Camp Alpha

Prologue

The room was eerily silent. The only light came from a small candle high on the damp stone wall, the dancing flame causing flickering shadows that beat to the same rhythm. A slight breeze leaked through the cracks between stones. That small breeze alone was warmer than the cold air that had been circling the cell for days. It was impossible to distinguish what time of day it was from inside the cell, even more so to tell what day it was.

"You're done already? And here I thought you were just getting started." A soft, yet hoarse voice filled the silence. The shadows on the far wall seemed to come to life as a silhouette emerged. Long, platinum hair glinted in the candlelight. Sharp canine teeth whispered the soft promise of death should the shackles holding her to the wall happen to suddenly come off. Rust colored ears perked up as violet and red eyes followed the form of their torturer. Their tail whipped back and forth, faster than it had in days.

"There's nothing more you could tell me tonight." The deep voice of their captor filled the air, sending a shiver down the captive's spine. A soft growl of acknowledgement followed his statement as the bloodied silhouette retreated back to the dark corner. The tall figure stepped up to the candle, the light illuminating the features they hadn't been able to see before. Gray eyes with splashes of red sparkled with knowledge most could only hope to hear a whisper of. His untamed, dark brown hair fell into his face as he tilted his face up to properly see the candle. His light tan skin seemed to become almost golden under the light of the flame, a little smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

His voice once again filled the room as the candle went out, darkness replacing the light that had lit up the small cell. "Aside from that, I haven't done anything that you didn't ask me to do." The sound of his footsteps followed his words, stopping as they reached the exit. "I had expected that if I left you here, you'd destroy yourself." The soft click of the door closing behind him ended their short conversation, returning the cell to the silent hell it had become.

The shadows shifted again as the captive sat down with their back against the corner of the wall. They pulled their knees up to their chest, resting their chin in the nook between them. The overwhelming scent of freshly burnt wood and vanilla was still thick in the air, almost suffocatingly strong. "How could I destroy something that's nothing but dust?" The words were lost in the breeze, quietly spoken for no one in particular.

They were so focused on losing themselves in the memories of better places that they didn't notice the shadows shifting outside of the cell or the scent rapidly fading as their captor made a swift exit. They were far away from the cold, damp, sour cell that they'd been trapped in for what felt like months. They were surrounded by woods for miles on all sides, a peaceful place that made the prison melt away. A place where they could escape until the next unexpected visit.