Page 50 of Rat

“Captain…” Ollie breathed, looking at the gate. Ollie leaned against the wall of his cell, mug in hand, as he awaited Teddy’s return, but it was Captain who came back from his appointment first.

Rory released his chess piece and turned around. He grinned at Captain, but he didn’t get one back.

“He had his appointment today, right?” Sebastian murmured.

“Right.”

The gate slid open, and Captain stepped inside. His chest heaved, and his lip tugged back in a snarl, revealing his teeth.

“What are you all staring at?” he shouted.

Sebastian exhaled slowly. “I don’t think it went well.”

Captain approached the table but didn’t sit down. “Never again.”

“Hey, why don’t you calm it down,” Sebastian tried.

“Don’t tell me to calm down.”

Sebastian flared his nostrils, and he glared at Captain with the same terrifying intensity he’d glared at Rory for the first few days.

“What did you say?”

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

“Leave it,” he whispered.

“No.”

“Please.”

Sebastian shifted his jaw side to side, then turned away.

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

He walked towards the stairs and didn’t turn back. Rory tapped his nails on the table, then got to his feet.

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

“He won’t hurt me.”

Sebastian snorted. “You’ve been here less than two months, and someone stabbed you.”

“It wasn’t Captain.”

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

“It wasn’t him. I’m certain of it. He wasn’t in the queue. He came onto the wing after I’d been hurt, and he helped me.”

Sebastian muttered something else, but Rory didn’t stay around to listen. He rushed up the two sets of stairs to get to the second floor.

“Captain…”

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

“Can I come in?”

“You are in.”

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