Chapter 6.2

We drove for a little over half an hour and dawn was starting to break, outside the windows the buildings disappeared but the dark imposing feeling remained. When we pulled to a stop, we were confronted with a tall metal wall, which sitting in the car, I couldn't see the top of. It spanned out left and right as far as I could see. Other than that, the land was flat and barren, without even a sign of the city we just left. Suddenly, the seamless wall spread apart, and we drove into a strange looking compound. There were three block buildings without windows, each with a corresponding letter. Like flawless cubes, they too seemed not have any door. We pulled up against the furthest building marked with the letter C, and Rickon instructed me to follow him with the prisoner. The women since turned limp and submissive as if all the life had sucked out of her, so it was easy to pull her along behind me.

"I want you to see this brat, I want you to understand what we do to our enemies and criminals." There was a small mechanical tile attached to the wall which he fussed with until a door appeared out the seamless surface. Inside, I was struck with the stench of human; sweat, urine and poop and the smell of something rotting all mixed into one horrendous fragrance. I tried not to gag but my eyes watered with the smell. Ahead of me, Rickon didn't falter.

Cages 6 feet by 6 feet were staked one on top of the other in rows, like a massive warehouse containing humans as stock. There was no privacy and both women and men was contained within the cages, stacked up on top of one another. On the ceiling hung a narrow platform that I normally wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for the rush of small boxes that spun along it and the deafening whir as sets of cumbersome mechanical arms spread out and fed a box through each of the cage bars. I watched the nearest cage to me as the inmate unboxed it with dead eyes. It was food. A small portion of army rations and a thin bottle of water. He threw out the packaging and the mechanical arm swiped it up. I realise Rickon is almost out of sight and I have to jog to catch up while dragging the women after me. She's not going in one of these cages is she?! But my suspicion was correct when Rickon approaches an empty cage at the end of a row and snached her away from me, pushing her into the cage.

"You will stay here until your crime can be processed," he told her as he shut the cage door, releasing her from the cuffs. "But I have to warn you, there's a long wait." He grinned evilly, but she women doesn't respond. If this was merely a hold facility, what the hell did an actual prison look like?! Looking back at her blank expression, I feel strange.

The hairs on my arms stand alert and I search the shadows of the cages to find the source; Rickon, unaware walks briskly a few paces ahead, but something feels wrong to me- more wrong than a warehouse full of humans packed like battery hens. Suddenly, a shadow falls and lands on Rickon, and my heart leaps out of its chest, as a mans arms wraps around his neck and points a sharpened end of a metal bar at his throat. A dark look of irritation shot across Rickon's face. "You're going to get me out of here." The man says, his thithy hair falls in his face so I couldn't tell what he looked like, but his voice shook with desperation and his clothes were worn and hanging off him.

Rickon laughed at the man holding a pointed object to his throat. "And why would I do that?"

"I'll kill you! I'll stab you!" the point pushed into his flesh.

My palms turned sweaty and I could hear the thumping of my heart echoing in my skull. If he killed Rickon, would I get stuck here forever? Would he kill me too?

"Sure! Go ahead." He egged him on, there was a slight smirk on his expression. What the hell was he doing? He started to laugh harder, the jerking of his body pressing the point further into his skin, releasing a bead of blood from underneath.

"I'll kill you both!" he shouted desperately. Unconsciously, my hand shot to the holster at my waist. My gun! I forgot I had a gun!

Seeing that I'd realised it, "Do it I dare you!" Rickon shouted and the pipe digs deeper into his flesh. In the next second, the conflict in my mind dissipates, my hand levels the gun, and shoots. My hand, not used to the recoil, turns numb and I use my opposite hand to re-holster it before I drop it.

Theres no other sound as the man stumbles back with a look of confusion as the pipe clattered to the ground, and then a few seconds later, the mans body follows suit.

Without a care in the world, Rickon continues to the exit as if there was never an interruption let alone an escaped prisoner and a threat to his life.

I didn't want to, but my eyes cast downwards, and I found myself inspecting the man I'd killed.

When I looked at his face, beyond the oozing hole in his right cheek, it was scarred and worn; grime caked each inch of skin pulled over his skinny body. I couldn't tell his age, but he'd been here a long time, looking at the state of his clothes, it looked like he used to be a lot fatter. Why did you have to do that? I despaired. I'd done it again. I killed another man for the sake of Rickon. But almost more agonising was- why? Why did I do that for a man who did nothing but add to my misery?

I couldn't find an answer. I ran after him just before the door swung shut to lock me inside.

Outside the facility, the sky was beginning to get light and the crisp air cut into the thin clothes I was wearing. Quin was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel in the drivers seat, "what took you so long?" he asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Rickon shot him a glare, "We had an issue, but it's been solved but I need to go to the department of civil detainment so drop me off there before going back to the bunks. Take the kid with you." He ordered, taking the passenger seat while I slid in behind him. I watched in the mirror as he wiped the trickle of blood seeping down into his shirt.

On our way back, the sun rose, but its weak light wasn't enough to disturb my slumber. We stopped off at a dark stone building before Quin and I returned to our accommodation, in the basement of the building owned by the man whose wife we just put in prison. Although the whole thing gave me an uncomfortable feeling, I was too tired to think anymore and I collapsed in the little space of floor I had next to Rickons bed and pulled the blanket over my head. In seconds I'm asleep.