It Was All Going So Well... Characters: Kyle and Matt then Kyle, Matt and Jae Setting: Patrol, the infirmary, the law enforcement office - afternoon
There was a reason that Kyle had never volunteered for patrol before, and that was because he was of the opinion that it would be as boring as hell, totally pointless, and what was he actually going to be able to do if he ran into any kind of trouble? Be snippy at someone? Wow, words could be so very effective on the kinds of people who could be in here - or not. He wasn't one to put himself into the line of fire.
But then the cameras had gone down, and he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t do his part to make sure that there wasn’t another Becka in here. So here he was, standing in the courtyard, ready to meet up with Matt for what would hopefully be a quiet and uneventful patrol.
Matt had a similar mind set regarding the patrols albeit coming from a slightly different perspective but, like Kyle, felt that he could no longer simply sit by idle. Selfishly, he also hoped it might do something to alleviate some the damage done by his altercation with Pippa and subsequent appearance before the jury - he may have gotten off remarkably lightly but he hadn’t missed the way people had been looking at him down in the courtroom and it wasn’t something he relished in.
Leaving the library just before noon, it was easy to spot Kyle waiting and he crossed over to the artist, pace significantly slower than usual thanks to the humidity which had also driven him to wearing the rare combination of both a short sleeved shirt and shorts in a vain attempt to stay comfortable. “Hey,” he said, offering a vague wave once he was within speaking distance.
“Hi,” Kyle said, giving the other guy a polite smile. “So - you ready to... go patrol, I guess. You done this before?” he asked, hoping that there would be a positive answer. Kyle wasn’t entirely sure what they were expected to do, or if there was a set way that patrol was done other than just wandering around for several hours.
“I’m afraid not,” Matt replied looking faintly apologetic. “But I am as ready as I’m going to get. Perhaps we could start in the kitchen and go on from there?” It seemed as good a place to begin as any and they could see if there were any bottles of water that they could take with them.
“Lead the way, oh fearless leader,” Kyle suggested, gesturing towards the kitchen. “So... camera, huh? Professional, or keen amateur?” he asked as they walked.
Smiling a little, Matt rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. “I don’t know that you should call me that,” he said lightly, voice tinged by what may have been amusement. “I might start getting untrue ideas about myself that’ll get me into all kinds of trouble.” The question about photography put him at ease though and his smile widened a fraction. “Mostly keen amateur though I was fortunate enough to have been paid a few times for my work. I don’t think I could ever be a full time professional though.”
“Why not?” Kyle asked him, relaxing as well since here was a topic that he could easily talk about. That helped.
“Because I’d be taking pictures of what other people wanted, not the pictures that I want to take,” Matt explained, unconsciously cradling his camera against him as they walked. “There are other things too, like ideally being good with people which is definitely not one of my strengths, but taking the photos I want is the most important thing.” He paused, glancing at the paint splashed on Kyle’s clothes and smiled again. “Call it my one claim to artistic integrity.”
Kyle laughed at that. “Maybe you should take the pictures you want to take and find an audience who’ll buy them,” he suggested. “You don’t have to be some kind of wedding photographer to call yourself professional,” he pointed out, though he figured that with photography you would probably need to be commission-based to be able to support yourself off it.
“I don’t know if I would find an audience large enough with which to sustain myself,” Matt said, pleased as he was by the notion of it. “Besides, I do actually enjoy being a librarian. Who knows though, perhaps I’ll find a way to combine the two.” Chuckling he shook his head a little. “What about yourself? Do you intend to support yourself with your art or are you a fellow keen amateur content to create as a hobby?”
“Oh no - I fully intend to support myself,” Kyle told him without hesitation. “I would go insane it I tried to do anything else - and I wouldn’t have time for it.” The suggestion of actually having a job was horrific to Kyle. His art was his job and his passion. That worked for him.
“A true artist then,” Matt replied with a knowing nod. He had known the type back in college, finding more in common with the determined focus and verging on obsessional dedication of the art students than his fellow journalism majors. “What’s your medium?”
“By choice, I’m a sculptor, working with metal. Large pieces, generally using junk and castoffs. Lately, I work with whatever they’ll give me,” he shrugged. “Sketches, and I have some oils. Done a few murals for some of the people here as well. It’s just nice to be able to create again.” He hadn’t had that for the year he’d been in mainstream prison. He had had to lock so much of himself away.
It wasn’t the answer Matt would’ve guessed given how highly Becka had spoken of Kyle’s paintings but the surprise was a pleasant one and he found himself nodding in approval. “That sounds fascinating,” he said. “Creating something new out of something old or broken, finding the beauty lurking within - wonderful.”
“Everything’s beautiful somehow - you just need to be able to see it. Then make other people see it,” Kyle said with a small smile. “I always liked doing things that other people would tell me were impossible.” He could be amazingly stubborn that way.
“I think you would like Diane Arbus’ work, she saw things that way too,” Matt said with a soft smile. “Her portraits are like no-one elses I’ve ever seen, they’re truly stunning.” His lips quirked and he glanced down at the ground. “But don’t let me go on about her or you’ll get bored very quickly and the next six hours will pass very slowly.” Because he really could talk that long about the woman if Kyle let him.
Kyle laughed openly at that. “Listening to someone else talk about someone who creates something that inspires them?” he asked, clearly amused. “No - I wouldn’t find that boring. Not at all. And sure, I could probably listen to you talk for hours. But it’s still probably a bad idea, because we’d end up ditching the patrol and I’d be dragging you to the library to see if you could find any examples to show me,” the artist said. “So maybe we should leave that until after.”
“Maybe we should,” Matt replied, relieved not only to have not alienated Kyle but actually found common ground with someone, something that hadn’t really happened since he met Wren. “And perhaps you could show me some of what you’ve been working on here? It may not be your method of choice but I’ve heard only good things about your work.”
Kyle blinked at that. “You have?” he asked, surprised not that someone thought his work was good - he knew that it was - but that someone had been talking about him. It was a pleased kind of surprised though.
Matt laughed a little at Kyle’s surprise and nodded. “Becka and I spoke a little about it the day she left, she suggested I talk to you in fact about maybe purchasing one of your pieces for my room.”
“Oh!” Kyle definitely sounded pleased now. “Well - if you want to come round at any time and have a look through what I have, please do so! Or if you had something in mind - personally I really don’t mind working on commission. I guess the difference between your medium and mine is that even when someone is after something in particular, they’re still at the mercy of my whims,” he added with an impish grin.
“I hadn’t really considered something in particular,” Matt said looking thoughtful even as he smiled back at Kyle. “What are your paintings like? I’d hardly want to ask for something that sits at odds with how you like to work - artistic whims or not, no one likes to be beholden to something that’s the utter anathema of what they do.”
“Abstract, or semi-abstract by choice,” Kyle told him. “Sketches, I often do portraits and people, but for oils I like the freedom to let my imagination roam. I just finished a piece that’s based on the New York skyline, but referencing the emotions of the people who live there rather than what you would actually see if you took a photograph. So, you can recognise it for what it is, but the colours and the whole feel of it is entirely different,” he said, with clear passion coming through in his tone.
“Ah, a fellow portrait fan, good to know.” Matt’s attention was truly caught however by the description Kyle gave of his New York piece, the way the younger man spoke as much as what as he said leaving him completely enamoured. “That sounds w...w....wonderful I would love to see it.”
“Any time you want - it’s up on the wall in my room, so if you wanted to come round and look through my other pieces, you’d hardly be able to avoid it - it takes up most of one wall,” Kyle said with a proud smile. “That one’s not for sale though, she’s just for me.”
That was a sentiment Matt understood entirely and it was a knowing smile that spread over his face. “Sometimes we can’t help but be a little selfish with our work can’t we? Some of my photos I don’t even let other people see, I certainly wouldn’t be able to give them away.” He looked forward to seeing Kyle’s painting and was glad the artist was willing to show it to him.
“Oh, I’m a lot selfish with my work ,” he chuckled. “Though there’s not much that I won’t show to other people. Guess I just like the idea of having an audience. Me and my ego.”
“That’s not always a bad thing providing you don’t let it get the best of you,” Matt pointed out. “And if you have the talent to back it up then why not indulge in a little...showmanship.”
“I want to make a living off this - I have to be a shameless show off, or nobody’s going to look my way,” Kyle pointed out.
“Which is another reason why I could never go professional even if I did find an audience,” Matt said, smile turning rueful. “I don’t deal well with attention and actively encouraging it?” He shook his head. “I’ll think I’ll leave that to people like yourself.”
“Well, at least you know that before you get too deep into the shark pool,” Kyle pointed out. “So, how does a photographer end up as a librarian?” he asked.
“It’s not an exciting story,” Matt replied with a shrug. “I started working at the university library part time when I was a student and after I graduated, they offered me a full-time position. I liked the job anyway and had no plans to do anything else so it made sense to stay.” Not that he’d really been a librarian that long in the grand scheme of things but had things gone differently, he was certain he would have kept working there.
“You’re right - that’s not an exciting story, but stories don’t need to be exciting,” Kyle pointed out. “Sometimes there really is a place for standard normal.”
That was a sentiment Matt could definitely get behind and he nodded. “Normal can be good,” he said, bobbing his head. “Hey even boring can be good, especially, you know given circumstances...” He gestured to their surroundings.
“Right - right now the last thing I want is dramatic,” Kyle agreed, though he figured he wasn’t going to get his wish. Hell, between Autumn and Adam just today he’d had more than his fair share of drama, let alone what had happened in the two weeks since he’d been here. Yet it was still better than prison.
“You and me both Kyle.” Saying that, Matt had about as much faith in that being the case as Kyle did but then he had always been a pessimist that way, it was just unfortunate that the facility seemed determined to justify his outlook if previous events were anything to go by. Still, a little hope couldn’t hurt surely?
Kyle was feeling better about things all round after several hours of patrol. Matt was pretty good company, and nothing untoward had actually happened. It was... okay. Not his new favourite thing to do or anything, but not bad at all.
They’d headed down to walk through the basement, just to find more areas where there was nothing much going on. “Think we need to check in the infirmary?” Kyle asked, pausing by the closed door in.
“It certainly couldn’t hurt,” Matt pointed out. “If nothing else, it’s just us being thorough.” And he had yet to be inside it, having had no need for medical help and no real excuse to go for the sheer excuse of being nosey.
“And if Cal doesn’t want us there, I’m sure he’ll throw us out,” Kyle agreed with a laugh as he opened the door and headed inside, only to immediately stop in his tracks.
Matt was a couple of steps behind Kyle so thankfully didn’t crash into the younger man when he froze but it was a close call and his heart began hammering in his chest. “Kyle, w...w...w...what is....” he started to say only to trail off as he saw what had brought Kyle to a stand still and all the colour drained from his face. “Oh God.”
“...Yeah,” Kyle said, reaching back until he could clumsily grab hold of Matt’s hand. Maybe it was inappropriate, but he really needed some kind of human touch right now. “What - what do we do?” he asked. He had no idea what to do - other than concentrate on not fainting.
Already on edge, the sensation of Kyle’s hand clasping around his own had Matt lurching backwards, colliding with the edge of the open door with a force that threatened to leave him winded. Struggling to catch his breath, he couldn’t help but look at Violet lying in a pool of blood which under the bright lights of the infirmary and its white walls seemed impossibly red. “W....w....w.....we need to find J...j....jae or Brady,” he finally wheezed when he had enough breath to speak.
Kyle had begun to hyperventilate and he didn’t know whether he was going to scream like a damn girl, or be violently sick. It was a close run thing as Matt’s moving back left his hand empty again and he brought his fists up to his mouth. Screaming won out and it won out loudly.
The scream was enough to tear Matt away from the grisly sight in front of him and forcing down his own fear, he managed to grab hold of Kyle and started to tug him back out of the room. He couldn’t blame the younger man for screaming, hell a part of him wanted to as well, wanted to run off and hide his room and try desperately not to think of the last time he’d seen that much blood. Instead he kept hold of the younger man until they were both in the corridor, his hands trembling with the effort it took him to hold on, only letting go when he was sure Kyle could no longer see into the room.
Jae heard screaming. She had been walking toward her offices, and abruptly she was running. Toward the clinic, apparently. Rushing over she ran into two traumatized looking people. She saw...two dudes. She could have swore she heard a girl. "What's going on?"
Kyle had clapped his hand over his mouth to stop himself screaming. He stared at Jae, wide-eyed over his fingers. Lifting his other hand, he pointed into the infirmary.
The relief Matt felt on seeing Jae was palpable although it did little to stop the shaking in his hands or calm his breathing, and he took a step towards her. “S...s....s....someone att.tt.t..t.ttacked Violet,” he explained voice shaking. “She’s d....d....dead.”
"Okay, calm down." she said. "I want you both to go sit in the law enforcement office, okay? I'll be there very shortly." she said. She looked at the clinic, then drew in a breath. Motherfucker. She gave them a reassuring look, the very picture of 'I can handle this'.
Kyle nodded and pretty much fled down the corridor. He wished he could unsee what he just saw. There had been so much blood. So, so much blood.
Matt watched as Kyle dashed away and felt a pang of sympathy for the younger man - it had been clear from talking to him on their patrol how sensitive he was and what they had just seen would have shaken anyone. Turning to Jae, he gestured towards his camera then towards the still open door. “If you n...n....need me to, you know, I don’t mind.”
Jae nodded. "Thanks." she said. Though really she'd just ask to borrow his camera, after she glanced at the scene and called in the reinforcements. Heading into the clinic, it was all blood all the time in there, apparently. It wasn't even slightly the first corpse she'd seen, but it was pretty fucking brutal. It was a horror film set. She carefully walked around, taking in the details, even if there weren't all that many. In Jae's estimation, the girl had been caught by surprise, and dispatched in short goddamn order. Fuck. She got to the phone, trying to call Aaron first, but there was no answer. She wasn't sure if she should call Brady or not. She didn't want to trigger the guy's PTSD. Sighing, she shut the door, and went back to check on the guys. Walking in, she looked to Matt. "Can I borrow the camera?" she asked.
He really wasn’t happy with the idea but was all too aware of the severity of the situation to put up a fuss and unhooked his camera from his neck. It was the work of a moment to adjust the settings to what would he thought would provide the clearest photos and then he held it out to her. “It’s all r...r....ready to go,” he said quietly. “Just point and click.”
She took it, and nodded. "Thank you." she said. "It's appreciated. If you can, write down your statement for me. Just a quick narrative of what happened, please." she said, starting to head out the door to get pictures of the scene. Fuck fuck fuck.
“R...r....right,” he replied, looking around for some paper and a pen as Jae left the room. Finding some on a nearby desk, he grabbed one for himself and, after a moment’s deliberation, another for Kyle in case the younger man felt up to it though if the expression on his face was anything to go by, he doubted it.
Kyle stood and walked to Matt. He took the paper and pen and moved off to one of the other desks. Maybe that way he could get his hands to stop shaking enough for him actually be able to write straight. He managed to get out three words before he just couldn’t do it anymore. “Can you - can you tell Jae that she’ll have my statement tomorrow, but I won’t probably have anything to add that you haven’t already?” he said to Matt. He couldn’t be here right now.
“Of c...c...course,” Matt said, frowning in concern. “Is there anything else I can do?” He was was a long way from feeling one hundred percent himself but he knew his was faring better than Kyle and wanted to do something to help if he could.
“No, really - I just... I have to go,” Kyle said. He was going to throw up. He’d screamed, and now he was going to throw up. Taking one last look at Matt, he ran from the room.
Matt wanted to say something else but Kyle had already fled before he had the chance. Letting out a sigh, he rubbed the back of his neck and took a seat beside the desk. His hands were still trembling slightly but he forced himself to write anyway - if it turned out illegible and he needed to re-do it, well that was a small price to pay for having something, anything that stopped him from thinking about what Violet had looked like stretched out the floor and how much it reminded him of the murder that had brought him to prison five years earlier.