Chapter 19 part 1

Matias

Matias and Officer Hinton glared at one other for multiple seconds. But Matias found the gaze he was trapped in particularly odd, more abnormal than all the other times.

The officers glare didn't seem to give off anger or resentment. He didn't really seem to be upset at all. Yeah, he was serious, but very clearly not angry.

Matias kept waiting for the man to speak up and say something, anything, but it eventually became very clear that he wasn't going to. He was going to force Matias to break the silence.

"Is the hero okay?"

It might've been a bad way to start off, but Matias needed to know. The other officers had said he was okay, but it time had passed. Things could've taken a turn.

"He's doing well" the officer answered calmly.

Matias became even more curious of Officer Hintons mood after hearing his relaxed tone, but didn't bother thinking about it much. How could he focus on something as small as someone's tone of voice when he had so many more important things running through his mind?

He was busy thinking about Samuel. He was doing okay. Sure, he was still in the hospital, but he was alive. He's alive and well and that's all Matias cared about.

He wanted to jump up and down, screaming with joy, but he composed himself. He stood still and balled up his fists to conceal his excitement, his nails pressing little red indents into his palm.

He had been so consumed by the idea of Samuel being hurt, of him dying, or going into a coma, or having a permanent disability, that he had forgotten that him being perfectly fine was an option. It was like he learned he was alive all over again.

"He actually asked about you too" the man finally continued.

Matias's heart leaped. He could feel it pounding in his chest and his pulse sped up faster than it ever had before.

"He was asking where you were and even said you aren't a bad person" he stated, his voice bland.

Matias stood silent and still, silently encouraging the officer to go on.

The officer took a deep breath, which seemed like a sigh more than anything else, and spoke up.

"We will have to interview you somewhere else. Then we can talk about it"

Matias assumed he meant he'd interview him another time, but Officer Hinton pulled out a key and didn't hesitate to put it into the keyhole, unlocking Matias's cell.

Matias froze for an embarrassingly long moment. Officer Hinton had to open the door even wider before Matias fully realized he was supposed to be leaving the small room.

When he finally staggered his way out of the cell— trying his best to ignore the pain and soreness coursing through his body— the officer led him through the prison.

They only walked past other empty cells and closed doors that clearly weren't intended for inmates. Matias assumed they kept him away from other prisoners because they saw him as a threat, but he tried not to let himself be bothered by it.

After they walked through the bland and boring halls of the prison for about three minutes before the officer finally went into a room.

He held the door open for Matias to follow and shut it behind them after they were both in the room.

It was a small and simple room. The walls were beige painted bricks and there was only a single table accompanied by two chairs in the room. A singular light hung from the ceiling, lighting it dimly.

Matias noticed a yellow folder and a pencil laying on the otherwise empty table and couldn't help but wonder what all was in it.

"Take a seat" Officer Hinton ordered, motioning to the seat further from the door.

Matias sat down, Officer Hinton sitting down across from him only a few seconds later.

Matias looked expectantly at the officer. He wasn't exactly sure what these kind of things were supposed to be like, but it wasn't this.

The officer still appeared to be gathering his thoughts, so Matias killed the silence.

"Isn't there supposed to be a camera recording all this? Y'know, since I'm the villain and all" he half-joked, trying to make a bit of light out of an awful dark situation.

The officer barely looked up at him before looking back down at the yellow folder on the table.

"Cause y'all believe I'm a murderer.. aren't y'all required to record interviews with suspected murderers?"

The officer once again didn't respond, but he did give a not-so-subtle glance up to a corner of the room.

Matias turned his neck at an uncomfortable angle, laying eyes on the small camera with a blinking blue light.

"That makes more sense"

Still no response from the officer.

Matias decided to keep quiet, doing his best to keep the already awful awkwardness to a minimum.

After another minute or two the officer looked up from the folder and up into Matias's eyes.

"This is an official interview regarding all the events and alleged crimes from the last four years"

Matias's attention was caught. Four years ago was when he was first caught stealing and when he was accused of murder.

"Anything you say will be recorded and can be used in the court of law"

Matias nodded slowly, trying to guess what kind of questions would be asked and coming up with a half-decent way to answer them.

"Are you ready to begin?" Officer Hinton asked, his fingers already grazing the folder eagerly.

Matias noticed the officers body grow stiff— somehow stiffer than before— and his face showed a hint, only a small hint, of anxiousness.

"I am"

Matias was surprised by how casual it all was. There wasn't any other officers and nobody had even followed them to the room they were now in, though he was sure there was now security right outside the door.

"Let's start four years ago, when this all began" he ordered more than stated, making sure Matias knew he didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

The beginning had to be his least favorite part of how he became 'the villain', and he really hated explaining it to people.

Nonetheless, he needed to help Samuel. If he wanted to help Samuel he had to get out of this prison and if he wanted to get out of this prison he was going to have to prove his innocence.

"You claim to have not been the one who killed the innocent pedestrians that day"

The officer paused. They both knew what day he was talking about.

"Is that true?"

Matias was staring right at Officer Hinton, but it didn't feel like he was looking at him whatsoever. It was like they were looking right through one another.

"That's true" he confirmed, his voice a bit wobbly.

The officer pulled out a notepad from a pocket Matias hadn't even noticed. He open it up, skipping a few pages that already had writing, and started writing who knows what on the page.

"So how would you explain the witnesses who saw you do it?" he continued to write "you were standing right in the middle of their bodies"

Matias swore he could hear his own heart beating, the officer could probably hear it too.

"They didn't actually see me do it" Matias explained bluntly.

The officer stopped writing and looked up at Matias.

"So why don't you explain to me what exactly happened that day. If you didn't kill them, who did?"

Matias couldn't help but sigh. He knew the officer was only doing his job, but it was really starting to piss Matias off.

"I was running through the alley right by the sidewalk the people were killed on"

Matias paused, half hoping the officer would interrupt the annoying story, but he didn't. "There was a guy, I don't remember his name, who was chasing me. He was the one who had the gun"

Matias didn't have the heart to say it was the other guy who killed them. The word killed was harsh. Sharp, even. It made the realization of their deaths hit harder than he would've liked.

The officer only kept writing on his notepad, occasionally glancing at the paper he had pulled out of the yellow folder.

"Can you explain, in detail, what happened when the pedestrians were shot?" The officer requested. Though it, like all his other questions, sounded more like a demand.

Matias took a deep breath. Then another. And then one more. He tried to tell himself it wasn't a big deal, but even after all these years he found himself stung by the aftermath of his personal issues.

"I was running through the alley near the sidewalk. I didn't mean to get out in public, I just took a wrong turn. The guy who had the gun was right behind me and there was nowhere else to go, so I ran out onto the sidewalk" he explained, his voice barely holding itself together.

"Mm" the officer hummed.

Matias searched Officer Hinton's face for a sign of approval, disapproval, anything, all to no avail.

His face remained rock hard and not even a genius could figure out what he was thinking or feeling.

When Matias realized the officer wasn't going to speak up, he continued.

"I stopped when I realized what was happening. It's not like I was trying to put anyone in harms way, I was just panicking"

He took a long, shaky breath.

"The guy behind me started shooting, but he didn't come out of the alley. Obviously, he missed me, but he ended up hitting some of the others around me. The sidewalk was pretty crowded"

The officer put his pencil down abruptly, looking up at Matias with furrowed brows.

"But you were there when the police arrived. It had to of taken them at least five minutes to get there"

Matias could feel the accusation in his voice. At least he thought he could, but he was struggling to pinpoint even the simplest of things so maybe, just maybe, he was wrong.

"I was scared" Matias bounced back, a bit offended.

"I was younger, barely an adult, and fucking terrified" he emphasized, "do you cops ever stop and think how someone might feel in that situation?"

He knew he was getting worked up, and that he needed to calm down, but he didn't care. He was sick and tired of how the police treated him.

"I thought I was responsible for a murder! I was scared shitless and I didn't know what the hell to do!" He gasped for air, realizing he hadn't inhaled for longer than usual.

"I was just scared. I froze"

The two looked at one another for a long moment. Both of their expressions had fallen and they both looked a bit defeated.

Finally, the officer regained the grip on his pencil and fixed his posture.

"And why was that man chasing you?"

Damnit.

Matias should've expected that. The police didn't give a shit about how anyone felt, they just wanted to get answers.

But how was he supposed to answer that? Surely he'd be arrested if he spoke the truth.

So he lied.

"I was in the wrong place at the wrong time"

The officer waved his hand, motioning for Matias to continue.

"I liked taking shortcuts through alleys on my way home from work. That day I had accidentally ran into two guys dealing drugs. It must've been some pretty serious shit."

Matias paused, watching the officer scribble words into his notebook.

"Y'know, considering he tried to kill me over it"

It wasn't exactly a good lie, but Matias couldn't think of a way the police could prove that wrong. It's not like there were any witnesses in the alley besides people who'd be instantly arrested if they were to show up at a police station.

When Officer Hinton finished scribbling the words down onto his paper he looked back up at Matias once more.

"So let me get this clear" the officer said in a factly tone.

The two held stiff eye contact as Officer Hinton began to recap everything Matias had said.

"You we're walking home through an alley when you ran into two guys dealing drugs"

Matias nodded.

"And they saw you, started chasing you, and you ended up on a public sidewalk"

He paused and Matias nodded again, slower this time.

"And that's when the shots were fired?" The officer asked, though it was clear he already knew they answer.

"Yes"

The officer checked off something in his little notebook. Matias tried to read what was written on it, but the writing was too little and the words were too far away.

"You got scared and that's why you stood in the middle of the people who were shot, correct?"

"Yeah"

The two looked at one another, an unclear feeling filling the air.

Suddenly, the officer stood up. It was abrupt and fast, but he didn't really seem upset.

He walked around the table to Matias and grabbed him under his arm, pulling him up out of his chair.

"We are done for now. Expect more questioning, there is lots more we need to ask you" he explained rather coldly.

Matias only nodded—again— and continued to follow Officer Hinton out the door.

The walk back to the cell was quiet. There were now guards lingering in the halls, probably expecting the questioning to go wrong, but they were all silent.

When they got back to the cell Officer Hinton didn't waste any time unlocking it and ushering Matias inside.

Matias tried to make his way back to his rock hard bed and attempt some sleep, but the officer grabbed onto the back of his shirt through the bars.

Officer Hinton glanced around cautiously before turning back to Matias.

"Listen, villain" he addressed "the hero is vouching for you that your not a bad person, but he is clearly holding back"

Matias stared wide-eyed at the officer, waiting for him to continue.

"I believe what you both are saying, and I want to get you out of this" he gestured to the cell "but just know it's going to be a long, annoying process"

Matias slowly lifted his head up then let it back down, nodding at the officer.

He was a bit confused, but what was he supposed to say? That he doesn't believe the one person trying to help him out right now?

"I'll be back tomorrow. I'm doing daily visits to the hero too, so I'll try to keep you two in touch"

-------------------------------------------------------------

Just hit 5k reads!