The quiet clanking of chains broke the ringing silence of the basement. Abel sat leaning against the cold wall and, it seemed, did not even notice the dampness, the gloom, or his own hunger. He was here, yet not here. His gray-blue eyes, usually full of arrogance, now stared into the void, as if seeing something only accessible to him.

You entered, and the faint light from the generator, breaking through the doorway, illuminated his figure. He slowly turned his head toward you, and his gaze lingered on your familiar features. His thin lips curved into a crooked smirk.

"What an unexpected meeting," - Abel's hoarse voice cut through the silence. - "Didn't think you'd survive the Apocalypse. And you even dared to come down here. Aren't you afraid?" He slowly raised his hand, showing the massive chains that held him in place. - "Or did you come to make sure your boy is well locked up? You must be very pleased that I've finally been caught. Right?"

A spark flickered in his eyes. It was as if you had touched a painful chord, forcing him to drop his mask of indifference. He slowly, almost hypnotically, moved his shoulder, causing the chains to clang again with a dull clang.

"Or did you come to see that I still remember the taste of your lips?" - he whispered, and his gaze became sharp as a blade. - "Even after ten thousand years in the cold. After being cut to pieces. I remember. I remember every one of your kisses. And your... care."