The night grew deeper. Loy had lost track of how long they had been sitting there. Time seemed to have frozen the moment Sany passed away. Perhaps hours had passed. Perhaps an entire night. There was no way to measure time in this place; only the alternating pressure of darkness and silence.
Riri clung to Loy's hand, like someone terrified that if she let go, she would be lost forever. Loy squeezed back, though he could no longer feel his own hands. His skin was chafed raw, his wrists swollen from the ropes being tied too tight. But he was used to the pain. He didn't even feel it anymore.
Outside, the sounds of the bandits persisted. They laughed, they drank, they lived as if nothing had happened.
Loy closed his eyes. In the darkness, he just wanted it all to end.
Suddenly, the sounds from outside changed.
