Alex couldn't sleep much, but he certainly tried. Between the hard, cold ground and his own impending doom, he could sacrifice a second to relax. He had his back pressed against the bars, Thomas was in the same position on the other side of the wall. He could feel the other man's body shift slightly every few minutes. It wasn't close enough.

When Alex sighed, he could see his breath. His fingers had gone numb a while ago, and he had given up on his toes. The room was dark, silent. If he focused enough, he could hear the other captives shuffling around in their cells.

When the early morning light started to seep in through the window, the door opened. Alex watched as a woman quickly slipped through and closed the door once more behind her. Beside him, separated by bars, Thomas stirred. He woke as the woman's hurried steps approached his cage.

Alex watched, silent, as Thomas scrambled to the front of his cage. He grabbed the bars and said to the woman, "Tu vas bien? Tu l'as trouvé?"

"Oui, c'est ici." The woman said, pulling aside her robes and coat the reveal that she was holding Thomas' prosthetic. Alex crawled to the front corner, to be close to them as he glanced at the leg. Inside of it, where Thomas' thigh would go, there were round balls.

"What's that?" Alex asked, reaching between the bars to point.

Thomas told him, "Socks. It was starting to not fit as well, so I've been padding it."

Alex stared at him through the dark, whispering, "What if the socks stop helping?"
"Then I'll have one leg." Thomas said, his tone almost irritated. Alex was quiet for a second as Thomas managed to put on his prosthetic and stand up. Finally, he said, "Alex, this is Adrienne, she's a friend of my cousin and I."

"Adrienne, il s'appelle Alexander." Thomas said quietly, gesturing to him.

Adrienne grinned, "C'est ton copain?"

"Il parle le français." Thomas said instead of an answer, his tone warning.

Alex cleared his throat, ignoring the embarrassment rising within him. "So, what's the plan?"
"Get you out of here." Adrienne said, pulling a ring of keys out and unlocking Thomas' cage door. Thomas opening it as Adrienne was saying, "Monsieur Jackson does not like you."

"Few people do." Alex said under his breath as Adrienne tried to find the right key for his cage.

Before she could, the front door to the room started opening, and Adrienne had to abandon him. She pushed Thomas back into his cell and went in with him, pulling the cage door closed in time for two men to stomp into the room.

Adrienne hid behind Thomas, but the men didn't seem interested in her in the slightest. They walked down the row until they stopped in front of Alex's cell. Alex waved at them, "Hey, guys."

He risked a quick glance at Thomas, who's eyes were wide; terror written across his face. This time, Alex wasn't able to keep up a pleasant facade. As soon as the men entered his cell, one of them grabbed his arm, while the other punched him right in the jaw. As he was reacting to the pain from that, the second guy punched him in the stomach. He felt the air rush out of him, as tears sprang to his eyes.

Alex didn't fall to the ground, only because one of the men lifted him up and threw him over his shoulder like a doll. Alex could hear screaming, and when his vision focused, he could see Thomas reaching for him through the bars.

"Thomas-" Alex mumbled, then when he regained his breathing a little, he tried again, louder, "Thomas!

The men opened the door and stepped out of the room, Alex kept screaming, repeatedly. The further away from Thomas he got, the more anger and energy sparked off of him. He pounded on the guard's back, he kicked his feet wildly, frantically trying to make an impact.

"THOMAS! THOMAS!"

He thought he heard someone yell his name, when he looked up, he couldn't see a single face he knew. There was a crowd, following behind him, watching as he was being taken away. They didn't seem worried or confused, they were just there for the show.

Alex's voice was wrecked, raw as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "THOMAS!"
He couldn't think of any other words. Not 'no' or 'stop' or 'put me down you fucking peice of shit'. All he could imagine was Thomas, Thomas' name, his face, his hands, his lips. He knew he was going to die, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that Adrienne could get Thomas to safety. Even still, in his terror, Alex felt much like a little kid, screaming for the one person that would do anything to protect him.

"THOMAS!"
The guards turned down a hall and opened a new door. Alex was able to shout Thomas' name one more time before he was thrown to the ground. He felt his back hit the cement before his head did. He curled in on himself, his hands moving up to cover his head. It ached and he didn't want to move again.

Both the guards kicked him one more time and then they left, slamming the door behind him. Alex groaned in the silence left. He closed his eyes and panted, pressing his cheek against the cold ground. Every inch of him was sweating; certain muscles randomly would contract and spasm, as if he no longer had control of them. He felt his hands shaking uncontrollably, but even still, he didn't let go of his head.
He stayed curled up in a ball like that, in the center of wherever they had thrown him. He didn't move an inch until he could hear the distant roar of a crowd. It was a recognizable sound; one that he heard last at a baseball game, several months ago.

The concept of a baseball game felt insane now. The memories he had from less than a year ago felt like they were from another planet.

And yet, there were people above him, stomping on bleachers, cheering. They were getting pumped for something; a game, a main event. Through the ache and the cold and the rattling in his bones, Alex had a sinking suspicion that they were cheering for him.

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