Stray Cat

Chapter Twenty-Four

Dan was lying on his side, his knees bent because the bed in his cell was too short for him to stretch out on. If he fell asleep now, he would wake up to an aching back, but he didn't care; he wanted to escape, even if he only left the nightmare of reality for nightmarish dreams. He wrinkled his nose as the scent of the untouched food on his tray wafted up from the floor. The food was disgusting, and he thought that they were purposefully making it resemble cat food, if not giving the Nekos actual cat food. So far, the only thing he had touched from the trays they brought him was the water, and they had told him that if he didn't eat soon then they would force food down his throat with a tube. He didn't care.

He buried his face in his pillow to block out both the smell and the lights glaring from the hallway – lights that were never turned off. He wanted to sleep, but his brain was another thing he couldn't turn off. It was trapped in an endless cycle. He thought about how he got here – it was his fault for being stupid and not trying harder to get away. He thought about what was going to happen if he was sold, which made him think about the last time this had happened, and that made him a trembling mess. So, he tried to think about Phil.

Before Phil, he didn't have any good memories. Now he had memories of homemade pancakes, Mario Kart, cuddles on the sofa, soft kisses, and the funny way Phil bit his tongue when he laughed. Dan thought that remembering these things would make him feel better and fill him with the warmth of these moments, but tears pricked at his eyes and his chest ached. He should have known that it couldn't last. He was so stupid to think that it could. He shouldn't have tried to start anything with Phil – if he hadn't, then his chest wouldn't be aching so much.

Dan knew that he was listed for sale on a website right now and that Phil didn't have the money to buy him. He was accepting that at any moment he was going to be sold and he would never see Phil again. He wished that he had never fallen in love with Phil. It hurt so much that he could barely breathe.

Tears were dampening the pillow he had buried his face in and his breath was hitching with the sobs that he was holding in. There was no privacy here and he refused to let his misery be heard. The cell across from him was empty, but he had heard the other Nekos being held down here. When they made a sound, they usually attracted the attention of the man who brought their food, who always seemed to be nearby. The man was pale, somewhere in his late 20s, and he had an open face that displayed his thoughts – Dan didn't like what the man appeared to be thinking about whenever he caught him staring.

Dan shuddered, and a whimper escaped his lips. A tap at the bars of his cell made him look up. One time when he looked up Phil had been standing there, so he couldn't resist looking now. The tall man with a pale face looked like Phil for a fraction of a second, but Dan blinked and he recognized the man who brought his food. The man beckoned him with a finger, but Dan ignored him.

"Come here. Got something to tell you," he insisted, crooking his finger again.

It could be that the man had something important to tell him, so Dan got up and went to the door of his cell. He felt the man's eyes move over his body with open lust and Dan stiffened. He tried not to let his fear show as he asked, "What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just you seemed kind of down, so I thought that I would make you an offer."

Dan shook his head because he had heard the man make this offer to someone a few cells down and he knew what it was. "Not interested."

"Why so shy? I'm just trying to get to know you. I want to be your friend. Your name is Daniel, right? I'm Jimmy. Don't you want to be my friend?"

If Dan's stomach wasn't empty, he would have thrown up. He maintained a stony expression as he shook his head.