Page 45 of The Rat

Captain approachedthe table,but didn’t sit down. “Never again.”

“Hey, why don’t you calmdown.” Sebastian tried.

“Don’t you tell me to calmdown.”

Sebastianflared his nostrils, and heglared at Captain with the same terrifying intensity he’d glared atRory for the first few days.

“What did yousay?”

Rory grabbed Sebastian’s arm,and hisbiceppulsed under his fingers.

“Leave it,” he whispered.

“No.”

“Please.”

Sebastian wobbled his jawside to side,then turned away.

Captain looked at the rest ofthe prison. He held up a smalltub and rattled the contents. “Don’t worry though,you’ll all get a good night’s sleep from now on. I’ve gone fromalcohol to drugs, god bless the prison system.”

Hewalked towards the stairs and didn’t turnback. Rory tapped his nails on the table, then got to hisfeet.

“Let him calm down.”Sebastian said. “I’m worried what he might do.”

“He won’t hurtme.”

Sebastian snorted. “You’ve beenhere five weeks,one of them you spent in the hospital, and you don’t evenknow who stabbed you. It could’ve been Pauly, it could’ve beenCaptain.”

“It wasn’t, he savedme.”

“Maybe he’s got some herocomplex, saved you after he stabbed you.”

“It wasn’t him.”

Sebastian mutteredsomethingelse, but Rory didn’t stay around to listen. He rushed up the twosets of stairs to get to the second floor.

“Captain…”

He pushed the door open andpeeked inside. Captain sat on his bed, obsessively scrubbing hismilitary boots. Rory took a hesitant step closer.

“Can I come in?”

“You are in.”

“Further in.”

Captain sighed, thennodded.

“It didn’t go well,then?”

“Thepsychiatrist is no older than you.Barely any life experience, and he’s telling me about stress, andanxiety, and whatever.”

“Was he patronizing?”

“No, but he didn’thave a clue.People that haven’t done what I’ve done, seen what I’ve seen,experienced what I’ve experienced, they don’t have a clue. Theylook at me like I’m this big brave captain who fought off the evilin this world, but it’s not true. I fought the evil, but I am theevil, too.”

“You’re notevil—”

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