by Jac SLB
I watch through the glass of the room as Agent Caste circles around the suspect. I pick up the nilla file and do a quick skim through the basics. It’s a female. Age twenty-five. Caucasian. Shoulder length brown hair. Brown eyes. Curved scar over left eye. Accused of defacing government property and murder. No liable evidence. Name....unknown. “Hey,” I call to the technician, “let me hear them.” He rolls in his chair and presses a red button and suddenly I can hear everything they’re saying in the room. Caste tosses a group of photos onto the table. They slide to the front of the suspect who glances at them once before looking unamused. “You are in every single one of these photos. Now, it can’t be a coincidence because these date back to the 18th century.” Caste barks. The suspect nodded and made no motion to say anything. They simply examined the handcuff that tied them to the chair. They’re up to something. I can feel it, but I can’t tell what. “I’d like to know exactly who you are,” Caste said . He leaned on the table with his palms flat on the table. His eyes bore into the suspect waiting for them to crack under the glare. The suspect seemed unfazed by the pressure and yawned. They rattled the handcuff a bit before stopping. I stared at the handcuff to check if it was loose but it was as tight as it could be. “Answer me!” Caste yelled. He seemed as if he was getting restless. He’s never this jumpy. Something caught my attention above him and I waited for it to happen again. “Did you see that?” I muttered. I look at the technician. “See what?” He asked with his mouth full of food. I purse my lips and shake my head. It might’ve just been a figment of my imagination. My nerves are just--. The light! It’s just the light. It’s flickering. I look at Caste and can’t believe my eyes. He’s sweating like crazy! His jacket lay on the floor and his shirt has four unbuttoned buttons. On his blue shirt, you can see sweat stains trail down his back and his armpits. Someone needs to check on him. The handcuff starts jingling again. “Caste? Caste!” I yell out to him, forgetting that he can’t hear me. I get ready to open the door and held him when someone held on to me. “Get off! I need to help Caste!” I yell to whoever touched me. I try to open the door but a hand rests on it. “Let me do it,” a gruff male voice says behind him. I grip the door handle as hard as I can until my knuckles turn white. “Let someone stronger go inside in case it’s serious.” My head darts into his direction and I stare into Agent Heines’ eyes. “You better get your hand off of me before I put a bullet in it,” I hissed. Heines just gripped onto it harder and harder. I wince at the pain and I let go of the doorknob. I try not to cry out from the pain and restrain myself from taking out my gun. “See, you’re not strong enough,” Heines smirked. Before pushing me aside and going into the room with Caste. I watch through the window and watch the light flicker even more. The jingling comes back and grit my teeth. “Caste, what’s happening to you?” Heines said after taking two steps back. Caste glanced at Heines before collapsing onto the table. He tried his best to hold himself up when he started violently shaking. I freeze. “Medic! We need a medic for Caste!” The technician yells as he runs out the room. I try to say something but nothing comes out as I watch Caste. I stare at the suspect and notice how intently they’re staring at Caste. Jingle, jingle, jingle, snap! My eyes widen and I run to the door. I twist and pull and push the door frantically but it doesn’t budge. I hear pounding on the door from the inside. “Open the door! What are you doing?!?” I hear Heines yell from the inside. A constant thump sounds from the other side as if he’s trying to break the door down. I back up from the door and pull out my gun. I aim in carefully at the door lock. “It’s no use,” I hear in my head. It’s a voice that I never heard before. I look through the window to see what’s happening and I almost drop my gun in shock. Caste is unconscious on the floor and Heines is sweating and shaking violently. He is standing but barely and the suspect, remains in their chair unbothered by everything. At that moment, it feels as if everything goes in slow motion. It feels as if I can hear everything. Multiple footsteps pound towards me. A maniacal laugh that’s not from inside my head sounds. I suck in a breath and the voice sounds just as I pull the trigger with shaky hands. It’s from the suspect. “Lights out.” Pull the trigger. Everything goes black. Jac is a freshman at Franklin High School. She is an active member of Epiphany.
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About Epiphany
Epiphany Literary Magazine is a safe space for students at Franklin High School to share their creativity. Archives '16-'20
June 2020
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