Agnostic By Default, Awakened By Design

Chapter Seven: The New Charge

Suddenly, he started screaming at me.

“Back up! Get back in your cell!”

I stood there frozen, confused. Just moments ago, he’d told me to call a ride. That I was getting out. I didn’t understand what was happening.

“You just told me to call someone,” I said, my voice shaking, panic setting in.

“I don’t care. You caught new charges.”

My stomach dropped.

“What do you mean, I caught new charges? I didn’t— I don’t know. I don’t remember anything.”

And I didn’t. I couldn’t. That night was a blur. A blackout. A haze of alcohol, fear, and grief. “Assault on a CO,” he snapped. “You’re not going anywhere. You’ll be arraigned when the court decides to deal with you.”

My world stopped.

I thought I was going home. For the first time, I had let myself believe it. And in a single sentence, that hope was ripped out of my chest. I wasn’t getting out. I wasn’t going to see Elijah. I might not even see daylight again for a long time.

They slammed the flap shut behind me.

And for the first time, I truly believed...

I might never leave this jail.