“God, when are you going to get rid of that beard?” 

Charles let out a small groan as Lorelei’s voice awoke him from his deep sleep, rubbing his eyes and opening them slowly. He rolled onto his side, and there she was, next to him. Her long brown hair was wild and unkempt, as always, and her striking green eyes were trained on his face, a cheeky grin on her own. Charles raised a hand to his face, stroking the shaggy expanse of hair that had been growing for years now. 

“Again, probably never,” he grumbled, wrapping an arm around her and pulling himself closer, kissing her gently. 

“I think I forgot what it feels like to not be pricked in the face whenever I kiss you.” 

He chuckled, sitting up and stretching his arms. “Thought you’d be used to it by now.” 

“How could anybody get used to it? It’s like sticking my face into a cactus!” 

He began to laugh, a full-hearted belly laugh, and she joined in. After the bout of laughter ceased, he looked around the windowless room, surveying it like he had every day for who knows how long. White, unnatural light flooded the whole room, emitting from a single, glowing bulb in the ceiling. The walls were plain, white and padded, and there was nothing else in the room except for a steel toilet, a small sink attached to it, and a tray of food sitting on the ground at the far wall. Nothing had changed, just like every other day. 

Exactly the way he liked it. 

“I’d best get the day started,” he said, standing up and walking a few paces to his morning meal. Today, it seemed to be off-coloured baked beans, a piece of cold toast, and some equally cold, yet somehow underbrewed, tea. 

“You eat already, darlin’?” He asked her, picking up the tray and walking back to sit on the ground next to Lorelei, who was combing her hair with her fingers and failing miserably to tidy it at all. 

“Yeah, I got up early.” 

Charles grabbed the piece of toast and scooped up a mountain of beans, stuffing it into his mouth. “Yoo gehsshame as me?” 

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, honey.” 

He nodded, chewing faster as he did, and forced it down with a mouthful of tea. “You get the same food as me?” 

“Yup, but mine was actually hot. You should try getting up earlier, for once.” 

“Ehh,” he exclaimed, wiping his beard with his sleeve. “I don’t mind cold food.” 

“Wouldn’t you prefer warmer food?” 

“Ehh,” he repeated, taking another bite of the toast and realising that only a few beans remained after that first humungous scoop. This time, he waited until he swallowed to speak. “Would prefer more beans, though.” 

She chuckled. “Sorry I didn’t save any for you.” 

“’S alright. You don’t eat anything else all day anyway. I still got two more meals comin’.” 

Charles inhaled the rest of his food, gulping down the tea as if it was the first thing he had to drink in years. He let out an exaggerated ahh once he was done, setting the mug down on the tray and bringing it back to the wall. “So what are we doing today?” 

“Well, I thought we could sit and talk about the things we miss on the outside!” 

He scoffed, sitting back down next to her. “I don’t miss nothin’.” 

She raised an eyebrow. “Nothing at all?” 

“Nah,” he responded, sitting back against the wall with his hands behind his head. “Best thing that happened to me happened in here.” 

She shifted a little closer to him, placing a hand on his leg. “What would that be?” 

“You, o’course.” He put his hand on hers, squeezing it tightly. “Y’know, if I’d known I’d meet you in here, I’d have tried to get here much earlier.” 

She frowned at him. “Excuse me?” 

“Well, I mean, I just wish I’d done it earlier, y’know?” 

“You mean to say that you didn’t come here on purpose because you knew you’d meet me in here?” 

He swallowed hard, his heart starting to beat wildly. “I, uh…” 

“I’m just kidding,” she guffawed, slugging him in the shoulder. “Obviously you had no clue I’d be here waiting for you.” 

He let out a small sigh of relief, chuckling along with her. “Don’t scare me like that.” 

“What?” she gasped mockingly, dramatically lifting her hand to her chest and pulling away. “After everything you did, I scare you?” 

“Oh, shut up,” he responded, pushing her to the ground, getting up and stomping away, crossing his arms and standing in the corner, a smirk still on his face. 

“Don’t be like that honey,” she whined, getting up and walking to him, wrapping her arms around his neck from behind and leaning against his back. “I love you!” 

“I love you too,” he grumbled, trying to keep up the facade. 

A lock clicked beside him, and his smirk quickly turned into a frown as he looked towards the direction of the sound. 

“What was that?” Lorelei asked, and Charles stepped away from the wall, holding her hand and pulling her away too. A section of the wall was slowly swinging inward, and Charles just watched, horrified, as a figure stepped through the door, wearing body armour and holding a rifle. 

This was different. 

He didn’t like different. 

There was another person in his room. 

“Alright buddy, I hate to say it, but looks like your time’s been done,” he said in an exasperated tone, pushing the wall open all the way and revealing a hallway beyond, as well as a few more men with armour and guns. “We’re gonna escort you out, and you’re gonna cooperate, understood?” 

He shook his head, grasping Lorelei’s hand even tighter. 

Except, he couldn’t feel her hand anymore. 

He looked down to see his hand empty, and spun around. 

She wasn’t there. 

“Lorelei?” He asked, looking all around the room for her. “Lorelei, where are you?” 

“Oi, come look at this,” the guard at the door shouted to someone else. “He’s gone loony.” 

Another man joined him at the door, watching Charles spin around frantically, looking for someone who was no longer there. “Serves him right for what he did. Hey, asshole!” He shouted, and Charles turned to face him. “There ain’t no one else in here, buddy. Just you.” 

“No,” he muttered, his heart slamming into his ribs as he started to hyperventilate. “Y-you… She was here, and… You must—must have done something to her!” he shouted, taking a step forward and balling his hands into fists. The two men both raised their guns. 

“Hey now, not one more step.” 

Charles clenched his jaw, standing still, his mind racing. They must have done something. Lorelei wouldn’t just disappear for no reason. Not after the countless years they spent together. 

“Step back into the cell. You’re not going to get another warning,” the other man said, flipping the safety on his rifle off. 

Charles did not comply. 

“Last chance!” 

He leapt off the ground, charging at the two men, but not even a second after he took the first leap, the sound of gunfire ripped through the air, and Charles fell backward, landing hard on the padded ground. His breathing became ragged and shallow, and his entire body was shaking violently. He couldn’t move any of his limbs, and his ears were ringing loudly. 

“Were the cameras watching?” One of the men said, his voice muffled and muted. 

“Yeah. We can easily claim self-defence.” 

“It was self-defence. There’s no question.” 

“Good riddance, in my opinion. Fucker deserved to die after what he did. Fifty-four people, dead and gone, and for what?” 

Charles felt his heartbeat slow, his vision going dark. 

“Who d’you reckon this ‘Lorelei’ person was?” 

“Dunno,” one of the men responded, his voice sounding so, so far away. “Don’t care, honestly.”