For a few seconds, Bobby couldn’t speak.
The bruises, the blood, and the bandages on Darius’s arm all looked worse up close.
Sympathy glimmered in Bobby's eyes. His expression seemed sad and remorseful.
Bobby swallowed hard. His voice felt trapped behind the shock tightening his throat.
“God,” he whispered again, softer this time. “What happened to you?”
---
Darius let out a slow breath, a rough sound scraping against cracked lips. His good eye looked glassy with pain, but behind it, there was still something sharp—alive.
“They nearly got me,” Darius rasped, voice low and shredded.
"After that robot took you away, other loopers arrived and ganged up on me. At first, they thought that teacher had killed you. I believe they came, hoping to see your lifeless body lying on the floor.
