⁕ Out of reach

A silence swept over the barrack as Jagger inspected the barrack with a frustrated expression. No dared to speak or move in fear of becoming Jagger's next punching bag. 

[Jagger] - "Why such silence? "

Said Jagger as he walked followed by four henchmen. 

[Jagger] - "I want to hear you all. I want to hear some words, you lovely people. "

Yelled Jagger with passion as he banged his fist on a small table. 

[Lucy] - "This is a woman's barrack. You have business being here! "

Said Lucy in a firm voice.

[Jagger] - "Hmm, I thought we were all for equality in 2074. I was quite heartbroken when I heard that you had an exclusive escape operation somewhere in here. I wonder what's the reason you didn't inform the boys. "

Said Jagger in a calm, yet menacing voice. 

As Jagger approached Lucy, she stood her ground while holding onto her cane. 

[Jagger] - "I suppose some rats think they are too good for others. Living in their little world thinking that they are going to be safe until they are reminded of their place by humans. "

Jagger showed his wicked smile, causing the other women to look away. 

[henchman] - "Boss, I don't think Mother Lucy is to blame here. It's probably the other inmates who were behind this operation. "

Jagger slowly turned around and gave a chilling stare at the henchman by his side. 

[Jagger] - "Do you know this woman? "

Said Jagger calmly. 

[henchman] - "Yes, boss, she took care of me one time when I was badly beaten up in a fight. Mother Lucy is a Saint. There is no way she could be involved in such a travesty. "

[Jagger] - "I see... Seeing how you hold her in such high regard, I suppose you know her pretty well. "

Said Jagger as he turned around to observe Lucy's expression. 

Just as before, she held a firm, fearless stance in front of him. Without a shadow of a doubt, Jagger knew that Lucy was trying to protect whatever escape operation that was going on by putting herself on the frontline. 

All of a sudden, Jagger slammed his henchman's head against the metal pole holding one of the bunk beds. As soon as the bloodied henchman fell to the ground, Jagger snuck a glance toward Lucy and saw the shocked expression on her face. If standard intimidation methods don't work on her, then intimidation would have to be forced into her mind through her empathy toward the prisoners. 

Upon confirming Lucy's visible distress at the sight of the unconscious prisoner, Jagger proceeded to jump down before ferociously beating the henchman without restraint. The savage beating continued until Jagger was sure that the man was well beyond dead. Then, with a sadistic smile, Jagger slid his bloodied hand across Lucy's face.

[Jagger] - "I hope I made myself clear. I always get what I want and when you get in my path, even God can't save you. I'm not afraid to kill a few of you at random if it means I can get myself out of this shithole. So, by nightfall, I better hear some useful intel into whatever operation is going on here. "

Said Jagger between raged-filled breaths. 

Even long after Jagger had left the premises, the barrack remained silent while Lucy stared blankly at the corpse in front of her feet. Never in her life inside this prison has she seen a beast as savage as Jagger. The unparalleled malice and unrestrained violence shattered her stoic mind as she broke down crying. 

Later that night, Lucy sat with Kadyn under the barrack while having a meal. While Kadyn hungrily devoured her bowl of red beans and pasta with sauce, Lucy simply stared at her bowl with an empty expression. 

[Lucy] - "Human malice has no end, does it? "

Kadyn finished the last of her meal and deposited the bowl beside her. 

[Kadyn] - "I agree with you but there are also people with big hearts like you. "

[Lucy] - "Thanks, child. I suppose you also were a kind woman during your lifetime. "

Kadyn looked down in shame, knowing what her past was like. 

[Kadyn] - "I wasn't always kind, Lucy. I slowly gained a heart only after when someone offered me his. I only developed empathy when others showed me kindness. "

Said Kadyn as she inspected her worn hands. 

[Lucy] - "Well, we all gotta start somewhere. Around the years I've been a mother figure to so many prisoners. For someone who claimed to possess not a so humble beginning, you came out better than all of them. "

Said Lucy as she smiled with nostalgia. 

[Kadyn] - "About today, I heard what happened up there. I'm sorry you had to witness his savagery firsthand. "

Said Kadyn in an apologetic voice. 

[Lucy] - "It's fine, child. Once we get out of here, we can leave all this behind. "

[Kadyn] - "I think we are close too. I'm starting to dig upward already and we should be able to escape by tomorrow night. "

Lucy's eyes lit up slightly upon hearing the good news. 

[Lucy] - "That's good, child, that's good. "

Said Lucy while trying to contain her excitement. 

[Kadyn] - "Thanks to your ability too. Without it, I wouldn't have even been able to see. "

Kadyn took a deep breath as she sat back and relaxed.

[Kadyn] - "When I get out of here, I'm going to live a better life. I plan to live to the fullest and not let those who sacrificed their lives be for nothing. When I was digging, I thought, maybe it's time for this lemon to grow into a tree. When I emerge from the other side through the dirt, I'm going to be someone new. "

[Lucy] - "I'm sure you will, child. I believe in you. "

Said Lucy with a proud smile. 

[Lucy] - "By the time I get out of here, my daughters would've been 42 and 44 this year. A lifetime passed by me outside while I stayed the same. This prison stopped my mind from moving but time moved without me. While I stayed the same, the people and world outside changed. "

Slowly Lucy grabbed a brush out of her pocket and signalled for Kadyn to come closer toward her. After sitting beside Lucy, Kadyn leaned her head forward.

[Lucy] - "A beautiful young girl like you needs to stay presentable. Look at all this dirt on your head and face. "

Said Lucy as she began to clean Kadyn's hair while arranging it back into order. 

[Kadyn] - "Thank you, ma. "

Lucy smiled as she kept working on Kadyn's hair. 

As Lucy reached into her pocket and pulled out a wet towel, Kadyn suddenly thought of something she wanted to ask. 

[Kadyn] - "Lucy, you told me you had children, right? "

[Lucy] - "I got two daughters outside, yes. Why? "

Said Lucy as she passed the wet towel on Kadyn's dirty face before moving it down her neck and arms. 

[Kadyn] - "What should one do to become a good mother? "

[Lucy] - "Ah, you met someone you like? "

[Kadyn] - "Maybe someday. For now, it's just something I was curious about. "

Lucy smiled with nostalgia as she passed the towel over Kadyn's hands. 

[Lucy] - "Motherhood is not as complicated as you think it is. How I have acted toward you these past few months is how I would act if I were taking care of my daughter. Just some care, love and patience. Nothing too complicated. "

As Lucy pressed against a cut on her hand, Kadyn began to grimace at the pain. Upon seeing Kadyn's reaction, Lucy removed her hand and chose to clean the area with a smoother motion. With patience, she cleaned the area thoroughly before ripping and wrapping a piece of her clothing around the wound. 

[Lucy] - "There, child, be careful not to get dirt on your wound. "

[Kadyn] - "Thank you, ma. "

[Lucy] - "Now, it's late. Get some rest, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. "

As Lucy climbed up, she suddenly met eyes with a woman who was staring directly in her direction. Although she pretended to be asleep, Lucy already knew that she was probably the one who snitched to Jagger's gang. Considering the position of her bed, she probably overheard her conversation with Kadyn during all these months. 

At that moment, Lucy knew that her time was limited. If at the quickest, Kadyn could dig out of the tunnel by the next night, then Jagger would probably get here first. After one last look in the direction of the trap door below her bed, she knew what she had to do. 

The next morning, while all the women inside the barrack left for recreation time, Lucy headed toward the prison workshop. After stealing some nails and glue sticks from the toolboxes, Lucy headed back to her barrack. With a determined look on her face, she kneeled down and began to bang the nails around the trap door. 

Meanwhile, outside, the woman from the previous night met up with her boyfriend from Jagger's gang. After dragging him into a more secluded area, she leaned in after making sure that no one was around. 

[woman] - "I think we need to tell Jagger about Lucy. "

[man] - "What? You said you wanted to protect Mother Lucy from Jagger. "

Said the man with disbelief on his face.

[woman] - "Well, Jagger is going to kill people at random if we don't snitch on Mother Lucy. What if I'm next on his list by some bad luck? "

[man] - "Fuck... This is bad. "

[woman] - "You want me dead or Mother Lucy? "

[man] - "Alright, calm down, I'll go tell him. "

[woman] - "I can't seem to identify anyone else involved with whatever Mother Lucy is doing. I thought we could put the blame on someone else. "

Said the woman with a guilty face.

Meanwhile, Lucy poured the glue over the nails on the ground. After making sure that every single one of them was solidly secured to the floor, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment, she sealed her fate but at least she bought enough time for Kadyn to escape. Meanwhile, Kadyn exited from the hole, exhausted. However, when she pushed on the trapdoor, she found it tightly shut with nails sticking out of its sides. 

[Kadyn] - "Huh? Lucy?! "

Yelled Kadyn as she banged on the trapdoor. 

[Lucy] - "Shush now, keep doing what you are doing. Get out of here, child. "

Whispered Lucy over the trapdoor. 

[Kadyn] - "I don't understand! Why are you doing this? "

Yelled Kadyn in a panic. 

[Lucy] - "Jagger found out about our plan. I will hold him back for as long as I can. "

[Kadyn] - "No! What? Lucy! You can't do this! You need to... Hold on, let me cut this open! "

Said Kadyn as she extended her wrist blade. 

[Lucy] - "Don't you dare do anything, child! I order you to get out of here. This is the least I can do for you. The world outside, it's not for me anymore. "

[Kadyn] - "No! What about your daughters? What about those you loved? "

Yelled Kadyn as her hand trembled with her blade fully extended. 

Meanwhile, Jagger watched over the slave labourers inside the prison who transported the necessary materials to construct a makeshift stadium. As his cruel gaze jumped from one man to another, a drone slowly descended from the guard post. 

[voice] - "Greeting Mister Jagger. "

Said the drone through its speaker. 

[Jagger] - "Greeting director. "

Said Jagger as he paid no mind to the drone.

[Director] - "Well, I see the work is almost done on your side. Again, I must thank you for providing the prison with such wild and exciting entertainment. "

[Jagger] - "Do you wish to tell me something, director? "

Said Jagger in a cold voice. 

[Director] - "Ah, I suppose I should spare you the formalities then. We've got a new shipment of prisoners arriving soon this afternoon. Since they are military traitors from the empire, I suppose pitting military personnel against some of our seasoned felons would make a great addition to tonight's gladiator games. I'll let you handle the logistics, just make sure you offer my men and me a stunning show. "

[Jagger] - "Consider it done. And don't worry, the show will be spectacular. "

Said Jagger with a psychotic smirk. 

Suddenly, a man ran up to Jagger's right and whispered something in his ear. After explaining everything, Jagger simply nodded his head before ordering the man to stand watch over the labourers. He, meanwhile, descended the steps from his observation post and headed alone toward the barracks. 

[Lucy] - "My children would think I abandoned them and I fear stepping into a world I no longer recognized. My life was this prison and that's all I know. I'm doing this so you could have the chance to escape. I know you still have a lot to live for. I will gladly trade my life for the life of a younger one. "

[Kadyn] - "Jagger will kill you! Please don't do this, Lucy, please! "

Begged Kadyn as her blade made contact with the wood. 

[Lucy] - "No! You will listen to me, child! "

Commanded Lucy with authority. 

Kadyn stopped as if she were a child being yelled at by her mother. 

[Lucy] - "I saw people grow up here under my care. If I were to die, I want to die alongside those who saw me as family here. It would be cowardly to abandon them behind. I don't have many years to go either. This is my choice, this is how I choose to go out. "

Kadyn sobbed quietly as she pressed her palm against the wood plank above her head. 

[Kadyn] - "At least tell me where I can find your family. They deserve to know what you sacrificed. Your story deserves to be heard. "

Said Kadyn between sobs. 

Touched by Kadyn's noble gesture, Lucy shed a tear before dropping down to whisper something against the trapdoor. As soon as Lucy finished telling Kadyn everything she knew, the barrack door swung open before a dark figure obscured by shadow stepped into the room. 

To be continued...