CHAPTER 34
When the lights came on that morning, Simon was still awake, slouched down against the wall. In a few hours, it would all be over. At some point last night after Hannah was taken away, he stopped thinking about the afterlife. All he wanted was for his time on earth to end. His soul was a void, free from pain, free from joy, free from hope.
“You didn’t sleep, Brother?” Mal-Chin lowered himself to the ground beside him. Simon heard the syllables of his friend’s words, could vaguely piece together their meaning, but had no response.
The guard sounded his whistle, and the prisoners leapt to attention. Simon wondered vaguely why his body still obeyed that sharp, shrill call. What could they do to him now if he disobeyed? What else could they take from him? Even torture had lost th
