Crazy Not Zany

Chapter 12: Cheshire Grin

Zekko slowly opened his eyes. The darkness of his cell greets him. With a groan, he rubs at his eyes, drawing himself out of his tired state. His head was throbbing. He sits up in his bed, familiar with the sound of shackles as they move with him. He was bound once again, yet a new weight on his leg alerts him. He turns to see and finds a bandage wrapped around his left ankle and foot. He tilts his head, confused. How did this get there?

An itching around his neck strikes him to touch the area. He pulls away his hand and fur comes away. It's burnt.

Taser sticks. Memories flood back into his head. Him screaming at the CEO. Guards rushing in. The tasers electrified him from left to right. He was then bound and muzzled. They took him to Dr. Gutman. They restrained him into a chair and left him with the doctor.

Zekko shakes his head and holds his head in his hand. He gingerly touches his throat, feeling bruises. He scowls.

A scent passes his nose, distracting him. He sniffs and looks up. There on his desk was a tray. It had a milk carton, oatmeal and a muffin. His stomach growls and Zekko clutches it.

Standing up, he hops over to the desk and leans against it. He does his best to avoid pressure on his bad leg. He stares at the food on the table. He wrinkles his nose at the oatmeal. With a single finger he flicks at it.

"Disgusting." Zekko spat.

Zekko plops down into his seat. He grabs the muffin and removes the wrapper around it, pushing the rest of the meal away. He licks his lips and bites into the muffin.

"Quite the tasty morsel we have here."

Zekko chokes on the muffin. He thickly swallows the piece in his mouth and scans the room. The darkness that flooded the room made it all too easy for someone to be hiding within the shadows.

"Don't be scared."

Zekko freezes, dropping his muffin. That voice. He knows it. Not now. Why now? He holds his ears down.

"Oh, none of that now." The voice cooed. "We've got so much to talk about."

Zekko shuts his eyes closed. "Leave me alone."

A giggling laughter floods his ears. Zekko flinches and shrinks in his chair. He doesn't dare open his eyes. He doesn't want to see it. He can't stand to see it. Not again. Not now. If he doesn't open his eyes he won't be able to see it. It can't hurt him.

"Now why would I want to hurt you?"

The voice sounded louder now, closer. Zekko dares to open an eye. He jumps straight up out of his seat, tripping over his shackles. Zekko hisses in pain, clutching his ankle. Massaging his injury, he looks up. In the darkness outside the glass was a grinning smile. Zekko could barely make out the figure sitting outside his enclosure. All he could see was that smile. That terrible cheshire grin.

A set of white gloves appears and starts throwing a ball back and forth between the hands.

"Zekko, my friend." The mouth speaks, its smile never faltering. "It's been a long time now hasn't it?"

Zekko did his best to hold his ground, but found his hands trembling. He hugs his arms.

"What do you want?" Zekko mutters silently.

The hands stop tossing the ball. With a single twist of the wrist the ball has turned into a teacup on a plate of china. The hands lift the cup to the mouth, which sips the tea in silence.

"I just wanted to drop by." The voice says, lowering the cup. "Is that so wrong?"

"I don't need to be checked up on." Zekko retorts. He turns around, crossing his arms.