episode_0007

A bag of potato chips, its packaging a vibrant green.

It had been thrown to the floor, the contents partially spilled,

but I didn’t care; I hastily shoved the chips into my mouth.

Could there be a more tantalizing food?

The salty, savory flavors bursting in my mouth were dizzyingly intense. It seemed that the greatest triumph of modern society wasn’t smartphones or towering buildings, but this humble snack.

“Here she goes again, the crazy bitch…”

“He’s eating like his life depends on it.”

As I devoured the chips, even picking up the ones that had fallen on the floor, Creep’s gang exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.

Their discomfort was palpable. Creep had probably told them not to feed me, but Skadi was interfering.

“Hey, sis, sis?”

All they could do was rush to Creep to report the situation.

Skadi’s very presence had become a variable to them.

“Cough, ack—”

There was a variable for me too. Unfortunately, the chips had scratched my mouth because I had eaten them too quickly.

Still, I was grateful to be able to eat something.

I didn’t know when I would get to eat again, so I devoured every last piece.

In this place, where disgusting and annoying things happened daily, I felt overwhelmed with joy to have had a proper meal for the first time.

But I was also in pain.

I resented my body and mind for being so happy over a mere bag of chips,

and I felt utterly powerless, constantly relying on Skadi’s help.

“…Creep really likes you.”

Skadi approached my bed and spoke to me. This was the first time we had a conversation in the common area.

“Acid and Black Owl were also close to Creep. They approached you because Creep told them to.”

She made these rather shocking statements without hesitation. I glanced around, worried that Creep’s other gang members might overhear, but Skadi continued, unconcerned with the opinions of those around her.

“She probably promised them a reward. Of course, they’ll be sent to another block before they can claim it.”

Creep, standing by the door, poked her head in and looked at us with a dry expression that was hard to read.

“…While you were spending time with Creep yesterday, Lynn and I met with the guards and gave our statements. We were also witnesses who saw the scene in the shower room.”

Skadi and I turned to look at Creep. Although we were quite far apart, we could see each other’s faces clearly.

“Two people will be moving rooms soon. You don’t need to thank me. It’s better for me if Creep’s influence weakens. Normally, I would have had her sent away. But Creep isn’t the type to be transferred to another block. They won’t accept her in Block A, B, or the special management block.”

“…Why not?”

“Because she’s killed people. One in Block A, two in Block B. Then, when she was sent to the special management block, she killed a guard.”

For ordinary people, murder isn’t an option. There may be times when they want to hurt someone, but it’s not easy to act on those impulses.

Most murders are either impulsive or premeditated, driven by deep-seated grudges that even ordinary people can’t control.

But for Creep, murder is just one of many choices.

If things go wrong, she can just kill the other person.

“Try not to die. There’s only so much I can do to help you.”

Skadi returned to her own world.

“…Isn’t it? Or maybe it would be better for you to die from your perspective.”

The unique blend of her sophisticated perfume and cigarette smoke lingered long after she left.

Around my bed were only futile things, like that scent. It was the only world allowed to me. I dared not venture elsewhere.

Finding myself in a situation where I couldn’t grasp anything,

I could only yearn for freedom, recalling the last hope in my heart, my colleagues.

“…Darling.”

I had to reach a firm conclusion and accept it.

I’m the lowest of the low in this prison,

in a position where I had to allow someone to approach me while lying on a small bed.

If I were to refuse, a greater violence awaited me. And I had no idea where the end of that violence would be.

“You keep making me stressed.”

Everything was in the hands of Creep and Skadi. At least within Block C, I had to walk a tightrope between these two to keep myself alive.

“Why are you acting like this? Do you hate me?”

Bam—

A cold food tray was thrown right in front of my bed. The contents of the tray were as messy as the emotions of Creep, who had walked up to me.

“Do you hate me?”

Right after Skadi and I had a conversation, Creep approached me, throwing the food tray and speaking.

All eyes turned to us, and some of Creep’s gang members began to comfort her to stabilize the situation.

“Hey, sis. Why don’t we just go to war with these bastards right now?”

“Yeah! If you say so, we’re going. Why should we live our lives worrying about those bitches?”

“Let’s just finish off that bastard Crow. Since you’re taking care of him, he’s getting out of hand.”

However, Creep’s eyes were fixed on me,

and my eyes were fixed on her.

Vibrant black irises.

There was an incomprehensible emotion condensed within them.

“All of you, shut up. I’m talking to my darling here.”

“Huh? Yeah…”

Even the darkness behind those eyes seemed to grow larger as time passed. I could clearly see it.

“Why are you doing this? I don’t like you talking to that bastard. Don’t do it again.”

“Whether I talk to someone or not is my freedom. It has nothing to do with you.”

That’s why I wanted to maintain my current stance. No matter how scared I was, I had to keep it to myself and always be confident on the outside.

I’m a hero, and she’s a villain. Heroes don’t submit to villains.

“…”

But the look on Creep’s face after I finished speaking,

I couldn’t forget it.

It wasn’t human.

It was closer to a beast than a human.

Smack!

I got slapped by Creep for the first time, so hard that my neck turned, wondering if I had ever been slapped with such sincerity before.

When you get slapped like this, at first, you don’t fully grasp the situation. Then, after two or three seconds, the pain starts to spread from the outside of your cheek.

“Now I understand why there are so many scenes of slapping in dramas.”

Her voice was trembling, as much as my cheek, which was experiencing muscle spasms.

“I’m doing this because I love you so much, Crow. I have no choice but to raise my hand because you don’t understand my heart.”

I had never heard such a contradictory statement since I was born.

“I don’t want to do this either. But I have to.”

Smack!

Once again.

On my already swollen left cheek, once more.

Being slapped twice, the intense pain gave way to surging anger. My body, which had been overworked for two days, had little strength left, and my physical condition was not yet fully recovered. Still, I prepared myself for a fight with Creep.

“Don’t clench your fist. If you defy me now, I’ll hit you twice as hard.”

“Creep… Who the hell are you…!”

No, if I didn’t resist at all, I felt like I would go crazy from the injustice. I had to fight.

I couldn’t kneel down to such threats and intimidation.

Smack!!

However,

Creep is stronger than I expected.

No,

I seemed to have become more powerless than I thought.

The decline in physical abilities due to drugs and the damage to my body from one-sided beatings.

“I said twice as hard. It’s because you defied me. I don’t want to hit you anymore. It’s not even fun to beat someone up like this.”

Creep grabbed my hair as I lay on the floor, lifted me, and slammed her weight down and slammed me into my face.

Each blow was so severe that I almost lost consciousness. I could feel my brain shaking.

“Hands off. I still have two more left.”

Smack!!

Left cheek.

Even though the inside of my cheek was already torn, and blood was dripping into my mouth, Creep kept aiming for my left cheek without hesitation.

Every time her palm struck, my body tried to fall to the ground, but I couldn’t fall because my hair was being held.

“It’s okay if your cheek bursts. It’s okay if you get beaten up and become a cripple. I can still love you. Can those colleagues of yours do the same? What about that bitch over there?”

Smack!!

My eyes and ears,

could no longer function properly.

Half of my vision was filled with darkness.

Temporary blindness due to the strong impact, followed by eardrum rupture.

“That’s enough. From now on, let’s sleep together in my room. Guys, move my darling’s bed to the upper bunk in my room. Anyway, Acid and Black Owl are leaving, so there’s plenty of space, right?”

“Of, of course…”

“Thank you.”

But the words I heard with my one remaining ear were too terrifying.

“From now on, I’ll take care of everything. Then, I won’t have to talk to the boss Skadi, right?”

With my one remaining eye,

I couldn’t see the expressions on Creep and Skadi’s faces.

My left face, already badly injured, felt so heavy,

that I couldn’t turn my head with my own strength.