Flaw

Chapter 19: E

"Prisoner, wake up." A guard demanded as he banged on my cell. I shot up and got to my feet, dazed and dizzy from my rude awakening. I looked at him with a certain annoyance, and he banged again.

"Okay I'm up!" I snapped at him. He looked at me, dumb faced. His fat pea-shaped head was red from the sun, and it made his snubbed nose blend in so well that you could hardly see anything except the holes.

"You have a visitor." He said, and I looked as if I could see who it was, and he opened the door to let Raider in. Without there being anything to stop me, I rushed into his arms and hugged him. I was so relieved to see someone, anyone – especially him.

"Oh Raider, I'm so scared." I whispered in his ear, and he tightened his arms around me. He let go and looked behind him, wary of the guard's presence. He walked back and looked the guy in the eye.

"Hey, can I have five minutes of privacy," he asked the guard, who stayed put. "Look man, I just want to say goodbye. Can I just say goodbye in peace?"

After a moment of hesitation, the guard let out a deep sigh and walked to the end of the hall. My mind panicked when I heard Raider say goodbye.

"Goodbye? What do you mean goodbye?"

"Ensley, they have a confession of someone who claimed to see you murder the doctor." He said and I let out an exasperated breath. Confessed? I was not even there, and Raider was the only one who could prove it. "I tried telling them you were with me, but the people are angry, and they want someone to blame."

"But . . . I don't understand." I said, and Raider looked down at the ground. I let go and shook my head slightly, not accepting what I was about to hear.

"They are planning on executing you – this afternoon." He said and I hung onto the wall for support. The next thing that he said never registered within my ears, as I just went deaf. My world was spinning, and I had nothing to hold onto. I fell onto the ground, and I started sobbing. Raider hovered to my side and he started calming me down. He begged me not to cry, but I couldn't stop it. He pulled me by my shoulders and shook me back to earth. I looked up at him, and I felt my lip quiver. I was terrified. I didn't want to die. I was not ready. I was not supposed to die.

"I don't want to die Raider." I muffled through the tears and I could see his eyes turning watery.

"I tried confessing Ensley." He said and I looked at him for hope. "They know we've been hanging around each other. They think its more than a platonic relationship, so they don't trust my confession."

"I'm going to die." I cried, losing all hope. I knew what would happen. I would either be stoned or decapitated. Meder Village punished murder by death, and it never occurred to me that they would punish without even getting to the truth.

"You're not going to die. I have a plan." Raider confessed and I shook my head in denial. Nothing he could do would help me now. I was going to be executed in less than ten hours. I was going to be executed without a trial, without reason or remorse.

I felt a siren in my head, and I dug my nails into my head. I let out a painful roar, and my heart seized in a dull stab. I could not breathe, and my whole body got showered with pins and needles. I could hear what the woman next to me was whispering clearly now. Ensley Stopforth is a murderer. Ensley Stopforth is a murderer. Ensley Stopforth is a murderer.

Raider pulled out a maroon cased tube out of his pocket and pulled my head back. He opened the tube and drained the liquid down my throat. It was the same thing he injected me with, and before I could say anything, the guard came in and grabbed him out of the room. My world was still a foggy mess, but I felt myself reaching out to him whilst I lay weak on the floor. He struggled with the guard, and I could imagine tasting the salty tears falling from his eyes.