CHAPTER 8
PRISON PERSECUTION
The rest of Nox’s day was pretty eventful, as it always was for newcomers of prison life, and Nox understood that mudokon inmates stuck to their own kind, and vice versa for the sligs. Billy the ‘bull-scrab’ was the only exception, but he had a mental age of a child, so he hardly understood it all anyway. He was just very protective of Glon.
Rowl and Glon told Nox all this after breakfast, at exactly 08:44 am, according to Nox’s watch. They left the hall through the door at the opposite end of the hall that Nox had entered from the previous day, and walked out into the sunshine.
“This is the yard.” Rowl informed, as they all took in the view from the outdoors.
Nox could see a very formidable wire mesh fence, standing eight feet tall and topped with coiled razor wire. A couple of sentry towers made from logs of wood stood at either end of the yard, standing on the dusty, bare ground.
“Don’t even think of escaping out here,” Glon warned Nox, “You see them guards up in them towers?”
Nox looked up at them to see a couple of slig silhouettes, rifles loaded and ready to go.
“Them bastards will shoot yeh down before you even make it to the top o’ the fence. I know, I’ve seen it happen.” Glon mentioned in a serious tone.
“I saw it happen too!” Billy noted in contrast with Glon’s tone. Then forming a grimace. “There was lots of blood. Urgh, blood blood blood. Spraying it was.” Billy seemed lost in his own world for a moment, before Rowl began clicking his fingers.
“Hello? Come back to Oddworld, Billy!”
“Yuck!” Billy finished, un-phased by Rowl’s incessant clicking.
“Another thing,” Glon mentioned, “We like stickin’ together in here. Sligs with sligs, muds with muds. We don’t like mixin’ ‘em up, Billy here is a different sorta thing though, but usually, muds hate the sligs, and same goes for us. I’m just tellin’ ya’ in case yeh find yerself in a room fulla muds.” Glon then leaned in closer to Nox, “Just don’t trust ‘em!”
many of the inmates were leaving the hall now, and coming outside into the yard. Gangs took up their different loitering places, and so did the gang Nox was in. just underneath one of the sentry towers, they lingered in the shade; Billy leaning his massive frame against the logs of wood that made the base of the tower, his eyes closed, Rowl on his back on the dusty earth, sleeping, and Glon sitting against the tower, picking dirt from his fingernails, whilst keeping an eye on everyone in the yard. Nox was taking it easy also, but was interrupted by someone clearing their throat.
Nox looked up to see a slig CO standing before him, truncheon dangling from his belt and chunky-looking pistol sealed in its holster on the slig’s hip.
“Your clothes are in ya’ cell, newbie.”
Rowl woke with a jump, taking the CO by surprise, Nox noticing his hand reach cautiously to his baton.
“Whoa!” Rowl emitted, “I didn’t see yeh there, sir.”
“Whatever dip-shit.” The slig CO answered spitefully.
“Leave him awone!” Billy bumbled, standing over the slig CO, oblivious to his mispronunciation.
“Don’t make me do this shit-face!” The CO said whilst pulling his truncheon off his belt, obviously wanting to fight.
“Alright alright!” Nox said as he stood, “I’ll go get my stuff.”
The CO laughed mockingly, and replaced his baton on his belt.
“Come with me.”
Nox obligated.
He followed the CO through the yard, receiving threatening glances from various slig and mudokon gangs hanging around. Into the hall, and the cool air, up the metal stairway, to the second floor. Then towards his cell. Nox noticed the black & white striped shirt folded neatly on his bottom bunk when he reached his cell, and put it on. It felt slightly itchy and worn. Probably because it had been worn by hundreds of other criminals before Nox.
Just think about it Nox, all those evil beings, murderers, burglars, petty thieves, thugs, molesterer’s, sicko’s, muggers, evil bastards, violent scumbags, treacherous swines! All of ‘em, every single man jack of ‘em! They all wore it before you Nox’y! they all sweated in it, thought their own little twisted thoughts in it, all of ‘em! Heh heh, that’s right Nox! Every single fucking one!!
“I don’t give a shit!” Nox shouted aloud accidentally, immediately looking at the confused expression on the slig CO’s face.
“What?”
“Its nothin’, just me…not concentrating.”
“Whatever.” The slig said once again, passively, “Look,” He began, rubbing his visor in a troubled fashion, “Don’t think I’d care if I found you hung in here tomorrow mornin’ or dead in the yard in the next ten minutes, but you’re a slig, and I cant ignore the fact.”
He walked close to Nox, and muttered quietly, “I don’t like you mixin’ with that gang your in, none of the CO’s do. That mud, he ‘aint right in the head, and all muds are theivin’ scum. Mix with another gang, one that likes stickin’ muds and shit like that, and if you get a chance, stick one for me, eh?” He slapped Nox on the shouder, in an attempt to be friendly, “We’ll turn a blind eye to it every now an’ then. You know, just…don’t be mixin’ with them weirdo mud-lovers –”
“They don’t love muds!” Nox butted in, feeling irritated by the sligs ignorance, “Billy’s a different matter, any other mud would like to kill one of my mates nearly as much as they’d like to kill you!”
The slig CO gave Nox a sharp look.
“You threatenin’ me boy?!”
“I ‘aint threatening yeh, and I ‘aint no boy. Why don’t you tootle off and help your muds make dinner.” Nox couldn’t help it, and laughed in his face. He knew he’d gone a step too far.
“That’s it!” The CO began, “You’ve made a fucking powerful enemy my boy!” He pulled out his truncheon and pointed it at Nox whilst backing out of his cell, “You’ve got one foot in the grave, sonny! Watch ya’ back, ‘cus I certainly will be.” And in a moment, he was gone, to pursue whatever duties he had.
You’ve done it again!
Nox let out a long and deep sigh, one that only a slig as troubled and in as much danger as Nox was would ever be able to emit. Then, striving to keep control of himself, he broke down slightly, if that’s possible, and wept in well deserved self pity.
You disgust me…
♠♠♠♠♠
Nox was lying on his bunk when he heard a CO blow his whistle, and he looked at his watch, 12:31 pm.
Must be dinner.
Shift yer arse Nox! Might miss another fight!
He hadn’t moved from within his cell since his little chat with CO ‘shit-face’, and continued to lie on his bunk regardless. After a while, he heard a CO yell up from the ground floor of the hall.
“Come on suckers! Don’t wanna’ miss dinner now!”
Nox thought better of it, along with a few other inmates in a similar situation to Nox, and trudged out of his cell and down the metal stairway, sitting at a table on his own. Nox was given a tray with a tin plate and another spoon (not daring to give inmates potential weapons), a lump of cooked meat lay upon his plate, along with grey mush. Then Nox noticed something; a sligs hand waving at him a few tables away. Realization: Rowl and the group. Nox obediently joined them at their table.
“Where yeh been all day?” Rowl questioned.
“Oh, you know…gettin’ used to my cell.” Nox lied.
“We thought a group o’ muds had done you over or something!” Glon spat with a mouthful of half chewed meat, concerned.
“You know,” Said Rowl, “If a person says on their first day of prison life, ‘I was getting used to my cell’, they’re usually lying.” Rowl was clearly cleverer than he looked.
Nox just looked at him, not wanting to talk about it. He took the hint.
“What do we have here then?” Rowl started whilst picking up the meat with his spoon, changing the subject.
Glon glanced at him. Billy didn’t have a clue what was going on anyway, he was just trying to shove as much meat and mush into his mouth without choking.
“Scrab meat and processed slurg.” Glon informed.
“Whoa! You sure know your food, old slig!” Rowl laughed.
“Ah, can it.” He replied, scooping up some mush and eating it.
“Do ya’ think if I take this back and ask for my scrab meat rare, they’ll do it?” Questioned Nox jokingly, his mood lifting.
“Heh heh, yeh can try!” Glon joined in.
“I bet they have better meat than this outside!” Billy spoke, unusually, clattering his spoon down onto his empty plate.
Nox began his meal, eating the chewy meat first, then starting the slurg mush. Suddenly, a revelation came about Nox, and he felt he had to share it with his friends as soon as possible. This very second. He spat his mush back onto his plate and blurted;
“We could escape!”
Glon spat out his food also, and Rowl choked on the last bit of meat in his mouth, both recovered to say simultaneously: “What?!” Billy stared at Nox.
There was silence for a few sconds, before Billy broke it, starting to guffaw. Then the others joined in, hoping Nox was joking. He was far from it.
“I’m not joking.” Nox counteracted.
“Listen Nox,” Rowl intervened, “First things first: you’ve not even been here a day an’ your talkin’ about escaping! Secondly: Billy and Glon have been here longer than I have! We’re talkin’ three years for Glon, and ten fuckin’ years for Billy! It’d be like takin’ a slog out into the wilderness when its been livin’ in the factory for half its life; it wouldn’t know where to begin! And thirdly: it’s impossible!!”
“Hang on, hang on. You’ve got a point there Rowl,” Glon said, looking down in concentration and pointing his hands in Rowl’s direction, “But…I’ve got another two years on my sentence, and…I don’t wanna’ stay here a day more than necessary. I don’t even know if I’m gonna’ make it out of here alive! I could get shivved tomorrow, next week, next year! I’m fed up of havin’ to look over my shoulder. I might not even get shivved! I might just cark it tonight! My heart just…give up on me! I’m old, after all.”
“Look, don’t say that Glon,” Rowl said, concern in his voice, “Your not gonna’ get shivved or have heart attack, that’s your paranoia talkin’!”
“I’m not soddin’ paranoid!” Glon dismissed frustratingly.
“Don’t argue!” Billy added.
Thinking along the same lines, Nox interrupted, “Ok ok, lets take it somewhere more private.” Noticing a couple of mudokons and sligs looking over at their table. None, luckily, CO’s.
They stood, leaving their empty plates on the trays at the table, and Nox followed them to a cell on the ground floor, where a stranger mudokon lay on the top bunk.
“Oi.” Rowl spoke, sounding tired.
The mudokon inmate sat up, alarmed.
“Beat it.” Rowl said, with more authority this time.
The mudokon did as he was told and left the cell, his head bowed. Nox assumed this was Rowl’s cell.
“That was Ilon, Nox, he’s my cell mate.” Rowl told Nox, “Cowardly bastard, type that would stab yeh in the back for a shot o’ some Vykker drugs.”
Rowl sat on the bottom bunk, whilst Nox displayed a surprised expression. Billy stood by the barred cell door, apparently keeping watch.
“Yeah,” Rowl said, noticing his expression, “He’s a proper druggie. Vykkers Labs born an’ bred. Dirty, thievin’ sod.”
Nox felt outraged at Rowl for uttering such a comment. Such an ignorant comment. And in front of Billy of all people. Well, not that bad; he wasn’t listening, but still.
Let go…
Nox had to withstand the simple, sometimes over simplified, way of things in prison. If it’s a mud, it’ll stay to its own kind, if it’s a slig, it’ll make its own little gang, but still be against you. Same for other muds too. Everyone was fighting everyone in prison, and the whole process was watched and sometimes goaded by its overseers; the CO’s. a small, sick game, owned and run by Sronti, the glukkon boss of the whole prison.
Wakey wakey Nox! Losing your trail of thought again!
“Well, if we’re gonna’ do it, how we gonna’ do it?” Glon spoke, sitting next to Rowl on his bottom bunk.
“Hang on! Who said we were gonna’ do it anyway?” Rowl started, soon giving in. “Oh bugger it.”
Pleased with himself, Glon asked again, this time directed at Nox, “Well…how?”
“I’m not sure, I’ve not thought that far ahead.”
“Tunnel?” Rowl asked.
“Ay?! Tunnel?” Glon began, savouring the chance to take the piss out of Rowl whilst his subject put his head in his hands, realizing he’d just opened a whole tin of worms. “Where could we get the tools? How do we keep them hidden? How do we tunnel without drawing attention? And last but certainly not bloody least, where the hell would we tunnel?!”
“Alright, it was just a suggestion! Anyway, we don’t have to worry about tools or equipment, I know a slig who can get stuff for us, as long as it’s not too conspicuous. Friends with a CO, yeh see.”
“Well that’s good,” Nox added, “Wire clippers could come in handy.”
“Now your talkin’!” Rowl said.
“Look,” Glon began, “I told yeh, we cant get out via the yard, we’ll just get shot. That’ll be it, game over.”
“They lock it up at night as well. Padlock on the door.” Rowl said, sounding defeated.
“Well…” Nox started, but didn’t finish. He was well and truly bamboozled.
Then, unexpectedly, Billy had something worthwhile to add.
“I can open any padlock.”
Rowl shook his head, “Sure you can.”
“No really!” Glon, Nox and Rowl looked at him, and he proceeded to tell them how he had gained the skill of lock picking. “I used to work in this oil factory, and my friend taught me how to open locks with a nail or needle. You know, something long and thin. We used to break into the food store by doing it,” He gave a little chuckle, as if the old memories brought him joy, and again, he seemed lost in his own world, eyes glazing over. “Until this slig guard shot him. There was blood then, too. I don’t know why, but there was. Whenever there’s blood, someone dies, I think anyway.”
Glon and Rowl looked dumbfounded.
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me that three years ago?!” Glon yelled, Rowl looked astounded. “We could o’ picked some locks ourselves!”
“I didn’t want you to die Glon! I didn’t want you to die! Every time I did it ever since my friend died, I saw blood! And every time I see blood, someone dies!”
Nox suddenly understood. The mind is such a fragile, yet hardy, piece of work. Once something terrible happens to it, either by witnessing something terrible, or experiencing it firsthand, it then relates whatever tasks were being planned or acted out at the time with the terrible experience. And so, with a mind like Billy’s; so simple, it would translate the act taking place or perceived at the time directly with the horror. Therefore, never wanting to do that particular act again, in fear of a repletion of the scene.
“I know what you mean, Billy.” Nox comforted.
“Well, the yard would still be suicide, I think.” Rowl said, thinking more realistically.
Suddenly, a slig CO stuck his head around the open door, making Nox jump slightly. He walked in, swinging his baton around by the string lazily.
“Whats goin’ on ‘ere then?”
“No no no, see! I told yeh! Now someones gonna die!” Billy wailed, much to the others dismay.
“What’s he on about?” The CO questioned, ceasing his flailing baton.
“Err, nothing sir. We were just talkin’ about when that chap got shot by the fence. Nasty way to go, don’t yeh think?”
The CO said nothing, and instead turned to Nox.
“I hear you’ve been threatening our staff.”
“Oh no. Look, he was twisting my words around –”
“I couldn’t give a shit less,” The CO interrupted coolly, “If I hear anymore of it, you’ll be the one that gets shot. You hearin’ me sonny?”
That’s when Nox remembered who he was, the stern CO that led him off the train station when he first arrived here.
“I hear you, sir.”
The CO gave Nox one last look, and then walked out of the cell in his own time, swinging his baton around by the string once more.
Glon let out a sigh of relief, “I knew someone was listenin’ to us!”
Rowl seized his chance, “No you never, that was just your fuckin’ paranoia! Jeez!”
“Well I’d say it’s a good job I’m paranoid, because if I had my way, I’d of stopped talking way before he came in!”
“You were meant to be keepin’ a look out anyway!” Realised Rowl, turning to Billy, who hung his head in unnecessary shame.
Nox knew that this escape plan was going to need a lot of careful planning, and even smoother action when the time came. It weren’t going to be easy.
-----
dont forget people that constructive criticism is welcome!
|
Just thought I'd ask.
