"Stop this! He hasn't done anything wrong!" Alice yelled, her voice cracking as she tried to reach for Simon, but one of the Sentinels blocked her path.
"Please! He's my son! He needs medical care!" Teresa's voice was desperate.
But Fletcher's gaze didn't waver.
"This isn't a matter for debate," he said flatly.
"The charges are clear, and he'll be treated properly while in custody."
Simon's legs barely held him up as the officers guided him out of the room. He turned his head, his eyes heavy with exhaustion and confusion, watching his mother and Alice as they were held back by the remaining Sentinels.
Their cries echoed in his ears as he was taken away, the cold air of the hallway stinging his skin.
Meanwhile, Fletcher followed close behind, his expression unreadable.
...
"Danny… Danny…"
Danny's eyelids fluttered as a faint voice pierced through his hazy consciousness.
He blinked slowly, the dim, flickering light of the room coming into view.
The air was heavy with dust and decay, the cracked walls around him streaked with grime and age.
The ceiling sagged dangerously, threatening to collapse, and the faint sound of dripping water echoed from somewhere unseen.
The room was suffused with the oppressive aura of abandonment.
As his vision cleared, he caught sight of Tia, standing a few feet away. Her face was a storm of anger and tears, her fists trembling at her sides.
To his right, Zach wore a cap and had cleared the blood from his head wound, and despite the pain and ongoing bleeding, he remained calm.
But, he stood like a shadow, his expression unreadable and his posture radiating a suffocating tension.
The air in the room was so thick with unspoken rage and frustration that Danny felt as though he could barely breathe.
"I'm… sorry," Danny whispered, his voice barely above a croak. He coughed weakly and lowered his gaze to the cracked floor beneath him.
"I'm sorry for being weak…"
But before he could say anything more, Tia lunged at him.
Her fist collided with his face in a burst of sharp pain, sending him sprawling to the ground.
Blood trickled from his nose as he stared up at her in shock, his mind reeling.
"Tia—"
Before he could finish, another blow struck him—this one far heavier.
Zach's massive fist came down like a hammer, and the sheer force of it sent Danny skidding across the floor. His vision swam, and he instinctively reached out to steady himself, his fingers scraping against the rough, splintered wood.
"What are you doing?!" Danny gasped, his voice trembling. His eyes darted to Zach, hoping for some semblance of explanation, but the cold, unyielding fury in Zach's face sent chills down his spine.
He didn't have time to process it.
Tia, her face twisted with anguish and fury, unsheathed a knife from her waist.
The dull light from the broken ceiling flickered off the blade as she approached, her movements deliberate.
"Tia! Wait!" Danny screamed, scrambling backward, but she didn't hesitate.
The blade pierced his stomach with brutal precision.
A searing pain erupted in his abdomen as blood oozed from the wound, staining the floor beneath him.
Danny's world blurred into chaos as Zach stepped forward, his shadow falling over him. With terrifying strength, Zach grabbed Danny by the throat and hoisted him into the air.
"You.....," Danny struggled to speak, but Zach's iron grip stole the air from his lungs as his legs flailed and his hands clawed helplessly at Zach's hold.
"You're weak, Danny," Zach growled, his voice venomous.
"You're weak!"
Danny's heart raced in his chest, each pulse weaker than the last, and his vision began to fade.
Above him, he thought he glimpsed a faint white light flickering on the ceiling, though he couldn't tell if it was real or just a trick of his fading consciousness.
Then—nothing.
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"Danny… Danny…"
Danny jolted awake, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. His hands shot to his stomach, expecting to find the knife wound, but there was nothing. No blood, no pain.
He looked around, his surroundings eerily familiar.
The same decrepit room, the same crumbling walls and sagging ceiling. The same suffocating tension hung in the air, pressing down on him.
Tia stood nearby, her face contorted with anger and tears.
Zach was a looming presence in the shadows, his expression dark and foreboding.
Danny scrambled backward, his heart pounding as fear overtook him.
"What's happening?!" he stammered, his voice breaking.
It felt as though he had lived this moment before.