Page 102 of Babalon

“That doesn’t make it right.”

“Are you defending Lucien?”

“Of course not! I’m trying to keep you here, close to me, safe with me.”

What doesn’t she understand?

Grabbing her hands, I lace our fingers together, leaning in to brush a kiss to her forehead. Breathing her in, the scent of her shampoo filling my nose.

I love this girl, even if she scares me.

“I have to go, I’ll see you before my shift ends.”

My heart stutters when she pushes up on her toes and kisses me out in the open. She is playing with fire, with freedom, and with her life. Never have I met a woman with as much gumption as Nadia, she is just as wild as when I met her but something changed. I just hope our relationship isn’t her downfall.

The prison is quiet tonight, outside of the annoying sound of metal scraping across a hard surface and the insistent dripping that is off to my left. It’s dark, dank, and cold. I don’t realize my eyes are closed until I try to open them and the left one starts to burn, but there’s nothing. Like the cones that created the image in my head are shattered and they translate nothing.

Lifting my hand to rub at it, I felt the bite of metal circling my wrist, followed by the clanking sound when I instinctively yank.

“What the fuck.”

“I wouldn’t move if I were you.”

I freeze at the voice that comes from somewhere in the dark of wherever the hell we are.

“The fuck did you do to me?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Remember what?” I ask.

The slap of boots through water echoes to my right, which I tried to turn and look but the restraints holding me to the chair I am in bite down harder. Each time I move, they tighten, the whole-body version of a Chinese finger trap. When he comes round, the slight bit of light spilling in through a tiny hole above us, the features I don’t want to see fill my singular vision.

“Our agreement? An eye for an eye. Nadia damaged my vision, if only for a few days. So, as retribution, I took yours. Sometimes I am a literal man, other times I am not. Today is just your lucky day. Don’t fret though, the organ is still there, but it’s dead.”

“You WHAT?!” I shout.

Heat trails up the sides of my neck, the ache from a blind eye digging deep into my skull now. Sleep must have muted the pain at first but his words wake me up and memories of our interaction came rushing back.

Watching as Nadia walks away, my chest hurts for her. I’m not a doctor but I can see her changing so drastically that it may become a problem later. I can leave her before things got too out of hand but I won’t. She’s had everyone turn on her throughout her life— a mother that ran off, an abusive father, adults who were supposed to support her, friends that don’t really come around much anymore.

She said she prefers to be alone but I don’t think she sees how detrimental it is to her mental health. Witnessing the brutalityshe displayed when protecting me, nearly beating a man into a coma, is concerning.

Earlier I dropped off paperwork Matias is going to need to file his reduced sentence motion, which I hope works out in his favor. If it does, I won’t be shocked if other inmates start asking for similar help.

Turning on my heel, I come face to face with Lucien; the emptiest look in his grey eyes and a sinister smirk. All I can do is stand there and look at him in silence. I promised myself that I wouldn’t let other inmates push me around so things are coming to a head or he is about to do something unthinkable.

“L— Lucien.”

“We’re going to make a deal,” he said, ominously.

“Uhm… alright.”

Then my vision goes black.

“I didn’t make a fucking deal with you, you psychopath!”

“You did. Not that it matters, it’s been fulfilled.”

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