CODE NAME: VAMP

CN:V.5 - I'm Sorry, Simon

"W-Who's there?" a shaky voice called out. Jonathan paused for a few seconds before moving again. Father had warned him never to come down here. He'd told him that the prisoners would hurt him or worse, if they knew who he was. But he had never listened to the old man before and he wasn't starting now.

He got to the first cell and looked in.

At first he couldn't see anything in the dark cell. He poked his hair further and gasped as something grasped his throat. He clawed at the force on his throat. A dark form appeared in front of him. The rich brown eyes were red rimmed and blazing with fury.

As he watched, the fury left the eyes and confusion clouded it.

"You're not..." the figure croaked. "Who are you?"

The hand left his throat and the figure moved backward. Jonathan saw it was a boy, a few years younger than he was. He wondered what the boy had done to be placed here. He thought that he should have paid more attention to what his father had been talking about his work.

"Who are you?" the boy repeated. "You aren't one of the guards."

"Jonathan." Jonathan croaked, rubbing his throat. "Jonathan Morgenstern."

"Oh." That reply was filled with defeat. "What are you doing here? Is this part of Valentine's games?"

Jonathan bristled at the disrespect in the tone. As annoying and frustrating as his father was, no one spoke about his father like that.

"My father doesn't know I'm here." Jonathan found himself saying. "What are you doing here?"

The boy laughed humorlessly. "Planning a tea party, can't you tell?"

Little shit.

The cell was littered with paper plates and dirt. There was a rickety bunk bed in the left corner. The smell was unbearable. Jonathan stared at the boy as he moved back to the right corner of the cell. He slid down the wall and wrapped his arms around his knees. He placed his chin on his knee and looked towards the bunk bed.

"What did you do?" Jonathan asked, leaning against the cell. "Why are you here?"

At first, the boy said nothing. He didn't even look at Jonathan. Jonathan was about to repeat his question when the boy spoke. "Don't tell me you don't know."

"If I did, I wouldn't ask." Jonathan snapped.

Simon snorted. Then he pointed at the bed. "You see that?"

Jonathan turned to look at the bunk bed. There was a grimy lump on the bed. It was still. "Yeah?"

"That used to be E. Elliot." The boy said. "Your father killed him."

Jonathan's head snapped sharply to look at the boy. "Shut your fucking mouth!"

"He was only 13." The boy continued as if Jonathan hadn't said anything. "And he was the only good thing about this place. Even when he was dying, he-he s-said I was his best friend."

Jonathan stood still, confused. What was his father dong to these boys?

"I am going to kill your father." Simon said, his voice dead. Then he looked up and grinned mirthlessly. "Sorry about that."

Jonathan laughed out loud. This kid was either crazy or stupidly brave. "How are you going to do that?"

Simon blinked, then his cheeks flushed. "Fuck you."