Stone Sharp Vol.1

by White, Walt

  Spring time in Texas meant crazy, unpredictable weather. The most severe ones are the tornadoes, thunderstorms and hail storms. Texas belonged to the tornado alley section of the country. As much as the spring got looked forward to, it gets dreaded.

  It was the middle of the night, most inmates slept in their beds. Those who could not sleep like Rhino had one or two things to keep them busy. Suddenly, the power went out. The whole Camp got thrown into pitch darkness. The loud fans stopped working. Confusion filled the air. While inmates woke up alert and ready to battle, others woke up the older ones. The wretched smell of dead and rot filled the air in the Camp.

  The tornado sirens went off. It was no longer a joke. The inmates jumped from their beds. They hurried and put on their clothes in seconds. All the guards got called in to rally up the Prisoners into the underground shelter. The protective place was under the shop and Commissary building. It got designated for protecting the inmates and their officials in the case of emergencies. The situation on the ground was an emergency.

  It was no drill. Tornadoes had touched down all over Texas, destroying whatever was in its path. It was heading straight for the Camp. The news got welcomed with mixed feelings. Every inmate wished for the tornado to destroy the fucking Camp that night. It would sure give them room for escape in transit. The other feeling was that of ending their journey at that point and never getting to make it out.

  As Stone walked of the building to join the others, he could feel the charged air. There was a stream of electric current coursing through the body now. He was sure most others felt the same way. The body experienced such electric waves before a storm this big. Every cell in the body comes alive, and there was no mistaking that feeling. Although they felt nervous, they could not help the excitement. Bouts of cold and hot air swirled into the yard as they made their way into the shelter across the Prison grounds. There was a need to speed up things.

  The guards got busy with the shouts of "Move it, Move it!". The younger inmates helped, the older ones; the strong helped the weak. The shop was the most dangerous place in the Prison if a tornado hit before they got everyone into the underground shelter. It had enough tools that could kill a man should they get thrown with the right amount of force. Wall to wall tools and metal objects got strewn all over the place.

  The underground shelter, for the purpose which it served, had its design during World War II. During that time, however, it protected the military men from human-made disasters like bombs. Now, it preserved the man from the fury of nature. It seemed man must keep running from something; itself or nature. Often, it sat empty. It has the emergency lights that should not get classified as light. One could not see his next step with them. They were excuses for the room not being in total darkness.

  As the guards opened the shelter, the old musty smell stung the nostrils and held on to them. The door to their protection was inside the shop building on the floor. Four strong and muscled men had to force the doors open. The men got in one after the other. The guards took the count as they entered. Anyone that got left out had a scarce survival chance. The thought of Z was still fresh in their minds; they were not ready to lose another person soon.

  All two hundred men minus Z got packed into the building through the underground doors. They shut the doors after everyone was inside and secured. Now one hundred and ninety-nine Prisoners, wet, stinking and nervous sat huddled in the same room but never together. Everyone had gotten rallied up; the men in the Hole not excluded. Leaving them hanging in the hole is the fastest way to send them scurrying into hell. They could not afford to do that; the whole purpose of setting up the Camp was correctional, was it not? The whole place stank like shit. Some inmates were angry and unwell while others took what happened in stride. One thing was sure tough. The men could not bear being in the same place and segregated on their own.

  Faced with death, they preferred to die loyal than having the label of a race traitor. Factions sat huddled together like they would if they had a meeting at grandmas. The guards seemed uptight. Something was about to go down; nobody would ever forget that night. Such nights got etched in the memory forever.

  Soon, the tornado hit the facility. All they could hear in the underground was noise and nothing else. In time, dull thuds would resonate, showing lifting and throwing of heavy materials against the shelter. The inmates, packed together like tunas in sandwiches had not enough space to move around. The best option to get the blood flowing through the vessels seemed like standing, an option many chose.

  The shelter was dimly lit, with water dripping. The guards were trying their best to keep the factions away from each other. But the Black faction led by Javil had other ideas as they were always waiting for this opportunity where the guards would be stretched to the limit. Javil knew there would be that small window of opportunity when he could go after Stone.

  The chance came when Pincher one of the Federal Prison Camp guards moved away from the place where he was standing between Stone’s group and Javil’s group.

  The opportunity had come, and Javil would not lose this chance, and he made his move by moving towards Stone, who was standing at an angle which Javil thought was Stone’s blind spot. Javil moved, so others close to him did not notice the move until Javil had got to about two feet from Stone.

  Stone, though not a fighter with the reputation that Javil earned, saw Javil moving even before he had made his first step towards him. Stone knew this would be the place that Javil would make a move on him and had been eyeing Javil from the time they were all huddled in the shelter.

  Javil's right arm came swinging towards Stone’s right ear like a sledgehammer. He put all his weight behind it which was Javil’s undoing. Stone ducked, and Javil knew he was a goner because he had no balance in him to stand on his feet.

  Stone let Javil pass by him. Ducking Stone turned left and let all the force behind his right arm catch Javil flush on his jaw. Javil lost his balance. His jaw was right there to catch Stone’s punch which sent Javil reeling to the ground. Stone knew he could not wait for Javil to stand up, he just let go the best kick he could muster.

  Stone’s kick caught Javil on his groin. That was good enough to put Javil in pain. That would keep him down for a few seconds. Stone did not stop at that. He got his balance back from the kick. Before Javil could feel the pain from the first kick, Stone had readied himself to give Javil another kick to the jaw. His punch a few seconds ago had cracked Javil’s jaw. Stone felt confident as he knew he had inflicted lots pain on Javil. Stone knew that he would need a minute to recover.

  Meanwhile, Shotgun and Rooster who were both standing close to Stone knowing today was the day that Javil would come after Stone. They could not believe their eyes how Stone had moved so fast and ducked, punched and kicked. The fallen Javil was now a man in pain and with eyes of murder written all over his face getting up to face Stone. Shotgun and Rooster were both waiting for Javil. Stone had moved away, and it was Javil now facing Shotgun and Rooster.

  Shotgun and Rooster did not let Javil get back on his feet. Rooster kicked Javil who was already reeling in pain on the ground. Shotgun moved to take on Javil’s other guys. Shotgun looked at Big Tokey, but Big Tokey wanted no part of this fight. Big Tokey just backed away with his hands up in the air.

  Then the unexpected happened. Javil had been in many such situations. Now with the pain in his jaw and body becoming intense, Javil caught Rooster’s right leg. Rooster was in the process of kicking when Javil yanked his leg hard. Rooster fell on the ground with his head hitting the ground. He temporarily lost consciousness.

  That split second was good enough for Javil. He was on top of Rooster in a flash. Javil mustered all the strength he had left and slammed his fist into Rooster with such force that Rooster had no chance. He was at the mercy of Javil’s vent up anger. Javil continued to hit Rooster.

  Shotgun was fighting the others and saw that Rooster was getting bashed up by Javil. Javil had a broken jaw and bruises all over
his body. But he still fought on. Javil was a tough bastard.

  Shotgun moved to save Rooster who was lifeless and lying on the ground with Javil pounding on him as if he was playing with a rag doll. Shotgun knew if Javil went on with the pounding, Rooster would be history. He moved fast towards Javil. This was what Javil was waiting for. He knew Shotgun or Stone would see that Rooster was at his mercy and move to save him.

  Shotgun moved too slow, and that gave Javil that split-second advantage to take Shotgun with a hard punch just below his sternum. That one punch hit with so much force it knocked the breath out of Shotgun. The punch was good enough for Javil to bring all the anger he had on Shotgun with all the fury inside him. Shotgun was now getting sledgehammer punches from Javil. He could not defend himself as he was still trying to get his breath back from that first punch.

  Stone was in a fight of his own now with two other inmates, and all hell had broken loose. The inmates were at each other with the guards getting what they deserved from all sides. With so many punches being thrown around nobody knew who was hitting whom.

  Stone had one eye on Javil because he knew Javil would not go down that easy. Stone knew Javil would recover fast with Rooster knocked out. Shotgun got hurt bad and could not handle Javil alone.

  Shotgun was just about to get knocked out. Shotgun was bleeding bad. Stone knew he had to do something soon, and he moved towards Javil.

  Javil faced Stone letting Shotgun fall to the ground. Stone flew and spun in the air. Javil never expected the flying kick with Stone’s full weight coming behind it. The kick caught Javil with his eyes wide open. He had never seen that flying kick before. Javil did not know how to defend the kick.

  The kick came so fast that Javil’s already broken jaw just gave way. His whole body went limp. Stone had knocked him into unconsciousness. For him, this fight was over.

  There was surprise all around. Now the situation was getting under control. Many of those who saw Stone’s flying kick were in a state of disbelief. They thought Stone was an ordinary guy who could not move so fast. They had never seen such a devastating kick ever before in real life. Most had seen it in the movies and always thought it got tricked with the camera. Nobody thought such an action possible. Stone got trained by a Taekwondo Grand Master for eight years. He was an experienced fighter, he just told no one about it. Taekwondo is for defense only. Stone was a humble man.

  After all the mayhem was over, Javil and Rooster were the ones who got hurt. The guards grabbed them both for starting the brawl. Both Javil and Rooster got arrested and taken to the hole. They got put in separate rooms in the hole. The guards left Shotgun alone. They say that when Javil woke up, he did not know where he was located. The guards told him he got hit by a bus.

  Javil needed Big Tokey’s help when he started the move on Stone but he did not realize that Big Tokey wanted no part of it and that was one reason that Javil lost the fight he started.

  Rhino had been the buffer that Stone wanted between Javil’s faction and him with Rhino doing his best to let Stone take on Javil while he handled some of the others.

  Many guards including Pincher who was one hell of a tough guy within the Camp got hurt in the brawl. Many other guards and administrators got hurt also. Most could not do much due to the number of inmates involved in the mayhem.

  CLEAN UP

  NOTHING COULD EVER remain the same again in the Camp. The images of flesh getting hit against flesh, cries of pain and agony bombarded his mind when he least expected it. Several men got inflicted with injuries ranging from mild to severe. Man, in an unbridled state was an unpredictable species. Everyone went wild when not watched. If not for the guards, things would have been bloodier. A palpable hunger and thirst for vengeance and blood hung over them through it all; even when things got put under control.

  The underground shelter got opened after the elements had relented on their fury. The whole Camp was a mess; that was no surprise. Saying the shop was in disarray was underscoring whatever had happened. For the shop, it was out of shape. Should a visitor come in, he would never agree that it was a shop before the natural disaster happened. Items had got strewn all over the place.

  What was surprising, however, was that the tornado missed the Camp. Should it have directly hit the Shop, it would not have withstood the fury of nature. All they heard while they were in the protective place, cooling their sorry asses were deposition of items carried from other areas that suffered from the natural disaster. Most of their buildings stood erect but touched by high winds. Some objects such as roofs, wood, metals and a lot of odds sat on the buildings. The result was caved-in rooftops, debris accumulation, and dirt. The power was still out. The tornado must have affected the electricity. They would repair it and restored soon, anyway.

  They all got to work straight away to get the facility to its former glory and shape. They also needed to get it habitable for them all. Not one to chances, the head of Prison Administration ordered the inmates serving their term in the Hole to go back.

  Everything soon returned to almost normal. All those with grudges looked to other means of settling scores without drawing too much of attention to themselves. The single thing that grew in magnitude was the guilt Stone harbored.

  The news was that Z had died in the hospital. It was because of Stone that Z died and Z's death plus Javil's anger caused the war among all the factions. If there were just a way to go back in time and set everything right. Stone was, however, unaware of some things. He promised himself to contact Z’s family after getting released.

  Shotgun knew he was on his way out soon; his fourteen years’ sentence remained only a few days. A tough thoroughbred guy, he accepted no nonsense. He was also wise in his dealings, the reason he rose through the ranks to become the head of the White faction.

  Another trait Stone discovered about him was the sense of responsibility and loyalty. It was not once or twice that he had saved his neck, the first being his squabble with Big Tokey. He would sure have received the best beating of his life, if there was anything of such, that day if not for his intervention.

  Sometimes, the guards did not mind the weaker one getting senses drummed into him. It was not limited to him too, so it was not an act of favoritism. The guy was just too loyal, the reason he got loved by these teammates and much disliked by others. You had to cross only his path once to know.

  The day of Shotgun’s departure came. There were no tears or anything; it does not happen in Prison. With a few claps on the back and hard hugs, Shotgun was soon on his way out of the screwed-up place. The one hitch that Rooster could not see his friend off, it got taken in stride. Shotgun, happy to reunite with his family, did not try to hide it. However, before he left, he made a statement to Stone that got him thinking.

  "You owe me one, remember?" He said.

  "Yes, I do," he replied.

  Shotgun was on his way out; there were no more favors he could ask him.

  After he had left, it became apparent there was another problem to solve. The White faction needed a new leader. With Rooster in the hole, no one was close to Shotgun or had the tenacity and immovable sense of loyalty required to occupy the position. Many candidates got screened but could not satisfy the criteria.

  After much deliberation, Stone got chosen, how it landed with him, he could not tell. If he should assess the guys' opinion of him, he was a race betrayer to them, and many tolerated his excesses because of his affiliation with Rhino and Shotgun. It got decided that Stone lead them till Rooster comes out. His stay was also almost over anyway, it was a matter of months. Stone’s friendship in Rhino would prove useful too. Since he did not like to fight, he would just let Rhino use his muscle. Everyone saw what Stone could do in a fight. He had nothing left to prove.

  Another surprise soon rocked the whole Camp. Although Z got pronounced dead by the entire Camp due to the information released to them, they were in for a surprise. The administrators had not planned the way things turned out. Reminiscing on past
events of bloodshed, it made one sad.

  They had finished count when Z walked in aided by a guard.

  Stone opened his mouth, and it was like it lost its elasticity at that point; it hung open. He thought he needed glasses and pinched him to convince himself that he did not see an apparition. So many others had that same feeling. When he got satisfied that it was for real, he hugged him as much as his condition would allow since he was still recuperating and felt weak. He did not care if he was the head of any faction. It was the return of a true friend, one who thought less of himself and sacrificed himself for him.

  Z got confirmed dead, and the news released to them was not to play pranks. How he came to survive again was a miracle. The events that unfolded after they had heard the news had scared him in a way. It could have been because Z was a devout Muslim. The man never joked with his ablutions. It was for the best. Now, he would act as the head guy getting needed help from his friends.

  THE SHOW

  BUT LEADING THE FACTION was not something that a leader should take light. They had several ways with various modes of expression. He could say he did an excellent job regardless of the odds pitched against him; he held the fort till Rooster returned. The Camp had gotten over the shock of having Z alive and returned to their hating ways.

  Although no one spoke to him, he often heard rumors and murmurs. He did not mind, so far there was no trouble, and if trouble came, he had Rhino and some members of his faction to protect his interest. He, however, was not interested in disunity. He preferred they if they all came together and moved past stuff that had happened. He set about thinking how to achieve the enormous and somewhat arduous task.

  He was lying on his bunk, trying to relax his frayed nerves when the idea crossed his mind. The chance to set everything right presented itself as a Show. He could have shouted Eureka. The one thing left was to inform the heads of the factions about what he had in mind. So many things crossed his thinking, and he almost got discouraged. Stone never gave up on clever ideas though. This is the reason he was successful in business.