Moonlight

The Cells

He didn't remember how he got there. The whole trip was sort of, foggy. Just a hazy daydream of sorts.

Boy had he wished it was just a daydream.

Kyle rubbed his head, finally coming round once again. Jeez, how many times was he going to get knocked out? It was like somebody out there just wanted him to suffer for no reason other than to angst.

The bleak gray walls around him reminded Kyle of his surroundings. Looking up from the stiff slab of concrete that was supposed to be a bed, he recognized almost immediately where he was.

He felt the now, almost familiar, feeling of shock shot through his body. With the adrenaline now pumping through his veins, he jumped up on his feet and rested his hands on the thin green screen that separated him from the rest of the Fright Zone. Oh no, his eyes scanned the wide array of cells surrounding him.

It was official, Kyle was extremely screwed. So much so, he felt his head go completely void of any thoughts. The only thing he felt was the suffocating embrace of terror and pure panic. His breath became strangled and faint as he was hit with an onslaught of new thoughts.

All kinds of anxieties about what the Horde was going to do to him. Kyle had heard stories about some of the treatments traitors had gotten from older soldiers, and now his mind began to run wild with possibilities.

His feet below him seemed to go numb, and Kyle stumbled backwards, regaining himself on the wall behind him. He closed his eyes, and slid down to rest, curled up in the back of his cell. Tears began to stream down his face as he hugged his knees tighter to his chest. Oh no, oh no, no no.

What was he going to do? Or more importantly, what could he even do.

Across from the poor boy, two figures watched closely from the guard tower.

"I feel so bad." The girl said, watched from behind the shoulder of the bigger of the two.

The other grumbled something deep, and the girl nodded.

"I know, it is kinda his fault. But I mean, think about it. About how Catra's been, about, well everyone. And I'm just going to say it too, we aren't exactly in the right here either. I mean, it kinda was our fault that he ran."

She looked at him sadly, met with his yellow snake-like eyes. He sighed, and rested a large clawed hand on her shoulder. The reptile spoke softly now, agreeing.

Lonnie knew they had all been unfair. She wouldn't admit it to herself when Kyle had still been among them,  she was always too stressed out to deal with it. The stress and work of Horde had always been the reasoning in her head, why she was so "rude" to Kyle. The boy was a pushover; it was too easy to leave him with the little jobs she didn't need.

That had been the idea everyone around her had adopted. Kyle just always got the short end of the stick. And in truth, the first time she ever realized how much of an effect this had on Kyle was when she had heard of his escape. That had been a real eye opener.

Lonnie turned back to look at him. He looked so helpless, and she felt the guilt weight down on her. Despite all the crap she had given, she always cared. They had all been raised together, so of course it was expected.

Sliding doors behind them made both of the guards tense up.

"How's our little traitor?" Purred a familiar smug voice from behind.