Crumbling Down

Chapter 24

Kert

The ground felt unforgiving. The light was too bright, and my senses were slowly coming around. How did I get here? The memories, hazed and distant. White walls, a drainage and steel beds came to play. The cells in Poltlemus weren't like this. But more of Soto.

Mika popped up, and I screamed until my lungs collapsed. A grunt warned me, and a tender hand soothed my back.

"Please stop," Natasha muttered weakly. She was here, along with me. Mother can be crueler than I thought. Her well-being was worse than mines.

"Nash its okay, I'm here--." She screamed and tried hitting me but I held her firmly but not too rough, or she'll break. After all the thrashing and kicking, she relaxed, but her eyes were still darting for danger.

"What's wrong with you?". Natasha couldn't speak, it was muting her.

"T-The prison," she mumbled, rocking back and forth, tears flooding. That's when it clicked. Rumors spread in Poltlemus that the prisons were meant to drive people to insanity. No wonder. What did they do to her?

"You're no longer there, its okay," I hugged her, but she sobbed and wept.

"Leave me alone...please", she cried, but I didn't leave. We were too apart already.

--

I don't remember how long we were in here. Food was sent underneath the steel door, ridden goo and slosh but I couldn't complain. I attempted to give more to Nash, but she refused.

Mika's death kept replaying. I could've done something. Stop Mother with the knife so close to her throat. But its already too late. I never failed so much in life before.

"Eat," I urged her with our usual slosh. She pushed it away.

"You don't need to take care of me," she said dully. She was calm, but for now.

"Why? You're not the only one affected. Mika died", I gave up.

"What? And you didn't tell me?", Natasha's voice shook, and her body shaking.

"I couldn't remind myself how much of a failure I am...how much I could've saved her," I wanted to cry and sob like Nash, but I couldn't. Even this cell took away part of my normalcy.

"Save her? Not when I got captured. Just please stop", she rested on one of the steel beds, numb.

"I wanted to save everyone...and yet I couldn't even save myself", Nash muttered. I came closer, in sympathy.

"Mother put us all through of this," I said, wanting to at least help her find another perspective.

"With her wanting all the power and her narcissistic self, yeah you can say that. I wish our dad were here". Natasha always talked about our dad since I couldn't remember. He died before I was born, and people said he passed away to a cause for Soto.

"I'm sorry," was all it could be said. But Natasha smiled anyway, the first smile ever in this prison.

"Don't be sorry, you weren't born anyway. But if you were to meet our dad, he would've given you so much more". I sympathized, but its the best I could do.

--

The keys jangled beyond the door. This is it, the trial. With all of this, I can be with my sister through this. What do I have to lose now?

The steel hinges squeaked, revealing something unexpecting.