Chapter sixteen:
"And that's what happened." Near concludes still speaking so only Mello can hear.
Mello feels speechless at first.
Poor Near.
"I never knew why those people destroyed my hometown or who they were." Near sighs looking down.
Mello puts a hand on Near's shoulder getting the other to look back to himas he speaks also still quiet enough for only Near to hear. "I'm sorry that happened."
"Not your fault." Near says.
"Well it's only fair now." Mello says letting go of Near's shoulder. "You see my story of what happened to me isn't really like yours." He begins. "I was born in a family where my mother was poor and my father refused to support us. He was quite the asshole to us which is probably where I get my attitude from. Sometimes my mother would sell herself just to help us get by and my father was outraged. He walked out on us to buy a mansion for himself when my mother got pregnant with one of the men she had slept with child. She was so distraught that in the end she took her own life as I accidently witnessed. I was supposed to be in bed though the beds were ratty mattresses mother found and cleaned. I ended up walking in on her in the kitchen just as she took her own life. I screamed and was lucky that my neighbors were up and heard me. I was sent to an orphanage when my father who had so much money he didn't know what to do with, would not take me in. When it was found out that I was a genius I got taken to Whammys about a year or two before you and A with BB came."
"I'm sorry that happened to you." Near says.
Mello puts an arm around Near. "Don't be sorry. In some ways I am glad that I got to go to Whammy's."
Near blinks in question at Mello.
Mello smiles. "Because I wouldn't have met you or Matt otherwise."
….
Rai paces in the main room getting nervous since even though she knows that Near is alive thanks to Silver she worries that they won't make it in time.
Silver has also been restless.
The Shadows are working to try to hurry to narrow done which place the orphans are most likely in.
"As fast as we can!" Anthony says encouraging them as he works to keep them organized to help make it faster. "We need to find them."
…
"We should probably get some sleep." Mello says. "I have a feeling we will need it." He brings Near over to the bed and they curl up together to stay warm.
Near shifts and gives a small sweet kiss on the edge of Mello's lips before curling back up snuggled against Mello.
Mello blinks in surprise then ends up watching Near sleep for a bit before he too drifts off to sleep.
…..
"We need to pick up the pace!" Rodger says as he leads some of the people working under him through the orphanage to collect another orphan for their torture tests. "If we slack off then they will be found. We must make the tests more often and more frequent." He stops at the stairs then turns to the three with him. "Am I understood?"
The three nod to show that they understand.
"Good." Rodger says then leads them up the stairs so that they may collect the next orphan to be taken away.
…
Maria raises her head since she had been laying down hoping to get some sleep, when another newly abducted orphan is thrown into her cage that she had once shared with Ghost.
This new orphan is a male. He has red hair with black roots, tan skin and currently uncertain looking blue eyes. He looks to Maria.
"Welcome to Hell." Maria says as if in greeting to the orphan. "I mean it. Welcome to Hell Hunter."
The doorway to the cages are opened again and Jeff takes an orphan taking that orphan out so they may continue with their torture.
The orphan taken happens to be the player Brendon. He has black hair that is messily cut, brown eyes and slightly pale skin. He is tied to a post.
"Drowning take two." Jeff calls.
Brendon is lowered into the water tied to a wooden pole with his hands wrapped around it backwards.
….. He did not make it out alive …
Jeff orders the pole to be brought up when he believes that Brendon is dead only to confirm it. He then turns as Jeremy comes over to take the body to go dump it somewhere. "Let's get the next orphan!" He orders.
…..
Mello groans not wanting to wake but he does end up waking up.
Things seem quiet … Very eerily quiet.
He shifts to sit up only to remember Near is cuddled against him. He looks down to the other who is sleeping.
"Mello?" Matt's voice speaks. "You awake?"
"Yeah." Mello confirms. "What's up?"
"They've escalated. They are taking more and more orphans faster than before." Matt tells him.
Mello's heart sinks.
Then Jeremy comes in only to drag Matt away.
Mello gets up accidently waking Near. He rushes to the door to the cell unable to do anything but watch as Matt is forcibly taken away.
Near looks sympathetic at Mello as he has deduced that Matt was taken.
Mello steps back from the cell door then turns to Near.
Near reads Mello's eyes.
'We need to escape or we will die.'
"It's dangerous. We are most likely to die." Near explains to Mello quiet enough so the people listening to the cameras can't hear.
"They're taken us faster and faster." Mello hisses quietly.
Near looks thoughtful for a moment then looks like he has an idea. "I think I have a plan. First we'll need a distraction, keys made and timing." He is about to explain his plan when suddenly there is a flickering light that makes both of them pause.
….
"Please tell me you've found them." Rai says anxious.
"We almost have it. We're narrowing it down between the final two." A Shadow's member explains.
"Hurry." Rai says.
"Promise we will go as fast as possible like we've been doing." The Shadow member responds.
…..
Watari comes into the room making L and Light turn to him. "I've been able to narrow the locations to two locations."
"Then let's take a look and narrow it down to the right one." L says.
Watari nods and comes over giving the two the papers on the locations.