CHAPTER 52
The next thing Finn needed as part of his master plan was a single bolt from one of the bleachers in the yard. It would be absolutely crucial to their escape. As he felt each bolt on each bleacher, Finn noticed that all of them were locked in. He kept looking until he found the corner bolt that was slightly loose. He started to unscrew the bolt, sitting on the bleacher to cover up his actions until he heard a voice speak out.
"Wrong piece of real estate, Fish." A random white inmate spoke up from in front of him. Finn looked up at him. "Belongs to T-Bag."
"Who?" Finn muttered.
"You best speak with respect, Fish!" The man spat. "The man kidnapped half a dozen boys and girls down in Alabama, raped and killed 'em. Wasn't always in that order, either."
"Does T-Bag have a real name?" Finn asked.
"That is my real name." A voice said from up ahead. Finn looked forward to see a man, presumably T-Bag, smirking at him. Behind him was a slightly smaller man, who was clutching onto T-Bag's pocket. "So, you're the new one I've been hearin' all the rave reviews about, huh? Hudson. One thing's for sure, you're just as pretty as advertised. Prettier even."
He then pointed across the yard, at the large gang of African-American men.
"Rugheads got you scared, do they?" He asked.
"Sorry?" Finn asked, confused.
"I assume that's why you're over here. Few days on the inside, and God-fearing white man realises the correctional system has got a serious lean towards the African-American persuasion."
"I hadn't noticed." Finn murmured as he kept surreptitiously unscrewing the bolt under the bleachers.
"They got the numbers so they do as they please." T-Bag said. "But we got one thing they don't… surprise. We're gonna take the ball game to them real soon. It's gonna be nasty for a first-timer like you, but we'll protect you. I'll protect you. All you gotta do is… take this pocket right here and your life will be all peaches and cream." He said, pulling out his other pocket and holding it out to Finn. "I walk, you walk with me. Keep you real close, so no one up in here can hurt you."
"Looks to me you already got a girlfriend." Finn remarked, pointing to the guy already grabbing T-Bag's other pocket.
"I got a whole other pocket over here." T-Bag replied.
"I'll pass." Finn murmured. T-Bag laughed.
"If I don't protect you, them rugheads gonna gobble you up like a plate of black-eyed peas." T-Bag warned him.
"I said no." Finn repeated.
"Then you best move, then." T-Bag growled. "Now."
Finn stood up and began to walk away, not having completely unscrewed the bolt.
"You come around these bleachers again, it's gonna be more than just words." T-Bag warned as Finn walked away.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
The next day, Finn walked into the yard and made a beeline straight to C-Note. The two of them walked side by side.
"How we doin' on the PUGNAc?" Finn asked.
"Hey, I'm workin' on it." C-Note replied.
"Well, work faster." Finn snapped. "I need that stuff tonight."
"What's up there in that infirmary that you need so bad?" C-Note asked.
"You get me that PUGNAc and maybe I'll tell you."
Finn then walked away and over to the bleachers. Despite T-Bag warning him to stay away, Finn had to go back because he NEEDED that bolt. He started screwing the bolt out and just as he pulled it out and began to walk away, he heard voices up ahead.
"Uh-uh… uh!" He heard a distinct voice drawl. Finn looked up to see T-Bag and his bitch standing in front of him. "I thought we had an understanding. This bench here's for the family. And you made it pretty clear you ain't blood. So how 'bout you hand that over?"
Finn sighed and tossed him the bolt.
"Nice-looking piece of steel." T-Bag remarked, weighing it in his hands. "Bit of work and you could do some serious damage with it. Question is, who was it you were planning on damaging? I seen you with the Negroes, you know. Well, maybe you're one of them milk chickens. All confused like. White on the outside, black as tar on the inside. Maybe we ought to take a look at them insides and find out. Hmm? Think we'll just hang onto this, if that's okay with you." He said, pocketing the bolt and walking away.
Once he was gone, Finn reassessed his plan. It would be easy for him to get back on track. He just needed to have a quick chat with someone. Spotting him across the yard, Finn walked over to Abruzzi.
"What does it take to shake down another inmate, get something he's taken from you?" Finn asked him. Abruzzi was one of the most powerful men in the prison so if anyone knew, it would be him.
"It would take Fibonacci." Abruzzi replied.
"I'll give you Fibonacci, I promise you that… when the time is right."
"The time is right now." Abruzzi spat.
"No, the time is right when you and I are both standing outside those walls." Finn replied. "You and I, we're sitting on life without parole. You're never gonna stand outside those walls again. Not unless you knew someone. Someone who knew a way out. What do you say, John?"
"I say I've heard nothing but blabber." Abruzzi replied before walking away.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Over the course of the next few days, tensions rose even further between the white and black communities. Most of the prisoners had armed up with small shivs, knives and other blades, preparing for an inevitable battle.
Finn stayed out of this as much as possible: his only focus was his upcoming prison escape and for that, he NEEDED the bolt. He had one option: go to T-Bag's cell and search for it when he was not around. Finn tiptoed into the cell and was rummaging through it until he heard a voice behind him.
"What you doing' in my cell?!" T-Bag shouted. Finn stood up and walked over to him.
"I want in." Finn stated. It was a lie he needed to come up in the moment. He, Finn Hudson, was signing up for the war between the White and Black factions. T-Bag's eyes widened. Meanwhile, in the cell opposite, C-Note was doing crunches and watching the interaction in T-Bag's cell. As a black man, there was NO WAY he was giving Finn the PUGNAc if he was fighting against them.
"I'm not quite sure I heard that, Fish. Did you just say you're in?" T-Bag smirked.
"That's right." Finn murmured.
"You know the old saying, don't you? In for an inch, in for a mile." T-Bag drawled.
"Whatever it takes." Finn spat. "You want me to fight, I'll fight. The bolt from the bleachers, that's what it was for."
"Well, you want to fight, you gonna get your chance. Next count."
"Tonight?" Finn asked, astonished.
"You got a problem with that?" T-Bag snarled. "'Cause we goin' straight at 'em. Better catch a square, Fish. We're undermanned in a big way."
"All I need is a weapon." Finn murmured.
"You want a weapon, bitch? Here you go." T-Bag's cellmate asked, taking the bolt out of his pocket. However, inside of giving the bolt to Finn, he gave Finn a tiny lollipop stick.
"You're gonna have to prove yourself before we trust you with the heavy artillery, if you know what I'm saying." T-Bag stated.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Later that day, Finn was walking to the yard when C-Note stormed over and shoved him into a wall.
"Do you think I'm a fool?!" C-Note growled.
"What are you talking about?" Finn spluttered, recovering from his hit.
"I saw you up there with the Hitler Youth. You know, I got a good mind to slash you open right now."
"It's not what you think." Finn muttered. "They've got something I need."
C-Note laughed.
"Now, see, that's funny. Because I got something you need, too. You want your PUGNAc, Fish? Well, your luck just ran out. You chose the wrong side."
With that, he walked away. Finn punched the wall in frustration. He now had neither the bolt nor the PUGNAc. His plan was unravelling fast.
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
That night, Finn was sitting alone in his cell (Martinez was still in the SHU), when the guards strutted into the cellblock for the roll call. The gates of each cell swung open.
"7-Up, cons. Stand your gate!" The guards shouted, meaning that they should leave their cells but stand right outside in a line. Finn knew from T-Bag that right now would finally be the fight between the factions. As the prisoners lined up outside their cells, one white prisoner broke the line by taking three steps forward.
"BALLARD! Get back on your number!" One of the guards shouted. Ballard didn't respond. Even the guards started retreating at this point. They could tell what was about to happen and sure enough, 5 seconds later, all hell broke loose…
White inmates lunged at the black prisoners, despite the fact that there were half as many white guys as black guys. Finn didn't want to get involved and he tried to retreat back into his cell when suddenly, a black inmate threw him over the rails and onto the floor below. Finn groaned in pain as he hit the floor and he rolled over to the side to analyse the situation. The black inmates were overpowering the white ones due to numbers. Finn watched as T-Bag slit the throat of one of the black inmates, but it was the man a couple of paces behind T-Bag that Finn cared about. T-Bag's cellmate, the man who had Finn's precious bolt, was standing there, alone. Finn started towards him and tackled him, grabbing the bolt from him and running away. However, their exchange didn't end there. T-Bag's cellmate chased after Finn and as he was just behind him, a black inmate tackled the man and stabbed him multiple times with a shiv, right in front of Finn. Finn's eyes widened in horror as blood erupted out of the man's chest like a volcano. The black man then ran away, leaving his victim to collapse onto Finn. Finn caught him as he fell but that was when T-Bag looked up. From T-Bag's perspective, it looked like Finn had just stabbed his cellmate.
"HUDSON!" He shouted in horror. It was at that moment that the guards dropped canisters of C.S Gas to disperse the gangs. Coughing and spluttering, the inmates dived back into their cells - Finn included - but not before hearing T-Bag shouting after him. "You're a dead man, Hudson! YOU HEAR ME?! YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!" T-Bag yelled after Finn. Finn collapsed on his bed as the cell doors swung shut. Despite everything though, he did have his bolt…