The White Room

Chapter 5

I step into the cell.

So many thoughts are racing through my head.

Now that I've got the one person I need what do I do with him?

The boy sits relaxed on his bed smiling up at the ceiling.

He notices me and I motion for him to come with me.

We walk down the hall to the interrogation room.

Axel is strong and handsome. He didn't look as if he was hungry at all... But he did have the air of having a terrible past. He could sense these things.

"Sit." He told the boy sternly. He couldn't let his appearance change anything.

"Murder."

I say placing a newspaper in front of him.

"Thievery."

I say placing another.

"Destruction."

Another.

"Mass shootings."

Another.

The boy looks at them almost as if he's angry at them.

"What's the point you're trying to make?" He asks calmly, angrily.

"I have a big problem on my hands. It's not just you. It's teenage boys across the country and elsewhere. This is a global problem. So, we can do this and we both get what we want or we can do it the harder way and I get what I want."

"How can things be better? You're not sentencing me to life in prison?" He asks incredulously.

"No trust me you're going to spend a while in prison. But, we can get you out of the death penalty."

"What do you want?" He asks.

"Information. Why are you doing this? If it wasn't your choice then who's behind this?"

He sighs.

"You seem to have had a bad past. Would you like to tell me about it?"

"Look, I never wanted to do any of those things. I have nightmares every night of the things I've done. You should just leave this case in the dust and keep me in prison for life. It would be better than telling you anything and risking whatever this place is. I didn't want to hurt anybody."

"So who's making you do these things? If it isn't out of your own interests? If someone is hurting you, or using you, we need to know. We can counsel you and deal with the person on the other side."

"Look, I've talked too much."

"What do you know about this?"

I set a newspaper in front of him.

Boy's going missing around the world. That's the headline

"Do you know where they are? We had to shush this up. We don't want people freaking out. What do you know about MBK Corps? Do they have something to do with this?"

"Look! We're running out of time! I can't tell you anything. I won't hurt you too!" He says, exasperated.

"I'll come back when you're ready to share."

I leave the room, confused at what I had just heard.

AXEL'S POV

How can I tell?

I would love to. Slap the MBK Corps right in the middle of their corporation.

But, I am afraid.

What will happen to them if I do? What will happen to me?

Most importantly what will happen to that girl?

They're running out of time. I'm running out of time.

I should escape. I know that now.

Bethany enters the room.

"How did it go?" She asks.

"Badly."

"Come on. I'm here to take you back to your cell."

She smiles. I don't. Now is my time to escape.

I look at her, then I run.

I quickly find a door and run out onto the grass.

Yeesh, I thought I was in the city.

I run anyway. All the while knowing the girl is running after me.

She'll never be fast enough.

I ran towards the parking lot. Hotwiring was not hard, but the girl was getting close.

I start up the car, hop in, and soon I'm on my way. I look in my review mirrors.

Bethany is riding on a motorcycle. Yikes.

I go even faster.

I reached a town.
Getting out, I ran towards a pub.

Before I can even get there rough hands push me to the ground.

Two Grimes pin me to the ground.

"Having a fun time?" They sneer at me.

"No, I..."

"Quiet!"
"I bargain, you'll be thrown into the white room for a good long time."

I see Bethany approaching from a distance.

I groan.

Just when I thought I could prevent her from getting hurt.

She climbs off of the motorcycle.

Seeing my predicament she gets ready to fight.

"You know her?" One of the Grimes asks.

"No," I say scowling at Bethany.

"You know this guy?" The Grime asks Bethany.

I give her a warning glance. She catches the hint.

"No, just you have no business harassing him on the streets. I'm calling the police."
There was no need to call the police as several people had already seen my predicament. I saw the police cars from a distance.

"This is none of your business girl, He owes us big time."

I hear the sirens.

"Ugh, just grab the girl too, and let's get going before this is a big scene." One of the Grimes stays with me and keeps me pinned down and the other goes to get Bethany.

She fights him and once even punches him in the nose making him bleed.

"Aw, you just made me mad."

He raises his gun which has a tranquilizer in it.

He shoots and misses.

He shoots again and she ducks.

He shoots one last time and he hits her. She collapses. Then he turns and points the gun at me.

The darkness swells up and swallows my vision. 

Word count: 930