The block had always felt hostile, but now it felt poisoned. Every step Jayden took, he felt Spider's strings tugging unseen. Every guard glance carried suspicion, every whisper felt like smoke curling into his lungs. The smokes, the blade, the whispers—it was all part of a web. And Spider was in the center, pulling harder than ever.
But this time, it wasn't just Jayden in the crosshairs. It was Dre.
---
The Seed of Doubt
It started with a rumor, whispered just loud enough to travel.
"Dre runs things with Carter."
"Dre's feeding him moves."
"Dre's soft now—spending all his time coaching fire-boy."
Jayden caught the fragments in the cafeteria, in the showers, in the rec yard. Kids eyed Dre differently now—less respect, more suspicion. For years Dre had been untouchable, the block's quiet backbone. But Spider had found the crack, and he was widening it.
That night, Dre's voice through the wall was calm but sharp. "He's trying to cut me out from under you. If he breaks me, he breaks you."
Jayden pressed his palms flat against the concrete. "Then we fight together."
"No," Dre said. "That's what he wants. He wants us to swing wild, both of us gone. You hold the fire, Scrap. I'll hold the line."
Jayden clenched his fists, hating the truth of it. Dre was his anchor. Without him, the block would swallow him whole.
---
The Plant
Three days later, the trap snapped. Guards stormed Dre's bunk during lineup. Shoved him to the ground, tore his mattress open, pulled out a sharpened toothbrush wrapped in cloth.
The block erupted with noise. Some laughed, others whispered in shock. Dre's face stayed calm, eyes locked on Spider across the hall. Spider grinned, slow and satisfied.
The guards dragged Dre out, cuffed and bent low. Jayden's chest burned, fire clawing at the bars of its cage. Every muscle screamed to tear through the line, to swing until blood painted the floor.
Instead, he stood frozen, fists clenched, jaw tight. His eyes locked with Spider's. For the first time, Spider mouthed no words, offered no smirk. Just stared, daring him to break.
---
Isolation
That night, Dre's voice was gone. The wall stayed silent. Jayden tapped twice, then again, then harder, but no reply came. The silence was heavier than chains.
Paranoia coiled tight in his chest. If Spider could take Dre, who else? Who was safe? Who wasn't his? Every glance felt like betrayal, every step like a trap waiting to spring.
Jayden opened his sketchbook with shaking hands. He drew Dre's bunk empty, the shadow of bars across it. Then he drew a flame inside the emptiness, small but unbroken.
Underneath he wrote: If he breaks my anchor, I'll become my own.
---
The Shift
The block felt colder the next morning. Spider walked taller, Rico sneering at his side. The whispers spread faster now—"Dre's finished." "Carter's next."
But some eyes flicked toward Jayden with something else—hesitation. They'd seen Spider's hand too many times. They'd seen how neat the stories always lined up.
Jayden caught those eyes, held them steady, gave no reaction. Not yet.
The fire inside was hot, steady, waiting.
Because Spider had crossed a line now. It wasn't just Jayden he wanted to erase. It was everything that kept him human.
And Jayden knew: when the fire came this time, it wouldn't be just for himself.