Innocent Criminal

Chapter 4

Third person POV, but from Haru's perspective if that makes sense.

Harus's body ached. He had to find an internal will and strength to prevent his body from trembling like a leaf or fleeing back to his cell where he would be safe, and on his bed, comfortable and surrounded by his thin blanket. But he couldn't do that, not yet.

So with an internal groan, he followed Mark, one of King's Henchmen, to the common area. Haru should have been afraid to some degree, he knew what King wanted and how this interaction was likely to go. But he just couldn't. He couldn't feel fear, or rage, or anything really. His mind was feeling numb, too preoccupied with how the florescent lights above were painfully bright and humming, or how the constant cacophony of noise from the hundreds of men talking and mock fighting and the small TV mounted in the corner. It was all a bit too much, too loud, too bright, his clothes too scratchy. He wanted to cry but didn't fully understand why.

But he didn't cry, he kept a straight face and kept walking till they reached a corner of the common area where King sat on a couch surrounded by his lackeys.

Haru stopped in front of the man, a few steps away and stared at him with his usual emotionless gaze. With a flick of his hand most of the men surrounding the area up and left, only King trusted few remained.

'Well, what have you got for me beautiful?' King asked with a smirk that sent disgust down to Harus's stomach. But he swallowed whatever emotion he felt towards the man and reported what was said to him over the phone.

'The shipment arrived at 3:57 am. Four men manned the shipment, its been dispersed to: 189 Flinch Street A1 2ZW, 78 Willot Road LX3 26D and 234 Serrea Road D10 4TW. The distributing price per kilo sold at £.... On the 22nd to the south side and £... to the west. In 5 days 7 men from the east have set up a meeting point at....' And Haru continued reciting the words like he read off a paper, his tone near robotic. Re telling figures, resale prices, locations and more. He was gifted with a memory like no other, and there was once a time he was told his gift would get him far in life, get him a better life. He believed it then, young Haru didn't think he's gift would end him like this but he'd long since accepted his fate.

King leaned back slouched on the sofa, his men by his side taking mental notes as he considered the new load of information. But soon his serious dementor slid into a much, much worse one. He smirked, his eyes crinkled and Haru knew what was to come. 'Baby boy,' he started in a low tone.

'I can't today.' Haru cut him off. His words sounded firm as concrete, only he could know how wishful they were. 'I'm tired.' And with that and a nod of his head, he walked away. The men parted way for him to leave and he be lined for his cell, his bed, his fragile yet reliable safe place. He knew he'd get shit for what he'd done, part of him didn't even know why he did it. He's used to King's treatment of him, his purpose in this prison in the first place, he'd mastered the art of zoning out and blocking away any consciousness when it happened that sometimes he barely reacted to it at all. But today he felt his brain at the edge of sanity, teetering on the feeling of completely shutting down, to numbness that could last a lifetime, and a violent explosion of everything left in him.

***

Kane pulled up the magazine he was using to cover his face, watching as his cellmate marched through the crowd with a haunting expression Kane couldn't quite place. The young man didn't see Kane when he passed so Kane waited a minute before following what he soon realised was back to the cell.

He had followed his cellmate when he was called for King, his curiosity got the best of him to make the impulsive decision however he couldn't make out what was said between his cellmate and king. But when he re-entered the cell to see the lump of a figure huddling back blankets he began to question if Haru was really on King's side or not.

Haru seemed out of it the rest of the day. Kane would catch him staring into space, his eyes looked empty and lost. After Kane had come back from meeting with Thomas and Rodrick to reveal the recent connection between his tiny human of a cellmate and their target. Kane himself still didn't quite believe the timid young man could be associated with someone like King, who's done worse things than most can even dream of. But Kane had to remind himself to never judge a criminal by what they look like, after all the most conniving one also looks the most innocent.

At Lunch, Kane was half surprised the boy came out of his blankets and numbly walked to the cafeteria, but when he arrived he sat like a statue. He didn't eat the food that sat in front of him.

Unbeknownst to Kane Haru's mind was working on autopilot. As if his mind had decided it had enough Haru's body was doing his routine but to him it felt like he was only observing his body move and breath from inside, safe far back in his brain. Haru didn't know that this mental state was caused by the fear of what King was going to do to him, the fear of what HE Was going to do to him for messing up his purpose in the prison, to begin with. The sudden change of having a cellmate as well and generally being overwhelmed in this cafeteria.

Eventually, Haru dumped his tray and numbly made his way right back to his cell.