Soothsayer ⚡ Barry Allen

A Free-Range Chicken

Kevin

It was lights out, Blackgate mostly quiet, most of my favorite guards on patrol. When the light of a flashlight hit the door, I slinked out of bed and pushed my arms between the bars, relaxing against them as I smiled. "Hey, Terry. How was the vacation?" I could feel Terra's eyes burning questions into my back; good, maybe she'll pick up something.

"Got too much sun," the guard laughed as he got closer. "Betty had a good time, though."

"She deserves it," I laughed, my grin growing as he stopped at the door. "How much did you miss me?" I prompted, my eyebrow quirking.

"You got those little snacks I love?" he inquired, a knowing smile on his lips. He knew I did. I never disappointed.

"Straight from Magdelena's oven," I giggled, pulling the carefully wrapped cookies from behind my back. "She's asked for me to say that she wanted pictures." I put the goods in his hand and pulled back from the bars, waiting patiently as he checked them before moving to the door. When Terra realized what was happening, she tried to scramble off the top bunk.

"Wait!" Terry had already relocked the door, the two of us on the outside, by the time she had made it to the door. He looked back to me in question and after a moment of contemplation I shook my head.

"She needs to learn more first," I hummed before skipping off. As I went I could hear Terra trying to reason with Terry, but it wouldn't work. It took a couple years for Terry to warm up to me, that and I had to save his life. My mission was to check out Henry's cell -- something that would take a lot more bribing on my part, but I knew how to work my way past the system. It wasn't easy, but it sure was fun. Now that my reputation and social interactions had paid off, it was only a matter of maintaining them.

I slowed to a walk as I neared the door seperating me from Henry's section. I had been this way before, happened to take some goodies from his cell a while back, that's how I found those pictures. "Andy. I thought I told you to stay out of this block." I smiled at the old janitor I loved, his voice like deep smooth butter and his freckled face one of unbelievable kindness.

"What can I say, Kevin, I've missed you too much." I leaned against the bars between us, relaxed and explorative.

"What do you need?" he chuckled, leaning against his cleaning cart.

"Just to go see Allen and come back over here. I'll be in and out, lickety-split." Kevin laughed and shook his head, flipping through the keys on his belt as he shuffled over to the door.

"You've got fifteen minutes before Martinez comes through again," he informed as he twisted the key and slid the door open.

"Then I'll be back in eleven," I giggled, slipping through the door and kissing his cheek before running off again. Martinez was one of the few I didn't enjoy interacting with. That's an understatement, really. Last time I slipped past him, what started as a little peek-a-bribe turned into Kevin preventing what likely could've ended up as rape. And in a co-ed prison of all places, it was rare to find anyone who gave a damn about that predicament. When I finally reached Henry's cell, he was reading a book, his cellmate having already fallen asleep. "Hello, Henry."

He looked up and slowly sat down his book. "You're Andy, aren't you?" I nodded with a small smile. He smiled at that, eyeing me with a small ounce of bewilderment. I get it though, we hardly interacted -- hardly as in never, but still. I was as curious as always. "Barry's told me about you."

"All good things, I expect," I hummed. I was sat up on the railing, my feet kicking back and forth as I watched him sit up.

"From Barry, yes." His smile turned unpleasant, like he was about to give me the disappointed parent shpiel."From your time in here? No." I grinned darkly and nodded.

"That sounds like me," I laughed.

"Stay away from him," he suggested, his expression hard. "My son is dealing with enough on his own without you tearing through his life." I chuckled and leaned forward, an all-knowing smirk on my lips.

"I'm pretty sure Barry's a grown man capable of making his own decisions. One of which being to visit me in the first place."

"Yes, and I'm still his father," he paused, his expression turning darker as he stepped towards the bars. "So, stay away." I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up my throat, safely planting my feet on the ground as I began slowly going back the way I came.

"There's only so much I can do," I chuckled. "You'll have to convince your son." I turned away to leave, still feeling Henry's eyes on me. "I have a feeling that may be easier said than done," I added as I disappeared down the hall.

"Calling down the hall like that, its not gunna matter how early you came back," Kevin scolded as he waited to open the door for me. "Go back to your cell before you get yourself hurt." I slipped a candy bar in his pocket as I quickly returned to my section of the prison.

"Goodnight, Kevin," I hummed, making my way back to my 5x5 corner of concrete. As usual, whoever let me out partoled relatively near my cell so they could let me back in, and Terry wasn't hard to find.

"Enjoy yourself?" he questioned as he unlocked the door, noticing my wicked smile.

"Indeed, I have," I chuckled as I walked myself into the room. "Thanks for the ticket."

"Anytime." I winked at Terry before he resumed his normal shift and I laid on my bed. I hadn't even closed my eyes before Terra stuck her head over the edge of the bed and glared at me.

"What the hell was that?" she growled. "We could have gotten out of here!" I rolled my eyes and relaxed into the bed.

"No, we couldn't have. In case you haven't noticed they got a new batch of prisoners tonight. We wouldn't have gotten past the yard before they put us down," I informed in a bored tone.

"So why did you leave me here?" she growled out moodily. I sighed and stared her in the eye; despite being upside down, I could tell she was pissed.

"Because you have to learn how to function properly without getting yourself killed before you can go sneaking off like me. It took me three years for the people in here to see me as they do, even with my reputation outside of prison," I explained. "No one here knows who you are, what you've done, or what you're capable of. You have to start small, Terra."

With a huff of anger, she pulled herself back up onto the bed, the structure abruptly moving an inch away from the wall. I was silent, my eyes wide as I waited for anything else to happen, staring up at the top bunk in utter cluelessness. When Terra didn't make another sound and the bed stopped moving, I finally managed to calm down enough to sleep.