The last of them

 Dev walked back into the prison yard, every step feeling heavier than the last. His head still throbbed from the beating, and his body ached from the hours spent in solitary. But the pain didn't matter. He had survived his first real test.

The yard was buzzing. Inmates whispered, eyes flickering toward him as he passed. The fight had earned him attention, some of it respect, most of it dangerous curiosity.

Ray walked beside him, hands shoved in his pockets.

"You did good, kid," he said.

Dev stayed silent.

"But that was just round one," Ray continued. "Now that you've proven you won't back down, they'll want to see how far you can go."

Dev exhaled sharply. "Let them."

Ray chuckled. "That attitude might keep you alive or get you killed. Guess we'll find out."

They stopped near the fence, leaning against the metal as the other inmates went about their routines.

"So," Ray said, "you're not much of a talker, but I gotta ask…what's a kid like you really doing here? You don't seem like the type."

Dev's jaw clenched. He'd heard that before. "What type is that?"

Ray shrugged. "The kind that belongs here."

Dev didn't answer.

Because he didn't belong here.

But that didn't matter.

No one cared about the truth. The only thing that mattered was that he was here now.

And he had to survive.

A week passed. Then another.

Dev learned the unspoken rules of prison fast.

Rule No.1: Never show weakness.

Rule No.2: Keep to yourself until you can't.

Rule No.3: If you owe someone, you belong to them.

Ray helped him navigate the politics of prison life. He introduced Dev to the people he needed to know and warned him about the ones he should avoid.

And then there was Bishop.

Bishop was the one who ran things in this part of the prison. He wasn't the biggest, but he was the smartest. People followed him not out of fear, but because he knew how to make people need him.

And he had noticed Dev.

It started in the cafeteria.

Dev was eating alone when someone sat down across from him. He looked up and met Bishop's calculating gaze.

"You made quite the entrance," Bishop said, casually stirring his food.

Dev didn't reply.

"I like that," Bishop continued. "You don't talk unless you have to."

Still no reply from Devan

" Wouldn't you ask me what I want ?"

"What do you want?" Dev asked.

Bishop smiled. "To help you."

"I don't need help."

Bishop laughed. "Everyone in here needs help, kid. The question is, do you want mine?"

Dev set down his fork. "What's the catch?"

Bishop leaned forward. "Just that, one day, when I need something, you don't say no."

Dev studied him. He wasn't stupid, nothing in prison was free. But having Bishop as an ally could mean the difference between surviving and becoming a target again.

After a long pause, Dev nodded.

Bishop smirked. "Smart choice."

He stood up and clapped Dev on the shoulder before walking away.

Ray, who had been watching from another table, came over.

"You shouldn't have done that kid," he muttered.

Dev exhaled. "I'll deal with it when the time comes. I just want to be left alone."

Ray shook his head. "Let's hope you can."

Days blurred together. Weeks felt endless. Time lost meaning behind bars. Dev had learned the rules of survival, but he hadn't learned how to ignore the weight of his own thoughts.

Every night, when the prison went silent, memories clawed their way back. Cole's laughter. The way they used to dream about the future. The way he fantasized about silly stuffs. The way his body had gone still in the park. The look on Jack's face when he realized what had happened. The sirens. The cold metal cuffs.

And the worst part, Dev being powerless to stop any of it.

He had lost count of how long he had been in here when the guard stopped outside his cell one afternoon.

"Inmate 428, you have a visitor."

Dev's heart stilled.

A visitor?

His father hadn't come. His mother was gone. His aunties wouldn't care less. There was no one else left.

Who would waste their time visiting him?

Still, curiosity or maybe desperation made him follow the guard. He was led into the visitation area, where a glass pane separated inmates from their visitors.

And when he saw who was sitting there, his breath caught in his throat.

Chou.

Dev didn't move at first. He just stood there, staring at the one person he never expected to see again.

Chou looked different. His hair was shorter, his face more hollowed. His eyes carried a weight they hadn't before.

Slowly, Dev walked to the chair and sat down, picking up the phone on his side of the glass.

Chou did the same.

"Hey," Chou said, voice quiet.

Dev didn't answer but stared quietly at him.

"How are you doing in there?" Chou asked, he truly cared.

Dev's fingers curled around the phone. "What are you doing here?"

Chou exhaled. "I don't know."

Dev scoffed. "Then why are you here?"

Chou swallowed hard. He looked away for a moment, as if searching for the right words. "Because I should've done something," he finally said. "Because I should've told the truth."

Dev's jaw clenched. " you were selfish Chou, you cared only about yourself"

Anger, resentment, grief…,it all swirled inside him.

But more than anything, he felt exhausted.

"Why didn't you say something ?" Dev asked, his voice low.

Chou flinched, shame flickering across his face. "I was scared," he admitted. "Jack's dad…,he had everything under control. You saw how fast they shut it down. If I had spoken up.."

"You could've stopped this," Dev cut in, his voice sharper now.

Chou's face twisted. "You think I don't know that?" He leaned forward. "I think about it every single day. About Cole. About you."

Dev stared at him, searching his face for any sign of a lie. But there was none.

Only guilt.

Real, raw guilt.

Silence stretched between them.

Then, finally, Dev asked, "Why now?"

Chou inhaled shakily. "Because I can't pretend anymore," he said. "I thought if I kept my head down, it would go away. That if I stayed quiet, things would get better. But they didn't. They got worse."

Dev frowned. "What do you mean?"

Chou hesitated. Then, in a whisper, he said:

"Jack. He's not done."

A chill ran down Dev's spine. "What do you mean?"

Chou's grip on the phone tightened. "He still talks about you. About making sure you never get out." He looked around nervously before lowering his voice. "Dev, I think he's planning something."

Dev felt his heartbeat pick up.

Jack had already taken everything from him. What else could he possibly do?

Chou exhaled. "I don't know what it is, but I'll find out. I owe you that much."

Dev studied him. He could still hear the doubt in his mind, Can I trust him?

But deep down, he wanted to believe Chou meant it.

After a long moment, Dev gave a heavy sigh.

Chou's shoulders sagged, as if some of the weight had been lifted. "I'll keep coming back," he said. "Until I figure this out."

Dev wasn't sure how to feel about that.

But for the first time in months, he didn't feel completely alone.

As the guard signaled for their time to end, Chou hesitated. Then he met Dev's eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said.

Dev didn't reply.

He just watched as Chou stood up and walked away.

He sat there for a long time after that, staring at the empty seat across from him.

Maybe it was too late for apologies.

But maybe not too late for the truth.