From us to them

It is clear that it always makes sense once you lose your mind. If to choose between eternal damnation or knowledge of true reality, damnation is the way to go.

Alex learned this too little too late. It is an absolute necessity to question ourselves in times of despair. For it reminds us of our sanity and how precious little it is. Now in handcuffs and robbed of rights. Alex hoped the accusation hurled at him to be wrong; not so much as for his own fear of well being but for the sheer magnitude of the crime and its effect on his mind.

Alex never knew his parents. He had his first memory of being fed porridge for his third birth anniversary. In the orphanage he grew up, the first anniversary after the induction of the orphans is taken as a birthday.

Nevertheless he grew up in complete care of old man Mikhail Zola. He was an aristocrat who had been working towards helping the orphans from his young days. Though Alex didn't really have much in the orphanage, he felt at home. He had a keen interest in books written by scientists. The only literature he ever studied was in his textbooks. It never affected his grades much. He was an national topper. Not that it mattered anymore.

As they took him in custody, in a cursory glance across the window he caught sight of his professor.

When Alex first enrolled in the college, most of the students kept their distance except his childhood friend Anton, However professors usually liked his presence. The professor of physics, a PhD scholar prof Vanko had always helped Alex whenever the chance called for.

"Bright pupils like you will make a bright world".

His words echoed through Alex's mind. Over...after Anton's gruesome murder, everything was over.

The convoy stopped at a local police station. He walked down and went in. The clinking of the handcuffs was the single most painful sound he ever heard. Every moment he was a little too lost in thought it brought him back to grim reality.

He was actually kind of thankful that it was removed when they placed him in the cell.

"We ain't got enough room for you all to get seperate cells. Anyways you gonna be gone by tomorrow. Scrape together."

He saw an older girl through the bars. He guessed she was about a year or two older than him. She looked rough.

"Didn't know the cops ran a dating service here in the town."

Somebody chuckled at her joke.

"You got a fine face, shame if something happened to it. Blame your big mouth on that."

He opened the cell and was about to shove Alex, but he avoided it and willingly sat down.

"Boy's got manners huh. Good, will save me a lot of trouble. Sets an example to the others",he looked at the girl. "Else it gets harder to wash those blood stains these days."

The policeman left after locking up Alex.

Alex looked closely at the girl: she laid on her back. She wasn't tall and wore torn jeans and a jacket. Her hair was medium length black with a very haphazard haircut. She didn't look scared in the least. She had been locked up earlier for sure, but something told Alex it definitely wasn't for fun that she was here. Though Alex didn't really care much about himself right now, he was concerned about her. He took a glance around: there were a group of inmates, all women, who looked really, really roughed up. They had tatoos and scars running up and down. They were around 30 to 45 years old. Some looked similiar while others looked different, nobody looked similiar to the girl.

"Done checking us out ?". She asked. "Being a pervert with no balls, eh. Must be tough. What you in for peeking at women in bathroom? or illegally watching porn ?"

"Neither."

"Then what ?"

"Triple homicide."

"Pfft...huh... haha good one. You wanna joke right now. Look at you what you killed a chicken ? I don't even think you can do that."

"Hey officer you didn't say jesters are illegal ?" she casually patted on Alex's head.

"I wouldn't do that if i were you, that man is wanted for illegal weapons possesion, assault and like he said three counts of first degree murder."

Her cheery grin faded away. She pulled her hand back.

"I would keep my distance from him."

"Y..y..yuh...in on this one right ?! If it's a joke then it ain't funny."

The officer just smiled and continued his filing. "We ain't got time to prepare for entertainment of criminals miss. Hope you live till your hearing tomorrow."