Taken by the Mafia ✧⁠*⁠。

Episode 10

Night had fallen over the chamber, the dim glow of moonlight filtering through the cracks in the walls casting soft, shadowy patterns across the cold floor. After the hours that passed, Santa stirred from his sleep, groggy from the lingering effects of the medicine he’d taken earlier. His body felt heavy, and for a moment, he wasn’t sure where he was. The damp chill of the chamber, the hard floor beneath him, and the stale smell of the room all brought him back to his grim reality. Slowly, his senses returned, though his eyes remained closed.

The sound of a soft knock on the chamber door made his ears twitch. He knew that knock. Even without opening his eyes, he could feel the presence of Perth. It was unmistakable. Santa’s jaw clenched, the weight of his earlier frustration returning like a lead blanket on his chest. Perth had been cold, distant, treating him and Barcode like prisoners.

The door creaked open, and without saying a word, Perth stepped into the chamber. Santa kept his eyes closed, his body still pretending to sleep, though every fiber of him was alert. He listened to Perth’s footsteps as they approached, his heart thudding dully in his chest. There was a faint rustling sound, and something soft hit the floor near Santa’s feet.

"Eat," Perth’s voice came, detached and without emotion. A moment later, Santa heard the door click shut and lock again. The footsteps receded, leaving only the faint echo of the door’s final thud as Perth left the room.

Santa scoffed quietly to himself, feeling the familiar wave of bitterness rising in his throat. "Eat," he muttered under his breath, mocking the coldness of Perth’s words. Was this all they were worth now? A few packs of cookies and bread, tossed at them like they were stray animals? He forced himself to sit up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and glanced toward Barcode, who was still fast asleep in the corner.

Santa dragged himself across the chamber floor toward Barcode, his movements slow and deliberate as his muscles protested the effort. Kneeling beside his younger brother, Santa gently shook Barcode’s shoulder, his voice soft but firm. "Code, wake up."

Barcode stirred, his body twitching as he came out of his own slumber. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open, disoriented. "Is it night, phi?" he asked groggily, still half-asleep.

Santa glanced toward the crack at the walls which the glow of the moonlight casting soft. "I guess so," he muttered in response, not entirely sure either, but the coldness outside told them enough.

Barcode sat up, rubbing his eyes as Santa handed him one of the packs Perth had thrown earlier. It was a small package of cookies, some bread, and a bottle of mineral water. Barcode hesitated before taking it, and for a moment, the two brothers just sat there in silence, eating their meager meal.

The cookies were dry and crumbly, the bread stale, but it was food, and their hunger overpowered any distaste they had for it. They chewed in silence, the only sounds in the room being the quiet rustling of the plastic packaging and the faint crunch of the cookies breaking apart in their mouths.

After a few moments, Santa swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His mind had been racing ever since Perth had come in, and finally, he couldn’t hold his thoughts back any longer. He leaned closer to Barcode, his voice low but urgent. "Code… why don’t we try to run away?"

Barcode, who had just taken a sip of the mineral water, nearly choked. His eyes widened in fear and disbelief as he looked at his older brother. "Are you crazy, phi?" he whispered harshly, his voice shaking. "What if they kill us?"

Santa sighed, looking down at the floor. Barcode’s fear was understandable, but Santa couldn’t shake the gnawing feeling that staying here, trapped and powerless, was far worse. He glanced up, meeting Barcode’s wide, fearful eyes. "Aren’t you worried about pa?" Santa asked, his voice soft but filled with emotion. "He must be worried sick about us. We need to go back home."