History Information
Introduction
Four kids in a family is above average but not too shocking. That was what Jack grew up with in Tampa, family of four and nothing extraordinary to spice it up. Everything was perfectly normal… for a while. He had something worse than being an abandoned orphan to deal, knowing your parents and knowing you were never good enough. His older brother by five years was the golden child who was great at everything and never did any wrong, even when he joined a gang called The Reapers. His sisters, his elder by a year was their princess and the same as his brother and the younger, by seven years, their little precious angel. Jack was the kid who supposed to “be more like your brother.”
“Fuck that, man.”Becoming a man… as a boy
“Yo, man… I hope you’re up for this little dude.”“Yeah, we don’t give a fuck who you related to or how old you is… you gonna get initiated the same as every other fucker in the Reapers. So is you ready?”The twelve-year old boy nodded solemnly as he prepared himself for the ritual to gain entrance into the gang known as the Reapers. The two members with him acted as escorts as he made his way into the large abandoned building that had a large sign above the door the read “Reapers” with a design of Death behind. He was escorted before a large stage and centered before the mass of ninety-seven gang members, all of whom had passed this every ritual. One of the escorts moved back into the crowd as the other took the stage where a elegant chair was placed and in… sat the leader, a massive man draped in a black cloak with silver hair that feel gently over his shoulders. The escort on stage turned to address the assembly.
“Y’all know why we here tonight. We here to see if this kid got what it takes to be a Reaper. Y’all know what to do and remember that this kid don’t get no special treatment, no matter who he is. So let’s start this shit up… best a’ luck young one!”With that a ritual stomping began and shouts from the crowd soon followed as the boy in the middle prepared himself as best he could for the oncoming assault. With his eyes darting back and forth, the young boy caught sight of a charging member in time to duck the punch that was being thrown. After the close call the boy tried to back away a bit only to feel the crushing force of someone’s boot driving into his spine. He stumbled forward but did not fall and turned slightly dazed to see his first attacker once again on the move. Finally the survival instinct in him kicked in as he avoided the attack while landing his own to the gangbangers gut and following it with a shot to the jaw. But he got no rest as a larger member grabbed him from behind locking him in a bear hug as another came rushing forward. In order to get out the boy slammed his head back into the larger man’s face as a way to weaken the grip. It worked and the boy was able to wriggle out before turning and tossing the dazed behemoth into the other attacker. His reward was a drop kick that would catch him square in the chest as he turned to view his surroundings. The kick sent him to the ground and caused another rush of adversaries that the boy would have to fend off while getting back to his feet.
That was only the first few seconds, it would continue for ten minutes… if the kid could survive that long. He wouldn’t, though not due to lack of effort but the fact that he would face something no other member had to face during their initiation. Something no newcomer could overcome…
Seven minutes into the battle the gang members were cycling and quite fresh, the kid was bloody, beaten and exhausted with sweat dripping down his body. He had held his own and the gang, out of newfound respect was starting to back off like it always did, however one man wasn’t about to. As the boy spun to gauge his surrounding he felt the tremendous force drive through his gut causing an amalgamation of vomit and blood to fly from his mouth and onto the cement floor. The leg’s owner was none other than the gang’s leader himself. The boy gather up any strength he had left to try an attack but before he could the leader spun around and landed another kick. This time to his side that sent him careening across the ground. As the boy tried to rise, the leader picked him up like a rag doll and landed several vicious body blows with his fists to the boy’s ribs before hurling him back across the floor. Again the leader moved toward the boy with malicious intent, however this time the boy got off a shot just as the leader arrived and…
“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!”A chilling scream erupted, the cheering and stomping had long since stopped, now there was just a silence of disgust and awe. The boy had thrown a left hook only to have it blocked and twisted around. The back of his hand was pressed against his back and his Humerus, the bone in his upper arm, was jutting through his skin causing a great deal of blood to pour onto the cement and spray into the crowd. The Reaper’s leader released the arm in order to prepare for a final assault when the man who had spoke at the beginning stopped him.
“Cross, dude, that’s enough!!! The kid is fucked up, man!”Trey Cross halted his attack and turned to his second-in-command before moving back to his seat to let the man do his job. DJ turned to the crowd and raised his arms up to get their attention. The kid by his feet had since passed out from the pain.
“So what y’all think?! Does this kid got what it takes to be a Reaper or not?!”The entire gang gave an ovation of approval… all but one man who remained silent. DJ turned to the boy and gesture for a few others to come over.
“You did it, Jacky boy, you’s a Reaper… now let’s get to fixed up, son.”Over a week later Jack awoke into a hospital bed with his arm in a large cast with a good deal of names signed over in graffiti style. DJ and Cruz stood there with grins on their faces. Cruz tossed a cloak over the kid’s feet as the two approached him. DJ grinned widely having known Jack since he was about four.
“How long was I out?” “Nine days now… you got fucked up seriously.”“Yeah, man… your bro was on a mission.”“… Did I make it?”“Yeah, you a Reaper now. And once you good an’ healed up you gonna be out there representin’.”“That’s right kid. You bet not fuck this up.”The two men chuckled as they turned to leave the room. Jack remained in bed with a small smile on his face. He was pleased with himself… he was a Reaper now. Just the first step…
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Jack the Reaper
Two black vans moved through the dimly lit streets of West Tampa under the cover of the dead of night. At a stalking pace they turned a corner and slowed to a stop in a part of town that was almost completely deserted save for the sounds of music a few buildings up. The doors of the vans opened and twelve figures covered by black hooded cloaks stepped on to the sidewalk. The apparent leader turned to the group and spoke in a low voice.
“Alright Reapers… let’s move out.”As the group neared the building from which the sound was coming they split up, as three made their way up the fire escape the other nine made their way toward the back entrance. Once the group on the fire escape reached the top floor, the group at the back door took out the few guys smoking without any true effort and made their way into the building. Within minutes the sounds of screaming and fire works busted through the pounding sounds of techno that had been blasting from the large speakers. The three men upstairs burst through the window as most of the attention was drawn to the two story open area where the party was taking place and made their way toward a certain room on the fourth floor. Chaos ensued as ravers scrambled about and Reapers clashed with members of the gang who was running it, the Sky children. Many of them were out of it, doped up on drugs and alcohol, and out of their minds. None took any true effort to defeated for the Reapers who were creating the panic.
Upstairs the three others reached the destination and had a small problem. Speed was key and two large men, who hadn’t partaken in any of the activities downstairs, were guarding the door. Quickly the three dashed down the short hall to the door and a battle… ended? As one swung a big right hook the target Reaper slipped aside and slammed his elbow into the man’s face. Before the man could react a combination of punches collided within millimeters of the same spot sending him to the ground in a bloody heap. The other swung his leg at the charging childish figure only to find air and pain. His kick missed as the kid slid along the ground underneath it, but the Reaper’s fist did not as the boy drove it into and through the man’s groin exploiting the ultimate weak spot. As the man fell forward grabbing his wound loins, the third Reaper stepped forward and swung his leg as far back as it would and brought it forward to the point where he could almost kiss it. The midway point was the man’s face and the force sent him airborne into the wall causing it to crack from the impact. The group then burst through the door to find the Sky children’s leader ready to make a break for it… not happening. Noticing he was trapped the guy sat back down as the three Reapers cornered him there.
“Eheh… Can I help you guys?”“Yeah I think you can, tell me what the fuck you think you doin’?!”The man stammered for an answer as the Reaper who spoke stepped closer to the desk before slamming his fist into it while grabbing the leader’s collar with his free hand.
“This is Reaper’s territory, you little piece of shit! So unless you want us to come in full force and fuck you all up royally you better pack your shit up and get lost. Try this in someone else’s turf. Got it?!”The man nodded fearfully, and the three turned to leave while one sent a quick text message to the others downstairs to roll out. Moments later the group was back together at the vans and loaded to leave. They removed their hoods to relax and the one who had spoke to the leader, turned to the youngest of the group who had the privilege of going up to confront the leader of the gang.
“So lil’ Cross… did you enjoy your first mission as a full fledged member?”“It was alright.”“Haha! Nice shot on that guard by the way… that dude never saw that shit coming. Boom! Nutcracker. Hahaha.”The whole group had a laugh as they drove back to the Reaper’s base, for lack of a better term. They talked shit up what happened during the chaos and laughed about how scared the Sky children’s leader had been. However, this was the last time a mission would be this simple… the chaos was just starting.
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Temptation and Turmoil
A group of Chinese people strode through the entrance of the Reaper’s home dressed in traditional Chinese garments, all with the same design of a golden dragon somewhere on their outfit. The head of the group took the seat on stage across from Cross’ seat while the rest took positions around him. A girl, however, made her way to the seat beside the Reaper’s leader and after giving him a quick peck on the lips made herself comfortable. With a quick breath the man began to speak with a slight accent.
“We have a problem Mr. Cross. It seems there are reports that your men have been seen causing trouble in my territory, starting fights with my own men. This cannot be allowed to continue. I show you this courtesy due to your involvement with my sister, but do not think that I will continue as such if you do not cooperate.”“Sorry to hear about the problems you are facing, but it is not a Reaper causing them…”“Is that so? My men are lying then?”“Perhaps not… I believe someone is trying to cause us to go to war with each other…”On the balcony over looking the open area on the first floor and the stage where the meeting was taking place, Jack walked about with a bit of curiosity about what exactly was going on. He had been a member for almost a year now and had risen through the ranks quite quickly, however his brother demanded that Jack not be informed about a great many things. The younger Cross walked over to where a familiar ally was standing and inquired about the situation.
“Hey Cruz, what’s goin’ on man?”“Ya bro’s meetin’ with the Golden Dragons, homes.”“Why?”“Apparently some pendejo has been fucking with them while claiming to be one of us. And since your bro is with the sister of the Golden Dragons’ leader, Mei, it makes us allies or some shit so we can’t just tell ‘em to fuck off.”Cruz scoffed lightly while shaking his head, his disapproval his blatantly apparent. Jack kept his own more internalized and simply shrugged while leaning forward against the railing in order to get a bit more of the conversation. That way he didn’t have to go looking for someone who was willing and able to inform him.
“Well, Cross… how do you propose we find out if your hunch is correct? Mmmm?”"We simply ask around and make people tell us. Agreed?”The man nodded to the Golden Dragons bade their good byes and left with not another word, meanwhile Cross and Mei made their way toward the leader’s private room. As for the task of finding out what was going on, that was given to three men that no one would believe could fail. DJ, Cruz and Mick, another reaper who was of high ranking and one tough son of a bitch. Of course, DJ decided that another Reaper would be needed to complete this task and the one he brought along was none other than the leader’s brother Jack. It didn’t take them long to find someone who knew what they wanted to know. After all, gangbangers liked to party and drugs lead to lost lips… one man knew all secrets because he ran most of the parties.
“He’s over here! Hold still fucknut!”Jack shouted as he chased after the leader of the Sky children. He through so many parties, raves and whatever that almost every secret made its way to him. Unfortunately for him, the guy wasn’t smart enough to use that intelligence to his own advantage. Partly because Reaper’s had their own idea of a party and no secret got to him… and they were vicious. The man ran from the thirteen year old through the night streets only to turn a corner and collided with the redheaded monster known as Mick, who promptly slammed him up against the brick wall of the building.
“O-oh shit.”“Shut yer fucking mout’.”The three gathered around, Jack slightly winded, and prepared to get the information they needed. DJ stepped forward while Mick continued to hold the man a foot of the ground by his collar.
“We need ya help. You see there’s this guy running around acting like one of us and startin’ shit with the Dragons. We have reason to believe you know who the fuck it is. So start talkin’.”“Ah! Ok… ok… I don’t know exactly who is doing it but I caught wind that there is some kind of deal going down between the Red Riders, Downtown Kings and Snakebacks as well as some smaller gangs. Apparently they are scared that you guys and the Golden Dragons are going to join forces and try an attack.”“Fucking snakeback bitches.”“The kings and riders?! Really?”“Ye-yeah… I swear.”“What’s the big deal about that?”“Well, Jacky boy, only two gangs are really into the street racing scene… the Red Riders and the Downtown Kings… that means those two don’t get along to well. If they workin’ together against us then this shit is more serious than we fucking thought. And who do you side with, dawg?” “The Sky children are with you guys all the way.”“Good answer.”They released their informant and headed back to where they had ditched their cars for a foot chase. The three elder members were silent with the full knowledge of what was going to happen while Jack followed with a minute idea of it all. Their next move was simple, they had to give the information they had to the rest of the Reapers… even to the Dragons because they knew a war was just around the corner. Cruz and Mick headed off quickly leaving just DJ and Jack to mull around, more so for the second-in-command to get the message across to the new kid.
“Things are about to get fucked up Jacky. Been a long time since we had a war.”“So what? You just beat the other guy’s skull in… simple as that.”“Heh… I hope. The last one ended up involvin’ every gang in West Tampa, fucking chaos, man… not long before people were busting out weapons and the cops were blasting any gang member who looked the least bit like he was packin’. Lot of dudes died man… you was like six or some shit. Anyway… come on. I’ll give you a ride.”“Nah, it’s ok man… I gotta be somewhere so I’ll catch up wit’ you guys later.”“Alright Jacky boy… just watch yourself.”The two nodded a bye and DJ sped off in his car while Jack took to walking. It was late so the streets were pretty vacant but it was not late enough to have them be empty. After a good long walk he found himself outside a restaurant in the Golden Dragons turf. It was closing time and the employee left to close shut the doors before grabbing her keys to head off home since she didn’t live far. The slender seventeen year old smiled sweetly as she noticed the boy standing there.
“Mei…”“Hehe, anyone ever tell you that you look just like you brother?”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unleash the Dogs of War
Before the next month was over… the war had begun. It started between the Reapers and their enemies but before long every gang in the Tampa area was involved in the chaos. People were afraid to walk the streets even in the bright of day. Cops were worked to the bone trying to get everything under control, hospitals were over run with bodies both of gang members and civilians who were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Each day there were more casualties, the scary part being that the gangs had yet to resort to guns or knives. They were simple beaten to death with either a blunt object or just bare fists. Members of CRASH were terrified of what was coming… a loss of the hierarchy. Smaller gangs in certain areas were kept in check by the larger ones nearby, an example being the Sky children being watched by the Reapers. But with the havoc between larger gangs and the amount of men who were being put out of commission certain smaller gangs were getting ballsy and trying to take control for themselves.
The ritual for initiation was foregone in order to replace lost men and before another three months had passed seventy-five percent of the male populace between twelve and twenty-one were in gangs at some point. The female populace peeked at fifty-five percent. With rising tensions and new members who felt they had something to prove the violence continued to escalate…
Tires screeched as three cars came ripping around the corner off the off ramp. A dark green Buick LaCrosse was being chased by two red cars with a design of a demonic horse on there sides, one was a Lancer Evolution the other a Honda Civic. Inside the LaCrosse, Mick did his best to pull away from the other cars but they were built for racing through city streets, unlike his own. In the passenger’s seat Jack held on tightly so he did not go sliding about as the car whipped around corners trying to escape. Soon another two cars joined in, an RX-7 and WRX, with the same detailing and color as the other two. The cars swerved about their target, slamming together every now and again as they tried to force Mick off the road. Making things worse… the cops were joining as well.
Racing toward the next intersection the Civic moved to cut off the Buick and almost succeed, but with a quick jerk of the wheel Mick escaped while clipping the Civic’s bumper causing it to swerve out of control. The other cars zipped by just narrowly avoiding a head on collision but the lead cop was not so lucky as he slammed head on into the driver’s side of the Civic at nearly ninety miles an hour. The call had gone out and soon copters would be circling the air. That would become a great problem for all parties.
In order to end the chase as soon as possible, the Evolution drove right up behind the Buick so that his front bumper was pressed against the rear bumper of the Buick. Once in position, the driver floored it even deciding to use some of the NOS to boost his speed drastically, in also the one in front of him. In an instant, before Mick could react, the driver pulled around and slammed the Evo into the Buick in the same way Mick had done before. While the Evo slammed on its breaks to stop its own moment the Buick went careening out of control and into a parked car with immense force. The three red cars peeled off to avoided the cops leaving the mess of a Buick there.
Mick was dead, no doubt about it. However, Jack had survived the crash but not with out his own injuries. He crawled out of the car while trying to ignore the pain and disgusting sight of a bone in his lower left leg protruding through his skin and causing blood to pour out. With all his strength the boy crawled away, in case the car blew, and got his phone out to call for help.
“Hello.”Nothing
“Hello?”“Help… me…”Later Jack awoke in a hospital bed to the sight of DJ sitting beside the bed and Cruz standing at the foot of it. The buff Hispanic had the look of a man who was about to lay waste to any and everyone, basically he was about to as soon as he found out who attacked. DJ, on the other hand, was perfectly relaxed.
“Okay, who fucking did this, man? Tell me and they’ll fucking pay!”“The Red Riders.”Cruz stormed out on a mission to wreak vengeance and he would. Days later the news would report on a slaughter of a conflict between gangs in which the Red Riders would be found completely wiped out, many dead. Meanwhile DJ glanced at the weakened Jack with a list of questions that needed answering.
“How I get here?”“I brought you here Jacky boy… now tell me what the fuck Mei is doing calling me that you need help? Are you that fucking stupid? I know you and your brother better than anyone… he won’t fucking hesitate to kill you.”“I know.”“Then fucking enlighten me! What the fuck are you doing with her?!”“You make it seem like I’m fucking her!”“Are you?”“… no!”There was a silence after the shouting match reached the point. DJ shook his head in disbelief, he had no clue what Jack was doing but knew that it couldn’t be good. If he hadn’t been around Cross would have killed his little brother years ago, he hated him with a passion for some reason. Of course it was a two way street. DJ simply got up and left the room to let Jack heal and mull over everything. They were fast approaching the boiling point.
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Cross-roads
The war had raged on for almost an entire year with on apparent end in sight. Gangs that had once been overpowering and controlled vast areas were reduced to dust, every small time tough guy though he could start his own and take over the city. They weren’t wrong they just didn’t have the tactical prowess to due so. Soon only the Reapers, Downtown Kings, Snakebacks, Golden Dragons, Demon Dawgz, and 56th street crew remained. The rest were dust and while the survivors prepared to settle the score, the cops were preparing to due the same, not a gang member would be left, especially after the introduction of gangs three months back and the spike in deaths across the board. The perfect analogy is seven roads that meet in one intersection… seven massive big rigs are baring down on it at top speed hoping to pass through as the others crash into each other, only there was no way they would be able to…
“WOOO!!!”Jack and DJ shouted at the top of their lungs as the 1970 Hemi Cuda roared away from the mayhem behind them. Reapers were retreating in mass after successfully laying waste to their archrivals, the Snakebacks. All the while other Reapers fought other gangs as they fought each other. It was the LA riots of ‘92 multiplied fivefold. Unbeknownst to them cops across the city were gearing up to move out and end, with new ordinances as their best weapon. Any person carrying a gun and wearing gang affiliated clothing could be shot on sight… without warning. No one cared about the ramifications, they wanted it over with no matter the cost. The two Reapers became aware when out of nowhere three cop cars screamed onto their tail. The chase was on.
With smiled DJ pressed the pedal toward the floor, shifting gears when necessary, and the engine roared as the lime green Cuda began to pull away from the cops. Seeing that they could not keep up the cops began to fire shots in order to slow the Cuda down. It was to no avail as the driver dodged in an artful manner as he continued to pull away much to the cops frustration. They knew who the car belonged to and the prospects of who might be in the car… it could potentially have four of the top ten wanted gang members inside. After gaining a good distance, DJ zipped around a few corners to leave the cops far behind all the while skillfully controlling the monster of a muscle car to prevent a spin out. Unfortunately the police knew exactly where the car was heading, their net was closing in on the remnants before they knew they were only remnants.
As the Cuda pulled up to the Reaper’s home shocked over took the two inside, the place was in flames and in the distance cops could be heard closing in. The two sprinted from the car to see how everyone inside was doing and see how they could save from being arrested. Once inside things got worse, the leaders of the Golden Dragons as well as the few Reapers who stayed behind to guard the place lay dead. DJ scrambled to check the bodies for anyone living while Jack noticed something strange, the old red curtains were pulled about the stage, something that was never done. He ran through the small opening to see what the reason could possibly be and froze after just a few more steps. Void lifeless eyes stared at him from a mutilated female form that had been hung from a large wooden cross that had been erected, shreds of tradition Chinese garment clung to the body in parts but did little to cover anything, blood poured from half a throat as the front had apparently been ripped out. It was Mei. Before Jack could even process it all fully he felt himself grabbed from behind as a sharp metal blade was pressed against his throat and a voice that sent chills through his body entered his ear.
“Your time has come… my brother.”Not a word could be uttered as the blade ripped across his throat, Jack felt himself released and stumbled forward grabbing onto his throat with both hands in a desperate attempt to stop the blood, which seemed slightly light in its flow. The reason was the same old reason, DJ had intervened grabbing onto Cross’ arm and altering the attack enough to give Jack a chance to survive. Now DJ would face off with the older brother who he had know since the age of seven, who one who seemed to be out of his mind.
“Jacky… you need get out of here, kid… quickly!”All Jack could do was odd as he scrambled through the small opening as the curtains started to catch fire. It was hard to breath with the smoke and the wound to his throat . He was able to stumble to the door but collapses just a few feet away as the sirens of fire trucks and police cars pulled up. Behind the curtain the two continued to stare each down as the flames continued to grow. The building was starting to lose its structural integrity. Soon the two engaged in their epic struggle inside as the building started to fall apart in flames. Just outside a firefighter ran up to body outside and pulled it away. He was in shock when he saw the wounds and realized.
“I got a live one over here in need of immediate medical attention!”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sentence! Two years.
Jack awoke once again in a hospital bed, only this there was a cop sitting in the room with him while a nurse checked on him. He tried to speak but nothing came out but an exasperated gruff exhalation. Noticing this futile attempt to speak, the nurse shook her head quickly and placed a finger on his lips.
“Don’t try and speak, if you do they won’t be able to repair properly and you will lose the ability to speak altogether. Here, if you need to say something write it on this… I know its not much but it will help.”She handed the fourteen year old a whiteboard with an attached eraser and marker. He stared at it for a moment before feeling the bandages around his neck and remembering the events that had occurred just before he had passed out. For a moment he remained like that as everything came into his conscious mind to be processed. After a while he grabbed the marker and quickly scribbled down a question.
How did I get here?
“An ambulance brought you here from the fire in West Tampa… a gang building I believe.”Did anyone else come in?
“No, I believe so.”Jack slouched back in the bed while turning his head toward the window in a clear fit of sadness. For a moment he did nothing but stare before writing down on last thing.
What’s with the cop?
“I’m here to make sure you don’t try and escape. Then when you are healthy I’m to take you to be taken to the Carver Correctional Facility… your home for the next two years.”The cop said from where he was sitting. He had been watching the conversation because it was his job, to watch the kid and make sure he didn’t try anything. Jack nodded slightly and set down the board before turning to the ceiling tiles with a look of surrender. Carver… something created by the past year of war, created in order to deal with students deemed to for gone or who were waiting until they were eighteen to serve their time in jail. No one cared what happened there… no one, it was a vicious as a place could get. The lucky ones were to leave as paraplegics. Lucky.
Two weeks later, the bus approached the large prison-like facility known as the Carver Correctional Facility. In fact it was built just like a prison both inside and out. Five boys were in the bus, chained both hands and feet with orange jumpsuits on. The reason for it all was to get the seventy percent of the inmates ready for the real thing, a prison prep school of sorts. As the bus came to a stop inside the fence of the facility the five new inmates, Jack included, departed from it and were ushered by armed guards to where they would be informed of the rules and shown to their cells. This would be their whole world for the next two years, the occasional visitor for lucky ones would be their only outside contact. Jack was not one, his parents had disowned him and moved to Washington and anyone else who might was gone. Jack had only himself left but he figured that was all he needed to survive.
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Welcome to Hell
It had been about a year and nothing bad had yet to happen, sure Jack had his share of yard brawls, but nothing else. He enjoyed beating the crap out of loudmouths who talked shit when they came in for Grand theft auto or robbery. They thought they were hard criminals while many of the actual inmates had killed at least one person that they were caught for. Other were like Jack were they knew they had done things like that but it couldn’t be pinned on them so they were sent here from gang activities. As always, no one cared. The only consistent contact he had was his cellmate who reminded him a lot of DJ… except more religious. Name… Sean aka Bishop due to his religiosity and resemblance to the guy from Alien 3, who everyone thought was named Bishop but weren’t sure. Of course Jack had taken everything he said as insane mumblings.
One day Jack was lounging on a set of bleachers that were just placed arbitrarily placed about the yard when he over heard a group of guys talking about their distaste of another inmate. This, of course, agitated him to no end as he heard them complain about his arrogance and whatnot. None would do anything about it however. Once Jack had finally had enough of their simple talk he hopped up and burst through the group on a beeline from the inmate they had been talking about with the simple words distorted by a voice that sounded like the owner had smoked a pack a day for thirty years. Gruff and raspy.
“Fuck. If you chickenshits ain’t gonna do anything I will.”All the inmates knew Jack was a straight-to-the-point kind of guy, so when they saw him marching toward the other inmate they began to gather for the guaranteed fight. The other inmate, a guy named Coco, turned when his own group nodded in Jack’s direction, knowing full well what was coming. After a moment of immense silence, the two took to the fight without a word and a flurry of punches, blocks and counters. Either could land a solid blow for nearly two minutes of circling. The crowd surrounding chanted them on and the guards laughed and remained at their posts having no reason to get involved.
Both were sore from glancing blows but nothing of substance had yet been landed when Coco swung a massive right hook. Jack ducked under it and smiled as he thought he had a wide open shot at the guy’s ribs when a knee drive into his face busting his nose and causing him to stumble back in a daze. Before he could react Coco slammed a fist into Jack’s cheek that sent him right to the ground. Jack fell as blood started to pour from the broken nose and mix with the dirt. Not giving any chance for a counter Coco moved to drive his fist into Jack’s skull yet again but this time he was thwarted. Jack slipped aside and watched the fist slammed into yard dirt just barely missing his head. Like a snake the former Reaper pounced back, grabbing the man’s arm and twisting the elbow back until a loud snap silence much of the chanting. And before Coco could scream, Jack was pressed his left arm against the man’s shoulders to keep him pinned and pounding his right fist into the man’s head relentlessly. Five… ten… twenty! The guards finally rushed over and used their heavy-duty tazers to subdue Jack in a violent convulsion. Everything went black.
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The 9th Circle
When Jack awoke he found himself in a room that was dimly lit by a small barred window high up on a wall. In the center he was hanging by his arms, his hands tied to a rope that was tied to a hook on the roof, his feet dangled a good foot off the ground. He had been stripped off everything but his boxers and blood was crusted on the outside and inside of his nose. He was about to expunge it from his nostrils when a shadow moved from the corner toward him, actually three… two guards and the warden a stubby little fat man. As one guard played with appeared to be a whip, the warden strutted about taking in the sight before him.
“Those are some impressive tattoos, Mr. Cross, especially for someone your age. What does the Cross mean? I know what that tribal one is for, you’ve been extending it bit by bit while you were hear. No doubt it will finish at your wrist when you are released… but at this rate you’ll have to keep going until it is all over you.”Jack said nothing, he had no reason to since the reason for the cross on his back was his own and for no one else. Beside the little fat man didn’t really care, he had his own agenda of a conversation planned and Jack needn’t say a thing for it to run its course. The warden stared menacingly that the boy as he dangled there.
“You know you’re actions cost me a great deal of money. A lot of people come here to bet on you little fuck-ups fighting against each other and that boy you beat into intensive care was going to be in the next one. So you can either take his place or… face your punishment.”Jack said nothing and the warden simply nodded. Not to the boy but to the guard with the whip who had migrated behind him. An intense pain shot through the boy’s body as the whip cracked and split the skin of his back, but no scream left him. The warden looked as though this would coerce Jack into agreeing but he did not. Again the whip cracked splitting the skin of Jack’s back… nothing. Again and again it went until the former Reaper’s back looked like a scratching post. That did not stop them as the merely migrated to his chest and continued the process. Still Jack let out nothing but the occasional soft groan, no screams, no words, which infuriated the warden to know end. A few slashes into the front the warden walked up to the boy with a sadistic grin.
“Just agree and it ends… otherwise we can do this all night.”The response he got was what Jack had planned to do when he first regained consciousness. With a quick blow he expelled crusted, and some fresh, blood onto the warden’s face and suit. He laughed at the fat man’s displeasure but was soon cut short in a quite literal sense as the guard held him steady and the warden dug a scalpel into his cheek just below his right eye and dragged it down a short distance before pulling it back out. Jack was seething with hatred and pain as the guard released him to dangle there and escort the warden out, who paused for a second and looked back.
“Six months of solitary after he is fixed up… enjoy.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Awakening
If six months in Carver could seem like six decades, then that time spent in solitary at Carver… it felt like six lifetimes passed by the time Jack was released. There was no window, no bed, not even a true toilet just a small floor in the floor. Food was slide through the small gate on the bottom of the door and the only bathing opportunity was once a month when he and the room were sprayed with a fire hose on full blast. All he could do to maintain his sanity was pushup and sit-ups… any type of activity that kept his mind off the bleakness of his surroundings and the hunger that was in his gut most times. But day-by-day went by and he made it out without completely losing his mind.
Upon his release from solitary, the guards asked Jack what he would like to due first and he asked to be taken to the yard. Despite being informed that it was a torrential downpour outside he still wished to go. Once the doors opened Jack stepped out into the rain, letting cascade over him as he tilted his head up to the sky and fell to his knees after just a few steps, his arms extended to the sides. He had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life. The clouds, the sound of raindrops hitting the ground, the sound thunder, the flash of lightning, the feel of the rain and wind on his skin… it was overwhelming. For over half an hour Jack remained there letting the rain wash over him and was only stopped when the guards called for him to come in. He was then escorted to the showers for what felt like the best shower of his life. After that finished he was escorted back to his old cell for shuteye.
The next day in the yard, Jack just laid out on one of the bleachers to relax without a care of what was going on around him. It did not matter since no other inmate would touch him due to a sense of respect that they held. Those who had been around long enough to know what Jack had endured were almost in awe and those who weren’t were informed by those who were. He was given a reprieve that only a handful of others had, for all intents and purposes Jack was untouchable. As he lounged about Bishop walked over and took a seat beside him much to his internal dismay. Jack had always taken Bishop’s words, as bullshit and right now he didn’t want to hear it.
“You learnt quite a lesson, Jack… a tough one it was but you learnt something immensely invaluable. To appreciate the small things that life has to offer. That is the first step, man… the first step to becoming a betta person. People lack two things, appreciation an faif. Wifout those look at what the world becomes… that’s what we have to work to change, Jack. Teach people to appreciate an have faif, not in just God, but each ofver.”Jack said nothing but instead of tuning Bishop out completely, he began to listen. Maybe it wasn’t all bullshit… maybe there was some truth in his words. He had never felt the way about the rain or sun or the wind as he did now… maybe Bishop knew what he was talking about. Over time Jack spent a great deal of time speaking with Bishop, of course he started a vigorous work routine and spent time playing basketball and football in the yard when a game was going. The rest was either talking philosophy or Bishop helping Jack learned what he had missed in years of school. Each inmate was given an “evaluation” date either at the end of their time or when they turned eighteen. If they were deemed suitable they were phased back into normal society, if not they were either sent back to Carver or onto prison. Bishop had spent the entire time Jack had known him preparing for his evaluation, which was only two months away at this point, so his help would be greatly appreciated.
Slated for laundry duty the two spent the day talking and folding the sheets, towels, and clothes for the entire facility with a few others. Jack was still quite a skeptic though he was starting to come around, the concept that lost him was the faith part. He had never had faith in anything but himself. The former Reaper turned as they moved to grab another pile of sheets and held up his hands, balled into fists.
“I got faith in these right here, dawg, I don’t need your Jesus baby god or Buddha or whatever.”“It’s not what who you pray to but that you have faif in a higher powah that watches over us. More the fact that we can change… that people can change for the betta an make this world a betta place at the same time. An people can change, Jack, wheaver you believe or not.”“Tch… I gotta call B.S. on that one right there.”“That’s why you need faif. It gives you the strenf to go on an make the world a betta place. I don’t mean for us but for the future generations… they shouldn’t have to deal wif this shit. That much you can agree wif… right?”“Yeah… I guess.”Time passed and before long it was less than a week before Bishop’s evaluation, Jack’s was still four or so months away. To Jack it was both good and bad, he was going to lose the only real contact he had in the past almost two years while he was glad his friend… his brother was going to get out of this hell hole. Unable to sleep one night, Bishop kicked the bottom of the top bunk in order to wake Jack, who awoke and rolled to the side with an agitated mumble of…
“Whaaat?”“Jack. I want to show you somethin’… here.”Bishop handed up a small photo which Jack took a squinted to look at in the dim night-light. It was a picture who a beautiful African-American woman and an equally beautiful baby girl. He blinked a few times at the photo before Bishop explained without the need of a question.
“Those are my girls. My lady Shantel and my little princess Hope.”“They’re beautiful.”Jack leaned down and handed the photo back to Bishop. The man took the picture and stared at it.
“She was born two months after I got picked up… never even got to hold her. But I’m gonna fight for that kid. I will make sure she never has to go through what I did. I’ll be there for her from now on.”“I know you will, man… with you as a dad I wouldn’t be surprised if she went on to become the greatest President of all time.”“Hey Jack, you got anyone waitin for you?”“… no.”There was a long pause as Jack started to think back on everything that happened. His family disowning him and moving away, his gang laid to waste… all he had was himself.
“When you get out I’ll be waitin for you… we got to stick together. Homies for life right?”“Heh… yeah for life.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Judgment Day
Bishop’s evaluation went off without a hitch and soon he was dismissed leaving Jack pretty much on his own. For the next couple months he kept to himself and spent any free time working out either his body or his mind rigorously. Before long the months passed and Jack’s own evaluation was about to take place. He took the tests and met with a psychologist who wrote up a diagnosis who his mental state, which was added to his file with his record and a written recommendation by the warden. The committee met without even speaking to Jack and when he thought the interview was to begin they pronounce that Jack Gather Cross was to be released from the Carver Correctional Facility.
As the shock subsided Jack was relieved almost to the point of tears, which gave the committee proof they had made the right choice. The reason his evaluation had been so easy was that the fat ass warden was not such a vindictive bastard that one might think. He had documented Jack’s docile time after solitary and recommended his release, as did Dr. Lavenda the psychologist. Also, Sean Hastings had been working on a book and doing reports to the public about what went on in places like Carver in order to raise public interest and incite change. He had also written a recommendation that Jack be released… and after that went to pick him up. So when Jack had all his things in his small burlap sack and walked out of the gates looking for a ride, Sean Hastings stepped out of his car in a nice white linen shirts, black khakis and dress shoes. His baldhead glistened in the early morning light and that was what caught Jack’s attention. He turned and strode toward the man with a big grin on his face.
“Bishop. Man… don’t you look like a million bucks.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Into the Light
The small four-door sedan pulled away from the facility in the fiery orange light on the rising Florida sun. Jack was leaving it behind him, but he would carry the memory in scars and the tattoo that now engulfed his entire right arm except for his hand. He turned a glanced out the passenger side window that he had rolled down and saw the rising sun. A smile crept over his face as he watched it, soon Bishop turned to notice the sight as well.
“That’s something isn’t it?”“Yeah… I lived here all my life and never seen the sunrise. It’s amazing.”“I’m glad to see you haven’t reverted in my absence, perhaps I won’t have to watch you all the time then.”“Nah, what to watch for is if the feeling is still there five years from now… on its amazing but what stops us from taking them for granted all over again?”“Remembering… that simple.”It was the dead of summer. Jack moved in with Sean and his family only to find himself already one of them before he even walked in the door. Uncle Jacky. With a month and a half to go until school started, Jack found work with a local landscaping company and enjoyed his time working in the outdoors while getting a good exercise. It was all part of his release. In four months, Sean had demonstrated to their satisfaction that he was a reformed member of society and so Jack was released into his supervision, at request. The former Reaper would need to get a job, attend school, and stay out of trouble. Simple enough, or so he thought.
After two and half weeks Jack received a letter from a lawyer about an inheritance that he was to receive. Knowing that none of his family would have left him anything, he was naturally suspicious of the letter but decided to check it out nonetheless. He and Bishop drove up from Bradenton to the outskirt of Tampa where the office was and found the closest parking spot they could. They ended up a block for the office and took to walking the rest of the way since there were no closer parking spots. The two laughed while talking about the coming football season, Jack was a Bucs fan having grown up in Tampa and Sean was a Saints fan. It made for some good ribbing.
They were one building down from the office when the sound of screeching tires shattered the calm of the air. A car raced down the streets and was accompanied by the loud blasts of gunfire. People screamed as they ducked for cover, bullets through windows, storefronts… and Jack’s chest. He felt the bullet rip through the center of his body, everything in the path being taken with it. He fell forward as his strength and consciousness left him. He believed he was dead…
The next thing that appeared before Jack’s eyes was a bright light, a light he knew all too well… the hospital ceiling lights. He was alive! A soft chuckle escaped him as he came back into the world bit by bit, though his chest hurt with each one. He turned with blurry vision to see a familiar figure walking through the door and blinked the fuzz from his eyes to see Shantel Hastings looking at him through tear-filled eyes. A sudden chill struck him, as Jack was able to scratch out the question.
“Where is Sean?”“He didn’t make it, Jack… he died in surgery early this morning.”Not another word, there was nothing to be said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Destination – Philly
Shot dead center and he survived while another brother was killed, Jack was withdrawing from everything and refused to eat. After two weeks the staff was becoming concerned and his appointed psychologist was called in to speak with him. Of course there were others problems that needed mentioning… Jack was about to be put back.
Dr. Lavenda made her way into the room where Jack was being watched over as he recovered from the bullet wound. She took a seat in one of the chairs as Jack sat by the window, staring aimlessly out. The boy was obviously a mess and things were about to get worse. Dr. Lavenda set her folder down and began to address Jack in a matter of fact tone.
“Good evening, Jack. It’s been a couple weeks… I hear you’re not eating. That’s not good. How do you ever expect to get better if you don’t eat anything? I suppose you don’t, right? Just going to let yourself rot away… thought so. Anyway I have other business to get to. Since the person assigned to watch you in your probationary stage has passed away there is talk in the committee of sending you back to a correctional facility, a lesser one, until another is found. There is a fear that you will revert to your old ways. Frankly I can’t blame them.”“So why the fuck are you here? You got no reason to tell me this.”“True. However, Sean was the best turn around the system has ever seen and I was the one to do his psyche evaluation as well. From your record I can tell you’ve come quite a ways as well, so I don’t want to see you put back in, even if it is a lower level facility. I have proposed an alternative to the committee that they will agree to as long as you agree. You will be enrolled in a new school that is really five brought together, Mugen Hall. You will be placed into the Martial arts academy known as the Jeung Institute.”“Mugen Hall… Jeung… martial arts… the fuck? I don’t know shit about no martial arts.”“I know, but it would be a good place for some of that rage of yours to be harnessed and they schedule bouts between students. So you can fight without violating any rules. It is in your best interest, Jack.”“Where is this place anyway?”“Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.”“What stops me from never showing and just fucking disappearing?”“Nothing… the committee won’t care as long as you don’t come back to Florida, after all no one is going to come looking for you.”There was a moment of silence as Jack debated over his options, or lack there of. He sighed before finally turning away from the window and staring at the Doc.
“I’ll head up after Sean’s burial.”“Fine by me.”~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Life is a highway
A lime green hemi Cuda, that looked like it had taken a beating, tore down highway 50 heading east in West Virginia with the radio blasting a local station that came in. The driver was just a kid, sixteen years old, and on his way to his new school after burying a dear friend. The boy’s cell phone began to ring and forced him to turned down the sounds of “Freebird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd.
“Speak.”“Jack, t-this is just too much.”“Shantel, don’t worry about it. That is your money to keep, okay? My way of paying back Bishop for everything he did for me. And remember if you need anything just call and I’ll send some cash or come right back if I haveta.”“Jack… I-I… thanks.”“No problem, you just look after Hope and keep yourself safe. I’m gonna grab a job and send some cash when I can alright. Later Sis… and tell Hope I said to stay in school.”“I will… bye.”The money she spoke of was a check for forty thousand dollars that Jack had written. After taxes Jack had received fifty grand and a car in the inheritance that he had been going to collect when the drive by happened. The will had been of his brother, the one who had watched over him since he was a kid Darnell Jones… DJ. Jack had sent forty of it to Shantel and planned to place the other ten in an account in a Philly bank when he arrived from his account in Tampa. The car he was using to drive up to the school that he would be living at and attending for at least the next three years. He turned the radio back up while glancing at the map spread out on the passenger’s seat. On came Rascal Flatts with their version of “Life is a Highway”, Jack began to blast the radio again and just smiled as he drove with no firm idea of his path. One thing was certain… he’d get to his destination eventually, just a matter of time.
“Life is a highway
I wanna ride it all night long
If you’re going my way
I drive it all night long.”Of course when you sound like you’ve been smoking for thirty to forty years due to a wound to your throat… YOU SUCK AT SINGING.
Nonetheless, Mugen… get ready for Jack Cross.
{END}
