Page 55 of On Your Life

UNKNOWN

Pickup is tomorrow. Location?

Conner

Cell 13

UNKNOWN

Copy

The photo is cut off, so I can’t see the unknown number that sent it. Cell thirteen?

The date is from months ago. Cell thirteen has been empty for a while, at least until Kira took it over.

I grab my phone and open up the text thread between Conner and me. Surely we said something about the chick who killed herself that night.

My thumb slides for what feels like ages. Old memes, random cell phones games, and screenshots fly by and it deepens the crack in my chest his absence caved in.

We spoke every single day no matter what. It’s still weird to not hear my phone going off at all hours over some stupid sports articles or dating app matches that he would send to brag about. I slow my scroll around January and finally find it.

Conner

BRO

Fox

What??

Conner

One of my inmates killed herself. Cap is going to have my nuts for this shit

Fox

No fucking way what happened??

Conner

Too much to text I’ll call later

I don’t remember much about the conversation that came afterward. Just that she had hanged herself in the cell. Conner was extremely upset about it and nearly drank himself into a coma the next day.

I thought it was odd but he seemed like he blamed himself. It wasn’t his fault but he wouldn’t hear me.

I close the message thread and look back at the laptop. There’s no way he knew any of that shit was going to happen. I have to believe that.

The next file is a video. I look around the room as if someone is going to jump out from behind the curtain, the feeling of being on edge is getting more and more obvious.

The video blares loudly through the small speakers as soon as I click on it. Static feedback from what looks like CCTV footage from downtown by the overpass.

Cars fly by overhead. I recognize the location almost immediately. My dad always harped on us to steer clear of the area because of the drugs.

The video is grainy enough that everything looks slightly distorted but I can make it out. Barrel fires flicker in the distance while people walk around with shuffling gaits.

Then a black SUV rolls into the frame blocking the view. A few minutes pass before several men in masks jump out of the vehicle and disappear from the screen. My hands grip the edge of the couch.

What are they doing?