The pit was dim.
The walls were welded sheets of iron.
Clara and my mother had their arms and legs ruined and were curled up in the corner, trembling.
My father was kneeling on the ground, slamming his head against the wall again and again.
That dull thud earlier had come from him.
The tendons in his hands had already been cut by Old Blade.
They hung lifelessly at his sides.
Only Clara's face was still perfectly intact.
She was sick.
She needed to keep a pretty face.
That had always been their kind of "standard."
The moment the three of them saw Cade's unfamiliar face and the badge on his chest, their numb, hopeless eyes suddenly lit up.
Like three worms, they struggled forward, crying and crawling toward that badge.
"Officer, help us! They're holding us illegally! They're vio
