Diseased | #wattys2016

Chapter 3

"It's your turn next" She vaguely hear the voice, half dozing off, lost in thought.

I wonder where the real killer is right now. Do they not feel guilty for what they've done? They locked an innocent sixteen year old in here. I had my whole life ahead of me! Had. A sickening thought sounded off the hollow walls of her brain.

Riley's mind wanders back about that crazy girl yesterday and the words she whispered. She only managed to catch a few before the guard injected her. 'Trevor' and 'Away'. What did she mean? Did she lose someone named Trevor? Is it someone she made up? Is it a warning? I guess I may never know. After all, she is just another one of those crazies.

"I said. It's. Your. Turn." The middle aged woman bit out through harsh breaths. Riley snaps out of her thoughts, getting back to the dull chess match at hand. Time seems to be going backwards, and a boring chess game can last a few hours, sometimes feeling never-ending.

She lazily hover her hand across the board, her fingers clutching on to a pawn at bay, taking one of her own. "You turn." She drawls out.

"You know" the woman starts off, dragging her bishop towards the middle of the board. "No matter what, you will never prove you're innocent if you say you are. Protesting that makes you sound guilty. What were you blamed for anyways?"

Riley answer her question with silence from her end.

"You killed someone, didn't you? Don't worry little girl, we all have." She lays back in her seat, giving Riley a toothy smile. Riley can tell some of her teeth are missing, the remaining crooked and dirty; making her look a few years older.

"Ah, I see" she laughs humorlessly. "Did you do something even worse? Did you plead crazy just to get out of jail? You probably deserve it anyways. The harmless ones always do."

Riley bit back an insult, biting the inside of her cheek from crying out. She decides to ignore her, moving her horse up the playing field. Doing something will only prove her guiltiness.

"Did you enjoy it?" She leers, shifting her weight so she leans over the table, directing her attention on Riley. "What weapon did you use? A knife? An axe? Ooo, the hatchet's my favorite."

Riley slam my hand down, acknowledging her presence. She quickly remembers the little girl in her dreams, exclaiming something quite similar.

"Enough" Riley stare into her eyes, sending her a threatening glare. Riley lean closer to her face, dropping her voice a couple octaves. "Listen loud, and listen clear." She pauses, giving emphasis on her words. "First thing, I didn't kill any of them. But if you keep talking, you may be the first one I really do. And to answer your question, I will enjoy ripping you to pieces if you seem so eager to find out."

Riley's seething now, her breaths becoming more and shallower; more frantic. The guards perked up a bit, suspiciously eyeing her. Some mental patients snapped their eyes to them, seemingly whispering unknown things.

Riley knew her words carried empty threats; it's not like I will actually do those things, but she couldn't help but feel a bit better. Although, she felt like something was.... missing. Is it an action? A thought? Something eggs her at the back of my head, taunting her as if she should know by now.

The woman regains her composure, seeming slightly rattled from the exchange earlier. She moves her queen into the middle, looking up at Riley and smirking. "Check mate." Although I don't miss the soft whisper, a soothing voice, almost singing out the words "Ripper."

Riley abruptly stand up, fisting the woman's wirey hair and slamming her against the table. The chess pieces scattered, some digging in to her skin. She leans her head towards her ear, yelling out, "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST SAY!"