Gary didn't say much more to Stinger; he just gave him a single look as he continued to walk away and followed the guard to his cell room. It did make him think back a bit, about how much his life had changed.
He remembered when he was frightened of gangs, being chased by the Underdogs and in fear for his life, yet so much had changed. Here, he was in a prison full of hardened criminals, yet he wasn't scared for some reason. He guessed it was because he didn't have the time to be scared, not when he wanted to help everyone in the Howlers.
Stinger continued to look at the back of Gary as he walked off with a smile on his face, and when they were far enough to the point where the others wouldn't be able to hear him, he spoke up.
"Hey, ask around and see if anyone knows anything about this Howlers gang," Stinger stated. "It might be some new group, so try looking at those that went in recently. I want to know if he's someone we can mess with or not."
The man who had been defeated by Stinger was being dragged. He was mostly passed out, unable to fight back, but he did overhear the conversation the two had, and the prisoner couldn't help but think.
"The Howlers... I'm sure I've heard of them before… But I can't think straight because my head hurts. Oh well, I hope this damned Stinger gets what he deserves."
The guard and Gary took a turn down one of the hallways that branched out to the large main room. As they walked down, on either side, there were steel doors with small slits that could fit something like a food tray inside, but too small for any person to get out.
"Those guys from before, Stinger is their leader," the guard went on to explain. "He's probably the most active member and group out of those that are here, but you know, just because one barks the loudest doesn't mean they are the strongest.”
"I hear he was some gang leader or something, so he's able to rile up people well. The other groups ignore him because for the rest of them, he's a good testing point for a new person that comes in.”
"So I'm sure at some point you'll get hurt."
The guard then stopped in front of one cell door that was marked with the number 23.
"Look, I'm telling you this because you helped me out back there. As quickly as you can, gain favor with someone, a group of some kind. If you do that, the longer you spend in here, the safer you will be. Don't be a lone wolf; they get killed in here."
The man unlocked the cell door and opened it up. Inside the room, there were two beds, one on the left and the other on the right. Other than that, the room was barren of everything else.
"Even a toilet can be used as a weapon," the guard commented. "So if you need to, just find one of us, and we'll take you there. We used to have public toilets, but too many times they get trashed. Remember what I said."
"Don't worry," Gary said before the guard shut the door. "I already have my own pack; I don't need to be making a new one in here. I just need to get back to them."
The guard closed the door and shook his head, wondering if he would see the young one again.
When the door shut, Gary went to look at his bed. It was plain, with nothing but bed sheets. Judging by the door being shut behind, he could tell that it was locked. Since he had seen so many outside and judging by the schedule the guard had told him about, right now it was a free period.
They could stay in their cells and relax, or they could go to the center where all the other members and groups he had walked past were seen.
In the room, his roommate was present. He noticed Gary's presence and turned around to have a look. A man with a scar on the bottom of his chin and wild black hair. Ignoring him, Gary went to have some rest; his mind was full, and he needed to think about what the best course of action for him would be.
"Hey, what are you doing?" the man said. "Did you grow up on a farm or something? Did no one teach you any manners? You're just going to go make your bed before talking to me?"
The man sat up and was on the edge of his bed looking out at Gary.
"You need to introduce yourself when you're in a cell; that's the rule. Name, affiliation with the outside, who you are, and why you're in here."
Gary wondered if every person he met was going to be like this, and considering the place he was in, it might be the case. Not wanting to have constant fights with his roommate, he reluctantly gave an answer anyway.
"Gary Dem, part of the Howlers gang, in here under investigation, so temporarily," Gary answered.
This gave the other man a laugh.
"Ha, temporarily; do you really think that's the case? I think the shortest time I've spent in here was five years. Anyway, who the f*ck are the Howlers? I'm from the Pipping Gang; I was one of their members for a while, so my position is higher than you.
"At lunch, give me half of your food from now on; I need it more than your scrawny self-body. If you disagree, then I'm happy to fight about it."
At that moment, a ping was heard in Gary's head.
[System message]
[Your cell mate is being a bully, and he thinks he's better than you. Show him what you got, and you will get rewarded with the exp that you so desire.]
Gary stopped making his bed and turned around to the man. Immediately he kicked off from his foot and grabbed him by his face; he lifted his entire body and slammed him right into the wall. A loud bang and vibration was heard through several of the other cell rooms.
The man's eyes had rolled into the back of his head.
[12,500 exp granted]
"The reason why the Howlers are going through the situation they are going through now is because I was weak. I need to get stronger, and I'm not going to show any weakness while I'm here.”
"You touched the one thing that I need in this place to keep fighting, and that's food!"
*****
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