Jay's Journey

Chapter 24

CW: Deadnaming

Where was it?! It had to be around here somewhere. Madame Midnight's motivation made sense. Then again, nothing about her made sense, maybe she'd just lied. Maybe she was just playing with her food. Jay didn't know anymore. It couldn't possibly be here. He'd actually tried talking to prisoners, asking how they knew someone was a woman. All Jay got in response were crass remarks about female anatomy or a punch in the face.

Given, it had only been a few days, but that was all the time that Jay had. Even from way down in the cell, the sound of some massive contraption rolling across the dirt was clear as day. The thing creaked with the weight of wooden construction as its wheels crunched rough dirt and gravel. Some instinct in Jay knew that the best thing to do with it was to destroy it or run from it. Jay was in a position to do neither.

When the Mage Hunter accompanied by a few guards came down directly to his cell, Jay knew it was happening. He stood up and slowly walked through the door, having given up on any semblance of grace at this point. Rough hands took him and led him up towards the growing light of dawn.

There was a brief moment where Jay had to blink until the sunlight was bearable. Rolled out into the middle of the dirt courtyard was a construction Jay hadn't realized had been sitting to the side the entire time. From the top hung a rope that had yet to be tied. How did hanging even work? Was it painful? It had to be, it was dying.

Jay was led up onto the thing, and stood atop a wooden trapdoor while one of the guards began looping the rope around his neck. The rough fibers felt itchy on his throat, and there was an icy dread knowing what it would be responsible for.

This thing was going to kill him. Wait, that was it. It was going to kill him. This was right now, death was happening right now. The fact was so obvious and yet so profound that Jay almost collapsed. Death hadn't been real when he'd made the decision to not submit to the Mage Hunter's demands. Death hadn't been real while being led into the courtyard. Currently, the noose was around his throat. However he was now was the way he would die.

Unless Jay figured it out, he was going to die as nothing other than a delusional boy with a crazy dream. He didn't want to die as that. If he was going to die, he wanted to do it his way.

He straightened his back, standing with the same elegance expected back in Lunabae. He swallowed the stony lump in his throat. He cleared his throat in preparation of his more feminine voice, his vocal chords almost hesitant as his throat tightened.

The noose was tied. The guard stepped away.

The Mage Hunter was looking Jay in the eye with a look of frustrated confusion.

"Do you have any last words?" The Mage Hunter asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice. He kept glancing towards the exit of the prison, clearly wanting to be free of the place.

"I do." Jay replied. The Mage Hunter sighed.

"Say them." He commanded. Jay took a shaky breath.

"Can I tell a story?" Jay asked.

"Sure, just make it quick, all these people have places to be." The Mage Hunter relented. Of course, the main concern was for the guards who had to go about their days of harassing the various prisoners. It wasn't for the person who was about to die. It made Jay briefly angry, but he calmed quickly. There wasn't time for that, not right now. Jay was going to die a woman or die trying.

"Once upon a time, there was a girl who ran away from home. Every day was painful, and she realized that if she didn't leave, it would be the rest of her life. So, one day, she said goodbye to the pretty flower hill near her house, packed up her things, and left. She couldn't carry much, and she ran out of food. She started asking people for things, but they turned her away. She had to start taking them, but she was caught. On her way to prison... a miracle happened, and she escaped with a few new people by her side." Jay paused, looking over the audience, if it could even be called that. Thankfully, the Mage Hunter was the one who was disinterested and not paying attention. The other guards seemed either startled or somewhat interested.