Silver Lining

Chapter 2

Present Day

Richard Faulkerson Jr. woke up in a rush, his body drenched in sweat.

"I can't believe this is happening again."

He put his head in his hands, trying to make sense of the dreams that to plagued his mind. Dreams that were so realistic, that others would even dare say that those were actual memories. He could still see it clearly in his mind, and feel the unimaginable torment that he had to relieve each night. He forced himself to resist, to stop himself from thinking that what he just dreamed of wasn't real.

But then, how many times had he told himself that he would forget about it, or that he was ready to do whatever needs to be done to stop the dreams from coming? Instead, just the opposite had happened. He was curious, wanting to know more than the scenes and snippets of conversations that came in the form of dreams. Some part of him craved it, hungered for it to happen, even if it went against his instincts because it gave him the reprieve he desperately needed.

He leaned his head back against the headboard and closed his eyes. In the darkened room, all he could hear was the pounding of his heart and the sound of footsteps striking the ground outside his room. While his quarters were far from the inmates' cells, guards occasionally patrolled everywhere to ensure everyone's safety. Especially his own.

He had been in charge of a secure facility housing a small number of criminals for less than a decade. All operations — excluding the capture and interrogation of prisoners — were under his control. Why? Well, while he spent years burying all traces of his past to become one of the monsters of society, his superiors still didn't trust him that much. All he's allowed to do is to manage and ensure that all prisoners will not even get a chance to escape.

He shuddered out a breath. To be honest, it sickened him to the ore. Left and right, people who spoke against the government and its officials were dragged away and manhandled by authorities. Some of them, especially those who tried to flee the scene or resist their captors, were locked behind bars for committing obscure and fictitious crimes. A team of individuals appointed by the government was in charge of digging as much intel as they can get before the inmates die or succumb to an illness. It was like Martial Law all over again.

Of course, he couldn't say these things out loud. As far as the public was concerned, he's just in charge of a facility housing the most dangerous criminals arrested under the president's orders. It wasn't his place to question anything or to disobey a command even though he knew how wrong it was. He wasn't naive. He knew what his superiors were capable of. He also knew that they wouldn't hesitate to subject him to the same treatment they extend to the prisoners. And he can't afford that...because he swore that he'll survive the battle every single time.

Yet hours later, as he stood outside the new inmate's cell, he began to suffer from an inexplicable conflict within him. Could he really turn a blind eye to this particular arrest just because of the backlash he was bound to get? He realized he'd never grasped how hard making a choice was until that exact moment.

"How very kind of you to visit me," a man drawled, interrupting his train of thoughts. Unlike the other prisoners who stayed in the back, he was leaning against the bars and glaring directly at him. "Do you still remember me? Your best friend slash roommate?"

His eyes darted around to try and see if there's anyone nearby. Fortunately, the guards who accompanied him were already at the end of the corridor.

He breathed a sigh of relief before he moved closer to the prisoner. "Shut up," he said, his voice carried anger and frustration. "Now."

"Ano, RJ? Hindi mo na ba ako nakikilala? Tingnan mo ako." Then gestured at himself. "Gwapo pa rin ako 'di ba?"