"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars."

~ Khalil Gibran

Chapter VIII

(8 years ago)

Year 2046

On the second night, after the lights went out, the three men surrounded Yoki’s bunk. He felt their presence before he saw them, the oppressive heat and smell of their bodies looming over him. He tried to ignore them, hoping they would go away, but he wasn’t that lucky.

“Hey, kid,” Maxwell said softly. “You awake?”

Yoki didn’t respond, hoping they would leave him alone. He was wrong.

“I asked you a question, kid. You awake?” Maxwell’s voice was low and menacing.

“Yeah,” Yoki whispered, his voice trembling.

“Good,” Gavin said, his wild eye glinting in the darkness. “We got a little initiation for you.”

Before Yoki could react, they grabbed him. He fought back, but it was no use. They were too strong, their hands like iron clamps around his wrists and ankles. They tore at his clothes, their laughter echoing in the small cell. The pain was excruciating, and he screamed, but no one came to help. No one cared.

“Shut him up,” Wolf hissed, his voice cold and detached.

Gavin stuffed a rag into Yoki’s mouth, muffling his cries. The rest of the night was a blur of pain and humiliation. When they were done with him, they left him lying on the cold, hard floor, bleeding and broken.

“Welcome to Stonegate, kid,” Maxwell sneered before climbing back into his bunk.

Yoki lay there, unable to move, tears streaming down his face. He wanted to die, to escape the nightmare that his life had become. But he knew he couldn’t. He had to survive. He had to find a way out, even if it meant enduring the torment.

He had a hard time getting adjusted to the endless tedium of life in Stonegate and the pain of being used like a toy. He couldn’t fight back after all; he was weaker than he was before. He had lost his ability to fight. He thought back. At least school had given him new challenges every day—even though they were easy for someone of Yoki’s intellect. And at least at school, people had been willing to acknowledge his presence. Here, he felt like he didn’t exist at all, until night came around.

Worse, he had no idea how to mourn his parents’ deaths. Stonegate didn’t give him any time or space to do it. He felt like he had to be on his guard constantly—that if he showed any sign of sadness or anger, that would make him a target. He knew that he wasn’t just being paranoid. The other criminals could sniff out weakness from a mile away.

Even if there had been room for him to grieve, he wouldn’t have known what to do. Nothing seemed appropriate for the scale of his loss or the horror of what he’d seen and done. He constantly felt like he was walking through a gray fog where nothing mattered.

A few weeks into his time in Stonegate, he was summoned to the guards’ office.

“Yoki,” the head guard said, gesturing for him to sit down across from him. “We’ve gotten a message from the state.”

“Okay,” Yoki said. He didn’t take the seat.

“They told us that, because you’re a minor, you have to be given the option to take classes. They sent over a bunch of schoolwork for you.”

“Okay.”

“If you complete all of it over the next few years, you can earn your GED. Wouldn’t you like that?”

Yoki didn’t see the point of it. Why would he want a GED if he was never getting out of here anyway? It just seemed like a lot of wasted effort.

“I don’t want to do it,” he said. “It’s okay. You can tell the state I refused.”

“Well, uh, it’s a bit of a delicate situation,” the guard coughed, looking down at the table. “See, we’ve never had a kid at Stonegate before, so it’s never come up. I’m sure you understand.”

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“Okay.” He didn’t understand, not really, but he was sure the guard was going to explain it to him—and take up a lot of time doing it, too.

“You’re actually not allowed to refuse. We’re required to educate you. Keep you up to grade level. You know how it is.”

“Sure. Fine.”

“So we’re going to take you out of the infirmary in the mornings. You’ll still make license plates in the afternoon, but you’ll spend every morning doing schoolwork and getting ready to take the test. We don’t have anyone to teach you, so you’ll have to study on your own. But you’re a smart kid. I’m sure you can figure it out.”

“No,” Yoki said. “I don’t want to leave the infirmary. I like working there. Can I leave the license plate shop instead?”

“Now, Yoki. We make money from our shop. Every little bit counts.”

“It’s the one request I’ve made the whole time. I’ll study for the GED. I’ll do what you want. But I want to keep working in the infirmary.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” the guard said, crossing his arms. It was clear that there would be no negotiating with him. “Stonegate is expensive to run. We need that money. You’ll stay in the shop in the afternoons, and that’s final.”

And so Yoki lost the one thing that brought him any joy in prison and retreated further into himself. Even his studies weren’t interesting to him. He didn’t see why he was doing them, and he put in as little effort as possible. After watching him half-heartedly fill out a couple of worksheets, the guards concluded that he was an idiot. That was fine with Yoki. They could think what they wanted, after all. He knew the truth.

The days blurred together in a monotonous haze. The same routine, day in and day out. Exercise in the indoor yard, breakfast, work in the license plate shop, dinner, and then the dreaded nights. The other prisoners continued to ignore him during the day, but at night, the abuse continued. They found new ways to torment him, their laughter ringing in his ears.

Yoki tried to stay strong, to hold on to the hope that he would one day escape this hell. He threw himself into his studies, trying to distract himself from the pain. He knew he was smart, smarter than most of the other prisoners, but it was hard to focus with the constant threat of violence hanging over him.

He became a ghost, moving through the days in a daze. The guards didn’t care about what happened to him. They turned a blind eye to the abuse, their indifference adding to his suffering. He was alone, completely and utterly alone.

One night, as he lay in his bunk, trying to will himself to sleep, he heard the familiar sound of footsteps approaching. He tensed, bracing himself for the inevitable assault. But this time, something was different. There were more footsteps, heavier and more deliberate.

The cell door opened, and the guards walked in, their faces grim. They didn’t say a word as they dragged Yoki out of his bunk and threw him to the floor. The other prisoners watched, their expressions unreadable.

“You’ve been causing trouble, kid,” the head guard said, his voice cold. “Time to teach you a lesson.”

They beat him mercilessly, their fists and boots connecting with bone-crushing force. Yoki tried to fight back, but it was no use. He was outnumbered and outmatched. The pain was unbearable, and he felt himself slipping into unconsciousness.

Just before he blacked out, he heard the head guard’s voice, low and menacing. “Remember this, kid. You’re nothing. You’re nobody. Death is inevitable.”

Yoki woke up in the infirmary, his body battered and bruised. He could barely move, every breath a struggle. The nurse looked at him with pity, but there was nothing she could do. She patched him up as best she could and sent him back to his cell.

The abuse didn’t stop. If anything, it got worse. The guards and prisoners alike took pleasure in tormenting him, breaking him down piece by piece. Every night was a new nightmare, every day a new struggle to keep going. But Yoki refused to give up. He clung to the hope that he would one day escape this hell, that he would find a way to survive.

One night, the looming expressions of Maxwell, Gavin, and Wolf stood over him, their expressions a mix of stimulation and anger. Yoki tensed, preparing for another round of abuse. But this time, he was ready.

“Think you’re tough now, huh?” Maxwell sneered.

Yoki stood up, his body coiled with tension. “I’m not afraid of you.”

They lunged at him, but this time, Yoki fought back with a ferocity that surprised even himself. He ducked and weaved, using the techniques he had learned from his father. He managed to land a few solid blows, and for the first time, he saw fear in their eyes. He felt himself coming back to him.

Maxwell swung wildly, trying to land a hit, but Yoki dodged effortlessly. He channeled his anger and fear into his strikes, each punch and kick driven by a desperate need to survive. Gavin tried to grab him from behind, but Yoki spun around, delivering a powerful elbow to Gavin’s face, sending him crashing to the ground.

Wolf, seeing his companions fall, hesitated. That moment of hesitation was all Yoki needed. He tackled Wolf to the ground, his fists pounding relentlessly. Wolf struggled, but Yoki’s rage gave him strength. With a final, bone-crunching punch, Wolf lay still.

The cell was silent, the air heavy with the scent of sweat and blood. Yoki stood over his fallen cellmates, his chest heaving. He had done it. He had fought back, and he had won.

In the weeks that followed, Yoki’s status in Stonegate changed. The other prisoners gave him a wide berth, their expressions a mix of fear and respect. He continued to train, honing his skills, preparing for the day when he would finally be free.

The nights were still hard, and the memories of the abuse he had endured haunted him. But he had learned to channel his pain into strength, his fear into determination. He was no longer a victim. He was a survivor.

Yoki threw himself into his studies and working out. The knowledge that he had overcome his abusers gave him hope. He had a purpose now. He had a goal.

Yoki’s time in Stonegate became a relentless routine of survival and self-improvement. He continued to grow stronger, both physically and mentally. He formed tentative alliances with other prisoners, those who respected his strength and resilience. He learned from them, gathering knowledge about the prison, its routines, and its weaknesses.

The day finally came when Yoki felt ready. He was going to prepare a coup, waiting for the right moment. He knew he had to be patient, but he also knew that one day, he would find a way to escape Stonegate.

He was not alone in this hellish place. He had a future beyond these walls, and he would do whatever it took to reach it.

As the days turned into months, Yoki's determination never wavered.