(North Wing)

Two pairs of eyes looked down at the guard who had lost his life from a bullet to the head. The acid that was poured over the iron bars had begun to spread on the floor. "Wait for my signal," a man in a guard's uniform murmured. The two convicts who managed to escape from their iron confinement bobbed their heads in unison.
***

(East Wing)

Mark had tossed and turned on the three chairs that he positioned side by side as an improvised bed. He felt uncomfortable, not because of the chairs, but because of the uneasy feeling inside his chest. His body shook, not because of the coldness of the night, but due to the erratic beating of his heart. Something was wrong, he felt it with bone-deep certainty.
***

(West Wing)

Warden Protacio gazed at the wall clock inside his office. It gave a soft chime as the hands struck twelve. The night had gone too deep, and yet, he still felt the urge to continue reading. Harold's words kept ringing inside his ears. What exactly did he want to find? What was it that he wanted to prove? Maybe it's all curiosity on his part. Maybe, 247's simple words made him want to delve deeper into the old man's past.

So, without anything else in mind, Protacio began to read the ninth letter.
***

Dear Maria,

How are you? It's almost a decade, hasn't it? It's been so long. I'm now one of the most feared inmates in our prison. The well-behaved brand had long been thrown out the window. I am now the second in command of the Blood Brothers. We have reigned inside the prison without a single soul willing to stand in our way. The guards themselves feared our presence. I can tell because they have decided to keep our group isolated from the rest of the inmates. We slept, ate, and walked the yards a separate time from the other prisoners.

A demon, that's what I have become, or maybe, that's what I've always been. Salvation is what I need now. I never wanted to become this. I never longed to be this kind of man. All I ever wanted Maria, was to be with you. But I keep missing that opportunity. I keep deviating from a clear and safer path. Much like I did years ago.

After I killed your rapist. I found myself on the brink of death. I roamed inside a wooden area, ready to die. My thoughts were full of you. My heart constantly ached for you. My head was filled with questions about you. Were you alright? Have you recovered? Did you manage to forget everything in two years? Were you safe?

I must have fallen and hit my head or passed out due to blood loss. I couldn't be certain. All I knew was when I regained consciousness, I found myself inside a room. Everything was white and bright.

At first, I thought I had died. I was happy. I thought finally, it was over. It's not that I blamed you or anything, Maria. Only that, the love I had for you was turning into physical pain. I love you. I love you so much. But as I lay there, believing that I had died, I felt happy and free. For once, I spent a full minute without you in my head.

But eventually, reality knocked me out of that dream. That wake-up call was given by a young boy. When he entered the room, I thought he was a cherub, but cherubs don't curse. They can't possibly, right?

Of course, they don't Maria.

The boy must have been gazing at me and then he started to scream, "You took my bed, you homeless moron." Then he went on to say, "I don't understand why Papa had to pick up stray dogs like yourself and bring them home."

Was it wrong of me to have wanted to strangle that boy? Because at that time, I was tempted to do so.

I don't know how long it was before someone else went inside my room. The person sounded like he was in his late forties. He didn't say much though. He came and gave me medicine, cleaned my wounds, and left without a single question.

At that time Maria, all I felt was pain. My face throbbed, and every time I tried to move a muscle on it, or purposefully pursed my lips, there was a sting that lingered after. I felt so much pain. My entire face was covered in gauze, so even when I tried to look at my reflection in the mirror, I couldn't see anything. I couldn't tell how many or how deep the wounds on my face were. But, it was probably a good thing. I didn't dare to face myself.

In those days I lay helpless and wounded. I managed to rethink the thing I had done.

What I did to that man was unimaginable. Deciding to leave him inside his house for his family to come home was far worse.

But, if you're wondering whether I regret what I have done, I can answer you with only this. It went against my head, but it felt right to my heart.

My heart was all that mattered to me. A heart that only knew one word, and that was your name.

It was probably a month before all the gauze on my face was taken off. At first, I was devastated. My image mirrored what I was inside. A monster! I had truly turned into a monster!

My lower lip was torn, making me look like a man with a very nasty cleft palate. My left cheek had a black coloured dent on it. A long horizontal dent ran in a curved line from near my ear and crossed along my cheek and up to the bridge of my nose. My right cheek also had a scar. It wasn't as bad as the dent on my left cheek, but it appeared like someone had run a knife on it. My forehead was also littered with scars, black nasty, deep-looking scars. I was a monster!

Frankenstein had more of a chance to be considered a human, compared to what I looked like at that time. I spent the next few days locked up inside that room, despite the constant talk the man, who had introduced himself as Pastor Ralf gave me.

I believe it was a month before I finally agreed with Pastor Ralf to leave the confines of my room. The window I had inside that square-shaped chamber faced a river, so I wasn't even sure what awaited me when I stepped out of my room.

To be honest Maria, I felt scared. I didn't know those people, but it was clear, that they saved my life.

When I strode out, I realized, I was inside a church. An old-looking church.

The bell rang Maria. I have to stop right here, but I promise you. I will continue with my story. You might want to know those people I have met. They were wonderful and full of kindness.

Merry Christmas Maria! Today, we received word that the new prison is ready. We are about to be transferred!

Love Forever

Your Silent Knight.