, then switching on the flashlight.

In the stark white light, our predicament is clear.

And so is the corpse I'm holding.

Ash runs to his child, grabbing him off me, but he soon realises what I learnt before. There's nothing we can do to save him. For a minute, Ash is deathly silent. He's silent for so long, it takes me a while to notice the rivers of tears streaming down his cheeks. I instinctively reach out to comfort him, but pull my hand back before I touch him. It might be best to leave him alone with his grief. I've never lost a child, and can't imagine what it feels like- the closest thing to that much grief was when my cat died. But she was old, and it was her time. I was prepared for it. This- there's no way to prepare for this. No reason to prepare for this. I don't know how long we sit there. Ash with his grief, me and my guilt, and Kara with her sorrow. Our machinations are soon interrupted by a great tumult, coming from the other side of the bars. I can't see what's happening from here, but I can hear it very clearly, given the echoey stone walls. Somebody is yelling and rushing towards us. It's not a voice I recognise, and after looking through the room I can see all my friends stuck here with us, I know it can't be someone I know. But I can't help but hope it's a rescuer, come to save us.

It's not. I recognise the person yelling through the bars now. Thomas Tyler Whinery. One of my planned targets- before we became hunted. Flanked on each side are the devil and the angel that I believe captured us all before. I'm shocked for a second, but Kara doesn't take any time before she sprints at the bars, dragging Thomas by xeir shirt until xe are crushed against the bar, and then Kara lifts xem, cutting off xeir airway and strangling xem. Seconds later, the butt of the devil's staff knocks Kara in the stomach, forcing her to drop Thomas. The devil looks like he plans to hurt Kara more for her little stunt, but Thomas waves a hand, indicating that xeir not permanently harmed. More's the pity, too. Ruthless and cruel, Thomas is known for xeir callousness towards everyone, even xeir family. Supposedly, xe had xeir wife murdered in order to get her money. When xeir son stood to inherit instead, xe had him killed as well. Or so the story goes. One could call xem a sociopath, perhaps. Me? I just call xem a monster.

Thomas speaks abruptly, xeir voice holding some tinge of an accent I can't quite place. French, perhaps? Maybe Italian? I don't know.

"You are all annoyances. And now you will starve here." And that's all xe say before turning on xeir heel, about to leave the room. Before he does, Ash asks xem to wait.

Xe stop, turning back around to face Ash.

"Please- let me go. I'm nothing but a stay at home dad and househusband to these two, and now my child is dead. Please, at least let me out so I may bury him. I beg you." He says, still crying.

Thomas doesn't answer, beginning to turn around.

"Wait! I can make it worth your while. I have money saved."

No response to that either, and xe leave the room before Ash can say anything else, leaving only the devil and the angel. The devil follows, striding quickly to catch up with xem. The angel, however, stays behind, watching us all. Soon they leave as well, calmly walking after the devil and Thomas.

I stay frozen, still trapped in my own head, running over and over what I could have done. I could have checked if anyone had something useful, like the phone, I could have- I could have saved Ranger. His blood is on my hands.

There's nothing we can do. I'm vaguely aware of Ash and Kara talking, and of my friends and allies waking up around me. Claw and Shard wake as well, grieving for their kid, and Noir. He doesn't understand what's happened to his twin, and just wonders why he won't wake up and play with him. He doesn't know that he won't ever wake up again.

Time goes by. I don't know how long. Kara knows, checking her phone every so often. It feels like days. I think the devil and the angel return a few times, but not Thomas, strangely. I thought xe would be back. I don't know why… it's not in character for xem. Maybe I just hope xe will be back to give us a chance to negotiate or something, a chance to be free.

Stupid hope, but it's there.

My friends gather around, maybe to share body warmth, I don't know.

Ash is talking to the devil and the angel. The angel leaves, walking out of the room, and returns with a key in their hand. The devil takes the key and unlocks the door, grabbing Ash and dragging him out, slamming the door behind him and locking it with swift, forceful movements. I don't know what happens next, but some time later Ash returns, his grey outfit turned red by something I assume to be blood. Bruises twist around his neck and wrists like jewellery. He holds the key to the door, stepping towards it and unlocking it. Claw picks up Noir, covering his eyes, and all of us walk out of the room into a scene from a horror movie. Bodies cover the floor, mutilated corpses. There must be a dozen of them scattered across the floor, all in various states of death.

As we walk out, I pass an open door, and looking in through it, it looks like another scene to join my nightmares. The angel and the devil are lying on a bed, throats slit, and the white sheets are stained crimson from it. Both of them are in various states of undress. I repress the urge to gag, having finally realised why the angel and the devil removed Ash from the room. Not to free him, not out of pity, but to take advantage of a grieving father.

I hurry past the door, pretending to have never seen anything. Some things are for Ash to say, if he decides to. I won't be telling anyone. I don't want to have to ever say that out loud.

Ash seems like he knows where to go, walking purposefully but hunched as he strides down the corridor, leading us to what I hope is the way out. I didn't notice, but Shard is carrying Ranger's body out with us.

Finally, he opens the door, leading to a ladder, which I can't climb alone. Personal gives me a piggyback ride up the ladder, and then I'm finally back under the bright sunlight. The exit emerges into a park, full of kids playing and people walking dogs. I don't recognise the park, but that's not surprising. I stay at home most of the time, and on the occasions where I leave, a park isn't my first choice to go. Or my second or third choice either.

Blinking in the sudden brightness, all of us are staring around, wondering what to do next. Claw and Shard take their lover, walking out of the park, which is probably the right choice given he's covered in blood. The rest of my team, other than Scream, walk next to them on all sides, shielding Ash from view. Scream moves next to me, helping me to hop along slowly after them, falling farther and farther behind. Assault seems to be on the phone, calling someone. I don't know where he got a cellphone from- maybe he borrowed the one Kara had? Soon after, a limo pulls up next to us, with enough room for everyone. We pile in. Usually it would be a playful activity, with Scream and Explosive indubitably arguing over who gets to ride shotgun, and Personal sprinting to get their favourite spot at the back. But not today. Today it's a sombre affair, each person taking their seat in absolute silence.