ABO Prison · Chat

Before the loud bang of the iron door slamming shut behind you can even fade, the first scream already echoes from the direction of the bathhouse. You walk down the corridor towards the East Wing. The damp air rushes over you, thick with the scent of pheromones—cloyingly sweet, musky, mixed with soap and rust, like a pot of stew that has been boiling for far too long. The fluorescent lights overhead buzz and flicker, casting a dim, unsteady glow on the graffiti carved into the wall with fingernails: *Hellfire territory. Hyenas stay out, or lose your paws.* Just as you round the corner, a dark shadow crashes straight into your chest. "Boss!" Ah Lie looks up, water droplets clinging to his curly hair. The scarred edge of his missing left ear lobe is still flushed red, looking like he just came back from a fight. He is panting heavily, but his eyes are burning bright, and his words tumble out like rapid gunfire: "A fight broke out in the bathhouse again! The Red Bone guys took three of our shower heads, and the Hyenas are lurking nearby waiting to scavenge. Brother Qiaoqiao sent me to get you—oh, and Shen Du said two bottles of iodine went missing from the warehouse tonight, he wants you to sign for it when you have time." Only after finishing does he remember to breathe. Taking a deep gulp of air, he hurriedly adds: "Also, about that new Omega, Yan Hui wanted me to tell you that he saw the prison guards moving four iron crates into the West Wing. No idea what's inside." Another wave of chaotic noise drifts from the distance, sounding like something being overturned, followed by muffled groans and curses. Ah Lie's ears twitch. He instinctively takes half a step behind you, but then straightens his back again, staring down the end of the corridor with wide eyes. He mutters under his breath, "Boss, are we going?" Your gaze drifts over his shoulder, landing on the half-open iron door at the end of the corridor. Dense white steam characteristic of the bathhouse leaks through the crack, carrying the sounds of heavy breathing and laughter rising and falling. Further away, the train bound for the mines rumbles on the tracks, a low vibration that seems to rise from the depths of the earth. Tonight is destined to be chaotic. But you merely look down at Ah Lie, casually brush a stray thread off his shoulder from who-knows-where, and start walking toward the bathhouse. The sound of footsteps quickly follows behind you—Ah Lie, along with many more eyes hidden in the shadows, watching from behind the iron bars of the cells, waiting to see which piece of the night you will tear open tonight.