Dance of the Macabre
Chapter 2
Author's Note: Sorry for no intro for the first chapter. This is an idea that I came up with after watching The Shawshank Redemption and Escape from Alcatraz. It is rated M or R for classic ratings for sometimes harsh language, prison violence, disturbing dialogue, sexual dialogue, and other things not appropriate for kiddies under 16. But I don't care if you read it.
The lights came on at 7:00 the next morning and the guards began waking up the prisoners. My eyes sprung open and I sat up on the bed.
"Cell check!" Someone yelled out and the doors to the cells slid open. I walked out and stood by the door, all the other prisoners did the same and the guard nodded. "Ok, get back in the cells!" We did and they slammed shut. I sat back on my bed and flicked on the tiny TV, it can up with a local news network and that was the only channel. I began listening and it turned out that the Cornerian Army had been sent into Zoness to clean up the mercenaries.
"Thousands of mercs have been captured or killed. They will be sent to all the max security prisons around Lylat. Channel 23 news."
"Hey McCloud, you have a visitor." I stood up and he opened the cell. "Paws." I held them out and he strapped them together. We walked down around the cells and he opened the door that led to the 'waiting' room of some sort. I sat down in a both that was surrounded by solid glass and through the steel-reinforced glass I saw my father.
"Fox."
"Dad, why have you come back?" He seemed to have trouble answering.
"Fox, I…I want to say that I am sorry for throwing you out."
"Dad, no…James that was over ten years ago."
"Fifteen years, twenty days, I haven't stopped counting Fox."
"Well now would be a good time cause I'm in here for fifteen."
"Fox, why did you do it?" I felt a flash of anger fly through me but I restrained myself.
"You abandoned me; I had no home, no family. You were the worst father in the history of Lylat, don't deny it James." I spat it out and my father looked down at the table.
"Fox, I'm truly sorry but I can't change the past."
"And I can't forgive you James." I stood up and I nodded to the guard. He opened the door and I left my father.
"He must be new."
"Haven't you heard who his is? He's Fox McCloud; do you know that he killed twenty Cornerians in less than a few hours? Stay away from him man." I heard the talk in the large shower room. It was an odd configuration with a field that split the large room in half; the field was clear and on either side, both sexes showered.
Yes, it was interesting.
I felt something trace a path on a star tattoo that was on my shoulder and I looked up a large cheetah.
"Hey, I'm looking for a new bitch and I hear that you are new." I didn't say anything and he pushed me. "You hear what I said? You are my new bitch vulpine." I looked at him and motioned with my paw to the females.
"You want a bitch, look over there."
He didn't like that. A wet paw flew toward my head but I quickly ducked and lashed out with my own paw; it slammed into his stomach and he crumpled. I finished him with a hit to the bread basket on his neck. He collapsed to the floor and I noticed that everyone was watching me. Some vixens had gathered and their eyes were boring a hole in my head as I looked around. Butch made a small groan on the floor and I walked out of the water, I threw a towel around myself and they were still watching.
"Man, McCloud took down Butch."
"He's going to be for some Hell soon." I heard someone say as I walked out of the showers.
Later that day I was sitting alone at a table in the cafeteria when a black panther walked up to me. He sat down across from me and I kept silent to hear if he had anything to say.
"McCloud, you remember me." I looked up at him and I did.
"So when are you going to try to kill me?"
"I'm not; you took down Butch and I figured that you and I could become friends, if you will."
"Why me?" I asked and the panther put down his fork.
"Well, you're a serial killer; a mercenary who knows how to fight and I feel that we have a lot in common. Like that tattoo on your shoulder," He pointed to his and I noticed that he had the same one. "I'm in here for murdering senator and his family; a few charges of rape, and other things." I stopped eating and I folded my paws on the table.
"Yes we have a lot in common but why? Are you trying to protect me from something?"
"In an odd sort of way; Butch is a rough character and if you ask the right animals, you can hear the horror stories of what he's done. I arrived here by myself and I didn't want to get in anyone's way. Come on Fox-"
"You want to be friends?" I asked and he nodded. "Call me McCloud and know what you're getting yourself into here. I saw some animals that I put in here, so you watch my back and I'll watch yours." I gave him my paw and he grasped mine. I also noticed something else; there was a red D tattooed onto his forearm and he noticed mine too.
"Get caught drug running?"
"Yes, several times." I took my plate and we placed them on a ledge where they would be taken away.
"McCloud, look." I turned around and I saw Butch. We locked eyes and he pointed at me.
"You're…dead." He mouthed and I nodded.
"I've been dead for years." I said and he walked away.
I walked out into the prison yard and the panther walked with me; we sat down on a ledge and I scanned the yard.
"You still haven't told me what your name is." I said and he looked out over the yard too.
"My birth name is Calyx, but you can call me Cal, it doesn't matter."
"Ok then Cal." I stood up and we began to walk around the yard. He often looked behind him and he held out a paw for me to stop.
"Butch is coming over here."
"Does he have something wrapped in a cloth in his paw?"
"Yes."
"Left or right?"
"It's his right one." I whipped around and the cheetah strode up to me.
"Fox, I'm sorry about for what happened in the showers the other day."
"Bullshit, lose the knife." He looked shocked but his surprise gave way to anger as the blade became visible and he whipped it at me. I dodged and the alarm began ringing; other inmates started fighting and tear gas grenades flew. I felt the impact of several rubber rounds but I ignored them as I ducked another swipe from the knife. Calyx tackled me and he used his momentum to roll us away from Butch; guard surrounded him and he dropped the knife as a tranquilizer dart thudded into his neck. He fell to the ground a few moments later and I stood up.
"Thanks Calyx."
"Just watching your back." A guard came up to us and two more flanked him with the shotguns.
"Were you involved in this?"
"He attacked me, that is all." I responded and I felt a dart thud into my neck. The liquid worked fast and I hit the gravel.
I awoke to darkness; my limbs were securely tied and then the lights came on, they blinded me and I quickly shut my eyes.
"So Fox, can I call you that?" The voice, it was the Warden.
"Most call me murderer, but you can call me McCloud."
"Ok then, McCloud, tell me why you were caught fighting and almost started a riot."
"Butch attacked me; I didn't fight back." The light was lessened and I saw the panther.
"But you attacked him in the showers. I see all McCloud and it was an unprovoked attack, I don't like those in my prison."
"He was going to use me as his bitch."
"Ahh, the bitch defense. You're preaching to the choir, I've heard this story so many times it makes my head spin." He sat down in a chair and his eyes seemed to penetrate me. "Funny, the last time someone held that defense, I threw her in the hole with Butch. Yes, you heard me right; I deal with the females too when they get out of line. When we took him out of the hole; the female was hanging on by a thread of life and she almost died the next day. You know what he did to her? Her cunt was ripped in so many places, teeth marks on her chest, not to mention that her ass was ripped also and it was obvious that she'd been raped over and over, she was covered in blood, and we still don't know the full extent. She is still alive but right now in a hospital under heavy guard and she'll be crippled for the rest of her life." His brutally shocking story didn't faze me, I'd heard worse.
"What was that narrative for?"
"Oh nothing. McCloud, I'm going to let you out now; one false move and I have to use force." He walked up to me and he unlocked the bonds. I rubbed my wrists and the guards came back in; I was escorted back to my cell but it wasn't the same cell.
I had a roommate.