Second Chance

Chapter 27

I stand in the clearing, staring up at the fireworks that illuminate the sky above me. I glance to my left and see Riley standing next to me, gazing up as well. This is perfect, standing here with my brother watching the bright colours explode into beautiful starbursts. This is the happiest moment of my life.

"I love you, brother." I say, taking Riley's hand in mine.

"I love you too, brother." Riley replies, grinning at me, and I grin back.

I want to stay in this moment forever, where everything is perfect and I genuinely feel happy. I feel so alive and free, and I wish I could feel that way all the time, but I know that is impossible. I do not have a perfect life, not even remotely close to one actually. My reality is so broken and twisted that it doesn't make sense anymore, but I don't care. I just want to get away from everything, and leave my old life behind.

Out of my peripheral vision, I see a bright blazing light. I tilt my head down from the sky, and see to my horror that a wave of fire is crashing down towards us. It happens in a blink of an eye, and not even a second later, Riley and I are thrown backwards by the tsunami of flames.

I lay in the grass for a moment, stunned and unable to move. I try to get up, but the moment I move an inch, a shadow of a person crouches over me. It wraps its hand around my throat, pinning my head to the ground. It then leans forward, and I get a better look at who it is. It's Riley, but he looks terrifying. Half of the skin on his face is burned off, and one of his eyes is missing, while the other is faded and sightless. Somehow though, it seems like he's staring right through me and into my soul. His hair is completely charred, and his clothes are covered in burns and holes. His hand at my throat is also burned very badly, to the point where I can see his bones in some places. My brother is basically a corpse, and yet he is still alive.

"YoU DiD ThIs To Me, JuStIn." He hisses in a horrifying raspy voice. "YoU KiLlEd Me. It Is YoUr FaUlT I Am DeAd. YoUr FaUlT. YoUr FaUlT! YOUR FAULT!"

—-

I jolted up in my bed, breathing heavily. It took a moment for the nightmare to melt away and for reality to kick in, including the fact that I was not in my bed, but the bed in my Juvie cell. I clutched my head, as if trying to keep my brain from falling out. My heart was beating so fast that I thought I might actually die here and now, but I didn't, I was just having a minor panic attack.

"You okay down there, Fish?" DK called down from the top bunk, sounding amused.

"Fuck off." I breathed, but either he didn't hear me or didn't care, as he jumped down onto the floor and leaned against the bed frame like how he did before.

"Who's Riley?" He asked, and I was pretty sure he was smirking, but it was hard to tell since it was so dark in here.

"What?" I gasped, trying to catch my breath, but failing miserably.

"I heard you moaning the name Riley, like, five times in the past half hour. Who is it? Girlfriend? Boyfriend? Best friend?" He paused for a moment, his smirk growing. "Deceased brother?"

"Shut up!" I screamed, jolting out of bed and slamming DK against the wall behind him. "I loved him, and he's dead because of me. I killed Riley by accident, so I'm not even supposed to be here right now! He wasn't my blood brother, but I loved him like one anyway. Then I blew him up. It's all my fucking fault!"

DK didn't look fazed in the slightest, which pissed me off even more. "That's a touching story, Justin. Here's a tip though, don't tell anyone else what really happened. You'll be dead within a week if the word got out that it was an accident that you landed here. The other cons are going to look at it as weakness, and they'll eat you alive if they know you don't have the balls for this place."

"Noted." I grumbled, stepping back and sitting back down on the bed.

"So, what do you mean by you 'blew him up'? Did you cause an explosion or something?" DK asked, staying against the wall, but crossing his arms.

"None of your business." I muttered, laying back down.

"Hey, I'm trying to help you. Believe it or not, I'm not the worst guy here. You need a damn good cover story if you want to gain some respect around here." He reasoned.

"I don't give a shit about respect, okay?" I snapped. "I would prefer to stay in my cell for the next two months."

"That can't happen, Fish. You need to leave sooner or later. The other cons are already starting to ask me about you. I'll drag you out of this cell by your ankles if I have to, to get them off my back." He threatened.

"I do not want to socialize with anyone." I said slowly, glaring at him.

"Well, that's too bad, but you don't have a choice. We spend a lot of time out of our cells, doing other shit that we have to do. If you try to stay here, the guards will force you out, then beat the shit out of you for not being cooperative." He informed me.

"Fine, but I'm not talking to anyone." I decided stubbornly.

"You know, I'm getting the feeling that you're the type to try and break out of this place with some elaborate plan that only you understand." DK observed, giving me a thoughtful look.

I snorted. "No way. I'm not nearly smart enough for that. Riley was the brains, I was the....moron who always got us into shitty situations."

"Something tells me that you've almost gotten him killed several times over, but you finally ran out of luck." He guessed.

"Yeah, you could say that." I sighed.

"You were lucky though, to have a friend like that. I never had anyone. Ever." He looked out of the cell, as if reminiscing on a distant memory.

"Is that why you resorted to becoming what you are now? To fill that void in your heart?" I asked.

"Yes." He answered, leaning against the bed frame again. He stared at me with his blazing blue eyes, which unsettled me quite a lot. "And now that your brother is dead, you will have to find something to fill that void in your heart. Otherwise it will destroy you."