Chapter 2
1347 Words
Kaden, inmate number 3403, walked into Pechlon Prison.
He had committed murder in broad daylight, with countless witnesses. His crime was heinous, leaving no room for denial.
But Kaden didn't deny it anyway. He had avenged Rachel and had no regrets. Life imprisonment or the death penalty—whatever the outcome, he just wanted to spend the days before his trial in peace.
"Hey! Who told you to sit down?" The moment the guard closed the cell door, the inmates who had been standing respectfully suddenly dropped their polite facades and surrounded Kaden.
In the center of the group was a fat man with a black birthmark on his face. He stepped forward and knocked the basin out of Kaden's hands.
The basin hit the ground, spilling its contents everywhere. Two feet quickly stepped forward, stomping on the items with force. The toothbrush snapped, the towel got filthy, and Kaden's shoulder was grabbed roughly and shoved downward, forcing him to his knees. Pain shot through his legs as his knees hit the hard floor.
Kaden was made to kneel. Thin and pale, he looked fragile, and the inmates eyed him like wolves circling their prey.
"I heard your girlfriend got r*ped. That's why you killed someone and ended up here, huh?" The plump man slapped Kaden's shoulder repeatedly with his thick hand, grinning with yellowed teeth.
"That makes sense. If it weren't for your woman getting r*ped, with your scrawny build, you wouldn't have the guts to fight anyone."
"Boss, I bet he sneak attacked the guy. Either that or the other guy was a total coward. No way he could've killed him."
"Exactly! Boss, you love horseback riding, right? Bet he wouldn't even be strong enough to carry you!"
"Pfft, you're the one who loves being the horse! You enjoy it the most!"
They followed the plump man's lead, their words becoming cruder and more vulgar as they laughed.
Kaden couldn't hear the rest of their words. All he could see was the plump man's disgusting grin right in front of him.
The more they joked, the louder the plump man laughed.
Kaden had planned to endure it, but the plump man kept poking at his wound. "What does your woman look like? Was she good in bed? How many times did you f*ck her? Come on, tell me!"
"F*ck you!" Kaden punched the fat man right in the eye socket.
The plump man clutched his eye and stumbled backward, falling to the ground. "You b*stard! You dare hit me?"
The others stared at Kaden in shock. No newcomer had ever been this bold after entering prison. Even if they didn't know the rules, how could someone so much smaller dare to provoke someone so much bigger?
"What are you all standing around for?" The plump man, feeling humiliated, pounded the ground with his fist. His roar snapped the others out of their daze, and they all rushed forward to teach Kaden a lesson.
Kaden couldn't fend off so many men. He could only curl up and cover his head as he took the beating.
"You b*stard! You dare hit me, huh? You've got a death wish! I'll kill you!" The plump man cursed as he kicked Kaden repeatedly with all his strength.
Hearing the commotion, the guards rushed in, blowing their whistles and swinging their batons to break up the fight.
The inmates crouched down with their hands over their heads, but they all raised their chins to point at Kaden. "Officer, he started it!"
"Yeah! He punched me first! Look, Officer Thompson, my eye is so swollen I can't even open it!" The plump man tried to show the guard his bruise.
"Shut up! Stop causing trouble!" The guard brandished his baton, signaling for the plump man to keep quiet. Meanwhile, Kaden lay motionless on the ground, a sharp pain twisting in his abdomen.
"Ugh—" Kaden coughed up blood. The crouching inmates sneered coldly. The guard, addressed as "Officer Thompson," signaled his colleague to carry Kaden out.
New inmates always got roughed up by the seasoned ones, but it couldn't go too far.
In the infirmary, Kaden lay on a bed, hooked up to an IV.
The prison doctor reported his condition to the guard. "His spleen is ruptured. He needs rest."
"Got it," the guard replied with a frown, thinking to himself, 'Another troublemaker.'
The guard cuffed Kaden's hand to the bed rail. Looking at Kaden, who seemed half-dead, he said, "Why'd you provoke Fatty? If you don't want to come back here, behave yourself when you return to the cell."
The guard's words were both a warning to Kaden and a way to make his own job easier.
But Kaden just stared at the ceiling, unmoving.
The guard closed the door, leaving him to rest.
The room was empty. Kaden stared at the ceiling, tears streaming down his face. But he wasn't crying for himself. He was crying for Rachel.
He was a man, and just being beaten and kicked by those inmates had left him in this state.
Rachel, a defenseless woman, had suffered so many injuries and been r*ped. Before she died, how much pain must she have endured?
At least he had avenged her.
At least Noah was dead.
With that in mind, Kaden drifted off to sleep.
When the anesthesia wore off and the pain from his wounds woke him, Kaden opened his eyes again, only to find someone else in the room.
On the bed next to his, a frail old man sat cross-legged. In front of him were several playing cards, which he was engrossed in shuffling and arranging.
Kaden frowned, thinking, 'Who is this guy? He doesn't look like he's injured or sick. More importantly, how does he even have playing cards? Something like that shouldn't be allowed in here.'
Kaden's gaze caught the attention of the frail old man, who turned his head. "Oh, you're awake."
Kaden didn't respond, still looking at him with a puzzled expression. The old man sized him up. "You look pretty banged up. Fatty really went hard on you, huh?"
Kaden still didn't say a word. The old man chuckled. "My name's Mason Wells, but everyone here calls me Wizard. What's your name?"
The man looked to be no taller than about 5'5". His closely cropped hair still showed signs of being curly, his face was covered in freckles, and his small but sharp eyes gave off a calculating vibe.
That instinctive impression made Kaden dislike him. He had no intention of making friends, so when asked for his name, Kaden wasn't interested in answering.
He withdrew his gaze and went back to staring at the ceiling.
Mason didn't seem to mind Kaden's rudeness and continued fiddling with the cards on his bed, occasionally muttering something to himself.
Kaden couldn't hear clearly and didn't care to. About an hour later, a guard opened the door and walked in. "Wizard, had enough rest? Time for rounds. Let's go."
Mason nodded and climbed off the bed.
Out of the corner of his eye, Kaden glanced over. Sure enough, the man was only about 5'5". The prison uniform hung on him like a child wearing an adult's clothes.
The infirmary returned to silence. Kaden wanted to use the restroom, so he tapped the armrest. The on-duty guard came in to help him. It was only then that Kaden noticed a card left on the bed next to his. 'Did Mason forget to take it with him?'
After relieving himself, Kaden glanced at it again out of curiosity. That's when he realized it wasn't a playing card but a tarot card. The card had a strange illustration on it, with the word "Death" written across it. There were also some smaller words below, but he didn't have time to read them.
The guard roughly pushed him back onto the bed and re-secured his handcuffs.
Kaden couldn't reach the card or see it anymore, but the brief glimpse of it kept replaying in his mind.
Three days later, Kaden saw Mason again.
- Writer
