The Psychopath Maker

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Lucas graduated from Dawson Prep to the State Penitentiary. He was used to holding cells and chains. In the third to last cell, Lucas lied on the pancake thin bed, his legs hanging over the end. His eyes were trained on the bunk above him listening to the goatish snores of his new roommate, Hank—a two-time offender with a taste for meth. Lucas thought about what he did going over his misdeeds like a kindergartener sent to time-out.

"Plaint!" A voice shouted banging a club of the metal bars. "Get up. Your lawyer's here to see you."

Lucas folded his legs up and dropped them on the floor. "My lawyer?" He slowly walked to the bars. "I didn't hire a lawyer, yet."

"Don't ask me questions." The guard stuck the key in the lock. "Just bring your ass."

Lucas did as he was told. He shuffled down the halls, ignored the hollering and rants of the other prisoners that lined the way. The guards escorted him through the white hallway, took a turn and stopped at a metal door. Lucas thought about who his lawyer was. He hoped it was Swenson, the woman that got the banker off after being charged with manslaughter in the first degree and not Duncan, who lost his vehicular manslaughter case.

The door swung open and the guards rushed his steps into the room and insisted he sit in the chair then handcuffed him to the table. The guards walked back out and closed the door.

Lucas looked at the guards standing behind the Plexiglas window.

"They can't hear us." The person sitting on the other side of the table spoke. "And the cameras are off. Lawyer privileges."

"What are you doing here?" Lucas was confused. "Shouldn't you hate me? I killed your friends, remember."

"Are you confessing?"

Lucas sat back in the cold, metal chair. "No."

"Then why are you acting guilty?"

"Didn't you see MGN? Hear the reporters? The police and the people?" Lucas asked. "In the court of public opinion, I'm—guilty."

The visitor rested their arms on the table. "But you didn't do it and you're just going to rot in here."

Lucas started to nod but stopped. He raised his head and read the face of his visitor. Concern didn't linger in their face. Instead, stone eyes and a cocky grin looked back at him.

"Isn't today your graduation." Lucas sat up. "Why are you here?"

Metal scraped against the concrete as his visitor pulled their chair closer to the table, "Want to know a secret?" They whispered. "I know you're innocent."

"How?" Lucas asked with a sense of excitement a smile growing on his sienna face.

"Because." His visitor's eyebrows rose. "I...did it."

"You?" Lucas' smile dropped dumbfounded. "But your—"

"I know." The visitor reveled in the shock claiming Lucas' body. "I'm your friend...their friend...well, I look like their friend."

"Look...like...their friend?" Lucas took a breath between each of his words. He wanted to make sure his lungs didn't stop working as his heart beat like the quick feet of a cheetah chasing its dinner. He shifted his eyes to the guards staring at him clueless to what was happening in the room. Lucas looked back at his visitor. "But you are—"

"It's confusing..." The visitor jumped in. "So, I'll explain. My sibling was adopted..." The visitor sighed heavily. "My twin I mean. The people didn't want two kids so they picked. Just picked between us...like we were puppies for sale. I...was left. You know what kind of damage that would do to a three-year-old?"

"I can imagine," Lucas muttered feeling massively shell shock.

"But she took me in. Befriended me" The visitor smiled like a child in a toy store. "The Maker remade me. It gave me a plan."

"Which is?" Lucas asked pulling himself nearer to the table.

The visitor smiled to themself. "A plan that's mine and ....if I tell you...I would really have to kill you." The visitor's smile faded.

Lucas knew it wasn't an ideal talk. He swallowed hard feeling the handcuffs wrapped around his wrist starting to darken his brown skin. "You're going to leave me in here to rot...for what you did!" The anger erupted in him like a thousand-year-old dormant volcano.

"Someone has to go down with the ship." The visitor pushed their chair back and rose to their feet.

"You can't leave me in here!" Lucas violently tugged at the handcuffs. "You can't!! I didn't do this! You did!" Spit flew from his mouth raining on the table.

The visitor slapped their hand on the table. A slow rage burned in their eyes. "Choose your words carefully." They spoke calmly leering into the unruly boy's frantic eyes. "They can harm you or help you." 

Lucas closed his mouth; his nostrils flared as in breathed in rapid breaths.

 The visitor glanced at the guards then, back at the boy, "You think they hold your freedom." The visitor tsked as they stood back up. "Lucas." The visitor sighed as they moved to the door. "Lucas. Lucas. I thought you were smart." The visitor tsked again. "Damn, was I wrong." The visitor smiled as they knocked on the door. "But then again...you are Francis Stuart's grandson."

Lucas' face contorted. "What?"

The visitor gasped mockingly. "You didn't know." The visitor stepped back as the door swung up. "Family secrets." The visitor winked. "It's a bitch ain't it?" The visitor snapped their finger then pointed to Lucas, "Stay strong." then walked out laughing.

Lucas fought against the handcuffs knocking over the chair as he pounced up. "Troy! Troy! Come back!" The guards rushed in using force to calm him down. "TROY!" Lucas shouted out before the guard's Billy club thrashed across his face. 

Lucas' fate was sealed. His sentence handed out. Troy didn't turn back as the guards ushered him down the hall. He had his mission and there was nothing he wouldn't do for his master. The Psychopath Maker had a plan and it always knew best. Phase one was complete. Phase two was about to begin...   

  The End

I mean...the end of this book but poor Lucas.