Colin Aaron Skyes Point Of View
"What the fuck was that?" Grayson asks me back in the cell. "I mean... what happened with the guards and the inmates."
"Your first riot, congrats," I said, not bothering putting any humour in my voice.
I was tired.
"A riot?! Why the hell?" He exclaimed as he rubbed his bicep. It would bruise from how I was holding him so tightly.
"Honestly? I don't think it matters," I admitted, shrugging slowly and sitting down on my bunk.
"Won't that, like, extend our sentence?" He asked frantically. I shook my hand.
"No. The security footage will show how the guards were using us as punching bags. They can't do anything to us—legally, at least—without fucking themselves over. And it's not like Grimes gang will come after me."
Grayson looked at me in confusion.
"The guy who you kicked?" He asked and I nodded at him to continue, "How are you so sure of that?"
"I've shown them on mutable occasions not to," I said weakly. Grayson stood there silently, probably pondering what I could have meant.
"But h-he's a person, we should try to befriend him. Less enemy's that way, right?" Grayson said hopefully. I gave him a annoyed look. "Y-you said it yourself, the less enemy's the better, when Hunter and I were fighting an-!"
"Listen Grayson," I put my elbows on my knees and more then likely had a serious look on my face, "There's only so many lives I can give a damn about. Cruel, but it's the life that everyone has to learn to live in this place. I don't intend on abandoning that way of life until I'm out of here."
Grayson frowned but nodded.
I snorted derisively before sighing quietly.
"C'mere," I muttered, opening my arms to him. He obliged and sat on my cot, laying against me.
"Where's Dylan and Trevor?"
"Their cell."
Grayson looked up at me as I laid my back on the concrete wall, with Grayson's head in my lap.
"When did you find that out?" He asked and I smiled slowly and ran my hand through his hair.
"Haden made a deal with one of the guards to tell me. You were busy pacing."
Grayson hummed in response and closed his eyes, pulling my arm over his chest.
Someone outside our cell screams, making Grayson jump from my lap.
I got up quickly, but only because I recognized that scream.
I creep to the door, standing up against the bars, leaning against the grimy triple paned plastic.
"Shut up!" One of the guards shouts.
Haden struggles against the guards that were trying to get force back to his cell. He fights the whole way, everyone could hear that clearly. When they passed by Grayson and I's cell, and I could see him kicking and screaming.
"I'll fucking kill you, kid," The guards hisses to Haden, yanking on the cheap material of his jumpsuit.
I could feel Grayson's eyes resting on my back. "Mate?"
"It's fine," I mumble.
"Mate," He repeats, standing up and moving himself so he could look over my shoulder.
"I just need to see what happens... You probably shouldn't see this, it's not going to be pretty," I said but Grayson shook his head. I felt the warmth of his chest against my back, but my shoulders remained tense.
"Nothing is," He said.
I glance back at him, starting to chuckle, "You are."
"Shut up," He muttered as a blush rose to his cheeks.
I turn away from Grayson and lean my forehead onto the window. My small smirk dropped quickly.
Haden is still putting up a fight. He thrashes in the guards' grasp, and I watch one guard yank him up by a fistful of his dark hair. I winced, noticing the irritated red lines wrapping around his neck.
"Shit," I muttered, inspecting the red lines.
They weren't from a guard, I knew that, but the cuts on his cheek and the black eye that he was sporting were most definitely. I could feel Grayson looking at Haden in question.
"Isn't that Haden?" Grayson said quietly, his eyes trained on him.
"Yeah," I said weakly, my voice cracking a bit.
I focus back on the window.
Haden looks angry, and like he's close to overpowering one of the guards. One grabs his shoulder, hauling him back into place.
"You wanna go to solitary?" The guard asks, hitting the bruised side of his head with a fist. "Huh? Go in there for a while? Die like your buddy? What was his name? Marley, or something like that, wasn't it?"
"No!" He screams, writhing again. I couldn't help a growl from emerging from my throat. "I just wanna go home! I wanna go home!"
"Shut up!"
"No, please! I wanna go home!"
One of the guards touches the handgun in his belt.
"I'm sorry!" Haden continues, tears streaming down his face as he screams. "I'm sorry! I wanna go home, please!"
I turn away from the window again and go back to my cot, dragging Grayson with me.
I made him lay back down in the position that we were in before with my arm over his chest.
"Don't," I said sternly when he tried to get up to go watch the fight that was happening in the hall, "Get some sleep, we won't be out of this cell for a while,"
Grayson sighed but complied.
—
We're on lockdown for the next week.
The first four days are a true lockdown. But the following three are pretty half-assed. We're allowed to shower, but only in shifts.
I'm still grateful for it though. I didn't know how long Grayson could go without driving me up the wall, stuck in this cell.
We eat lunch as soon as they let us off of lockdown. The food was just as terrible, but I was glad to see Dylan and Trevor again.
"I heard someone pissed off Grimes' , bruised his chest up real bad," Trevor says about halfway through lunch.
I snorted as Grayson briefly looked over to me.
"He's lucky he's not dead," I say simply, glancing up at Trevor.
"Should have known it was you," Dylan said humorously.
"He went after one of my own, so I went after him. He really should have seen it coming, doing the same with Marley and all." I shrugged, taking another bite of my food.
"Marley? What? Isn't she back home?" Grayson asked in confusion. I only nodded.
"He was the one I named her after," I explained and he nodded slowly.
"Who's he then?" Grayson asked after a few seconds.
"I thought all I was going to do is get in fights here, barely getting any time to recover for the rest of my life. Marley stepped in, introduced me to Hunter's gang and taught me the ropes, basically. He saved my life on mutable occasions, I owed him a lot, still do honestly. Grimes was the one who got him, and put in a solitude unit. And then eventually killed."
Grayson nodded again, "Why?"
"Spite. Grimes and I never really have ever gotten along," I said nonchalantly.
"I'm honestly surprised you and the twins let him live after that," Dylan remarked.
I could feel Grayson getting uncomfortable so I casually reached over and put my hand on his thigh.
"I would say luck. Most people wouldn't have made it after pulling something like that," I said, rolling my eyes.
All was quiet for a moment at our table.
"Speaking of the twins, where's Hunter?" Dylan asked, staring at the table where he would usually sit with his brother and gang, "I saw him during the riot, but I lost him in the crowd."
"God," Trevor mumbled, running a hand down his face. "I hope they're not dead. I liked 'em."
"I bet you Haden knows where he is," Dylan pointed out.
"That would be nice," Trevor snorted, scanning the room, "If I could fucking find Haden."
"There's no way he's dead," Dylan mumbles, "I don't think Haden can die."
"Haden's back at his cell, I don't think he'll come out for a few days," I said duly, picking at my food.
"What? Shit, was he shot?" Dylan asked and I shook my head.
"No, no. Hunter was though."
"What?! How?" Trevor's eyes were wide and Dylan's mouth was agape.
"They shot him," I said quietly, nodding to the wall of guards posted around the cafeteria. They were still on high security and most likely would be for the next few days.
"Oh shit," Dylan muttered, covering his mouth in shock.
"Were you...were you near him or anything? Or just hear about it?" Trevor asked, glancing at the two empty spots at their gangs table.
"Right next to him," I affirmed. "Haden was too."
"Oh shit," Dylan muttered.
"You should be with him," Trevor declared. I heard Grayson let out a low growl next to me, I honestly doubt anyone else heard it.
I knocked Grayson on the back of his head with my elbow. He rolled his eyes and Trevor smirked softly at our antics, but the smile it didn't quite make it to his eyes.
"I wouldn't be much help anyway," I said, making Dylan scoff.
"Yeah right, you're the most understanding guy I know Col. If anything you would be the best person at understanding what he's going through, on the account that you went through the same damn thing," Trevor argued and Dylan nodded in agreement.
I stayed quiet, not able to look them in either of their eyes.
As the hour goes on, I could tell that Grayson was beginning to notice more and more people that are missing. He was troubled by it. I could clearly tell that, but he would be good at masking it as the others were.