Huddled together, Umbra and Akari sat in the poorly lit cell, their bodies wrapped around each other for warmth, their hearts heavy with fear. It was as if the cold steel walls had closed in around them, the distant echoes of other prisoners barely audible over the pounding of their hearts. There was no escape. No way out. The world had turned against them, and here they were-locked up, abandoned, helpless.
Akari's head rested on Umbra's shoulder, her breathing slow but ragged. She had been through so much, and he could feel the weight of it all pressing down on her. Her injuries still hadn't fully healed from the brutal beatings at home, and now they were in a cell, isolated from the world, with nothing but darkness surrounding them.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, his voice raw, "I didn't mean for it to end up like this. I couldn't protect you."