"Anyway," he told her, his tone suddenly serious, "don't sleep too much."She frowned. "What?" "And don't ask too many questions."That only made her more confused. When she asked what he meant, he didn't answer. Instead, he just stood there like nothing was wrong.
She sighed, then pushed herself off the bed and walked toward him. "What do you mean don't sleep too much? You keep saying all this weird stuff, and every time I ask, you cut me off. Why?" He stayed silent.
He didn't even look at her. Her chest tightened. "Why do you keep cutting me off?" Silence stretched between them, heavy and wrong."Tell me," she pressed, her voice sharper now.
He finally moved, , without looking back at her, he spoke. "Something's going to happen." The way he said it like it already had. She felt a chill crawl up her spine. "What kind of something?"
He didn't answer right away. When he did, his voice was lower. "We're in the last cell." A pause."I don't think it'll happen now." Another pause, longer this time. "But it will." Her stomach dropped. "Then just tell me what "Sleep."The word cut through her.
She froze. "Sleep," he repeated, colder this time. "But not too much."Now he looked at her.And for a second, she wished he hadn't."Stay awake," he said quietly
She turned away from him with a quiet scoff and walked back to her bed. I'm so done with this man. Sitting down, she pulled her knees slightly in and looked toward the window again. The forest outside was still there
dark, unmoving, almost watching back.
For a moment, she just stared. Then a thought slipped in. I could just break it. Her eyes narrowed. Slowly, she stood and stepped closer, reaching out. The second her fingers brushed the glass A sharp jolt shot through her body. "Ah!"
She was thrown back, collapsing onto the floor, her breath knocked out of her. A stinging, electric pain crawled up her arm. "What the hell?" she gasped.
"If it were that easy…" Rivan. He hadn't moved from his spot. "…Ethan and I would've been gone a long time ago." She pushed herself up slightly, still shaken, her hand trembling. Rivan finally looked at her, his expression unreadable.
A alarm went off Footsteps echoed from the hallway. Fast. Getting closer. Her breath hitched. "You could've said something!" Rivan finally looked at her. No guilt. No urgency. "Why?" he said quietly. The footsteps stopped right outside. A heavy pause. Then
Metal clanged.The sound of the cell door unlocking.Rivan's gaze shifted past her, toward the entrance. "If you touch that window again," he added, almost absentmindedly, "they won't just send a warning." The door began to open. "And next time," he finished, his voice dropping slightly, "you might not get up The light from the hallway spilled in And the guards stepped inside.
Panic hit her instantly. Oh shit the guards. Her heart started racing as the door slid open, light spilling into the cell. She scrambled to sit up straighter, trying to ignore the lingering sting in her arm.
A guard stepped inside. She forced a laugh too quick, too fake. "Oh uh, what was that?" she said, brushing her hand against her clothes like nothing happened. "I just wanted to touch the window, you know… to take the cold away. Sometimes when it's cold, there's that thing on it"
Her voice trailed off into an awkward chuckle. The guard stared at her. Too long. Her smile twitched.Behind her, Rivan said nothing. The guard finally spoke, his tone flat. "Since you're new… I won't punish you." Relief flooded her face instantly. "Of course of course," she said quickly, nodding. "Won't happen again."
"Next time," he added, his voice dropping slightly, "you will be punished." The words landed heavier than they should have. She swallowed. "...Yeah." Satisfied, the guard stepped back. The red light dimmed, the alarm cutting off into silence.
The door slid shut with a heavy clang. The lock clicked. And just like that They were alone again. The room felt smaller. Colder.
The silence didn't last long. She turned on him, anger breaking through the fear."What the hell is wrong with you?" she snapped, pushing herself to her feet. "Why didn't you tell me about that? You just stood there and watched"
Rivan didn't react. Didn't defend himself. Didn't even look sorry. Her hands clenched at her sides. "You knew that would happen." Still nothing. "You could've said something!" A sharp sound cut her off.
Knock. It came from behind Rivan. Not the door. The wall. She froze. "…What was that?" she whispered, her anger draining instantly. Rivan went still. For the first time, his expression shifted just slightly. Another knock.
Softer this time. Closer. Then A voice. Low. Careful. From the other side of the wall. "…Rivan." She felt her stomach drop. "…What happened?" The whisper slid through the cracks like it wasn't meant to be heard. Her eyes slowly moved back
"Who is that…?" she asked under her breath. Rivan didn't answer right away. He just stared at the wall. Listening.
"…Who is that?" she whispered. Rivan didn't look at her this time. "It's Ethan," he said simply. Before she could ask anything else, he moved. He grabbed the thin blanket from the bed and pulled it aside, revealing part of the wall behind it.
Her eyes widened. The wall was damaged. Not broken—but chipped. Scraped away in a rough circle, like someone had been carving into it over and over with something small.
A knife. What…? Rivan stepped closer and lowered himself to the floor, sitting right beside the chipped spot. The way he positioned himself.
Is he trying to make a hole? she thought, her brows pulling together. Rivan leaned his head slightly toward the wall. Then he spoke, quieter now. "It's nothing," he said. "I've got a prisoner in here with me."
There was a pause. Then the faint voice came back, clearer now through the thin barrier. "…You're lucky," Ethan murmured. "What happened?" Rivan's gaze flicked briefly toward her before returning to the wall. "She touched the window," he said flatly. "Guard came in. Just a warning."
Silence again. She stood there, watching him, her anger slowly mixing with something else. Confusion. Unease. "You've been doing this the whole time…?" she asked quietly. Rivan didn't answer. He just stayed there, sitting against the wall Listening.
A quiet chuckle came from the other side of the wall. "Oh man… you're lucky," Ethan said. "You've got someone in there. I'm all alone." There was a pause, then a teasing tone slipped into his voice. "Why don't we swap?"
Rivan didn't even hesitate. "Oh please," he said flatly. "If that were possible, I would've done it a long time ago." A soft laugh came from Ethan's side. She crossed her arms, annoyed. "I'm still here, by the way." Rivan didn't look at her. "Yeah," he said. "I know."
She stared at him, disbelief creeping onto her face. On the other side, Ethan let out a quiet snort. "Damn, she sounds fun already." Rivan ignored that. "Anyway," he continued, his voice lowering slightly, more serious now, "don't talk too much."
brief silence followed. "I'm still working on a plan to get us out." That wiped the humor away instantly. Even Ethan didn't joke this time. "…You sure it'll work?" he asked quietly. Rivan didn't answer right away. His gaze shifted slightly, distant, calculating. "It has to."
Cassie tilted her head slightly, a small smile forming as she listened through the wall.
"Ohh," she said, almost casually, "can I join?"There was a brief pause. "I'm strong, you know," she added. "I even have a knife. I could make that hole bigger." Rivan's response was immediate. "No."
Her smile dropped. "Why not?" "You're not coming." She frowned, stepping closer to the wall. "Why not? I can help." Ethan sighed from the other side, cutting in before Rivan could speak. "It's dangerous," he said more seriously now. "You could die."
"So?" she muttered. Rivan finally looked slightly toward the wall again, his voice colder than before. "You slow things down," he said simply. "That's enough reason." Ethan went quiet. The air in the room felt heavier again. Cassie stood there, staring at the chipped wall, her fingers curling slightly. "…I'm not useless," she said quietly. Rivan didn't answer. But the silence that followed said enough.
Ethan's voice came through the wall again, more thoughtful this time. "I mean… she's got a knife," he said. "She could make this hole bigger." A brief pause. "And my room's window doesn't have that electric thing you guys have." Cassie blinked "Wait what?".
took care of it," Ethan added casually.
That made the room go quiet. Rivan's expression didn't change, but something in his eyes sharpened slightly. Cassie leaned closer to the wall. "You took care of it?" "Yeah," Ethan said. "Long time ago." Rivan finally spoke, voice "So you've been working on yours too."
Cassie looked between the wall and Rivan, suddenly more alert. "So… both of you have been planning this?" Rivan's gaze stayed fixed forward.
"Everyone's always planning," he said coldly. "The difference is whether you're ready when it matters." The room fell quiet again. And this time, it didn't feel like just a conversation anymore.
Ethan's voice came through the wall again, this time more excited. "So our escape plan is basically this," he said. "We make this hole bigger in the wall, right?" A pause—like he was already picturing it. "And whenever guards come in, we just cover it with a blanket. We hide it with our bodies too."
Cassie frowned slightly, listening closely.
"Then," Ethan continued, sounding a bit too proud of himself, "we go through my window. Easy." He let out a small laugh. "Pretty smart, aren't I?."
"That's not a plan." Ethan's confidence dipped slightly. "What do you mean?" Rivan glanced toward the chipped wall. "That's a delay," he said. "Not an escape." The room went quiet again.
Cassie's smile faded a little as she looked between them. "…So what is the real plan then?" she asked quietly. Rivan didn't answer. Not yet.
Rivan didn't even let Ethan finish. "That's stupid," he said flatly. Ethan went quiet. Rivan's eyes stayed on the chipped wall, thinking fast. "We'll be noticed. There's a wall outside too. Even if you get through, you won't just walk out."
"I'm thinking," he added sharply, still staring ahead. "So shush. Don't talk to me. Both of you." Silence dropped over the room like a weight. Ethan muttered something under his breath but didn't argue.
Cassie looked at Rivan, then at the wall, then back again uncertain now. For the first time, even she didn't have a reply. Rivan stayed still, calculating. And the room waited for whatever he would say next.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Closer. All of them froze. Rivan reacted first. He moved quickly, pulling the blanket back over the chipped wall. Cassie stepped away from it just as fast, dropping back onto her bed like she hadn't moved at all. Ethan went quiet immediately on the other side.
The footsteps stopped outside the door.
A key turned. The guard stepped in. His eyes swept the room slowly. "Be quiet," he said sharply. "Why are you talking so loud?"
No one answered. His gaze landed on Cassie. He walked straight toward her."I keep hearing your voice," he said, voice tightening with irritation. Cassie stayed still, forcing herself not to react.
The guard's patience snapped. He kicked her bed hard. "Don't test me." The room went silent. Even the air felt like it stopped moving. Rivan didn't say a word. The guard lingered a moment longer, scanning them all one last time—then turned and left, slamming the door behind him. The lock clicked. Only then did anyone breathe again.
The guard's footsteps faded down the corridor, the lock clicking shut behind him.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Cassie stayed sitting on the bed, voice barely above a whisper. "Do you think they heard what we were talking about?"
Rivan didn't answer immediately. He was already listening making sure the hallway was really empty again. Then, in a low, controlled tone, he replied, "I don't think so." A pause. "They just heard voices," he added quietly. "Maybe that's all it was."
His eyes flicked toward the door once more.
"Everyone here is quiet," he said. "So even normal talking stands out." Cassie swallowed, nodding slightly. Ethan's voice came softly through the wall, careful now. "Yeah… we need to be more careful." Rivan didn't respond to that.
He just stayed still for a moment longer, then turned slightly back toward the chipped wall like the plan never stopped running in his head. The room stayed tense. Quieter now. But not safe. And none of them said another word. That kind of ending feels final for the moment, but still makes the
I hope you guys enjoww this❤