"All rise!" Feet shuffled across the wooden boards of the court room.
"Be seated," the judge said more eager than last time to continue the case. "The court is now back in session." The defender once again stood up.
"Please may I invite Mr Rhys Williams to the witness stand," she said, waiting for the Scotsman to make his way to his place. The bailiff once again stood with him and asked him to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, before returning to his spot. "Mr Williams, could you tell the court how long you have known Lewis Dawkins? What relationship did you have with him?"
"I was one of his closest friends for the last three years."
"Was he a good friend?"
"One of the best I could ever ask for."
"What was he like? His personality?
"He was always good to everyone around him, rarely had a bad word to say about anyone. He was always thinking of others before himself and would drop everything for someone if they needed it; he had always been selfless."
"Thank you, Mr Williams. Could you tell us what happened before the incident on 10th May?"
"I don't understand what happened. He hadn't been feeling the best beforehand and we were just talking, then he suddenly started crying as if he was in pain. He started shaking, convulsing even. One of my friends, Will, told us to call an ambulance which we tried but the landline was broken, and every other phone couldn't get a connection. I was upstairs trying to find a phone that worked, so I didn't see, but I was told that he suddenly just... stopped."
"Stopped shaking?"
"Stopped moving, stopped breathing, stopped making noise."
"What happened after?"
"Well, he woke up and it was like he was a different person. He didn't seem to recognise us and wouldn't respond to whatever we said."
"And after that?"
"He, err, attacked us; knocked us out."
"Did he show any signs of remorse before or after this?"
"Yes, defiantly. I was the first person to regain consciousness and I saw him sort of hugging himself and talking to himself. And then when I, err, found him outside after I went back to the cabin, he wouldn't stop crying and saying that it was his fault."
"Do you think it was his fault?"
"No, I don't see how it's his fault for having a mental disorder."
"Thank you, Mr Williams. That is all."
The defender sat back down, while the prosecutor stood back up. "Rhys Williams, how did you feel when you realised that one of your close friends had been killed by Lewis?"
"Shocked."
"Just shocked? Nothing else?"
"It was too overwhelming to feel anything else."
"Did you look at Lewis differently after that? Did you still see him as a friend?"
"Not for a little while I suppose. But I've come to realise that he regretted what he did, and I don't think he could control what he did either."
"Someone who commits murder might regret it after. Who's to say he's any different?"
"What? No! He was distraught both before and after Ryan's death!"
"So maybe he was feeling guilty about what he was about to do?"
"Your Honour, these questions are not helping us develop the story and are only causing emotional distress to the witness," Miss Cassidy said sternly, looking at the prosecutor with angry eyes.
"Yes, unless you have anything else to ask, be seated Mr Gabriel," the judge ordered. For a moment, Mr Gabriel swayed on the spot in his concentration, but he then smiled at Rhys and sat back down. "Thank you, Mr Williams, you may return to your seat."
When Ryan heard his name called, he wanted to stay glued to his seat. With a gulp that seemed too loud in his own ears, he stood up and slowly made his way over to the witness stand, acutely aware of the dozens of eyes boring into the back of his skull, his movements were stiff. When he got to the stand, he almost hid behind it in his discomfort. He looked towards the Scotsman who gave him a comforting nod before the bailiff presented the Bible to perform the oath. He did so hastily, not wanting to be there. Out of all of the people in the room - all of his friends' family, his friends, his own family, the jury, the random members of court - the one gaze he feared the most was Ronnie's. Baz's younger brother looked at Ryan with betrayal and disgust; it surprised Ryan that he hadn't left or made a scene yet. Ben - who was one of Baz's older brothers - was seated beside him, slowly shaking his head.
"Ryan?"
"Hmm? Oh, sorry. Sorry, I..."
"Please don't apologise. This is a very tough time for you, so if you need to stop, it's okay." Ryan nodded; the prosecutor continued. "I hate to ask this of you, but what relationship did you have with Ryan? Or "Baz" as you called him?"
"He was my best friend for over twenty years."
"I am deeply sorry for your loss, I truly am. This tragedy must have affected you the worse; to lose someone so close to you. Do you think Lewis Dawkins had a sound reason to kill him?"
"No, not at all."
"Do you think Mr Dawkins could control his actions?"
Ryan hesitated, "Probably not."
"But by the sound of it, you don't fully believe that, do you?"
"I, err... I don't know what to think anymore. I think I was just so angry that I wanted to blame him, but if there was actually something wrong with him mentally, I don't think that's right."
"What was it like? When you first found him dead?"
"What?"
"How did it make you feel?"
"Um, distraught? Lost? I felt super lonely all of a sudden, really angry that I wasn't there for him."
"So, you were angry at Lewis?"
"Yeah."
"Would you agree that being angry is a reason for someone to retaliate?"
"Yes...? It depends what you mean by retaliate..."
"Because medical reports show that Lewis had also been attacked, and the few marks on his body corresponded with the damage to your hand - namely your bruised knuckles and the split skin above them - while forensics found out that shirt fibres from your clothes were on his clothes and under his nails, indicating a struggle. Did you attack Lewis Dawkins, Ryan?"
Ryan was shocked, and he didn't notice the tear drop down his face until it landed on his hand. "Yes, after he killed my best friend."
"But you confirm that you provoked him?"
"Provoked? I was trying to defend someone!"
"Really? Why would you need to defend someone from him?"
"Because he was going to kill R..."
"He was going to kill Rhys?" Ryan realised the trap he had fallen into. "So, Lewis Dawkins, who apparently was so grief stricken and regretful of what he did, tried to do it again? Good to know. That is all, thank you."
The judge gave a slow look at the defender. "Any further questions?"
"No, your Honour." She watched Ryan sympathetically, seeing the sadness on his face. She would only get the same answers from him as Rhys Williams gave her, there was no point in keeping him up there.
"Okay, Mr..." but Ryan was already leaving the witness stand and hastily sat back down next to his older friend, who placed a comforting arm around his shoulder as Ryan buried his face in his hands. The judge ignored this and continued. "Are the jury happy to continue?"
"Yes, your Honour."
And the trial went on and on. It had stared at one o'clock and the current time was approaching two o'clock. More witnesses were called; the two guards on the night shift and the paramedics in Lewis's ambulance. Ryan had shut himself off after he had sat back down. Rhys listened, struggling to keep his mind concentrated. He hated this whole situation. If he wasn't a witness, he would have just walked out by now.
When the defender asked, the guards explained about the bag checks and how no weapons were actually taken; they were from the cabin. So, Lewis wouldn't have known about any weapons until he got to the cabin. Apparently, this was a key point. When asked by the prosecutor, the guards explained how they had to shock him after he tried to rush at them with a fence spike. They said he wouldn't listen to reason and fought hard against the taser wires which shocked the guards. The paramedics had little to add to either side; Lewis was unconscious for the entire trip.
And with that, the two lawyers made their final arguments. They reviewed the evidence they had given and gave a justified conclusion. Ryan and Rhys knew that Lewis was going to be found guilty, it was just a matter of what punishment or treatment he would be sentenced to. "Would the jury like to have some time to decide on their conclusion?" the judge asked.
"That will not be necessary, your Honour. The jury are all in agreement."
"Okay then. The charges faced are the murder, kidnapping, physical bodily harm and emotional harm. Miss Cassidy, on behalf of Lewis Dawkins, how do you plead?"
"We plead insanity, your Honour."
"Jury, how do you find the accused?"
"We find Lewis Dawkins ..." Ryan sighed. This is it. "...not guilty on reason of insanity."
"Wait, what?" Rhys murmured. "Did I hear that right?" the crowd was just as confused. The judge looked accusingly at the jury.
"Not guilty?" he said slowly.
"We understand the stacks of evidence that Mr Dawkins was the one behind these crimes. But we believe that the mental disorder he faces makes it impossible for the "true version" of himself to be blamed. Lewis Dawkins himself is not guilty, for reason of insanity."
There was an unnerving silence as the judge pondered over the conclusion, rubbing the stubble on his chin in concentration. He sighed deeply and leaned forward in his chair so that he was resting against his desk. "I agree," he said plainly. He watched the court room quietly, seeing the anticipation on their faces. "Professor Charles also contacted the court prior, explaining that a new medical trial may help to identify the reason for the emergence of this new mental disorder - at a secure mental asylum sponsored by his charity - along with possibly finding a cure for it. With that being said, I hereby give Lewis Dawkins into the full custody of Professor Henry Charles for one month..."
"No! You can't do that to him!" someone from the crowd said. The judge shot him an angry glare, recognising the voice. Someone next to him covered their friend's mouth to keep him quiet.
"We are still in court, do not speak out of turn. I hereby give Lewis Dawkins into the full custody of Professor Charles for one month. This case will be reviewed in one month to check his progress." He hit the gavel against the table. "Case suspended. Court dismissed."
An instant rumble of conversation broke out as the people who had watched the trial began to file out of the room, their feet scraping and scuffing the wooden floorboards as they thoughtfully discussed the last hour. The jury and the lawyers, along with the judge and the bailiff exited through a private doorway with dull satisfaction at reaching the end of the two-and-a-half-hour-long case. Most of the witnesses had left with the crowd, but two remained in their seats.
Something was wrong. Something didn't feel right. He was "not guilty"? But... How did that work? Surely, even if he did have whatever they said he did, he was still guilty?
And the asylum was "sponsored by a charity"? What the Hell did that even mean? Was that a real thing? Did Professor Charles own a medical company that provided funding to an asylum? Is that what it meant?
And finally; one month? Only one month to see if things get better? Could they get better that quickly?
Something was wrong.
They stared at the floor below them, silently sharing the same thought of despair. It was strange; the feeling they had was as if their young, broken friend had just died.
As if they were mourning him.
And if the professor had his way, the feeling was accurate.
One of the people who had been watching the trial made his way to his car and got inside, checking the mirrors to watch the many pedestrians walk by. He gave a few suspicious glances through the windows before pulling out his phone and dialling a number that had been drilled into his head. The dial tone beeped and then a voice spoke.
"Do we have him?"
"Yes."
"For how long?"
"A month."
"Good work. Have you paid off the court members yet? Made sure they'll kept quiet?"
"I did that all beforehand. No one realised. Has the simulation room been built?"
"It's almost complete. A few more days and we can put him in. We'll wake him up soon, though. Get back her ASAP, David. I don't want you to miss the show!"