A Message to Scott Cawthon: Reimagined

Chapter Twenty-Six: The Finale

"All rise!" Feet shuffled across the wooden boards of the court room.

"Be seated," the judge said more eager than last time to continue the case. "The court is now back in session." The defender once again stood up.

"Please may I invite Mr Rhys Williams to the witness stand," she said, waiting for the Scotsman to make his way to his place. The bailiff once again stood with him and asked him to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, before returning to his spot. "Mr Williams, could you tell the court how long you have known Lewis Dawkins? What relationship did you have with him?"

"I was one of his closest friends for the last three years."

"Was he a good friend?"

"One of the best I could ever ask for."

"What was he like? His personality?

"He was always good to everyone around him, rarely had a bad word to say about anyone. He was always thinking of others before himself and would drop everything for someone if they needed it; he had always been selfless."

"Thank you, Mr Williams. Could you tell us what happened before the incident on 10th May?"

"I don't understand what happened. He hadn't been feeling the best beforehand and we were just talking, then he suddenly started crying as if he was in pain. He started shaking, convulsing even. One of my friends, Will, told us to call an ambulance which we tried but the landline was broken, and every other phone couldn't get a connection. I was upstairs trying to find a phone that worked, so I didn't see, but I was told that he suddenly just... stopped."

"Stopped shaking?"

"Stopped moving, stopped breathing, stopped making noise."

"What happened after?"

"Well, he woke up and it was like he was a different person. He didn't seem to recognise us and wouldn't respond to whatever we said."

"And after that?"

"He, err, attacked us; knocked us out."

"Did he show any signs of remorse before or after this?"

"Yes, defiantly. I was the first person to regain consciousness and I saw him sort of hugging himself and talking to himself. And then when I, err, found him outside after I went back to the cabin, he wouldn't stop crying and saying that it was his fault."

"Do you think it was his fault?"

"No, I don't see how it's his fault for having a mental disorder."

"Thank you, Mr Williams. That is all."

The defender sat back down, while the prosecutor stood back up. "Rhys Williams, how did you feel when you realised that one of your close friends had been killed by Lewis?"

"Shocked."

"Just shocked? Nothing else?"

"It was too overwhelming to feel anything else."

"Did you look at Lewis differently after that? Did you still see him as a friend?"

"Not for a little while I suppose. But I've come to realise that he regretted what he did, and I don't think he could control what he did either."

"Someone who commits murder might regret it after. Who's to say he's any different?"

"What? No! He was distraught both before and after Ryan's death!"

"So maybe he was feeling guilty about what he was about to do?"

"Your Honour, these questions are not helping us develop the story and are only causing emotional distress to the witness," Miss Cassidy said sternly, looking at the prosecutor with angry eyes.