Namine rests her forehead on the heel of her palm, exhaling softly. I lean back against the wall, sighing as the cold seeps into the backs of my arms. Moira hunches over the now evolved map, tracing her finger over one of the arrows and checking the time written next to it. “There are too many guard patrols; we need another couple people to start a fight or a revolt around the area of cell block ‘D’.” She states. “If we do that things will be way too suspicious and the guards will be patrolling more or they’ll drop gas on us.”
I run my hands through my hair. “We could fake a medical emergency as well as the other fight and Cloe and Amber’s distraction; something serious enough to gain attention but not enough to warrant a really quick response. Maybe a seizure, people have those often enough that it would draw enough attention but the guards wouldn’t try to move them or call back up.”
Namine looks up, resting her chin in her palm. She shifts her weight around, moving the bed slightly, and reaches over to turn the map towards her.“That might work; our main problem is the lounge, most of the normal patrols center there. There are always two of them within ear shot of the hallway that Mag needs to get across to hit that sweet spot. Using your idea, we could draw the guards enough to give you a small window to pass. The guards would be close so Blaze would never try anything there.” She traces her finger around the map, envisioning the movements of guards. She circles around for a few minutes before tapping a spot to the left of the lounge, at the apex of a hallway that ran parallel to the one I need access to. Namine picks up the pen that she’d smuggled from the library, scribbling down a code and time. “As far as preplanning, we’re done. Now we’ve just got to figure out who is doing the newer parts, we can start asking for volunteers tomorrow.”
“Not tomorrow, I need a day to go back to the weights, my muscles are weakening.” Moira interjects.
“You can ask in there then, tell us the results before dinner.” I respond. Moira glances at me and nods.
“Alright, then we’ve got a mission for tomorrow. Let’s hope things turn out favorably.” Namine announces. “I’m going to head out, see you tomorrow.” She rises, carefully folding the map and stowing it between the pages of an old comic book. She hides the pen between the wall and mattress of my bed. While Namine performs her ritual, Moira stands, moves to the other bed and strips off her jacket and pants, leaving her in a white beater and white panties. She lies down as Namine crosses to the exit.
Once Namine is gone, I grab my pillow and throw it to the head of the bed. I arrange myself to cradle the pillow with my head on it. “So, when are you going to tell them?” Moira asks after I settle in.
“Tell them what?” I ask.
“Don’t play dumb, you got approved for parole three weeks ago.”
I sit up and look at her, dumbfounded. “You should stop slinking around like you do, you’re like a super spy that gathers all the information you need to completely understand everything around you.” She smiles. “I don’t know, next week maybe. I just haven’t had a reason to them; I don’t know when I’m leaving yet, when I find that out, I’ll tell Namine so that she can get her plan together by then.”
“You’re still going to help her, then?”
“I gave her my word and I’ve got my own reasons to take out Blaze.”
“Those reasons would be?”
“Spy around some more and you might figure it out.” She smiles and waves her hand dismissively.
“Go to bed, already.” I sink back down, closing my eyes.
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“August tenth.” Moira whispers in my ear as she wraps her arms around my abdomen.
“You’re sure?” I ask. She nods and gives me a peck on the cheek.
“Be good; tell Namine when she comes to the cell tonight.”
“Since when am I your bitch?” I question, pulling her arms off of me. “All this, be good bullshit, the way you talk to me and order me around. You make it seem like you’re topping me, and you ain’t.” I turn around and face her; she looks away from me and nods.
“Alright, I’ll step off. Point still stands; you have to tell her tonight.” She stands her ground. I nod.
“Thanks for the information though.” She shrugs.
“Don’t mention it.” I smile.
“I’ll be sure not to.”
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Namine hunches once again over the map, pen in hand as she makes little marks that only she can decipher. “Janet, you said, was the faker, right?” She asks.
“Yes.” Moira answers.
“The girls watching the shower room?”
“Mike, Tiffany, Flo and Tina.” I answer.
Namine checks names and time with us for the next half an hour until she’s satisfied that the map. After she’s folded it and stowed it in the safety of Batman and hidden the pen, I speak up. “I’ve got something to tell you.”
She looks up at me, curious. “What is it?”
“I’ve been approved for parole. I’m getting out on the tenth of August. Can you have everything ready for the ninth?”
Namine takes a few seconds to digest this before jumping at me, wrapping her arms around me and giving a delighted shriek. “Why didn’t you tell me you were being reviewed? I could have cleaned up to make you look better.” I shrug. “Anyways, I could definitely have everything ready by then, but are you sure you want to take a risk like that?” I nod. “Okay, then I’ll make sure to have everything ready by the eight so we can get it done on ninth.” She presses a kiss to my lips and stands, leaving quickly. Moira retreats to her bed and strips herself down to her skivvies again. I settle myself in facing her, my blanket pulled up to my chin. She grins at me. “What are you waiting for? Go to sleep.” I smile back, saying nothing.
We wait together as the sun sets and our cell becomes darker. Finally the sound of jingling keys reverberates up the staircase. Moira turns onto her back, pulling her panties down and slipping her hand between her thighs. As the jingling gets closer, Moira’s excitement grows. Just as Moira begins to moan, the sound of footsteps stops outside of our door, a brunette guard pops his head in and smiles before stepping the rest of the way in. Moira pulls her hand away from herself and cleans her fingers seductively. The guard smiles and struts over to Moira, dropping his pants before hopping onto the bed. He quickly pushes his semi-rigid member into her pussy. They grind against each other, humping and pumping faster and faster until Moira comes, causing the guard to lose it as well. He kisses her as he pulls out. “Three days.” He says sweetly. “Come to the weight room tomorrow, I’m stationed there all week.” He dismounts the bed and redresses. She pulls her underwear up and turns to smile at me. She mumbles to herself dreamily before she passes out. I smile and shake my head, turning over and closing my eyes.
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Days pass by quickly, listening to Namine and the others set up the circumstances of Blaze’s demise, quickly becomes my daily activity. Occasionally I go to the weight room with Moira and work out. Other times I hang out with Namine, acting as an errand boy while she works at large tasks like introducing a cue system. Most of the time though, I just stay in my cell and read her books, remembering the way she looked as she read them, trying to figure out what made them her favorites. Some days I don’t even leave to eat or shower. When Moira told me one morning that I only had three days to muscle up to beat Blaze, I thought she was full of shit. She drags me to breakfast so that Namine could tell me, Namine agreed with her. I ended up spending the next three days in the weight room and the next two nights doing pushups and sit ups.
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When the ninth finally came I was ready. I wasn’t nervous like I was expecting, simply ready. I had no fear, my mind set on my goal and towards my form of absolution; I had the feeling of a knight on the way to battle. In the morning, I wake early and go over the plan in near whispers with Moira. Once our cell is unlocked I move quickly to the cafeteria. I choose a table and watch for my comrades, signaling them to me. Namine smiles at me, obviously proud of her puppet. I smile back, hiding my disgust for her attitude. My mind relocates itself to the goal, my task. I shake my head, a goofy smile planted on my face.
“You’re going to nap after lunch today, right?” I ask, Namine attempting establish a time line. Namine nods.
“You make me sound like a little kid.” She complains.
“Well what adult nap?” I ask teasingly.
“One who enjoys sleeping?” She shoots back. Twenty minutes after lunch lets out is when she will give her cue to begin. Forty minutes after lunch is when I will start to do my part, I gather from her verbal code. I flash the number four on my fingers to show her my understanding. She shows me number three. I nod my head to the side. I watch as everyone flashes numbers, peace signs, and other sign language cues to Namine, indication their positions in order of required readiness. Every mistake she sees she corrects with nods of her head and facial expressions, all while we chat lightly. We explore topics of the quality of food, the books in the library, and spend a lot of time on the TV shows we watched outside prison. By the end of the meal we’ve secured the entire plan and I’ve learned more about ‘Will and Grace’ than I care to know.
As we file out from the doors of the cafeteria, I watch everyone break off in different directions beginning to find their positions and prod other into theirs. I turn back to my cell, watching as Blaze trots toward her’s, half a hallway ahead of me. I locate Kami, Jaya and Hazel in loose arrow around her. I look for Amber and Cloe, but find them nowhere. Moira, I had watched leave in another direction while Namine was hanging the direction of the lounge. I keep a close eye on Blaze as I sluggishly move to my cell, covertly making sure she goes where we need her to be. Once I’m sure that she’s taken up a position within her cell, I duck into mine for a round of one hundred pushups and two hundred crunches before I lie down and listen for the sounds of Cloe and Amber’s supposedly unmistakable distraction. The sounds of moving feet, people talking, and clanging of cell doors lulls slowly until only the sounds of the patrolling guard’s jangling keys can be heard clearly. I listen intently for what feels like a long time until I hear two pairs of scurrying feet head for the cell block’s door. I raise myself into a sitting position, listening more intently for the hints of what was happening.
I hear Cloe’s flirtatious giggling, then the sounds of wet kisses. Amber mumbles something that sounds inviting, following by a bassy rumbling reply. Cloe giggles more, inviting something else. The sound of jingling keys resonates through the cellblock. The same bassy rumble calls out something, which is answered by an eager but slightly higher masculine voice. Four pairs of feet set off at a measured pace. I hope those two know what they’re getting into. As their footsteps recede I hear, barely, another male voice eagerly agreeing to something. After that dies away, quiet shuffling of feet is heard inside and outside the cell black as people moves into the positions for our plan. Once again I listen for the next cue, which will be my signal to move. Soon enough the sound of tumult spreads, small fights break out in rapid sequence, medical emergencies with no apparent cause begins to unravel the structure of the system.
Before long Moira pops her head into the cell, signaling go time. I jump off the bed and follow her out of the cell. While the sound of tumult reaches the block, none of the sights do. I see Namine, moving in from the side. Moira and I approach slowly from another angle, dipping into another cell to watch as Namine walks up to engage Kami. It’s not long before the cow takes a swing at Namine. The small woman sighs as she sidesteps, taunting Kami. She slowly creeps backwards, allowing Kami a few glancing blows and a solid hit. All while taunting and striking back, luring her back towards the doors to another cell block. When Kami is safely down the hallway, Moira and I come out of hiding. We dart up to the cell, where Jaya is looking in the direction that Kami disappeared in. “I don’t know she said she could handle it.” She calls back into the cell before Moira punches her in the face, knocking her onto her side on the ground. I crouch just outside the door as Hazel begins to rush Moira. When she clears the doorway, I spring and take her legs out from under. I make sure to slam her head against the concrete for good measure. I stand and collect myself, keeping a wary eye on the doorway.
I turn and walk into Blaze’s cell fearlessly, finding her sitting on the bed half groggy. “Alright, you want to take me out? I’m giving you the chance. A fair fight, just you and me but for that to happen you have to follow me though the shit storm that’s been orchestrated for this event.” Blaze looks at me for a few seconds, deciding, before nodding and standing.
“Lead the way.” She sneers.
We leave the cell, dodging Jaya and Moira as they duke it out. We travel to the cafeteria, past it and through the library. Even as we pass the lounge we see no guards. We do hear them though, a fact that keeps me on edge, causing me to walk ever faster when I hear yelling or running. We sneak past the seizure victim and finally come into the hallway that leads to the safe spot. I slow down to a leisurely walk, taking my time and collecting myself as Blaze hovers in my blind spot, her arms folded across her chest. “It didn’t have to be like this, but you know that already. That doesn’t matter though; I don’t think either of us cares anymore. You have your goals and I have mine. All that matters now is that my goals and your goals are opposing and one of us has to submit or die.” She speaks, mostly to herself.
We reach the end of the hallway and I open the door to a long abandoned storage closet. She steps inside and turns on the light. I follow her inside, closing the door behind me. She’s already sunk herself low in the corner in a ready stance. I pull myself to my full height, bringing my arm up to chest level. We stare at each other for a long time before she lunges at my legs. I kick her face, knocking her back. She jumps back up, lunging again at my, this time aiming to punch into my stomach. I open myself, taking the punch to score a blow to her head.
She remains in a dazed state while I collect myself again, blocking out the pain. Blaze pulls herself unsteadily to her feet. I take a few steps to reach her, my abdomen aching from the hit. Before I manage to strike, she’s recovered enough to make another solid hit, this time my left shoulder. She kicks at my legs catching my right knee. I fall hard onto my left knee. Blaze jumps onto me, her teeth snapping at my neck. I summon enough strength to shrug her off, causing her body to roll off of me and hit the cement hard. She grips her hand and moans, scrambling to her feet only to lose her balance and fall onto her ass. I catch my breath and summon my strength as I throw myself as her, using my weight to keep her pinned as I full my fist back and bury it as hard as I can into her stomach. Her body convulses then she vomits some food, digestive juices, and blood onto me and herself. I jump up to brush myself off, she turns on her side, groaning and she clutches her stomach. I walk around her body, looking at her. She removes her hands from her abdomen to place them on the ground to stand up. I kick her arms out from under her, causing all her weight to come down on her face. I hear a sickening crack and see blood begin to flow onto the floor. I hear a sickening crack and see blood begin to flow onto the floor. She picks herself up slowly, tottering as blood rushes out of her smashed nose. A macabre bubbling sound is heard as she breathes out. Her arms return to an up stance, shifting back and forth to stop from falling over as her balance faltered.
Her eyes are glazing over and losing their luster. I dart in and punch her gut again, causing her to fall on her ass, retching up blood. I follow her, kicking her chest to knock her back, leaving her prone. I place my foot over her throat, pressing down. I put all my weight on my foot, looking away as her frantic squeals and bubbling die down. My leg begins to cramp as I feel her body begin to thrash, but I only press down harder. Once I’m sure she’s done for, when the stink of excrement rises from her body, I remove my foot and look at her face. Purple and bloated her face stares at me with bulging eyes. I turn and head toward the door.
With my dirty deed done, I feel none of the freedom I had hoped for. At the same time I feel none of the guilt I had dreaded. Even though I had killed someone and avenged my lover, I felt nothing. I turn off the light and close the door behind me, shuffling down the hallway. I see only the floor and the walls, I hear yelling, groaning, thumping and crying. I don’t care, though because there is no body attached to the sounds. I make it to the laundry room and change my clothes and then go back to my cell, where Moira is waiting for me. She demands, apprehensively, the results. I give her thumbs up and sit down on my bed.
“She’s dead.”