Sabir paced in circles around the corner of his cell. Neither darkness nor the damp air could stifle the rage that boiled from within him. The cold, hard floor attempted to act as a buffer to contain him, but only a constant image overflowed in his mind. A singular, burning memory: Vincent Voltaire.

His meeting with him played out in a relentless loop, over and over, with each replay only sharpening his anger like a blade. Vincent’s face of pure agony and self hatred made him want to puke. The way he looked at him so pitifully, as if seeking for someone to forgive him for his sins. Sabir’s teeth ground together at the thought, his jaw aching from the pressure. He wanted nothing more than to wipe that pathetic look off Vincent’s face. He killed the mother of his child, his lover, Sabir’s own sister, and now he acts like an abandoned puppy.

All of it an act.

The scene unfurled once again. He remembered the heat that surged through his veins, the way his vision had narrowed until all he could see was Vincent, his target, his enemy. Sabir had felt his muscles coil, adrenaline pumping through him like a drug, pushing him into a frenzied charge. He had thrown himself at Vincent, his fists ready to inflict pain, to make him pay for what he stole.

But then, in an instant, his rage-fueled assault had been cut short.

Elektra.

Sabir clenched his fists. It was to be expected. Of course it was. She had been a catalyst to all of Sabir’s suffering, and then once again she interfered, appearing out of nowhere so swift and effortless, she came between them. Spinning and twisting, she struck a spinning heel kick, connecting with his jaw, that crumpled all his fight and sent him crashing to the floor along with his consciousness. He hadn’t even had time to react, let alone defend himself. One moment, he had been a whirlwind of fury, and the next, everything had gone black.

When Sabir had finally come to, he found himself in this freezing, dimly lit cell. The biting cold gnawed at his skin, seeping into his bones, but it was nothing compared to the chill of the realization that he had been defeated so effortlessly again.

Warren had been waiting for him to awaken. According to Warren, he had fought to keep him alive. Elektra was set on killing him, but Warren prevented it. Judging by his black eye and bruises, when he told the tale, Sabir’s survival came with a price.

The memories caused Sabir’s fists to clench at his sides, nails digging into his palms as if the pain could somehow keep the anger in check. With a grunt, he resumed his pacing, his body vibrating with a restless energy that had no outlet. The cell was too small, too confining. He felt like a beast trapped in a cage, his fury bouncing off the walls and echoing back at him. His breaths came in short, ragged bursts, each one laced with the memory of Vincent’s infuriating plea of death.

I’ll get back to you Vincent, just you wait, your pleas of forgiveness won’t save you, Sabir swore to himself. This whole family will pay. He wanted to tear him apart, to see the fear in Vincent’s eyes, to know that he was the one who had finally wiped that idiotic look off his face. Only once he had felt the pain of death that Cynthia had felt, only then could he be forgiven.

He couldn’t just let it go. He couldn’t just sit here, stewing in his own anger while Vincent went on with his life, untouched by the fury he had ignited. But as much as he wanted to act, to strike out and claim vengeance in the name of his sister, the cold metal bars of his cell were a constant reminder that he was at the mercy of those he wished to defeat.

He ran a hand through his hair as frustration came over him. How do I get out of here, damn it all! He still had no clue of how he could escape. These bars were impossible for a dud like him to break through. Until he figured it out, he was going to be here indefinitely, unless Warren finds the chance to break him free. But until then, all he could do was pace, clinging to the anger that burned inside him, keeping it alive like oil over a flame.

Two days had passed since then, and Sabir was no closer to exact his revenge. He had spent most of his time plotting his escape, or better yet, how he would kill Vincent when he finally got out of this damn cell. But Warren interrupted his thoughts when he came to see him again.

“So you’re here again. Please tell me you came here with a key this time.” Sabir pleaded.

Warren shook his head and sighed, releasing his anxiety into the cold air. “You keep asking me the same thing. You know I can’t do it, not yet. I’ll figure out a way. Just hold on. Please,”

“Fine, keep me locked in here. Just kill Vincent for me, and I’ll die happy,” Sabir spat out venomously. His frustration leaking out, with Warren being the recipient of it all.

Warren moved closer to the cell, his hands gripping on the bars. “You know I can’t do that, even if you’re joking. He’s my brother.”

“Whatever.”

And with that Warren had left once again, leaving Sabir still locked up and seething. Another few hours passed when suddenly his solitude got interrupted, when he heard heavy footsteps and muffled voices echoing down the corridor. He pressed his ear against the cold, damp wall, trying to make out what was happening. Moments later, the cell door screeched open, and a couple of Noah’s bruised-up henchmen unceremoniously threw into the cell a young man around his age.

The young man groaned, clearly in pain from his rough handling. He stood in front of the bars, trying to peer into the corridor, but the guards had already left. He looked even worse for wear than Sabir himself. Whilst Sabir wore a dirty white shirt along with his black slacks. The young man’s clothing was burnt and torn in place, evidence that he had been in a fierce battle. It looked almost pitiful. Sabir saw this as an opportunity. Maybe this new cellmate could help him escape, or at least provide some entertainment. In truth, he had become lonely with only his small meeting with Warren being his only bit of human interaction.

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Sabir took a step forward, trying to make his presence known. “Who are you?”

The man flinched, his wide eyes darting towards Sabir like a cornered animal. Before Sabir could say anything else, the man let out an ear-piercing scream.

“Help me! Help me!” the guy shrieked, pressing himself against the cell bars like they were his last line of defense. Sabir blinked, completely thrown off by the reaction.

“Hey, hey, calm down!” Sabir said, trying to approach him. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

The man, who Sabir realized was probably in worse shape mentally than physically, started crawling away on all fours, desperate to put distance between them. His hands scrabbled against the rough stone floor as he tried to scuttle to the other side of the small cell. But in his panic, he tripped over his own feet and landed face-first with a dull thud.

“Are you okay?” Sabir asked, genuinely confused now. “I’m not gonna hurt you, man. What the hell did they do to you?”

The guy didn’t answer. Instead, he kept crawling, still trying to escape Sabir as if his life depended on it. He screamed again, louder this time, as he struggled to get back up, only to trip over his own feet once more. Sabir couldn’t help but laugh. The situation was ridiculous. This guy was clearly terrified, running around like a scared rabbit, but it only entertained Sabir, who had nothing better to do, so he chased after him. It was almost comical.

“Stay away from me, or you’ll kill me too!” the man wailed, his voice cracking with fear.

Sabir raised an eyebrow. “Kill you? I haven’t even touched you!”

The man desperately continued to scramble away from Sabir’s clutches, which only amused him more. The chase continued, with Sabir half-heartedly trying to catch him while the guy kept dodging and slipping. It became apparent that the man was terrified of him. Perhaps he feared human contact?

Just as Sabir was enjoying this absurd game of cat and mouse, they both froze at the sound of approaching footsteps. The young man immediately pressed his face against the bars, a desperate plea spilling from his lips. “Please, just get me out of this cell! I don’t want to die!”

“Zabo? The gopher?” Warren asked, his voice laced with surprise.

“Warren? The weakling?” Zabo retorted, his tone just as bewildered.

“What are you doing here?” they both asked at the same time.

Warren, looking more confused by the second, shook his head. “I live here, you dumbass. What are you doing here?”

Zabo rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at the ceiling of the cell. “Oh, right, yeah, makes sense. Anyway, how did I get here? Right uh, to make a long story short, I ended up fighting your brother, and now I’m in this cell.”

Warren’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Wait, what? You fought my brother? What did losing all your lunch money to Elektra make you go stupid?”

Zabo brought his face closer to the bars, his face pushed against a gap. “Listen, I don’t lose my lunch money. I let her take my lunch money!”

Warren smirked. “That sounds like cope, man.”

Sabir, who had been watching this exchange with confusion, stepped in to understand what was going on. Everything was moving too quickly. “Do you two know each other or something?”

“Yeah, me and him-”

Just as Warren was going to explain, Zabo cut him off, remembering Sabir was nearby. He reached through the bars and grabbed Warren by the collar. “Please, Warren, get me out of this cell! Or at least put me somewhere away from him!” Zabo pleaded, his voice edging towards hysteria.

Warren’s gaze shifted to Sabir, his eyebrows raised in accusation. “What the hell did you do to him?”

Sabir held up his hands in mock innocence. “I did jack shit! He’s clearly mentally ill.” He motioned towards Zabo, as he began tearing up, trying to reach for Warren.

Warren shook his head, while swatting away Zabo’s hands. “Nah, he’s not crazy, at least I’m pretty sure He’s a real loner at the academy so I don’t know. But I know he’s Elektra’s gopher. He waits on her, hand and foot.”

“Stop calling me that!” Zabo snapped, glaring at Warren.

Warren ignored him, leaning in closer to inspect Zabo. “That crazy guy didn’t hurt you, did he?” He saw Zabo’s side where Noah had attacked him. “Holy shit, who did that to you?”

Sabir raised his hands once more. “I swear I didn’t hurt him, but if there was anyone, I was gonna hurt it sure as hell will be your brother.”

Zabo, who had been inching away from Sabir, paused and looked at him incredulously. “Wait, why the hell do you want to kill Noah? Are you stupid? The guy’s like one of the best young hunters.”

Sabir rolled his eyes. “Not Noah, you idiot. I want to kill Vincent.”

Zabo blinked, clearly lost. “Who’s Vincent?”

“My other brother,” Warren said, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

“Oh. I don’t care,” Zabo replied, turning his attention back to Warren and tried again to reach out to him through the gaps in the bars.

Sabir threw his hands up in frustration. “You just asked!” He moved towards Zabo, pulling him away from the bars, so that Warren could actually talk, without being grabbed on.

“No! Don’t touch me, you crazy demon.” Zabo screamed as he pushed away from Sabir. Everyone fell silent as Sabir fell to the floor. Sensing the chaos in the room spiraling out of control, Zabo tried to bring some order back to the situation. “Listen, please just get me out of this room. Otherwise, I swear I’ll die.”

Sabir got up from the floor, brushing himself off, not at all annoyed at being pushed, but more so intrigued. “Who’s gonna kill you?”

Zabo, clearly fed up with everything, threw his hands in the air. “You!” He closed his eyes and took a sharp intake of breath and, with a sharp crack, the handcuffs around his wrists shattered, clattering to the floor.

Warren took a step back, eyes wide. “Oh, shit. Who was the idiot that gave the guy with super strength handcuffs?”

Zabo turned to Warren, his expression serious. “I’m getting out of here, Warren. I don’t know you that well, but you should leave too. For your own safety.”

Zabo grabbed the cell bars, bending them aside as if they were paper. He squeezed through the gap, desperate to get to what he considered safety.

Warren, recovering from his shock, tried to block Zabo’s path. “Hey, I can’t just let you leave!”

He pushed him aside with a single hand before stepping out of the cell. “Okay, fine! Just take me somewhere else, away from that guy!” He jabbed a finger in Sabir’s direction. “The guy’s gonna explode any minute!”

Sabir’s confusion grew by the minute. Alright, who the hell is this guy? He finally snapped and asked, “what do you mean I’m going to explode?”

But Zabo didn’t answer. He was already halfway down the corridor, leaving Sabir and Warren to stare after him, one baffled and the other concerned.

Warren shook his head, muttering under his breath. “I swear, this place gets weirder every day.”