UGH! I forgot to upload this last night! Sorry folks, but it's here now. So enjoy chapter 17. TW: Electrocution, abuse, and suggested physical abuse
"PIN HIM DOWN!"
"TASE THE SON OF A BITCH!"
"GRAB HIM!"
Zekko bounced off the wall, tackling the first officer he saw. The two went rolling and Zekko managed to flip both of them so he stayed on top of the officer. He struggled with the officer, trying to grab the taser in his hands which the officer aimed to use on him. Just before Zekko could grab the taser, a looped cord was flung over his head and wrapped around his neck. Zekko gags as he's pulled off the officer and brought down to the floor. His hands fly to the cord, writhing in place to get it off, but then the taser sticks come out.
His scream roars throughout the room while his body shakes from electrocution. The tasers are removed from Zekko as he falls limp. Zekko weakly stares at the nearest wall, watching it as it turns blurry before his eyes. The officers surround him just as the world starts to spin.
Zekko's vision blackens.
"Wakey wakey, sleepy head!"
Zekko pries his eyes open. All the pain from earlier had vanished and now he stared at a young puppy cat child. He wore a bright green hat and a brown jacket with a pair of green slacks. He was staring down at him with the biggest smile ever. Zekko's eyes widened.
"Zekko, you almost slept through rehearsal!" The puppycat giggles. "The whole cast has been looking all over for you!"
"R-rehearsal?" Zekko sits up, realizing he was laying in a hammock that had been tied between two plastic trees. He looks around. For once the bland walls of the prison did not surround him. Instead, a bunch of colorful set-design walls did. Hearing voices not too far away, he turned his head around and saw people dressed in various costumes. As well as reading and practicing their scenes from scripts. Zekko felt his jaw slacken.
The studio. He was back at the studio…
"Come on, big brother!" The puppycat elbows Zekko, getting his attention. "I'll race you!"
The puppycat child runs off, zooming at top toon speeds, forcing anyone in his way to go spinning. Zekko quickly stands up out of the hammock, reaching out for the child who had long gone.
"Gekko!" Zekko cries out. "Wait!"
Zekko starts running, only to stop when a giant light flashes down on him.
"It's your line, Zekko!"
"Huh?" As Zekko snaps his head towards the direction of the voices, he was suddenly no longer at the studio. Next, he knew, he found himself on a big stage, with tall red curtains beside himself. He squinted his eyes in pain as a giant spotlight was aimed at him. Before he could question anything, he heard the sound of laughter and turned to see a familiar face beside him.
"Go on!" A puppycat girl about his age stood next to him, eagerly smiling. She wore a pretty purple dress with a red bow on the chest and a belt around her waist. She had a slim figure and long locks of curly black hair that flowed above her shoulders. Zekko feels his heart begin to race.
"Maddie?" Zekko says in astonishment. He reaches out, touching the girl on the cheek. "Is it really you?"
Maddie giggles and then winks at him. "Oh Zekko, you know better than that!"
"What do you mean?" Zekko says, feeling as if he's in some trance. He reaches for her hand…only for her to grab his wrist. Zekko gasps and tugs for his arm back, but to no avail.
"Your line!" Maddie says cheerfully, but then she frowns. "Aw…did we forget again, Zekko?"
"Ow!" Zekko winces. "Maddie-you're hurting me!"
Her hand was firmly grasping his wrist, squeezing tighter and tighter. Zekko tried to pull back his arm, but no matter what, she would not let go.
"That's a real shame…I thought you were better than that, Zekko."
"This isn't funny!" Zekko yells. "Stop patronizing me and just-LET GO!"
He shoves her and this time she lets go. She falls to the ground and before Zekko could check on his arm, he hears her crying. Zekko snaps his head to her and slowly realizes they were in another room. All around them, there were offices with thin walls separating them. People were staring at the two of them, some casting Zekko with ugly looks. He looks at Maddie, who had turned her face to him. Tears were streaming down her face. He could see the large red mark on her face. He realizes his hand was raised. He puts two and two together.
"Maddie, I-no I didn't mean it-!"
"Y-you hit me!" Maddie cries, a sob rising from her and causing her to shake all over. "You said you wouldn't do this anymore! You promised me!"
"Maddie, please," Zekko begs. He reaches for her, but she scrambles back.
"No! Stay away from me!" Maddie shouts. She rushes up and runs away.
Zekko's ears slump against the sides of his head, guilt rushing inside of him. Anger swells up in its place. He screams in outrage and falls to his knees, pounding the floor with his fists.
"Maddie, come back! I'm sorry!" He screams.
But Maddie didn't respond, no one did. He sat down alone in the silence. He can feel fresh tears brim the corners of his eyes and he rubs at them, angrily cursing.
"Please let me out. Please, please…"
Zekko snaps his head up. He flinches as he sees a single piece of paper falling his way. Eventually landing perfectly in front of him. He slowly lowers his head to look at it. He freezes.
"Zekko. Please." A puppycat with blue fur and a green polo shirt with a white coat, says. His hands are in front of him, touching the surface of the paper. His ears are against his head, begging Zekko with his eyes.
"Help me."
Zekko feels stiff, unable to move in the slightest. He just stares at the page, staring at this child while he begs for freedom. The little toon slams his fists against the paper, scowling at Zekko.
"PLEASE."
Zekko doesn't move for the paper. He can't even look at this boy anymore. No, now he feels a presence. A familiar presence. Just behind him.
"Do you really want to do that?"
Zekko flinches as a hand lands on his shoulder. He casts his gaze to the side and sees him.
Cheshire.
Cheshire grabs him by the chin and forces him to look at him. The toon bobs his head down, touching heads with Zekko. He makes a tsk sound and wags a finger at him.
"Not after what you've done. We wouldn't want him to see that, do we?"
Zekko's ears perk up to the sound of screams. He looks to his side, away from Cheshire, away from the toon in the paper. In front of him is a single door with smoke pouring out from underneath it. Zekko stands up and walks towards the door.
The closer he got, the warmer the room became. Eventually, Zekko found himself breathing in the smoke as the oxygen beforehand ceased to exist. He coughed violently, attempting to wave away the smoke. But despite his attempts the smoke just gets thicker and thicker. But that door. It was still there, bright as day. Zekko goes to touch the doorknob, only to cry out and grasp his hand back. It was as if he'd grab coal straight from the fireplace, burning hot.
BAM!
BAM!
Suddenly the door began wobbling violently. Behind the door, something was slamming their hands and body against the door frame.
Zekko snaps his head to the door. Then he hears it.
Their voices.
Zekko steps back, he grabs his head, and covers his ears, trying to block them out. But he can still hear them. Their cries and hollering grow louder and louder. Begging-no crying for him to let them out. The pounding at the door becomes more and more frantic. Their voices aren't begging anymore. They're screaming.
Screaming as they burn alive.
"STOP! ENOUGH! ENOUGH!" Zekko screams.
Something grabs his wrists. He snaps his head back up and is staring into the blackest eyes he's ever seen. No, they're not just black. They're bleeding ink. Zekko gasps when he gets a good look at the toon in front of him. He's melting entirely, parts of bone and flesh seep through the ink. Only his tan slacks are intact, but even those have burn marks. The puppycat boy gives him a gentle smile.
"You never opened the door, Zekko." The toon says the ink begins to melt faster now.
The toon grabs Zekko by the arms, his face distorted with mantled ink and that gentle smile transforms into a hideous scowl.
"YOU GOT RID OF ONE! NOW ONTO PHASE TWO, EH ZEKKO?"
Zekko screams and throws the toon off him, tripping backward and falling on the floor. He scrambles back as the melting toon advances. The toon advances toward Zekko until he cannot no longer. Zekko watches him fall into a puddle of his own ink, bubbling and flooding towards him. Zekko tries to run away, but as he rushes to his feet, he slips over the ink, falling flat onto his face. Zekko groans but gasps as he feels something grab his leg and pull. He snaps his head back.
"Don't go now!" The bleeding toon explained as he was deep into the puddle of his own ink, chest out while his hands hung on tight to Zekko's leg. His lopsided and melted eyes lock onto Zekko's frightened ones. "The party just got started!"
"NO!" Zekko screams as he's dragged into the puddle and succumbs to the depths of the heavy ink. He reaches out his hands, praying that he could latch onto something, anything to save himself. But there was nothing. No one to save Zekko. Just as he succumbs to the ink, he spies a bright white light. He reaches for it, hoping for a miracle.
Then a silhouette of a man blocks the light. Zekko is cast into darkness, feeling the ink flood into his mouth.
"Oh, Zekko." A male voice says. "Did you really think you would ever be a star?"
Zekko gags as the ink fills his lungs, forcing him to stop breathing. The room spins and he feels the ink lose its grasp on him. He falls into the depths of darkness. Not knowing what nightmare will come next, what memory or person is waiting to confront him next. He shuts his eyes closed, preparing himself for the inevitable end.
"Oh good, he's waking up."
The voice rattles inside Zekko's head. His swollen eyes dare to crack open, squinting at the bright light that shines before him. The light shining gets blocked by the head of a man. Dr. Gutman.
Zekko parts his lips open, not sure of what to say, but wanting to speak. Instead of words spilling out, vomit rushes up his throat and spills out from his lips. The doctor quickly jumps back when this happens. Zekko almost felt like laughing as the doctor's eyes widened in disgust, looking ready to cling to the ceiling like an upset cat. As Zekko begins to form a smile, he vomits once more.
Vomit stains the floor, which upon closer inspection, Zekko realizes belonged to the doctor's office. The padded walls around him made him feel colder. In fact, he was shivering.
"Disgusting." Dr. Gutman spat.
Zekko groans, trying to move. In seconds he notices his limbs were not where they were supposed to be. In fact, he could no longer see the orange of his clothing. He attempts to move, only to feel his arms folded over his chest. His eyes widened seeing belts wrapped around his body strapping him to a chair. He grinds his teeth against the wave of nausea rising within.
Zekko glares at the doctor, who takes notice of this and simply frowns.
"You attacked an officer." He says simply as if reading the toon's mind. "The straightjacket was necessary."
Zekko spat out a bitter laugh. Despite the terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach, he shot the doctor a grin. "With you everything is necessary."
"Trying to be smart?" Dr. Gutman asked though Zekko was certain he didn't want to be answered back.
Yet he speaks anyway.
"Acknowledgement for once?" Zekko simply says. Then he smirks, locking eyes with the doctor. "I thought your pea-size brain couldn't comprehend such superiority."
Zekko knew it was coming before it even happened. He watched the doctor's face redden before Dr. Gutman stormed up to him. The doctor doesn't even bother moving over the vomit on the floor as he slapped Zekko straight across the face. Zekko grunts, feeling the sting of the slap on his face.
"I will make one thing clear, Warner." Dr. Gutman hisses. "Say anything more, and I will send you to solitary confinement."
Zekko spits on the floor, he slowly turns his head to the doctor. The doctor was just standing there, glaring back, as if daring him to say anything. Zekko could feel the words bubbling inside of him. Ready to strike with absolute brute force. A simple smile settles on his lips.
Then there was a knock.
Dr. Gutman snaps his head up towards the door of the office. A voice shouts out one remark, enough to wipe the smile off Zekko's face.
"Doctor, sorry to intrude, but Prisoner 001 has a visitor."