Phoenix Penitentiary, Saraya, Standard year 404

  The cool breeze roused him from something approaching sleep. James thought about opening his eyes but in the end, decided not to. After all, there was nothing around him that he wanted to see. The sharp click of high heels on wood floors echoed through the silent room. The twisted wood of a giant and ancient tree that housed Phoenix Penitentiary, made for excellent acoustics.

  “Your friends have been causing trouble, William.” Lorelai’s sing song voice spoke, piercing his skull.

  “You’re still here.” Will said softly. “My friends have not done enough.”

  Reluctantly, James finally opened his eyes, watching Lorelai walk towards Will until they were nearly touching. She had apparently dressed for the occasion, a breezy white dress skimmed across her curves. The mass of long red hair tumbled loose down her back, like blood. She reached out, patting Will on the cheek.

  “And you are still here as well.” Lorelai replied. “And as fun as it’s been, I really do think, my dear William, that it’s time for you to die.”

  James blinked in some surprise at the evident tension and fear on Will’s face. Under the circumstances, death didn’t seem all that terrible. After all, their continued existence was only going to get more unpleasant, and there was no escape from Phoenix Penitentiary. But once again, the totally insane Will Atwater saw the world differently.

  “I can’t die.” Will said, his voice nearly shaking with the tension. “Lorelai, I. Cannot. Die.”

  “Oh but you can, William. You definitely can.”

  James nodded in silent agreement.

  “You don’t understand! They won’t stop. They won’t stop, Lorelai! They will not stop until this entire planet burns as my funeral pyre. I cannot die!”

  “Hmm.” Lorelai said in her soft, sign song voice. “Interesting. How very interesting.” She walked up until her body was nearly pressed against him. “Convince me.”

  James turned his head away.

  “You should watch, James.” Lorelai called out, turning her head casually in his direction. “You have been exceptionally uninteresting. And no one’s building you any funeral pyres. Work on being interesting, James. Or else I’ll have you lobotomized to live out your life as a drooling reminder to your family of what you used to be. Be interesting.”

  “You go girl.” James said, his voice thick from exhaustion and the realization that he was in a prison cell with two people who were completely deranged.

  “Watch if she tells you to watch.” Will said, the tension laced through his voice. “Be interesting. I’ll convince him to be interesting, Lorelai. You know I can.”

  “Oh you are ready to play, aren’t you?” Lorelai said with a smile.

  ---

  It was quite a while later. James coughed quietly, swallowing back the blood that came out more and more often. He wasn’t sure why he was even bothering to indulge Will. They had been in this cell together for what seemed like an eternity. Will might be insane, but he was a likeable sort of insane. James liked him. Just for a moment, his eyes strayed back towards Henry’s decomposing corpse. He liked Will, but he really shouldn’t. This wasn’t the sort of place to form attachments.

  “Hmmm.” Lorelai purred, adjusting her dress and running her hands through her hair. “Not bad, Will. Not bad at all. I do appreciate a man who can perform on command. How very unexpected, all things considered. I would have thought this wouldn’t be your kind of thing at all. And yet…” She stood back, cocking her head slightly as she studied Will. “And yet I think it is your thing. Sometimes… sometimes I think you were made for this, Will. Made for exactly this.”

  “Humans were made to live in trees and fling shit at each other.” Will said, disgust in his voice. “We usually all manage to rise above it.”

  “Perhaps.” Lorelai studied him with unexpected intensity. “But the instincts remain with us, do they not?”

  “You’ll have to tell me.” Will answered.

  “Interesting.” Lorelai said thoughtfully. “Really, quite interesting. But not interesting enough, Will. Not for you. For you, it’s time to die.”

  “No!” Will shouted. “Listen to me you crazy psychotic…” He stopped, his breathing ragged as he stared at the empty door. Lorelai, had walked out.

  “I can’t die.” He said, turning to James. “Listen to me. Please. I cannot die.”

  James nodded. It seemed like the thing to do.

  “James!” Will tried again.

  James did his best to shrug, his arms long ago numbed from the manacles that chained his hands to the ceiling. They both turned towards the narrow door leading to the cell, listening to the sound of military boots coming closer and closer.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Please.” Will whispered. “Please, I can’t die.”

  One man, James thought, listening carefully. They only sent one man. He watched the man walk into the room alone, gun in hand. Oh for fuck’s sake, James though. He tensed the long weakened muscles of his arms to see how much function they still had. It just might be enough. Maybe. Enough to try. “You do what you have to do.” James said, doing his best to stand up straight and look the man in the eyes. “Your mother…” He began. It didn't take more than that. The punch to the stomach came hard and fast. His stomach hurt but the pain from his already broken ribs was much worse. Using the last of his remaining strength, James forced one of his hands out of the manacles. The pain in his hand should have been excruciating but it wasn’t, the nerve damage was already too great. He used his weakened arm to shove the man towards Will.

  Recognizing the plan just in time, Will forced both of his hands from the manacles, grabbing the man and twisting his head, breaking his neck instantaneously.

  “Huh.” James said with a weak laugh. “Did not think that would work.”

  “You’re fucking brilliant.” Will said with a laugh of his own.

  “I’m really not.” James said flatly. “I bought you about… five to ten minutes. You’re welcome.”

  “But wait my friend.” Will said, forcing himself to focus. “There is more.” And then, slowly and painfully, he removed one of his feet from the manacles that chained it to the floor. And then the other.

  “Damn.” James whistled quietly. “You double jointed or something?”

  “Or something.” Will said, focusing as he reached with his right foot for the gun the man had dropped.

  “Now I see why the extra chains.” James said thoughtfully. Unlike him, Will had been chained at the waist and the neck as well as hands and feet.

  “Many reasons for the extra chains.” Will said, focusing everything he had on getting the gun.

  James stopped talking, letting the other man concentrate. Will had finally managed to reach the gun with his foot. Ever so carefully, he moved until the gun was balanced on one foot and tried moving it up towards his hand. It fell.

  “Fuck.” Will hissed.

  “Can you grip the trigger guard with your toes?” James asked, equally focused. “It’ll be easier than balancing it on your foot.”

  “I’ll try.” Will replied, his voice shaking from the tension.

  “Again.” James said. “Again.” He repeated a while later. “You’re getting closer. Focus. Again.” They both looked up at the sound of another set of footsteps.

  “Fuck fuck fuck.” Will hissed. And focused, his toes spasming from the stress. But they spasmed at just the right time, tightening on the trigger guard long enough for his foot to lift the gun towards his hand. He grabbed the gun with exquisite care, moved it until he held it right side up, the barrel pointed firmly towards the door. There was a chance. There was still a chance. “I can’t die.” Will said.

  James nodded. Outlook not so good, he thought privately but did not say out loud. The steps were coming closer. He frowned. Not the measured, steady steps of a guard. Something else. Nervous. Hesitant. “Hold.” He said, eyes on the door. “Don’t shoot. Hold.” He repeated.

  “You crazy bastard. Don’t do anything more crazy, all right? Just wait.” The man who walked into the room muttered, practically shaking from nervousness.

  “I’ve got nothing but time.” James replied.

  “They’re gonna kill you now. You understand? They’re gonna kill you now and then how the hell am I gonna… dammit you crazy bastard.” He was a small, unassuming man with hunched shoulders and an oddly shuffling gait. James watched as the man shuffled his way further into the room.

  “I have to try.” The man said earnestly. “I need this. So… I’m gonna have to try.” ‘

  “You should try.” James agreed. Because, why the hell not?

  “I should.” The man nodded. “I should try.”

  “Right. What are you trying, exactly?”

  “To save you.” The man said with a deep sigh. And then he took out a set of keys and started unlocking the manacles around James’s still locked hand and his feet.

  Heart in his mouth, James stood perfectly still, waiting. God help them, Will had nearly shot the man. “Thank you.” He said. “Truly, thank you. Now get Will. I need you to get Will.”

  The man shook his head, taking a step back. “No. I got paid for you. Just you. We need to go. Now. Right now. We have to…”

  “I’m not going unless you get Will.” James said. “Quickly. Please.”

  “Goddamn crazy bastard…” The man muttered. “We’re all dead anyway why the hell not.” And then he unlocked the chains around Will’s waist and neck.

  “Move.” James said the moment the chain around Will’s neck fell away. He lowered his voice to set a better example. “We move out now. Cameras?”

  “Disabled.” The man replied equally quietly.

  James breathed a sigh of relief, until his eyes fell on Henry’s dead body. They would have to leave him.

  “You want the gun?” Will offered, holding the gun out to James.

  “I can’t use it.” James said grimly. “My hands don’t work well enough. Where are we going?” He asked, turning to the mysterious stranger who had released them.

  “I have no idea.” The man admitted, his eyes huge in his pale and terrified face. “It’s too soon! I’m supposed to help later. They’re coming for you, later.”

  “How much later?” James asked, forcing his feet to walk as he headed down the narrow hallway between cells. Anywhere was better than the cell where someone would come soon, to make sure they died.

  “Two days. I think.” The man said softly. “Maybe three.”

  “We need a place to hide until then.” James said, forcing one incredibly stiff hand up until it rested on the man’s shoulder. “You know this place. You can think of something. That’s all. It’s only a few days. You can do this.”

  “Nothing! There’s nothing! I can’t….”

  “Lockers.” James suggested. “Storage.”

  “Yea.” The man nodded. He looked nearly ready to faint from terror. “Yeah ok. I can… but they’ll find you.”

  “We’ll worry about that later. Right now, it’s a place to start. We can…” They all looked up at the sound of footsteps coming their way. Four sets of boots, James thought. Four people, coming towards their old cell. Coming, to finish the job. “Will.” He began, motioning towards an alcove created by an entry to one of the other cells.

  “I got it.” Will said immediately.

  “Can you take them out at this distance?” James asked.

  “Yes.” Will replied, his voice reassuringly steady. “I’m a good shot.”

  Will was true to his word, and the four guards lay dead in the hallway a few seconds later.

  “Can we get to the storage lockers going in the other direction?” James asked, refusing to move as the rest of them rushed forward.

  “What? Why?” The man asked blankly.

  “Because we shot them from this side. Anyone can see that from how they fell. Anyone looking for us will assume we’re going this way.” James said, already forcing his barely functioning feet to go in the other direction. “So we need to go the other way.” He said firmly. They needed time. Because by some unknown miracle, someone was coming. And James Hawk wanted to live.

  “We’ll find something.” The nervous man said, his shoulders straightening slightly as he followed James. James had that effect on people.