Xavier stopped behind me. “What if I agreed to leave your little drummer alone?” A chill rippled up my spine as I listened to Xavier’s footsteps. He stopped directly behind me, close enough that I could feel his breath hit my back. “What do you say, songbird?”
My eyes bulged at the sound of him repeating Motley’s pet name for me. It ignited this untapped rage within me, and I squeezed my fists tight in my pockets. My thumb pressed against the sharp point of the very thing Juke had slipped me earlier. I welcomed the pain as it pressed deep into my skin. I tried to listen to Motley’s voice in my head telling me to breathe in and out, but it was useless. All I could see was red. And all I could hear was the sound of my heart as it pounded between my ears.
Deep breaths. In and out.
“Think about it, Kash. You or your precious little loverboy.” Everything flatlined, and I snapped.
Fuck it.
My hand gripped the makeshift weapon Juke had given me, and I swung my arm. The sharpened point of the toothbrush buried deep into Xavier’s neck as he stared at me with fear stricken eyes. His blood poured from the deep wound and flowed down onto my hand and his body. I leaned in close and smiled as he struggled to speak. “You can’t have Motley. He’smine,” I growled. Xavier coughed up blood and trembled. “Not so tough now, are you?”
Xavier’s men shook their shock away and rushed to me. I ripped the toothbrush clean from Xavier’s neck as his blood spewed all over. He gargled and choked while his hands clasped the bleeding wound in a frail attempt to save himself. I swung the sharp weapon again, and it landed in one of the goon’sshoulders. He cried out and stumbled back as I retrieved the toothbrush. The other charged me from behind, but I lifted my arm and elbowed him in the face. He fell down and wailed as blood trailed down his face. While the two inmates writhed on the laundry room floor, the third man, the same bald one from earlier in the cafeteria, readied himself to fight me. “Get the guards! Now!” he shouted to the other two inmates. They scrambled to their feet and ran from the room. “Just you and me, pretty boy.”
“Perfect.” I dropped the toothbrush and raised my fists. He wasted no time before running straight at me. I dodged his first hit, but he was quicker than I expected. He spun around and landed a strong hit across my cheek. I could feel my face instantly swelling.
Fuck.
The man swung again, but I ducked it and grabbed his waist. I ran us both towards the wall and slammed his back into a stack of laundry machines. He groaned loudly and began to punch my side over and over again before maneuvering me into a headlock. We spun around, slamming into machines and laundry baskets until he tripped and knocked us both down. My body hit the concrete floor face first. It fucking hurt. I tried to get up, but my head was pounding.
“Get up!” He gripped the back of my hair and pulled me to my knees. “Face me like a man!” My fingers clawed at his arms, but it did nothing. He then threw me back down and kicked my side. Everything hurt and ached. I couldn’t move. The man kicked me again, and my body rolled. He huffed and wiped his face before he kicked me again and laughed. “You’re no man.”
I looked up at him through my messy hair. “Why don’t you come closer and find out?” He glared at me. “What’s wrong? Scared to get too close?” I grinned up at him.
The inmate spat at my side. “You’re disgusting.”
“Oh yeah? Say it to my face.”
The man snarled and stood over me with his legs on either side of my body before he crouched down. He gripped the collar of my jumpsuit and yanked me close. “I said you're disgusting.” He punched me in the face.
Pain flooded my skull, but I didn’t care. “I’m sorry. I can’t hear you.”
He growled and punched me again. “You’re disgusting!” My head throbbed, and I knew he had broken something.
In and out.
“Try that again.”
The man hit me again and repeated the phrase. Only this time, he didn’t stop. He kept hitting me and repeating his words until he formed nothing but sounds. I let him beat me, not because I was too weak or tired. But because I was reaching for something. And as his fist hit my face again, I felt it in my grasp.
“Ahh!” he screamed. He stopped to catch his breath while he stared down at me. I could feel blood running down my face and taste it in my mouth. God knows how bad I must’ve looked. It was actually quite a funny thing to think about. “What—why are you smiling?” he asked me. My smile grew until I was full blown laughing. “Why are you laughing?” the man shouted and shook my body. “Tell me!”
My arm swung, and the toothbrush landed in the temple of his head. He froze as his eyes widened, and he stared down at me. My wrist twisted the toothbrush, and I listened to the squelching sound it made as I burrowed it deeper into his flesh. His hands dropped, and his knees hit the ground around me. I let go of the weapon, and he fell over onto his back.
“Fuck!” I breathed. Just as I crawled to my feet, armed guards busted into the laundry room. They shouted and yelled, instructing me to get on the ground. I groaned loudly, annoyed since I had just stood up, and did as they asked. Theyimmediately cuffed me and dragged me from the laundry room. I noticed Xavier’s body as mine was dragged through his blood. Such relief and joy filled me.
No one will come for you now, Motley.
12 WEEKS LATER
KASH
Time and life itself seemed to stop the day I was tossed into the hole. Being alone for such a long time with no interactions or glimpse into the outside world would probably fuck any normal person up, but not me. Between the immense injuries I got from the laundry room and the years worth of exhaustion from performing, I was able to spend most of my time sleeping. And when I wasn’t sleeping, I was focused on controlling my anger and trying to focus that inner rage. I replayed the memories of Motley and I together and lost myself in this odd utopia of peace. It was shockingly refreshing. The only reason I wanted out was to be able to see and speak to my family. Ever since I was thrown in here, I was denied that luxury. It fucking sucked.
“Hey, hothead!” I jumped at the guard’s sudden shout. “Let’s go!”
I watched as he unlocked the door and waited for me to follow him. “I-I’m leaving?”
He nodded. “Guess the boss thinks you learned your lesson. Let’s go!” The boss?
