Page 76 of Caged In

“I’m not going anywhere. This is my cell. You’re the one who should leave,” Izz’s surprised Reni’s standing his ground. After that talk—a lifetime ago, on Izz’s first day—to run from Sinn'ous and not look back.

He has to smile. Reni may be shitting himself with terror but he’s not abandoning Izz. Not like those wankers in the kitchen.

Izz jerks as Sinn'ous abruptly stands, the coiled-updanger trapped in the ever-tightening fibres of the male’s muscles—

Reni backs way off, but stays in the cell, glaring at Sinn'ous like he’s about to take the male on, “too many witnesses for youto do anything here,” Reni straightens up, fists clenching, ready for Sinn'ous to attack him, “best you leave.”

Sinn'ous moves to surge forward—

Izz shakily reaches out to grab Sinn'ous’s arm in an uncoordinatedeffort to still him. Surprised when the killer halts in his tracks.

“Don’t—” Izz coughs, choking on the burning syllables, his throat protesting the action, “don’t . . . He’s fine . . . He can stay. I trust him.”

Sinn'ous’s intense gaze shifts back to Izz who finds himself soothed by the male’s protective presence. A deep sense of safety floating over him at the possessive look in the male’s eyes.

“What did you do to him?” Reni growls out the accusation towards Sinn'ous.

Izz chips in before Sinn'ous does something to his cellmate that can’t be undone, “he didn’t . . . do anything. He saved me from. . . others . . . who . . .”

Izz curls in on himself, struggling to perceive what has been done to him. Snuggling into the blanket further—as Sinn'ous takes up the space beside him once more. He would love nothing more than to cuddle into the male, however, with Reni there glaring, he is reluctant to reveal his vulnerabilities and emotions. Even to Reni. He’d give nearly anything for his friend to not see him in his current state.

Reni opens his mouth, gearing up for a bombard of questions. Enquiries Izz doesn’t want to answer—

The shrill alarm crashing through the prison is a gift he’s thankful for. It works to cut off Reni and smotherhis questions. For now, Izz has time to work out his answers to the inevitable interrogation he’s bound to receive from his friend. He knows Reni has good intentions but right now he doesn’t have the mental stability to relive what occurred.

Their cell door slids across with a deafening clang, effectively locking the three of them in together. Izz knows from the other lockdowns the guards’ will be around soon to count them.

Sure enough, guards are pulling inmates out to move them back to their own cells. They don’t even try it with Sinn'ous. The guard on Count for Izz’s cell, takes one look at Sinn'ous before moving on to the next cell to evict those inmates trapped in the wrong sleeping quarters.

Guess the inmates in this prison aren’t the only ones who fear the black and red mohawked male. Izz wouldn’t be surprised if no one stopped Sinn'ous if he decided to walk out the front door.

~~~

He is gratefulfor Sinn'ous staying. It means he can nestle into his bunk, with a protective saviourstretched out behind him, a comfortingarm tucked around his waist. He wouldn’t be able to fall asleep without it.

He’s not a fighter. He decides he’s ditching the fight or flight. He can’t protect himself. He’s a flight or freeze. A run or panic. He’s a failure as a man. A failure as a male in general.

“Not everyone was born to fight, some were born to be protected. You have other skills,” Sinn'ous speaks quietly into Izz’s ear, to prevent Reni from overhearing.

Oh . . . He hadn’t realised he’d spoken out loud. How much has he been muttering out loud?

“Don’t worry about it. Get some sleep. I’ll be right here.”

Guess he said that out loud too. . .

Sinn'ous pulls Izz in close. Forming a shield at his back. Protecting him from the cell, from the prison beyond. Hewonders what Reni is thinking? He doesn’t have the energy to explain. He is glad his friend has stopped pushing for answers.

Izz drifts off, into an empty sleep, clutching at the serial killer who saved him. Safe in the warm embrace.

24

The next morning, when Izz wakes, he finds himself alone.

Sinn'ous is gone. Where to? He has no clue. The cell doors are open, guess he missed the wake-up call. How he slept through the alarm is beyond him. Those bells are loud as a marching band stomping away on his eardrums.

Reni is here, so there’s that comfort. He isn’t completely alone. He would have liked it to be Sinn'ous. He feels protected with Sinn'ous. More than he does with anyone else in here. Even with Reni taking The Hole as punishment for stepping in on the fight with the bald gang members. When Izz was having his ass handed to him. He still feels safer to be close to Sinn'ous. Maybe because Sinn'ous won’t hesitate to kill anyone to protect him.

Izz leaves with his cellmate once they finish their morning routine—getting dressed and ready for a new day in this Hell-hole. Surprisingly, he’d slept like the dead. No nightmares or dreams of any kind. A black, welcoming abyss had consumed his night.

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