*All characters copyrighted to Poseidon Simons

Chapter 17

Pain

Unbearable

Johnny walked away, worried, yet relieved, when they told him he was allowed to stay with his wife. Ania and Lisa were put in the cell across from them. He sat down on the bed in there and sighed, "What do you think will hapen?"

"With us? I don't know...I'm more worried about Jack. He looked so desperate..."

"I know. He's scared to death of whatever he heard. I wonder what happened to him..." Johnny leaned back, eyes shut. He tried to get some sleep, but Jack nagged at his mind, never giving him rest. Once, when he thought the entire place was quiet, he heard someone shouting. He knew the voice, "Jack..."

Trent sat in his home, watching the current news. He didn't know whether or not to hope seeing Johnny there. At that particular moment, he'd just gotten up to get something to eat. When he came back, all thoughts of food left him. They were showing Jack on the TV.

"Reports came earlier today of an attempted attack on a local judge of court. It is said that the criminal is the Richard Tyne look-alike who attacked. He is currently being held in the maximum security prison here in Wrall city, and there is talk of him being moved to an assylum for the insane for rehabilitation. He, along with Johnny Greenwood, were found at the edge of the city. We have no other information so far, but we will keep you posted on this strange character as time progresses."

Trent shoved the sandwich he'd been eating back in the fridge and ran out the door. He locked it as an afterthought, and flew to the prison, "Those idiots! They can't send him there! He might really go insane!!!!!!" Two guards stood at the entrance, "Mark, you've got to let me in!!!! They can't send Jack to one of those places!!!!"

Mark barely glanced up as Trent landed, "I can't just let you in! Have you seen the news even?!! That anthro is a maniac!"

"No he's not! I've analized him. He's perfectly sane, just terrified of anything that will try to understand his mind."

"Meaning?.."

"I tried to hynotize him once, and he freaked out. Ran away. It's the whole reason he's in this mess as it is. You need to let me near him. I can calm him down."

"Trent, as much as I respect you, and as much as you should be allowed to see this guy, it is against my direct orders to let you, or anyone else in. Don't make me force you back."

Trent sighed and slumped his shoulders. He turned to leave, then dashed around and shot inside before they could grab him. He smiled to himself, "You never were able to stop anyone when they did that. Now which floor is Jack on?.."

Jack sat in a corner, shaking at the thought of where he'd be sent, "They can't send me there! They can't!!!! I won't let anyone mess with me again!!!!!" He had long since given up hope of escape. He was sure they would send him off. All he had left were his thoughts. No friends, no hope, nothing, "I didn't do anything wrong! Crystal said she would help me...I didn't make her do a thing! They can't put me there..."

He heard shouts outside his door from the officer that Johnny had spoken to, "TRENT, STOP RUNNING!!!!! YOU'RE GETTING YOURSELF INTO MORE TROUBLE!!!!!!"

"Trent?.." Jack's eyes widened, "TRENT!!!!!!! Trent I'm in here!!!! TRENT!!!!!!!!!!"

Someone pounded on his door, "Don't worry, Jack! I'm coming!!!" Trent gasped and ran off, "I'm coming!!!!!"

Jack slammed against the door, "Trent, help me!!!!!!!" He punched and slammed and kicked at the door, trying as hard as he could to escape. He accidentally forgot about his cast and rammed into the door with that arm up front. The arm hurt so bad that he couldn't breath! Jack tried to scream, but the pain blocked out his hearing, blocked out everything except sight. He fell backwards, overcome with pain. If he tried to move his arm in any way, it screamed with pain, forcing his attempts at freedom to a halt. He whimpered and crawled back to the bed, where he didn't move after.

Lisa stood up when she heard the scream, wondering what had happened. It sounded like Jack! She glanced back at Ania, "Hey, are you gonna be okay?"

Ania shivered on her bed, staring at the door.

"Ania?"

Ania looked up and shook her head. She kept shaking it, like she was trying her hardest not to believe something.

"Ania, he'll be all right. I promise." Lisa sat down by Ania and held her in her arms. Ania started crying in her embrace, squeezing her eyes shut and not opening them again no matter how hard Lisa tried to make her. Lisa held her once she was sure Ania wouldn't look up again, rocked her back and forth, trying to comfort her as best she could. There was another scream, more terrifying than the last. Ania flinched and dug deper into Lisa's shirt to get away from the noise.

Everything went quiet after that last scream. Trent, and the men chasing him, all stopped running. The scream echoed everywhere, shouting its loudest in the room where the judge still sat. It went into every space available inside the prison. All conversations stopped, those who heard it outside the prison backed away as fast as they could, a dead silence lasted for ten minutes after the scream left. When sound came back, it was of Jack, moaning inside his room. Trent and the officers went back to see what he was doing. Tears were soaking the bed, and he was softly whimpering where he lay. This time they let Trent inside, "Jack?" He asked carefully, "Are you okay?"

Jack didn't answer...