Page 33 of Babalon

“Cell 54. The Pyro is at it again.”

“The AB Pyro? The one that burned Chomo-Brooks?”

“Yeah, that one.”

This fucker has been running wild for months. He can fashion a fire out of just about anything, and likes to lock the inmates in their cells after he sets it off. I’ve only come in contact with him a couple of times, and each time he set me on edge; there is something severely wrong with him and I don’t believe it can be fixed without something drastic like a lobotomy.

“Fifty-four, fifty-four. Why does that sound familiar? Is everyone accounted for?” I ask, turning to look over the inmates that now line the wall behind me; guards watching them from every angle. I try to see each of their faces and make note of who was accounted for and who was missing.

“It’s the empty cell, which makes no sense. The Pyro usually has a target so this isn’t his MO.”

I paus at that, turning to look back at him while I chew at the bottom of my lip— thinking. I’m not an investigator so I don’t know why I am trying to put the pieces together but, dammit, I can’t shake what I’m feeling today.

We all stand there, waiting for the fire suppression system to get things under control. The best thing about Darkwater being in an old stone building is the fact that fires like this were easy to contain and extinguish, incapable of spreading through theconcrete cells. It makes living situations colder but that helps slow down germs too—there is a reason for everything.

“All but two inmates are accounted for. We’re missing Patton and his cellmate, Winston.”

“Patton is at his work assignment right now,” I quickly snap. Ignoring the looks, I turn and stalk back down the hallway. I need to find his cellmate; that man, along with inmate Ayala, are the only two who keep Kace sane. If it wasn’t for them, I’m sure his psychologist would have carted him down for observation long ago. He’s considered a risk, and not because of anything he does, but the way other inmates lock in on him.

Much like I do.

While some try to recruit him by force, I aim to… well, I don’t really know anymore. I started off trying to establish dominance as a guard, and all that has gotten me is quite the reputation amongst these men. ‘Don’t fuck with Officer Pierce,’ is what the prisoners say. Half because I supply a chunk of them with drugs and the other half because I have dropped my fair share of inmates, including Kace. Then there are the occasional ones that I show sympathy towards, like the kid a little bit ago.

The other guards and staff can handle the fire, I need to find Kace. Something deep within me, along with the underlying annoyance and concern I have felt all day, fueled my need to lay eyes on him. One too many times have I had to pull prisoners off him. It’s like, if I can’t see him, I can’t protect him, then something worse can have already happened.

Before I realized it, my walk had increased into a run. I knew he was near the library today for his work assignment and I need to get there now.

Coming up on the double doors that lead out of the part of the prison that holds all the cells, I shove through it. The doors swing back so hard they crash against the brick wall. My eyes scan up and down the hallway, seeing the corridor was emptythanks to the prison being on lockdown. My boots thud on the concrete floor as I set off in another sprint. Taking a left, and after passing three doors, I came across the one that read ‘Library,’ and reach out to grip the door handle as a wave of unease washes through me.

Fuck, I am going crazy.

I would call it intuition, but when I have followed my gut feeling—at least in the past—I’ve been wrong. Finally opening the door, I walk through, and sitting there leaning back in a chair is Kace and across from him with a comic book is his bunkie. My blood boils at how nonchalant he looks leaning back, his feet kicked up on the table in front of him with his ankles crossed.

“You’re supposed to be in fucking rotation, Patton,” I snap.

Looking over his shoulder, those stupidly pretty ice blue eyes collide with mine and my throat closes. Was everything I am feeling fear? Was I actually worrying about him, or was this some subconscious concern due to my job?

“We were told to stay put because of the lockdown, Nadia,” Kace replies, turning to look at the other guy with a shrug, then back to his fucking book.

“It’s Officer, Patton, must I beat that into your thick skull? We’ve had this conversation one too many damn times.”

The more he spoke, the angrier I became. Everything is crashing down on me; this whole day is in shambles, and he has the audacity to sit there and speak to me with complete disregard for the chain of command. Stalking over, I grab the back of his jumper and yank, dislodging him from his seat, causing him to drop his precious literature. Being the taller one, he now towers over me, standing so damn close to me I could smell the scent of his body wash. Snapping my head to the side, I glare daggers at the other inmate until he stood up and left.

“Nadia…” Kace rumble.

I can’t contain the absolute insanity I’m experiencing, warmth creeping its way up the side of my neck and over my ears.

What the fuck.

“Watch it.”

“Or what, Nadia? I have half a mind to push every one of your buttons, right now. It looks like you’re about to snap, and I’d love to see how far you would go.”

“Shut up. Shut up! SHUT UP!”

Spinning him around, I reach for my handcuffs and secure them around his wrist. He stopped resisting me a long time ago, and I’m glad for that. I don’t know if I have the means to take him if he ever felt like fighting back. To others, this was an unfair display of power. To him, it was a game. To me, it was territorial. I want him, in any way I could have him, even if it’s illegal.

“Kace…” I murmur, swallowing through the remaining tightness in my throat as I lead him out of the library. To where, I have no damn clue, but I will figure it out. All I know is that we need to get out of open space, and if my mind doesn’t quiet down soon, I am going to scream.

---