I heard an old man from the cell in front of me say,
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just don't feel so well," I muttered.
"We best try to sleep," he suggested.
I went back to my bed and actually fell asleep. I saw a vast white space spreading out forever. It looked like heaven, but then I saw a world, though it wasn't my own. It felt different, off somehow. Then everything became distorted. Gruesome creatures appeared, the kind that only exist in horror movies. I found myself in a long hallway. At the end, I saw Yui. I sprinted toward her, but the hallway stretched endlessly. When I finally reached her, her face fell off.
I jumped up, drenched in sweat, fear clawing at me. I looked at the man from the other cell. He was also awake. He wore an orange suit, had a white beard, and was bald. Despite being in a jail cell, his eyes felt kind.
"The name's Yamato. What's yours?" he asked.
"I'm Yuki," I responded.
"What are you in here for, Yuki?"
"They accuse me of a crime I didn't commit," I said.
"What a coincidence. They did the same to me," he laughed. "Kid, let me tell you something. It's not like you'll get a bad punishment. They can't prove you did it if you haven't. You'll be fine."
"Yeah, you're right. It'll probably turn out okay," I said, trying to believe him.
Suddenly, I heard it again:
"Footsteps in the hallway,
Shadows on the wall.
When the truth is whispered,
Will you even hear the call?"
It sent shivers down my spine.
"Hey, do you hear that too?" I asked Yamato.
"Hear what?" he replied, confused.
"Never mind," I muttered.
I waited another day in the cell, still without much appetite. That night, as I lay on the hard bed, I saw a girl run past the cell in full red clothing.
I immediately jumped up, scanning the bars. But there was no one. I fell asleep finally, hoping the trial would free me.
The next day came. They put the cold handcuffs on my wrists again. They were tight, biting into my skin. I asked about Yamato, he had vanished since the previous evening.
"Yamato, the old cellmate of that cell, was executed a year ago," the guard said.
"WHAT? That's impossible. I just talked to him yesterday morning!"
I overheard the guards whisper:
"Do you think this kid's going insane?"
"I don't know."
I ignored them. Soon, I was back in the police car, heading to the courthouse. I kept thinking about everything that had happened in the prison. A bad feeling settled in my chest, but I still clung to hope that the trial would finally set me free.
When we arrived, the courthouse was swarming with the press. They brought me inside. The hall was massive, and dozens of people stared at me. The judge sat elevated at the back, and the victim's parents were to the side. I didn't dare meet their eyes, keeping mine on the floor, yet I could feel their judgment.
The guards pushed me to my seat. My legs felt weak. The judge struck the gavel.
"Court is in session."
The prosecutor stood. He didn't look at me. He spoke as if I weren't even human.
"We are here for the case of Yuki Aoba, a sixteen-year-old boy who inappropriately touched the victim, who tragically took her own life afterward."
My heart stopped. She died? I didn't even know her. Why?
The prosecutor continued.
"We have camera footage of the boy near the station. A piece of the uniform was found. Witnesses confirm everything. The evidence points to him."
He lifted a small bag containing a piece of fabric.
"This was found in the victim's hand."
Gasps filled the room. I felt sick.
"That's not mine," I whispered, but no one reacted.
The judge turned to me.
"Defendant, do you have anything to say?"
"I'm innocent. I don't know her. I didn't do anything. I fainted that night and don't remember anything after lying in my bed," I said.
Silence fell for a moment. Then someone in the back laughed quietly. I wasn't sure if I imagined it.
The victim's mother suddenly stood.
"You monster! She was terrified! She said someone in a Hoshuko uniform kept following her!"
She cried. Her husband clenched his fists, glaring at me like he wanted to kill me.
"I didn't do anything," I said again, my voice cracking.
The prosecutor requested the camera footage be shown. The judge agreed.
The screen displayed me walking outside. At least, it looked like me. But something felt wrong. My movements were stiff, puppet-like, my head completely still. For a brief second, the footage glitched. In that instant, I thought I saw something red and blurry behind me, but it vanished.
"I don't remember this," I muttered.
The judge leaned forward.
"Do you have any proof you didn't do it?"
I froze. How do you prove something you don't remember?
"I don't have anything," I said quietly.
Whispers erupted. People looked at me like I was a monster.
The judge raised his hand, and the room fell silent.
"Based on the evidence provided, the court finds the defendant, Yuki Aoba. Guilty."