16-Different, yet still the same

There were dark marks all over his back and arms. I came to sit next to him on the couch to have a better look but he began fixing his sweater. He pulled his hoody back on and sat with his arms on his thighs and his head in his hands.

“Who did this to you?” I asked him.

“They would have killed me if the officers didn’t walk in on time. They told me that that was going to be my last day on earth.” Yoké said. “But I’m fine.”

“Do you remember their faces?”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter-”

“Yes it does, Yoké.” I told him. “I’ll report each one of them for doing this to you and make sure they never set foot outside those walls ever again. You could have died.”

“Living… dead, why do you care now?” He shrugged.

&n