Minutes had passed since they were left alone again. Unlike Sofie, who was already devouring her food like it was her last, Kia continued to stare down at his plate, trying to figure out how he would eat from it. As difficult as he was, he couldn't deny how starving he was right now, and he was getting weaker with each passing second.
He bit down on his lip and scooted his tied legs forward, trying to grab it with his feet, but it was too far out of reach.
"Ahh!" he groaned in frustration. He was tempted to call Sofie to help him out, but she seemed too distracted by finishing her meal, and he didn't want to disturb her. After all, she was starved and desperately needed the energy. But so did he.
He focused his attention back on the bowl and managed to nudge it with his foot, slowly inching it closer. The closer it got, the more excited he became.
"Yes, almost got it," he muttered. Finally, it was within reach. He tried lifting the bowl with his feet, but a sharp cramp seized his leg, causing him to lose his grip, and the bowl shattered on the floor, spilling out its contents.
"Fuck!" Kia cursed out in frustration, his stomach growling in protest, making him feel worse. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" He unintentionally also knocked over the cup, and the water spilled all over the floor, mixing with the food. Kia's eyes widened in despair as he stared at the mess. He was so close to finally eating, and now it was all gone. He knew he was going to die anyway, but at least not on an empty stomach. This was just torture to him.
Sofie, who had stopped eating and had been watching in concern, crawled over to him. "Mister, are you okay?" she asked innocently, but Kia had no response. He buried his head, fixing his gaze on his foot, his hands clenched behind him.
"Mister," she called out again.
"I am fine. You don't need to worry," he muttered.
"Mister, I could share mine with you," Sofie responded, glancing back at her almost empty plate. It wasn't much, and she was still hungry, but she didn't mind sharing if it could help him.
She rushed over to where her bowl was, picked it up, and rushed back to his side. Her mouth had crumbs of rice on her lips and around her face, a reminder of her innocence and that she was only six years old.
She grabbed a fistful of rice from the bowl and offered him her meager portion of food. "Here, mister, take some. Please," she said with a gentle smile.
Kia shook his head, his fists clenching even more. "I can't take your food," he whispered through his gritted teeth.
"But, mister..." Sofie tried to protest. She couldn't see his face as his head was still lowered, so she lowered herself, hoping to see his face, her small hand extended toward his face.
As soon as Kia felt her warm hand on his cheek, his jaw tensed further, and he lost control. "I said I can't take your food! What's so hard to fucking understand!" He snapped, his voice sharper than intended, and his breathing tensed.
Sofie flinched at his sudden outburst and ended up stumbling backward. She landed on the concrete floor and scraped her elbow, tears welling in her eyes as she stared at her leftover now spilled all over the floor, her eyes widened with shock and hurt, so she quickly crawled away, quietly sobbing in a corner.
The anger in Kia hadn't subsided. He turned away and stared back at his feet. His chest was rising and falling when he noticed something that caused him to pause for a moment.
There was a fork lying on the ground close to the spilled food, and that gave him an idea.
He turned to look at Sofie, wanting to ask her to help him pick up the fork as it was too out of reach, but seeing her still sobbing with her back turned to him, he knew he couldn't ask her for help right now.
Instead, he decided to take matters into his own hands. Just like last time, he tried using his legs, but that didn't work. The fork was still too far away.
He sighed as he thought of other possible ways to get close enough. Then he began pulling the chair with him, trying to get closer. Every muscle in his body tensed as he willed himself forward, the chair clumsily bouncing behind him. One hop, two hops, his whole body ached, but he was making progress, inch by painstaking inch. The fork drew nearer, its shiny surface reflecting his desperation. Three hops, four hops, until...
CRRAAASSHHH! CLAAATTERR-CLAAATTERR-CLAAATTERR!
The chair shifted, the leg catching on a loose tile. Kia felt himself falling, unable to steady himself in time.
THUD!
He landed face flat on the ground, the chair broken into smaller pieces and blood trickling down his head as he lay there still in shock.
Hearing the sudden crash coming from behind her, Sofie quickly wiped her tears and turned, only to find Kia on the floor.
"Mister!" she yelled and rushed to his side, kneeling down beside him, her small hands shaking him as she tried to lift his head. She shook him tirelessly, begging him to wake up, then she stood up and rushed toward the door, banging and yelling for help.
Kia slowly opened his eyes and groaned, his head throbbing in pain. He tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness washed over him, forcing him back down. His wrists and legs were still tied up, forcing him to begin crawling toward the fork.
He hoped they hadn't heard the sound of his crash, and he needed to get himself loose as fast as possible. Sofie stopped banging on the door after realizing he was awake and trying to move.
She rushed back to his side, her eyes wide with worry. "Mister, you're hurt!"