Walking around with the prison guards, Gary found himself in a large open-spaced area. It was far larger than he imagined after going through all the hallways he had been in.
When looking ahead, he could barely see the other side of the wall, and looking to his right and left, he was unable to see the end of the hallways.
What caught Gary's attention the most was the number of prisoners inside wearing the same uniform. It was a little strange sight to see.
There weren't any benches or tables for one to sit at. Since they were dealing with Altered individuals, nearly anything could be used as a weapon. Instead, they had built-in natural seating areas with the architecture of the building.
The ground was raised up in areas, giving a place for those to sit at. Some areas just looked like giant steps, that a group of other prisoners were seated at.
In terms of the prisoners themselves, there appeared to be different groups of Altered that had gathered up in one or two areas. A group was sitting by the stairs.
Another group was hanging around a single cell door, then there were those that were just on their own, wandering about. While some were able to strut around comfortably, there were also those that looked nervous, their eyes darting around everywhere, wondering when they would get attacked.
"This is the open area where most of the prisoners spend most of their time," the guard stated. "At the same time, this is where most of the trouble is caused. If something happens here, I'm sure the warden already told you, we won't get involved.”
"There's only one time where we want you to completely stay out of trouble, and that is mealtime. They are set three times a day, and nothing else; if anyone causes trouble, that means no food for you.”
"You will see most of the guards during mealtime, and we don't want any problems. I'm sure you're not thinking of escaping either; this entire prison is located in the base of the White Rose.”
"Captains, Chiefs, and even those that are higher rank than them are all stationed above, but thankfully, there never has been a case where they have had to be called because if someone does cause a big enough mess in here, the warden gets involved, and she is strong enough to deal with any of you guys in here."
The guard walked around, and Gary could immediately see the others looking at him. He didn't look away; instead, he was thinking about how they got in here. Just what crimes had they committed to be placed in the same place as him?
Maybe, there were many that were like him as well, who were in here because they had upset someone with quite a bit of power.
What he also noticed, the white-colored uniforms, some of them were heavily stained with blood. Some of the stains looked to have been worn in for some time, washed multiple times but the blood clearly hadn't come out.
While others appeared a little fresher.
"We guards are quite respected on the inside," the guard continued to talk while he was leading the way, presumably to Gary's cell. "The prisoners listen to us because they know there is a line of order to Evr-"
In the middle of his sentence, he felt someone pull back on his shirt. The guard's body was slightly pulled back to where Gary was, and he could see that it was Gary himself who had pulled him.
"What do you think you're doing!" The guard shouted.
Moments later, right behind him, a large body crashed into the wall. It was bloody from head to toe, and was starting to shrink. It was an Altered. When looking at the direction where the man had come from, there was a large giant tail sticking out from the prisoner's back, with a stinger on the end.
It was starting to shrink as well, and there was a crowd that had formed behind him.
"What on earth are you doing, Stinger? That could have hit me!" The guard shouted back.
The group of men laughed as they heard this. "Ah, you know there isn't much to do in terms of fun for us, and one of the most entertaining things is always when someone new joins, and seeing where they are on the pecking order."
The guard then looked at the man who had crashed into the wall and was sliding down onto the floor. His bald-headed appearance, of course, he would have remembered it.
"If you need any more proof that this place is a dangerous one, then look no further," the guard said. "The person who is lying on the floor right now was the newest person to enter this prison. It's only been a week, and look at the state he is in."
Gary looked at him on the ground; his instincts were telling him to offer the man a hand up. That's what he would do in a normal situation, but he had to remember something; these weren't normal people in here; every single one of them was most likely convicted criminals.
"Who was he?" Gary asked.
"Oh, what, you think that matters? You want to see how strong you are compared to the others?" The guard asked. "He was a Tier 2 gang member. Most likely someone who took the fall for those in an even higher position. Since everyone in here is an Altered, nearly every single one has a connection to a gang in some way."
"He's right." Stinger said as he started to walk over and placed his foot on top of the bald man's head. "Even in here, some of us need to worry about who we offend out there, so I have to ask, young one, what's your affiliation to get you in here, what gang are you from?"
Not hesitating, saying the name loud and proud, Gary gave an answer. "I'm from the Howlers Gang."
Stinger chuckled. "Never heard of it. Which means you're going to get a lot of attention in here."
******
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