Day 10 — Fever
The fever came slowly, like steam rising from the inside. At first, Kai thought it was just the heat of the pit, or maybe another hallucination. But by midday, he could feel the fire inside his skin. Every joint ached. His thoughts turned sluggish, sticky. His pulse beat against the back of his eyes, and his lips cracked each time he tried to swallow.
He was starving. Not just hungry — ravaged. His body had long since stopped whispering for food. Now it screamed. His ribs jutted like bars from his chest, his thighs had thinned into bone and regret, and his belly had collapsed inward, tight with nothing. The tongue in his mouth felt heavy. He could taste his own rot.
And still, all he could feel was rage.
At himself.
For not fighting harder. For not killing the ghoul when he had the chance. For getting caught. For not biting. For thinking the system would ever protect him.
"Stupid," he muttered hoarsely, voice dry as rust. "Stupid. Stupid."
He crawled, dragging his limp leg behind him like a corpse he hadn't buried. When he reached the wall, he didn't scratch a tally. He had no nails left. Just stubs and blood.
Instead, he turned toward the body in the corner — the one they threw him in with. It had started to rot. Flies clung to the eyes, and the lips had split open, like they were trying to smile.
Kai pulled himself close and stared at the face.
He hated it.
The way it watched him. The way it invited him.
So he tore a strip from the corpse's shirt and wrapped it around its head, covering the face. The motion made him dizzy. His vision blurred. He leaned against the stone and just breathed.
"You're not food," he whispered. "You're not a friend. You're not even mine."
He looked down at his own bandages — crusted, torn, damp with pus. They'd need to be changed soon or the infection would spread further.
The jeans on the body were useless. Too thick to tear. He didn't have a knife, or even a sharp enough stone.
So he'd have to improvise. Again.
Day 12
By the time they opened the trapdoor again, Kai was already half-gone.
His fever burned unchecked. His mouth was white with foam from dry breath. His entire right side stank — not just sweat, but sweet. Infected sweet. He hadn't pissed in a day. That scared him more than anything.
The light above made him blink. He tried to lift his head. Failed.
Boots creaked.
"Still alive?" came the admin's voice. Smooth. Smug.
Kai tried to speak. Only air escaped.
The voice laughed. "You'll break soon. No one survives the pit this long unless they're meat. Are you meat, stray?"
Kai didn't respond.
He didn't need to.
The admin spit.
It hit him in the side of the face, just beneath the eye. Warm. Sharp-smelling. Like vinegar and rot.
Kai didn't flinch.
He just... breathed.
Inhale. Exhale.
Focus on breath.
If he let his anger flare, he'd die right here. He knew that now. Fury was expensive. It cost calories, energy, blood. He had none to spare.
When the trapdoor slammed shut, he waited ten minutes before moving.
He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. The world swam. His vision had started to fade in rings — black at the edges, yellow at the center. His stomach had caved in more. His ribs were everywhere, shifting like armor beneath skin. His arm had gone numb again.
"Gonna starve," he mumbled. "If the infection doesn't get me first."
His shirt was soaked through, more pus than sweat. He peeled it off slowly. It came away in clumps. The back had fused with a scab and took it with it when it ripped. He didn't cry. Couldn't.
He tore the shirt into strips, teeth and fingers fumbling, hands shaking like old wire. Every movement cost him.
He rewrapped his chest first. The burn wound had turned almost black in the middle. It hissed when touched. Then the arms, then his ribs. The cloth wasn't sterile. Wasn't even clean. But it was better than nothing.
Maybe.
He didn't believe that anymore.
He collapsed back onto the ground, breathing through clenched teeth. Every rib moved. He didn't have enough skin left to hold them in place.
He turned his head to Flicker.
It pulsed.
He blinked. His heart stuttered.
"Flicker," he rasped. "Are we going to die down here?"
The ember pulsed once.
Then again.
Two pulses.
Meaning no.
Kai closed his eyes. Smiled faintly. Not from amusement — just from exhaustion.
He sighed.
"Fair."