After closing the status window, I glanced back at the kid. His plate was empty, and at some point, he had fallen to the side, his small body curled up on the bed, fast asleep. I nodded to myself, satisfied with the outcome. This had been my intention all along.
The kid had witnessed far too much today—things no one his age should ever have to endure. Even though he hadn't shown any outward signs of distress, I knew better. He had likely been in a state of shock the entire time. Mentally, he was fragile, his mind struggling to process the horrors he had seen and experienced.
That's why I had slipped a tasteless sleeping powder into his meal. A simple concoction, one that would ease him into sleep without his body even realizing it. He wouldn't have to wrestle with nightmares or the anxiety clawing at his mind, at least for tonight.
