Kenneth's POV
The dim light in my cell barely shifted, making it impossible to tell how much time had passed. It didn’t matter. The hours bled into each other, marked only by the occasional screech of the door hinges and the dull throb of pain that never quite left my body.
I leaned my head back against the cold stone wall, every muscle in my body screaming for relief, but there was none to be found. The guards had been relentless today, and my body bore the evidence—new bruises, open cuts, the sting of their whips burning into my flesh. My ribs ached, possibly broken, but I forced myself to breathe slowly. Carefully.
The guards wanted answers. They always wanted answers.
“Why did the kids kill those humans?” The question, laced with cruelty, had been the refrain. Over and over, they’d
