Land of the Dead

19) Chronicle II

Chapter 19 --- Land of the Dead

Chronicle II

Slate sat in the corner of his cell, rocking back and forth. He cupped his head in his hands. It had only been a couple of months, but he was already feeding off insanity. The darkness was already entwining itself with his soul. He had been forced into this confined space so abruptly that it took him by surprise. Seventeen years of age? He was pretty sure that for the atrocity he had committed he was indebted to community service. Right?

Slate absentmindedly skimmed his fingers over the cold stone wall. It felt rough against his skin. He quickly retracted and let his arm dangle by his side. Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes but he blinked them away. His cellmate was asleep on the top bunk bed, their arm hanging limply over the edge. He watched as their chest rose and fell with every breath they took.

Someone wailed from the cell beside them, where Ivy was stationed. He wasn't taken by surprise. He knew for sure that it was her cellmate, since almost every hour a piercing sound escaped their lips.

Slate growled as his cellmate rose from the bunk bed. It rattled and shifted with the amount of weight pressing down on it. Slate was infuriated by the fact that he had been thrown into a jail cell with someone who constantly reminded him of Flynn. His cellmate shared the same hair colour as him and it was almost the same length as well. His eyes weren't a dull shade of brown, however. Slate glared at him, writhing in suppressed fury.

It was thanks to Flynn that he had to spend most of his life behind bars; including Ivy. He absolutely loathed Flynn, but knew that he only acted this way because of his Split Personality Disorder and Multiple Personality Disorder. They always blamed it on his SPD, which infuriated him even further. He clenched his fists until they became white.

His cellmate slipped over the edge and hit the ground with a loud thump, which rung in his ears. He didn't bother to move from his spot to help the poor guy. Instead he stayed glued to his spot, watching carefully as he rose slowly. With every step he took, his hips swung side to side. Slate scanned the odd man.

His countenance was inscrutable and his eyes were like a sharp arctic-blue. Something was different about this man. Something simply did not seem right.

The man took a large step forward towards Slate, dragging his right leg to meet his left. Slate stuck to the wall like a sticker, afraid of peeling off and escaping. In fact, there was no escape from this prison cell.

His teeth clacked together and he raised his left arm, flexing his bony fingers. Suddenly warmth spread throughout Slate's chest and he knew needed to escape, right now.

In one quick upright motion, Slate jumped onto his feet and flung himself at the jail bars. He shook them, hoping to grab the attention of someone, anyone.

"HELP!" He shouted as the man took another step closer to him. "HEY! SOMEBODY! I THINK MY CELLMATE'S TRYING TO KILL ME!"

"Slate!" Ivy called out, her voice hoarse. It was tinged with fear. Something hit the metal bars, which was accompanied by a scream. It echoed throughout the whole block as a mans voice called out, "SHUT UP! YOU ARE NOT TO MAKE CONTACT WITH SOMEBODY IN ANOTHER JAIL CELL!" Ivy could be heard sobbing from her cell.

Another piercing scream echoed throughout the block, but it didn't belong to Ivy. Somebody cursed and footsteps could be heard.

"HEY! WAIT!" Slate shouted. His eyes glazed over a cell opposite his. He watched with wide eyes as a prisoner bit into a police officer. They were shot dead in an instant, but as they hit the ground, there was something different.