Chapter 6: Lights Out
839 Words
The second day felt longer than the first.
Regal sat quietly on the lower bunk, her back against the cold wall, her mind restless.
Sleep hadn’t come easily the night before.
Every sound had kept her awake.
Footsteps.
Voices.
Metal doors opening and closing.
This place didn’t let you rest.
“You’ll get used to it,” her cellmate muttered from the opposite bunk.
Regal didn’t respond.
She didn’t want to get used to it.
A guard passed by, sliding a cup of water through the bars.
Regal reached for it absentmindedly.
Her throat was dry.
She drank.
It tasted… normal.
Maybe slightly off.
But she ignored it.
A mistake.
⸻
Not long after—
Her vision blurred.
At first, it was subtle.
Then—
The room tilted.
Regal blinked, trying to steady herself.
“What…” she murmured.
Her fingers tightened around the edge of the bed.
Her body felt heavy.
Too heavy.
Her heartbeat slowed in a strange, uneven rhythm.
Across the room, her cellmate was watching her.
Quietly.
Too quietly.
Realization hit.
No…
“You…” Regal tried to speak, but her voice came out weak.
Her body slid from the bunk.
The last thing she saw—
was the faint outline of someone standing outside the cell.
Watching.
Then darkness swallowed everything.
⸻
Later.
Much later.
A sharp pain dragged her back.
Regal groaned softly, her body refusing to move the way she wanted.
The lights were out.
The corridor was quiet.
Too quiet.
Then—
Footsteps.
Inside the cell.
Her heart stuttered.
She tried to sit up.
Couldn’t.
Her limbs felt like they didn’t belong to her.
A shadow moved closer.
Another.
She wasn’t alone.
A hand grabbed her roughly.
Regal let out a weak sound, trying to fight, but her strength was gone.
Everything that followed came in fragments.
Pain.
Voices she couldn’t fully hear.
Her body hitting the floor.
The cold pressing against her skin.
She tried to hold on.
Tried to stay conscious.
But the darkness kept pulling her under.
⸻
Then
A shout.
“Hey! Stop!”
Footsteps rushed in.
The shadows scattered.
Strong hands lifted her slightly.
“Stay with me,” a voice said urgently.
Regal couldn’t respond.
Everything faded again.
⸻
The next time she opened her eyes, it was morning.
Her body ached.
Every movement hurt.
Her head throbbed.
Her hair felt stiff—tangled.
Something warm had dried against her skin.
Blood.
Regal swallowed hard.
She didn’t need a mirror to know how bad she looked.
“Get up,” a guard said firmly. “You’ve got court.”
Court?
Today?
Her stomach dropped.
⸻
The walk to the courtroom felt endless.
Each step sent pain through her leg.
She limped slightly, unable to hide it.
People stared as she entered.
Whispers followed again.
But this time, they sounded different.
Shocked.
Disturbed.
Regal kept her head down as she was led forward.
⸻
Sebastian was already there.
Standing.
Waiting.
Calm—like always.
Until he saw her.
Everything changed.
His expression froze.
For the first time, cracked.
His eyes darkened instantly, scanning her.
The bruises.
The way she moved.
The state of her hair.
The faint stains she hadn’t been able to clean.
His jaw tightened.
Hard.
“Your Honor—” he started.
But stopped.
Because for a split second, he looked like he might actually lose control.
Regal had never seen that before.
Not from him.
The courtroom fell silent.
Even the judge looked taken aback.
“What happened to the defendant?” the judge asked sharply.
The guard shifted slightly.
“Incident in holding, Your Honor. It’s been handled.”
Sebastian let out a quiet, humorless breath.
Handled?
His gaze snapped back to Regal.
Rage.
Cold.
Controlled.
But barely.
“She was attacked,” he said, voice low but cutting through the room. “In a facility that is supposed to ensure her safety.”
No one spoke.
The tension was suffocating.
Sebastian stepped forward.
“And now she stands here—injured—while this court proceeds as if that is acceptable?”
The judge frowned.
“This is highly irregular—”
“It’s negligence,” Sebastian interrupted.
A bold move.
Too bold.
But he didn’t care.
Not right now.
Regal watched him, her vision slightly unfocused.
Something about this, about the way he was reacting, felt… personal.
More than it should.
Sebastian took a slow breath, forcing himself to regain composure.
When he spoke again, his voice was steadier.
But no less dangerous.
“I request immediate medical evaluation for my client,” he said. “And a formal investigation into what happened in that detention center.”
The judge nodded.
“That will be granted.”
A pause.
Then—
“Court will recess for now.”
The gavel came down.
But the tension didn’t leave.
⸻
As Regal was being led away—
Her eyes met Sebastian’s again.
This time, there was no distance in his gaze.
No detachment.
Only one clear message.
This just became war.
- Writer
