Saint sat hunched on the cold metal bench, wrists still locked behind his back by the cuffs that bit into his skin every time he shifted. The blindfold was gone now, but his eyes burned from the sudden harsh light. The Mark crew base felt like a metal tomb. Gray walls hummed with some low machine noise, and thin red strips along the ceiling threw long, ugly shadows that made everything look bloody. The air smelled like burnt wires, old sweat, and something sharp that caught in the back of his throat. No warm lanterns. No glowing vines. No friendly voices from the Rusty Anchor. Just bars and guards and the distant echo of boots.
He had never thought he would end up in a place like this. Well, I never thought I would be in jail, he whispered to himself, the words sounding tiny and stupid in the quiet cell. He was only thirteen. A kid who had run away from his mom's slaps and screams in Belgrade, jumped through a stupid portal, and now sat here because he had tried to save his friends. Guilt twisted in his stomach like a knife.
If he had never left home
, none of this would have happened. Sheriff would not be lying broken on the ground. Shed would not have been slammed into a crate like trash. Ceil would still be standing with its one hundred twenty people instead of seventy six bloodied survivors whispering we fought for this.
It was all because of him.
Two cell mates shared the tiny space. A tall, thin man with scarred arms and one missing eye leaned against the wall, picking at his nails with a sharp little shard of metal. He looked like he had been here forever. The other was a short, stocky woman with dull reptile scales like Shed's but cracked and faded. She sat on the floor hugging her knees, staring at nothing.
The scarred man noticed him first. New meat, huh, kid? He smirked, teeth crooked and yellow. What did you do to piss off Mark? Steal a bike? Spit on the Director? Or just breathe too loud?
Saint swallowed hard, throat dry. I did not do anything bad. I ran from my old life. Found friends. Made a box stall in Ceil. They came for me and I gave myself up so the town would not get hurt worse.
The woman laughed, a short, bitter sound without looking up. Smart move. Or the dumbest one you ever made. They always keep the ones they want alive. The rest just die for fun. Name's Lila. This is Rain. Been here three weeks. They grabbed us for knowing too much.
Saint shifted again, cuffs digging deeper. His mind kept replaying the battle. Sheriff's red eye flickering as Mark stomped him. Shed's hiss cut short by a boot to the head. The blood and guts on the ground. The silence after he gave himself up. It all because of me, Sheriff. If it wasn't for me none of this will happen. The words he had shouted still burned in his chest. Tears stung his eyes but he blinked them back fast. He could not cry here. Not in front of strangers.
A guard banged the bars with a baton. Shut it. New kid. Director wants info. Stand up.
They yanked him out and marched him down the long corridor. His legs felt like water but he walked anyway. The base was huge and cold. Rooms branched off with glowing screens showing maps of the floating ruins. High tech guns lined the walls. Hover bikes charged in a side bay that smelled of fuel and oil. Guards everywhere, visors hiding their faces.
They pushed him into a small interrogation room. Metal chair bolted to the floor. Bright light right in his eyes. Mark sat at the table, face still bruised from the fight but smiling like he had already won the war.
Smart kid, Mark said again, voice low. Giving yourself up saved your little friends a worse beating. The Director is pleased. He wants you alive and talking.
Saint sat down, heart hammering. What does he want from me? I am just a kid from earth bro I ran away and entered a portal. How do I know anything useful.
Mark laughed softly. You know more than you think, kid. You came through the portal. Survived the ruins with that robot and reptile. Convinced a whole town to fight for you. That speech of yours was pathetic but it worked. The Director has big plans. He collects kids like you. Runaways with fire. He breaks them or builds them into something useful. Sheriff used to be somebody important here before the Director wiped half his mind. You might be next.
Saint could not stop the questions. They poured out fast and scared, just like on the hover bike ride. Why me specifically? Is there portal for me to go home? Can I ever go home to Earth? What happened to Ceil now will still attack?. Will the Zach Clan attack Ceil now? How long have you worked for the Director? Does the shadowy girl work with you? The one with lightning. Why does the director wear the mask? And on and on, twenty more tumbling out while his voice shook.
Mark answered only a few, eyes cold. The portal is closed for now. Will not attack ceil. The Zach Clan moves when the Director says. The mask keeps secrets. The shadowy girl is a problem we will handle later. As for the rest, shut up and listen.
They scanned his eyes, took blood, measured him, asked about his life back home. Saint wrote everything down like it was real prison intake. Then they dragged him back to the cell and locked the door.
Rain tossed him a small piece of dry bread. Eat, kid. You look ready to fall over. They feed us once a day. Mostly slop but it keeps you breathing.
Saint chewed slowly, tasting nothing. His mind would not stop. He thought about the competition where Duro betrayed him for money. The dungeon where monsters almost killed him. The shadowy girl pushing him into danger then brushing his face gently before vanishing in lightning. The confusing warmth he felt every time he remembered her. Was she watching him right now? Would she help or hurt? He missed Sheriff's steady voice and Shed's hiss. He missed the Rusty Anchor and the box stall and the feeling that he belonged somewhere.
Back in ceil in the night Shed sat outside the inn, scales still cracked, voice small and scared. What are they going to do to him? And how are going plan sheriff. Sheriff said dw dude will plan I aiready said will plan before shed don't ask me again now let go and sleep