With every step I made, my nervousness heightened. As much as I did not want to admit to my fear, it existed. So unlike Jeffery Thompson, by the way.
"Where is this place?" I couldn't help but ask. It was a nearly metal pathway with power switches occuring in every twelve meters. This was certainly one place we were shut out of the screening effect of Cyrus and the guards; open to attack, vulnerable to Alan and Butcher.
So much for getting hydrated.
"It's the hydroelectric chamber," he responded quite absentmindedly. Presently, his attention rested on something far away. While studying his face, I found a disturbing frown spiced with regret and fear.
At that moment, my eyes followed the direction of his and landed right on a group of penumbra shadows rounding the curve towards us. My legs were not patient enough to let me register whose shadows those were.
As they spun me around, Alan was posed right there at the doorway through which we'd come in; arms crossed, gaze piercing and dark.
When I heard voices, I faced the bend once again, my heart beating out of my chest. That was when the shadows materialized.
Butcher and half a dozen other inmates filled the space ahead, consequently trapping us in the center of a cool, dark hydroelectric chamber. Seemed wishes did come true.
However, I hadn't been serious about it, had I?
Granted; I was scared shitless, wondering how far boxing skills could get me in the opposition of eight men. Another shocker was yet to come though.
Slowly, Jay glanced at me, sadness lacing his lidded eyes. With a genuinely apologetic stare, he mumbled. "I'm sorry, Jeffery." Betrayal.
***
Back when I was younger, the only people I'd risked to trust were Noah and Mom. With that for my mother finally flushed down the drain now, my brother's was more than enough burden to carry. I was wired that way; risk every bit of my trust on my older brother because I knew there was a better chance for the sky to go purple than for Noah to break it.
But then, I'd decided to play the Saviour for a random guy named Jayden in jail and made myself a new friend. I had a glitch in my wiring and made let out a bit of that trust I previously hoarded like a highly priced product.
He'd seized it, grasped it and smashed that little piece that day he led me into his brother's trap. I'd sacrificed my meal once for that guy!
Not like I was going to eat that fudge anyway; but still!
Alan who owned the rehabilitation center stuck his pen in his mouth and studied me quite seriously. "I'm sorry for all I made you go through in jail, Jeff."
Arms crossed and eyes unseeing, I laughed. If for anything, just to nullify that was aching my gut at that moment.
When that went useless, I shrugged. "I deserved every bit of it. The only regret I have is trusting Jay."
"I'm astonished you did that," came Noah. He did sound astonished, just like every other person was. You could sense it in the silence that hung above.
"So then," Simon broke it. "Did you manage to escape the trap?"
Another laugh left me that tasted of pain and tears. "I don't think I'd ever felt that much pain before, even though I feel pain for a living."
They chuckled inevitably. At least the mood was lightened for them.
Me? With the knowledge of how dreadful the following part was going to be for me, I wasn't even looking forward to it.
***
There I was in the center of their enclosed circle. Butcher lay beneath me as I sat on his figure, throwing one punch right after another on his face without breathing space.
It was me in my most provoked mood possible. Earlier, I had not wanted this. By God, I'd tried to talk them out of it. As I'd expected though, Alan had done a great job pulling that string of tolerance in my head, giving way for the violence in me to lash out without say.
Butcher had been given the opportunity to strike first…and alone.
Look how lucky he got with that.
Just when the arrogance had begun to erupt in me, I lost guard; and the opponent made perfect use of that split second.
Butcher sent a fist surging straight at my face, spreading jolting pain about my head. I tasted something familiar in my mouth; blood.
Subsequently, slowly, I rolled off and fell face up right on the metal floor beneath us. Its coldness teased my bare back almost uncomfortably as I struggled with my blurry vision, struggling not to pass out.
Meanwhile, the team was doing a great job staying quiet to avoid attracting attention; almost like they had plans to get rid of me without notice.
That thought made me shiver, wondering how this was going to end. If anything, I had to deal with Jayden first. Too bad he'd run off after being unable to stand the guilt. Coward!
Back to reality, the blur cleared to reveal the sole of a shoe descending to squash my face. Purely out of reflex, I rolled over with a tired groan and heard it stamp the metal floor beside me head, missing me quite narrowly.
Now, I was staring at a new pair of shoes. Alan's.
He immediately bent over and dug his hand into my hair, pulling up so hard I had no choice but to comply and get up to my feet.
Face to face with my dreaded roommate, he scowled at my seeming sore and bleeding face with obvious disgust. "Not exactly the tough boxer you brag of, are you now?"
I should have sworn. Earlier today, he'd mumbled some words that sounded like a threat; something I'd ignored outright and assumed to be his own moment of sleep talk.
It all began to make sense that this entire ambush was all planned. However, his words were a mistake.
With a knee, I stabbed his ribs painfully, freeing myself consequently from his clutch. Just when I was finding it merry that he'd jerked away, Butcher was up on his feet. A spin was all he needed to turn my attention to him right before a punch landed right on the same spot of my face.
My legs weakened and I was on the floor again, struggling to keep myself up on my fours. That lasted for a considerable moment until Alan stamped a foot on my back, forcing my weight completely on the floor.
Weakness enveloped my muscles gradually. In deadly thorns, it ravaged every part of me, making it nearly impossible to keep my eyes open or strike back. There were too many of them, and I wasn't going to lie. I felt fear.