Worse Than Prison

Chapter Sixteen

City of Blood

Waking up the next morning, the air was still frigid, but easier to withstand than it had been earlier in the night. Silence didn't sit up right away, just watched as Jared sat up, rubbing his eyes and sitting there thoughtfully for the longest time. He finally got up and picked his way past the other men to the deck. He unintentionally woke Megik in the process.

Megik let his mismatched eyes follow Jared up the stairs before he took heaved himself up. He paused when he caught sight of Tyler curled up near his feet, making him roll his eyes before he glaned over at Silence, who gazed up at the ceiling sleepily. He smiled very faintly before it faded as he saw Z flopped on the floor, Jericho sleeping uncomfortably under his arm with his legs resting up against a wall. Megik rose to his feet steadily and departed up the stairs, pushing open the small door to get a lungful of cold, thick air.

He shuddered and shut the door behind him as he stood on the rocking deck of the police boat. He watched Jared stand near the wheel, fishing around in the cupboards near it in hopes of probably finding a map. Megik walked over, leaning against the small window to peer outside. Jared cursed, making the other inmate glance over.

"Need help?" He offered, but Jared scowled at him.

"No." He answered sharply. Megik held up his hands in defense before lowering them slowly, folding his arms over his chest.

"Is this about Jericho and Z?" He asked flatly. Jared stopped in mid-motion to pick up a fallen book before violently throwing it into the cupboard. He stood up, then leaned against the nearby wall, running his hands through his hair.

"Don't get me wrong. I'm not going to burn them at the stake for it, but I'm fucking pissed that they'd do that sort of shit around Silence." He snapped, pushing off the wall now and purposely stomping on the deck so as to wake up the men below. Megik frowned, following Jared as he paced the length of the deck.

"Silence is what? Sixteen?"

"Fourteen."

"I learned plenty about fucking when I was ten, Jared. Silence probably already knew as well." Megik admitted, despite the dark memory that loomed in the back of his mind. He shook it away and proceeded to follow the distressed inmate.

"Well, he certainly didn't act like it. I don't care anyway. I'm banning this playing around. We have one goal and that goal is to get to the mainland and find a place to wait out this whole... thing." Jared muttered, then stopped to lean on the railing, staring into the murky water around them. Megik paused and leaned on the railing beside him, studying the inmate's face.

Jared was a good man and he knew the man had no problem with the fact that it was two men, but it was the fact that they had dared to do it near Silence. He didn't quite understand Jared's obsession with the boy. After all, no one else seemed to give a damn whether the boy lived or died, except Jared. It was almost...

"Jared, what's your relationship with Silence?" Megik asked flat out. Jared blinked and looked at him for the longest time, then made a face of disgust.

"Nothing like that. Silence is fourteen. He's still a kid... But that's just it." He muttered, resting his back on the railing and rubbing his temples. Closing his eyes, he could easily imagine his son in his mind. The way he smiled and laughed, the way he cried. The way he always complained.

"Dad, that's not fair! I'm old enough to do what I want!"

"You will be when you're eighteen."

"That's still not fair!"

"Is to, now be quiet and eat, then maybe we'll get some ice cream afterwards."