Chapter 73: Poison

Ace stared up at Cleo, frowning, "What the hell happened to him?" 

"What do you think? Just look at him." She said pointing to River. "Take one good look and tell me what you think." 

Gulping, Ace turned back to the boy, observing all the injuries he had on his body. The lower half of his jaw hung from a thin piece of flesh, tongue flopping out and caked in dried blood.

His clothes were also covered in blood, albeit dry. His eyes were half-open as they seemed to stare deep into Ace's soul. He seemed so alive but there was no way that he was alive, not like this. 

If he were alive … that would be the cruellest thing to do to a human. 

His neck bent a little too far to the left, to the point that a broken piece of his spinal cord stuck out of the skin like a toothpick.