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Logs crackled warmly from the fireplace, lighting the room with a soft, red glow. Shadows danced erratically with the flames, and it was mesmerizing. The only thing that ruined what could have been a peaceful environment was the man standing with his arms crossed directly in front of Five. Ian Golightly snickered wickedly, the fire reflecting off his eyes in a way that made them look like they were glowing.
Five’s cheek stung from Ian's hand, and they focused to contain the tears that unwillingly swelled in their eyes. So long as they didn’t break eye contact, Five could still believe they were stronger than him. Ian cackled, running his hand roughly through Five’s hair. Five jerked away, tugging at the ropes that tied both wrists to the arms of the chair.
“Oh Five, you just think you’re so tough. Abel’s fastest, Abel’s strongest, Abel’s favorite.” With each accentuated word, drops of saliva landed on Five’s face, and it took every ounce of self-control not to reveal their disgust. “Not so strong now, huh? You’ve become soft, Five. It was far too easy for my men to bring you here. They say you hardly put up a fight. What’s wrong? Are the rations not enough for you?”
Five glared at him. “What do you want, Ian?” They somehow successfully kept their voice from quivering.
“I know what you’re doing, Five. You think you’re so smart, so clever, so sneaky. But Ian’s figured out your little plan,” he laughed through clenched teeth, casually turning so his back was to them, and Five relaxed, just a little. “Sigrid may be eager to believe you have joined her side, but I see right through you.” Ian swung around and grabbed Five by the base of their matted hair and yanked their head back harshly. Five hissed, squeezing their eyes shut. “I know you’re planning an escape. You’re going to leave, and Sigrid is going to blame me, and everything I’ve worked for will be ruined!”
Five didn’t say anything – what was the use? Ian wouldn’t believe anything they said anyway, even if it was truthful.
“Giving me the silent treatment, huh? Well, we’ll see just how long you can keep up that stoicism.” Ian shoved their head to the side and released his grip before turning to walk to the fireplace. He stood silently for a while, staring into the flames. His shadow covered Five in darkness, and it was practically suffocating. For a moment, Five could only hear their racing heart pounding in their ears.
The door opened behind Five, and three of Ian’s guards walked in, locking the door silently behind them. They positioned themselves behind Five. “You’re just in time.” Ian mused. He lazily grabbed the metal poker beside the fireplace and placed the tip into the heart of the flames. A log cracked in protest and shot a small ember on the wooden floor beside Ian. He solidly stomped his foot over it.
Five began to sweat as they warily eyed the reddening metal. Five began pulling at the restraints, but the rope was wound tightly, leaving no room to wiggle free.
“Five, how far can you run without stopping?”
Five paused. The poker was glowing white now. Ian pulled it out and turned towards Five, holding it in front of him and studying it curiously.
“Five, I asked you a question.”
“I- I don’t know. T-twenty miles? But I don’t-“
“I’m sure you need to take good care of your feet as a runner. Without them, what help are you to Abel, is that correct?”
“Uhh…” Five pushed against the floor, but one of the guards grabbed the chair to prevent it from moving. “Ian, what are you doing?”
“Take ‘em off.” Ian spoke to the guards. Two of the men came around. One grabbed Five’s ankle. They yanked their foot, but his grip was too tight. Five tried to kick him in the head with the other foot, but the second man grabbed it as soon as it lifted off the ground.
Five let out a whimper, feeling helpless as the men yanked off their shoes and then their socks. “Ian, what the hell are you doing?” they repeated more frantically. Five jerked their body and mustered all the strength they had into kicking out of the guards’ grip, but their attempts were futile, and the guards held tight.
Ian was back at the fireplace, clearly unsatisfied with how quickly the metal had cooled. He pulled out the freshly-white metal and approached Five slowly, enjoying the look of terror across their face. “What’s the matter, Five? I’ve never seen you look so scared.” A laugh bubbled from deep in his throat, and bile boiled up the back of Five’s throat.
“Ian, please.”
“You won’t be running away, Five. I’m sure the Minister will be sad to hear how you injured yourself by sleeping too close to the fire. Hopefully you will find a use for yourself while you’re unable to walk. You know how important it is here that people earn their rations.”
“Ian, come on. Don’t do this!” Five couldn’t hold back a sob. Their heart pounded inside their chest and up into their ears, muffling their cries.
Ian ignored them, moving to stand directly in front of them. He nodded to one of the guards, who raised Five’s foot, holding it tightly despite their efforts to break free.
“Ian! No, please! Ian, no! No no no no-“ Five continued frantically as Ian brought the glowing metal closer and closer to the sole of their foot. Five closed their eyes tightly, bracing for the white-hot pain that was coming. The sound hit their ears a fraction of a second before the pain reached their brain. Five let out a blood-curdling scream – it was as if their entire foot was set on fire. But above everything else, Ian’s cackle pierced their ears and echoed through their head a thousand times.
--
“Five! Five! It’s okay, you’re safe!” Five threw their hands toward the voice instinctively, scrambling away until they were falling onto the hard ground wrapped in a thin blanket. The sudden jolt sent them in a daze. Five was drenched in a cold sweat and breathing heavily, and their hair stuck to their face in a way that felt almost like Ian’s hand suffocating them.
It took another few seconds and some deep breaths before Five realized the hot pain in their foot was gone. There wasn’t a fire in the corner of the room – in fact, it was a cold and dark night except for full moon shining through the window.
Sam crawled to the edge of the bed, hesitating as he tried to determine if Five was fully present. Their eyes were wide and full of terror, but they stared towards the ceiling before glancing directly into Sam’s eyes momentarily. Five covered their face with their hands. Five kicked at the blanket in an effort to free themself. Sam helped unwind the blanket from around Five’s ankle, and they curled into a ball on the floor.
“Five,” Sam said softly before sliding off the bed to kneel beside them. He settled a comforting hand on their shoulder. “It’s okay. You’re okay.” Five let out a sniffle and buried their face further into their arms.
“Oh my god,” Five groaned, releasing a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry I woke you up,” they mumbled into their arms.
“You couldn’t control it.” Sam said softly. He brought his hand to Five’s arm, encouraging them to open up. Five lowered their arms, and their eyes were swollen and red from tears.
“Sam.” Five whispered before pushing up off the ground and wrapping their arms around him in a tight hug. Five grimaced at the feeling of their sweaty clothes pressing against their back, but Sam didn’t let off any sign that he was uncomfortable. He wrapped his arms around Five tightly, running a hand slowly through their hair. Five let out a shaky breath, relaxing into Sam’s embrace. “God, Sam, it was awful.”
He let the silence linger for a second before inquiring further, “Do you… want to talk about it?”
Five readjusted they were sitting against the side of the bed. They nestled into Sam’s side when he positioned himself beside them. Five busied themself with the fraying hem of their shirt before finally replying. “It was Ian. I was – back when Abel was run by the Minister. Ian… He burned my feet with hot metal, and it was – I was so scared, Sam. It was disgusting, and… I thought it was real.” Five ran a hand through their hair. “God, I’m sorry Sam. It’s stupid – I know he’s dead, and I know it didn’t happen, it’s just...”
“Dreams always feel real,” he completed the sentence for them, and Five relaxed just a little. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Five.”
“I just hate…” They paused, unable to think of the right words. “Everybody has nightmares. I shouldn’t be so dramatic, but I feel so weak and damaged.” Five cringed, not enjoying the way the word tasted as they lingered in the silence.
“Five, you’ve been through more than any of us can even begin to imagine. You’ve endured so much, and yet you get up every morning, train and lead the runners, go on missions… Heck, you volunteer what little free time you have at the hospital! Five, there are so many words I can use to describe you, but “weak” and “damaged” aren’t among them. Not even close. You’re the strongest and bravest person I know. The runners look up to you, the children admire you, even Janine is proud of you, though she doesn’t quite know how to show it.”
Five took a shaky breath and wiped their eyes. “Oh Sam.” Five whispered, nestling into his shoulder.
“Thank you.”