She didn't hear him at first. She could only hear the clanging of the bars, and further away, nasty, gleeful laughter and the skittering of small feet across the dirty floor.

Finally, she realized there was a voice. A man's voice. She turned, hiccuping through a sob as she stumbled towards him. Gripping the bars was the only thing keeping her upright as she looked at him. He was bloodied and soot-streaked, but he had such kind eyes.

"What?" She asked brokenly, her head resting against one of the bars. They were unpleasantly warm. "What? Who are you?"