I know I haven't updated in. well, forever- but when I looked back and saw
the number of reviews, I felt really bad- plus I was thinking about how
much I hated someone starting a story and then never finishing it. So I'm
going to wrap this one up in a couple more chapters.
Chapter Eight: Making Plans
The plan was simple enough, almost unbelievably simple. If Percy's father wanted a fight that Percy couldn't give him. we would show him something that he wouldn't believe. Brutal was all in favor for personally jumping the man and demonstrating the sort of things you learned on E Block when folks like Wharton stepped into play, but I said no.
"That's not fair- he doesn't deserve fair, but he does deserve what we're going to give him. All we need to do is be witnesses."
Dean rubbed his forehead, frowning. "Are you going to bring him up for it, Paul?"
"There are laws against battery," I said. "As long as Percy doesn't know about it, I can handle things."
"Percy's one of us now," Dean protested, still making those little circles with his fingers. "There's no reason we can't tell him- except that he might object, and then. oh, I see where you're going. So he doesn't even have a choice in the thing?"
"The general gist of the thing is that we're going to win this time," I told him. "Harry's death was the last straw."
"Boss?" I barely heard Coffey's voice at first, and then the feeling set in on me as the warm, husky voice spoke again. "Boss Edgecombe, you have to watch out for the bad man. Something bad goin' to happen."
I would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so ironic- Harry dead, Percy getting beaten up, Brutal actually CARING that Percy was getting beaten up, and John Coffey was just NOW informing us that something bad was going to happen?
I could have told him that a long time ago.
Brutal looked over at Coffey as if he was thinking the exact same thing. "We've been through hell and back," he said, his voice rough, like it had been rubbed over too much sandpaper. "There's not much that would surprise me now."
Dean made a weak attempt at a smile. "Actually, I'm still hoping for a girl guard, Brute."
"Bite your tongue. With our luck, she'd help the prisoners escape."
Which made us all look at Coffey, because despite everything, it was still in the back of my mind, how Coffey had healed me, and how Percy had been dying one minute and living and breathing the next. Nervous glances were exchanged.
"And fall in love with Toot," I put in hastily. The recovery was made, and laughter broke out a little shabbily.
"Think Toot can really get a girl?"
I snorted. "Dean, the day Toot gets a girl is the day that. well, the day that the state lets us have girl guards. Okay, bad example, all things considered, but."
Silence broke out again, and there was only the memory of Percy standing there in front of me in the basement, his back slowly oozing with blood. Something inside my stomach tightened and my muscles clenched up.
"So do we do it tonight?" Brutal asked.
Chapter Eight: Making Plans
The plan was simple enough, almost unbelievably simple. If Percy's father wanted a fight that Percy couldn't give him. we would show him something that he wouldn't believe. Brutal was all in favor for personally jumping the man and demonstrating the sort of things you learned on E Block when folks like Wharton stepped into play, but I said no.
"That's not fair- he doesn't deserve fair, but he does deserve what we're going to give him. All we need to do is be witnesses."
Dean rubbed his forehead, frowning. "Are you going to bring him up for it, Paul?"
"There are laws against battery," I said. "As long as Percy doesn't know about it, I can handle things."
"Percy's one of us now," Dean protested, still making those little circles with his fingers. "There's no reason we can't tell him- except that he might object, and then. oh, I see where you're going. So he doesn't even have a choice in the thing?"
"The general gist of the thing is that we're going to win this time," I told him. "Harry's death was the last straw."
"Boss?" I barely heard Coffey's voice at first, and then the feeling set in on me as the warm, husky voice spoke again. "Boss Edgecombe, you have to watch out for the bad man. Something bad goin' to happen."
I would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so ironic- Harry dead, Percy getting beaten up, Brutal actually CARING that Percy was getting beaten up, and John Coffey was just NOW informing us that something bad was going to happen?
I could have told him that a long time ago.
Brutal looked over at Coffey as if he was thinking the exact same thing. "We've been through hell and back," he said, his voice rough, like it had been rubbed over too much sandpaper. "There's not much that would surprise me now."
Dean made a weak attempt at a smile. "Actually, I'm still hoping for a girl guard, Brute."
"Bite your tongue. With our luck, she'd help the prisoners escape."
Which made us all look at Coffey, because despite everything, it was still in the back of my mind, how Coffey had healed me, and how Percy had been dying one minute and living and breathing the next. Nervous glances were exchanged.
"And fall in love with Toot," I put in hastily. The recovery was made, and laughter broke out a little shabbily.
"Think Toot can really get a girl?"
I snorted. "Dean, the day Toot gets a girl is the day that. well, the day that the state lets us have girl guards. Okay, bad example, all things considered, but."
Silence broke out again, and there was only the memory of Percy standing there in front of me in the basement, his back slowly oozing with blood. Something inside my stomach tightened and my muscles clenched up.
"So do we do it tonight?" Brutal asked.