Finding Mayumi

Chapter 7

After the judge handed down his verdict, two police officers approached Peter right away and held him in both of his arms. They took him out of the courtroom immediately and ordered him to get in the police mobile parked outside.

He just followed, doesn’t want to cause any scene. The judge said he’s guilty of something everyone knows he won’t dare to do, that the Peter they know won’t ever do.

He sighed thinking how he left Eddie and his mom inside frustrated with the result of the trial.

They all thought they’ll win and Peter will set free today but the judge pointed out the reason that they couldn’t provide enough evidence to prove those drugs wasn’t his and that they couldn’t show in the courtroom the women with the name Meredith who truly owned and left those in Peter’s closet accidentally or intentionally, that’s why Peter will be considered as the owner of those drugs and remain as it is without her presence.

Everyone knows how unfair it was. The judge can make Peter bail himself, but he didn’t. He didn’t even consider it as his first offense, and he left without looking back. No one saw how his knees tremble as he strolls out of the courtroom. After making that call, his knees gave in. He sat on the floor while trying to compose himself and thinking of quitting his job.

****

Peter didn’t know where they will take him, he knew he was convicted and will be taken to jail. He was thinking on their way it’ll be a dungeon, similar to the place where Mayumi was imprisoned and tortured.

The car was moving faster; he looked at the view outside the closed window when Mayumi’s face flashed in his view.

She was looking at him, smiling.

“Are you happy I’ll be put in jail? I’ll experience what you experienced?” Peter mumbled. The image faded away. The car stopped, and the officer opened the door on his side and asked him to get out.

He saw an enormous building in front of them. He was wrong. Compared to the dungeon, the High-Security Facility where they took him was more well ventilated than the one he knew all these times.

It looks more durable, unlike a cage that they dug underground and flooding every time it rains, where you won’t see anything even during daylight because it’s always dark and the place has the smell of soil and rotting dead animals.

“Far better.” He uttered as they enter the compound.

They gave him a pair of clothes and asked him to sign a paper. Those pairs of clothes have printed letters and numbers in front and at the back of it that will be his prisoner’s number. They ordered him to change his clothes to those pair of orange inmate uniform but before that, Peter was asked to remove all the clothes he was wearing and made him bathe using a high-pressure water hose with chilling water.

That was the most painful bath he ever experienced in his past and present life. His scars were exposed, the marks that symbolized the life and death of a person he just recently realized how loved by all the surrounding people.

They placed all his belongings on a basket for safekeeping, and some will be returned after inspection.

“Mr. Armstrong?” The jail guard waiting for him outside called him right after he exited the horrific comfort room.

He was feeling cold and his skin still aches after that bath.

He raised his head and saw an African-American man, around seven feet tall with a muscular body built. A kind of guy who you will think twice of approaching.

Though he seems frightening to him, he approached him with a big smile on his face. A smile he knew by himself, genuine. He seemed amused meeting him. He took his hand and shook it.

He couldn’t believe he will encounter a famous painter. While they were on their way to the cell, he didn’t stop talking and telling a story about his son who idolized Peter so much. He also said that they have been to his exhibits several times, but they didn’t have the opportunity to get near him because of the crowd. He bought one of his paintings; he said as a birthday gift to his son with his autograph at the back of it.

Peter apologized, he felt that was the right thing to do on behalf of the actual owner of the body he’s using.

“It’s okay! My son will be so glad once I told him we met today!” He joyfully replied.

Peter saw so many men inside every prison cell. Unfamiliar faces and different auras. Some of them were checking on him, giving him a death glance and grinning. The jail guard noticed he felt uncomfortable that’s why he told him he doesn’t need to be afraid of the prisoners because they won’t hurt him like what people usually see in the movies.

He laughed after and added. “They’ll be nice to you if you’ll be nice to them, but if someone tries to hurt you, just tell me.” He said and tried to act like a macho man by showing off his bicep.

The jail guard stopped in front of one cell and used his keys to open the padlock.

“This will be your cell.” He uttered and asked him to go in after opening it.

Peter saw five men inside instantly, all of them were giving him a judging look.

“What’s up with that guy?” One of them asked while the jail guard was putting back the padlock.

“He’s just like you, so take care of him. All right? I’ll be leaving now. “The jail guard answered and left.

Peter remained standing, afraid to move. They didn’t even blink. All of them recognized him, but they didn’t want him to know.

“Sit down.” the oldest among all of them offered him to sit next to him, but he didn’t move even a little. He looked stiff and cautious like it was a deja vu.

An image of an abandoned warehouse flashed in his head, but it was too quick. He felt a little pain in the back of his head. He closed his eyes and saw another image, but just like the first one, it immediately vanished.

One man stood and approached him. His body is filled with tattoos. From arms, his neck, and half of his bald head. He stood firmly in front of him. Hovered his look from head to toe.

Peter felt a sudden creeping on his skin after what the guy did, but he doesn’t want to panic and showed him he’s scared.

He endured facing someone scarier every day in the past, a lot frightening than him. This guy won’t make his knees weak.

His father was everyone feared. Not only because he was his village leader, but the major reason was, he doesn’t have a fear killing and cut one’s throat even in front of the public.

The tattooed guy was quite impressed. He looked back to his companions and after a few seconds; they laughed in unison.

Peter tried wondering why and what was something they found funny. The man put his arm around his shoulder and pulled him close to get near to everyone.

One of them pointed at the above deck to where he can use it to take some rest.

“Let’s continue.” The tattooed guy ordered the four because they were interrupted. They immediately took their sketchpads and pencils from where they hid them and continued what they were doing before he came.

Peter was fascinated with the speed of their hands. They are all good at arts.

Out of curiosity, Peter dared to ask what professions they have outside, and they answered one by one.

The man with many tattoos and the fat man with the mustache were both tattoo artists, who got involved in trouble multiple times. The guy with the mustache stabbed someone when he was under the influence of alcohol, and the guy he stabbed died. That was self-defense, but because no witnesses around, it became homicide. The other one was a police sketch artist. He accidentally hit someone on the street one snowy night and because he doesn’t have money to pay for the hospital bills of the person, they put him to jail.

The oldest who looked Japanese is a painter like Peter, he didn’t tell him the reason he was there. The other who looked like he was only around his twenties was fond of vandalizing walls using spray paints in his unique style of graffiti. For multiple times and for requests of private establishments, he was put in jail.

They spent the night sharing stories about themselves with Peter. They all became his friends instantly, but he couldn’t share much about himself with them because he couldn’t remember everything. He told them he woke up in a coma and forgetting most of the things about him and after getting discharged from the hospital; he was arrested by the police because of a phone call telling him he’s hiding illegal drugs somewhere inside his house.

All of them know how famous he is outside, but he didn’t know everything happening recently on the news since they were put in.

All of them have the same opinion, the same as what Eddie believed it was a set-up. They asked him if he has some enemies before he was abducted, but he doesn’t know anyone because it seems those memories were wiped out inside Peter’s memory.

He went to sleep that night thinking about Mayumi, asking how he can find her now that he’s inside the jail, but little did he didn’t know the news about the trial result immediately spread all social media.

Everyone shared their opinions regarding it. Some petition to review the case and they were requesting for another judge to hold the trial.

They also raised money to fund his bail.