He found his glasses and put them to his face with bleeding fingers. He was kicked, stepped on.

Did I subconsciously take myself there? Rain thought.

He reached up, hand extended.

Pleading for help, reaching and unanswered, Rain interpreted.

How did all of what came before lead into this?

⊙

Rain was in the room. He picked up the chair.

He didn’t venture a response. He knew what the answer would be.

He didn’t really want to face the others, either. They were the people who wanted him tortured to death.

For now, he sat in the chair. There was no reason to stand. He didn’t even need to find his three tokens. It wasn’t as if he was giving them away, or getting anything.

His power would be what it was.

Snag approached the table, clearing away the debris, finding his glass. He turned to stare at Rain.

Rain wanted to answer that stare, wanted to provoke. He stared across to Cradle’s space instead. He breathed deep, none of the injuries from earlier present. They appeared as they were, in a way. Snag in the same sorts of clothing, partially hiding his appearance, never looking like he’d just come from work. Cradle wore civilian clothes. Love Lost…

Love Lost rose from the chair. Still wearing the muzzle-mask, still wearing the dress with the slit up the side, the heels, her nails painted. She never took off the mask, now, so it was enough of a part of her to be brought into this space.

Her eyes were downcast as she approached the dais and gripped the edge. She only lifted her eyes to stare Rain down. Abject hatred.

It felt like an hour passed before Snag spoke.

“Cradle. I’d like the coins before we run out of time.”

Cradle came from around the corner of one of the concrete slabs. He looked worse for wear.

It’s always harder when it’s your night, Rain thought.

Cradle found the coins, gripped them in one hand, and slammed the hand against the invisible barrier that separated his section from Snag’s. Snag caught one out of the air before it could hit the floor. The other two landed on the flat surface of the dais.

“You know what the shittiest part of this thing is?” Cradle asked.

Cradle always liked to talk on his nights.

“You infected us,” Cradle said, looking at Rain. “We each got a piece of each other.”

“Bleed-through,” Rain said.

“So you’ve done some research,” Cradle said. “We were pretty decent people before. Love Lost yelled at her daughter, but—”

Love Lost’s hand slammed against the dais.

“But she wasn’t evil,” Cradle said. He turned to Love Lost. “Sorry.”

Love Lost glared at him.

“Snag was even a bit of a hero,” Cradle said.

Snag sighed. “I don’t really think so.”

“The girl you helped? Friend of Love Lost’s daughter? Come on,” Cradle said.