Chapter Text
Willy hardly reacted when Gina snagged him by the arm and threw him into his cell. He blocked her out the second he saw Louis, with Aasim's head lying in his lap.
"Is he okay?" Willy immediately asked, stumbling and skidding to his knees to look them both over.
“For now,” Louis rasped. He had a fresh-looking cut on his cheek, tear tracks streaking down to his jawline and a busted lower lip. Aasim had the same blackened bruise on his face, but now sported blood seeping through his shirt from his shoulder, which he was surprised to see was wrapped up; bandages poked through the collar of his shirt. His jacket lay on the cot, bunched up in a ball. Willy reached his hand forward and felt his warm forehead. "Is that bad?"
"Maybe," Louis whispered hoarsely. He didn't even look up to meet Willy's eye. "He's breathing, at least. He just needs to rest up."
Willy sighed, pulling his hand away and wiping it on his pants. "What happened to you?"
"Fought back," Louis answered simply, finally looking up to smile. "Gad tried coming up to him again and... I just lost it a little." He gently moved his arm to lift Aasim’s unconscious head up the slightest bit. “You shoulda’ seen his face when I shoved him back.”
Willy laughed a little breathlessly. “I wish I could, but I was kind of knocked the fuck out.” He leaned away from the two, bringing his knee up to his chest. “I’m alright now, though. Jus’ a little headache.” And my head is fucking spinning because now I know how Sophie died. I mean, it makes sense when you think about it.
“Where’d they take you?” Louis asked. “They pulled you up and saw you had a knife, and then they just… dragged you off.”
Willy kept his eyes on his shoe. “A little room with no windows. Not too far from here. They just interrogated me a bit. Asked a couple questions, and I gave a couple answers. She didn’t hurt me.”
“Good.” Louis sighed with a hopeful smile. “That’s good. I take it they took that knife?” Willy nodded, and his smile fell. “That’s… less than good.” He shook his head. “Where’d you even get that knife? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“ I got it from the-"
Wait, he told himself. You can't switch up your story. Even if it's just Louis.
"From… Minnie."
“Minnie?” Louis raised an eyebrow. When Willy nodded, he looked out the window of their cell. “Why’d she-"
“She said I needed it for protection,” Willy forced out. “And when I told Dorian, she wanted to start denying it.”
Louis studied him with silent eyes. He caught a lying tone, but before he could comment on it the cell’s door rattled. On a protective instinct, he set his arm over Aasim’s chest. “Hey, get the fuck -!”
“Relax, kid,” Armando said, slowly stepping into the room. In his hands, he held three bowls. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”
“You already have.” Louis glared at him icily.
“Don’t blame me for Gad’s bullshit. You wanna eat or not?" Armando cast his lazy eyes to Willy glaring at him, and he chuckled and stepped back. “Don’t worry, little guy, I got it. No touching.”
Willy breathed in, meaning to shoot something back, but he just growled and crossed his arms. “I thought I wasn’t allowed to eat?”
Armando knelt down to be eye-level with the kids, setting the bowls on the ground. “Dorian said it was best you didn’t starve before you get to camp.” He looked at Aasim, who was breathing shallowly. “He hasn’t woken up yet?”
“He just got shot,” Louis murmured, any anger he had fizzling out. “He lost a lot of blood, I’d be surprised if he woke up tomorrow.”
“Well, see if you can get him awake to eat a couple bites.” Armando stood up. “He’s gotta be as tip-top as he can once we hit shore.”
“Maybe trigger-happy out there shouldn’t have shot him, he would have been fine.” Louis, despite his words, reached forward and took one of the bowls for himself.
“Don’t worry,” Armando said. “Gad’s getting his punishment." He paused, staring at Willy quizzically. "And so it seems is Minerva, if all that screaming was anything to go by.”
Willy swallowed hard, feeling Armando’s eyes on him. He jerked his hand forward, taking his bowl of salty mush. He couldn’t erase the sound of Minnie’s scream from his ears.
“I heard you got your hands on a knife," Armando said, practically demanding Willy to tell him everything.
Willy nodded, not swayed. “Yeah, what's it to you?" He jammed the spoon of mush into his mouth, shuddering at the taste. Still, he was grateful to have something in his stomach.
Armando snuffed, crossing his arms as his smile disappeared. "Hate being left in the dark about this shit," he muttered as he left. "Every time something on this fuckin' boat happens, I'm the last to know."
"Well maybe if you shut up and listened, you wouldn't be so fuckin' clueless," Gina shot back as she shut the cell door.
The two's arguing faded as Willy focused his attention on his friends. Louis had gently moved Aasim to be sitting propped up against the wall. "Hey, Aasim," Willy tried, reaching forward and gently shaking his shoulder- the one without a gunshot wound. "Hey, wake up."
Aasim huffed, the corner of his mouth deepening into a frown.
"'Simmy,” Louis coaxed, running his hand through Aasim's hair. "Come on, it's dinner time."
Aasim groaned, eyebrows furrowing as his bleary eyes blinked halfway open. "Wh… who's…"
Willy blew out a relieved breath. "Oh, my god, you're alive."
Aasim suddenly gasped, his hand flying up to his shoulder. "Ow! God damn…!" His eyes tore across the cell, wide and terrified. He relaxed, though, upon seeing Willy, and then Louis.
“Hey, man,” Louis said, setting a bowl in Aasim’s lap. “They say you need to eat something.”
Aasim dumbly reached his hand forward, grasping his fingers around the bowl. “What happened?” he rasped, and Willy saw the cracks in his dry lips as he spoke. "I-I just remember that guy kicking Willy, and…"
"Don't worry," Willy said, taking another bite of his food. "I'm alright, Aasim. You need to rest up, and eat."
Aasim's dull eyes lowered, and with a shaking hand, he raised his spoon to his lips.
"The answer's pretty obvious," Louis said, forcing down the food, "but… how are you feeling?"
Aasim sighed, reaching his hand to his shoulder again. "Like I just got struck by lightning. It's like… it hurts, but it's not easing up."
Willy looked into his bowl. "That can't be good."
"It's gonna be alright," Louis objected, hope stringing his voice. "With a bit of food and rest, you'll be okay."
Aasim shrugged dully with one shoulder. "Let's just hope you're right."
The three ate in silence for a while before the dryness in Willy's throat was almost too much to bear. He stood up with his arms hugging each other, and he shuffled to the cell door. "Hello? Gina?"
"You're not supposed to be talking," Gina said, and footsteps came closer to the cell door. Willy peeked out a little and saw her, rifle tight in her hand.
"I was just gonna ask for some water," Willy said, and he lowered his voice. "The, um… the food's really salty, and we haven't had anything to drink."
"Aasim needs it more than anyone," Louis added, raising his voice for Gina to hear him. "He lost a lot of blood."
Gina hesitated. Then, "I'll see what I can do. For now, just stop talking."
That's just their way of saying we're on our own. Mitch stayed at Willy's side, glaring at the door.
Willy sat down in front of Louis and Aasim again, feeling his head weigh heavy. He was surprised to see most of the food gone from his bowl. Was I really that hungry? He looked over and saw Aasim's bowl was still practically full. "'Sim, eat some more."
"Trying," Aasim replied tiredly. "I'm just… not hungry. I'm thirsty, more than anything."
"Gina said she's working on it," Willy said. "They'll get us something."
Since when do you trust Gina? Mitch hissed at him. She's a monster, just like everyone else.
Louis watched Aasim with tears pricking his eyes and a deep frown embedded on his face. "It's gonna be okay," he whispered. "We're gonna go home, and be off this boat before you know it.”
Aasim sighed, forcing himself to take another bite. It was a long while before Willy saw him swallow. Willy focused on listening to the muffled voices above them, voices he could make out to be Gad and Dorian. Though, he didn't know what they were saying.
Sooner than he would have liked, he heard the cell bars rattle. He jumped and whirled around, drawing in a gasp.
One by one, four water bottles dropped to the floor of the cell, falling over and rolling with the rock of the boat. Minnie's arm drew back from the cell bars, and she didn't say a word.
She just focused her single eye on Willy as he stood up.
Her single eye, which was puffy and red and evident of crying that hadn't yet stopped. The rest of her face was covered with bandages blotted starkly with fresh red blood that had yet to stop flowing, resulting in trails of blood leaking down her cheek; her hair was matted underneath the white strips of bandages and poking out just the slightest bit.
"Minnie?" Louis called out, eyebrows upturned. "What the fuck happened to you…?"
Minnie dipped her head in, then used the same with-the-foot trick Gad used to open the cell door. "I just came for your dinner bowls." Her voice was raw, dull, flat. Any spark of defiance that Willy heard through the door was gone, as was any emotion in her eye; a stark contrast from when she had broken down crying in the interrogation room.
"Minnie?" It was Aasim's turn to get her attention, the corner of his mouth streaked with water. "Hey, what's going on? Are you okay?"
Minnie knelt down in front of him, taking the almost full bowl from his lap. "Stop talking."
"No," Louis objected, "what did they do to you?"
"What the fuck does it look like!?" Minnie snapped, taking his bowl from beside him. "Are you really that stupid to not get it?"
Louis snapped his mouth shut, pain crossing his face as if she slapped him. Aasim shrank into his shoulder as she stood up, only to stoop down to Willy’s feet as she gathered his bowl. The glare in her icy eyes was sparking the smallest of fires.
“You said you were mourning me.”
Willy furrowed his eyebrows. “Wh-what?”
“In the woods,” Minnie explained as she righted herself. “You were singing their praises about how much they still cared about me, and the first thing I see is Violet just throwing herself all over someone else.”
“Excuse me, what?” Louis leaned forward. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about what a big fuckin’ liar Willy is,” Minnie hissed. "Every single thing that comes out of his mouth is a lie. You never mourned me and Sophie," she accused, "you never gave a shit. Any of you."
Willy balled his hands into fists, his injured arm aching with the tension. "You can't say that about Tenn."
"I can sure as hell say it about Violet." She turned away from the three with what could be described as a growl. "And you."
"What did Violet do?" Louis asked.
Willy sighed. "When we saw her in the woods with Clem… they looked pretty close."
Louis's eyebrows shot up, the smallest of smiles gracing his lips. "Oh? Like… together?"
Willy nodded, but Minnie spoke for him. "It looks like she's got herself a new girlfriend."
Louis's face darkened as he looked at Minnie. "What, is she not allowed to move on? It's been a whole fucking year, Min. And I'm willing to bet you haven't even thought about her until today."
Minnie faltered with a grimacing glare. "You don't-"
"Minerva!" Gina knocked loudly on the door frame. "God dammit, get out here!"
Minnie jumped, nearly dropping the bowls in her hand. "Y-Yes ma'am, sor-sorry." Her anger was immediately snuffed out.
"And you three." Gina came into the cell as Minnie shuffled to the door. "This is your last warning to shut the fuck up."
"Minnie started it," Louis said, sitting back down next to Aasim.
"Louis," Gina hissed, a warning tone that made Minnie flinch.
Willy ambled to Aasim's other side, sitting down and crossing his legs. The space between his eyes sparked with a dull pain; all this screaming and arguing was finally starting to fatigue him.
"Jus' shut up," Aasim whispered, now a bit more aware of his surroundings now that he was hydrated; he had drank nearly half the bottle in his hand.
Louis cast his glance to his friends, then huffed and leaned back onto the wall, arms crossed. He offered no words, but he didn’t have to; his dark eyes and tight frown expressed all his biting words he was surely running over in his head. Aasim took one last drink from the bottle in his hand, then set it down between him and Willy.
“I think we’re done playing nice with you all,” Gina said as she elbowed Minnie out of the cell. “Go ahead and get your sleep, ‘cuz once tomorrow hits and we set off this shore, you’re not gonna catch a break.” As she continued, there was just the smallest hints of sympathy in her eyes, flickering in the torchlight. “They don’t care if you’re bleeding out, they don’t care if you don’t like being touched, they don’t give a shit about how bad of a childhood you had. You’re gonna get whipped into shape sooner rather than later.”
Willy slowly breathed in and out, despite his thudding heart, as Gina closed the door behind her. His wide eyes searched the floorboards, looking for an answer to his endless list of questions.
What side is Minnie on? When is Clementine getting here? How much longer is Aasim gonna last?
Why am I still talking to Mitch? Is it even Mitch I'm talking to?
How much longer can I keep this up? They know I'm scared, so why am I still pretending to not be?
"Hey, Aasim," Louis whispered, grunting as he got to his feet. "You should sleep on the cot tonight. It wouldn't be very comfortable sleeping on the floor with a hole in your shoulder."
Aasim hesitated. "Willy, is your arm okay?" He whispered.
Willy shook his head with a smile. "Take the cot, 'Sim. You need it way more than I do."
Aasim took his jacket in his arms, hugging it to his chest with a deep breath. "Okay… g'night."
Willy watched as Aasim painfully laid down, his jacket sleeve covering his eyes, and before he knew it he was turning away from that sight and into Louis' shoulder, feeling his arm around his own shoulders.
"Just stay calm," Louis whispered, and Willy felt the tremor in his voice. It sounded like he was assuring himself, more than anything. "Any second now, Clementine is gonna come into this boat and kick every single one of their asses. They're not just gonna let us get taken."
Willy nodded. "I don't think we have time to wait for them to get here. We need to do something."
Louis shook his head. "What can we do, Will? We're not exactly in a fighting shape."
"Maybe you aren't," Willy murmured, "but I'm not quitting yet. They need to pay for what they've done."
Louis paused, keeping a worried eye on Willy, who was close to tears. "Willy," he finally said, "you're as exhausted as the rest of us. You don't need to keep pretending you're so tough."
Willy's eye twitched. "Where's the armory?" He asked, just above a whisper. "Did they show you?" He nervously glanced up to meet Louis's eyes.
Louis shrugged. "All they said was that it was in the lower deck. You really think they'd take us to see it?"
Lower deck. That must be where I was being interrogated. It's somewhere down there, I bet. "I'll find a way in there," he said matter-of-factly. "They have to have some of those… those bottle bombs, the ones they used at the school to start all those fires. Maybe I can use those…"
"Hey, woah." Louis took his arm away from Willy's shoulders, using his hand to grab Willy's. "Are you crazy !? You can't do that! Not while they have every eye on us!"
"We're going to get out of here," Willy promised, looking up at Louis with steadfast determination. "And I want to be damn sure these guys never come back for us again once we go. We need to destroy this boat, one way or another..."
He heard Mitch whispering in his ear again.
"...And we need to kill every last one of these monsters."