Simon P.O.V.
"Simon, Simon, Simon, I thought you were smarter than that."Tsk, tsk"I thought you knew better than to try and break your contract. I thought we were in this together."
The voice seemed come from nowhere, swirling around taunting me
"You're at my mercy now boy, I've got you strung up and ready to be punished. Do you know how much money you lost me, that fight was supposed to earn me enough cash get off this hellhole." I can feel my shoulders ache from the pull of chains connecting my wrists to the door frame, I close my eyes breathing deep, thinking that River is on the other side of this. If I can get through this I can get to her.
Those were the last words through his mind as the whip connected with his back, tearing through his shirt, reopening old wounds, mutilating the skin even further.
"You see what you dive me to!"
Spit soaks the back of my head as the man continues screaming and whipping.
As he continues his attack you loose your ability to keep quite, the wounds run deep now, and the pain has reached a new height, one Simon hadn't been previously acquainted with.
"Húndàn!!"
Bolting upright on the Infirmary bed, Simon shook, dropping back to lay down.
Why did that man have to be the one to get my foot in the door to find River? And why did he have to make everyone sign a gorram contract? Why did mine have to be a year, why wouldn't Avory listen to me?
No I'm not going to think like that, I got the information I needed and the contacts that I needed being that man's fighter. The little bit of pain is worth it for my baby sister.
Zoe P.O.V.
"Húndàn!"
It's too early for many people to be up, let alone for them to sound so tortured. But then again I think that the Doc and Inara are the only two on board who don't have nightmares, although considering what I learned in the last two days the Doc might have nightmares worse than mine (not that it's a competition).
Making an extra cup of tea, determined to find out who is having a nightmare that causes them to curse loud enough to be heard in the Galley.
As she stirs the tea Zoe's heart drops a little because she realized that the curse had to have come from the doctor, currently in the Infirmary a level down.
Calmly as I can I walk down to the infirmary, only to see Simon more uncomposed and defeated that you've ever seen him. But before I can turn and leave he looks up at me. I can tell the instant he realizes he's not alone, his face instantly changes becoming once more the cold pansy core boy, and he's sitting up like he can't be seen lying down.
"Can I do something for you Zoe?" Simon asked, breaking me from my stupor
"I heard the yell, thought I'd see if whoever needed some tea. Sounded like quite the nightmare."
As Simon took the drink, while turning slightly pink knowing he'd been heard.
"Ah, um, thanks. I appreciate it."
Simon P.O.V.
Both of us turn silent until Zoe finishes the last of her tea. She turned to me and said "They don't go away Doc, they get better and they get easier to deal with but they don't go away."
She turned to walk away I couldn't help but quitely add "The new just temporarily replace the old. They'll change soon enough."
Suddenly tired again I lay back down waiting for the darkness to wash over me, hopefully I've had my nightmare for the night
Zoe P.O.V.
"They'll change soon enough."
I know he said more than that but the words were to soft. But those four words were enough, that boy who had never left the Core before he rescued his sister has seen the evils of the world the same as I have.
For him to be so certain of those words means that it's a cycle for him, trading one set of nightmares for another. How in the 'Verse has he managed to keep them a secret for this long.