Chapter IV: The Beginning...

Chapter IV: The Beginning…

Leon

Leon’s in the yard, when he feels a sharp stab in his side. Don is laughing as he digs a little bit before taking it out very slowly. “You’re a son of a b***h, Don.” Leon says.
“Just having a little fun while I can.”
“F**k you.”
“Nah, f**k YOU.” He shanks him in the exact same spot and repeats the process. Leon collapses to the ground in pain. “What, you think being a cop in prison was gonna be fun? Did you think you were gonna be protected? I just wanna say, you were as fun doing drugs with as yer brother. It’s a shame, really. You had potential, but yeh couldn’t stand a little blood, and quit like a p***y. Yeh wouldn’t have been a good bounty hunter, yer too soft.” Leon gets taken to the infirmary after Don walks away. As he’s getting sewn and bandaged, he watches the tv that’s playing in the background.
“Aaron Grant, aka “G-Monee-z", up and coming rapper was killed during his latest concert, promoting his second album, ‘D’s Nutz’. After hitting the mainstream two years ago with his single, “Just Honkey Problems”. He won a grammy for it, and was on contract for five albums. In the middle of performing “Gat Cat”, someone in the audience shot him multiple times in the chest with a shotgun. The audience member was then piled upon, but G-Monee-Z was dead instantly, at only 32. Up next on Moo-tv news, The Pheonix: Rebirth Soundtrack tops the charts as this week’s Top Lister. When we come back, washed up Kronyx State lead singer guitarist joins a cover band, and we interview Joe Moma on his upcoming directorial debut as we take a peek behind the scenes of his upcoming movie. All that and more, when we come back.”
“Aaron’s dead now, too?” Leon says to himself. “Goddammit, this is f*****g too much for me.”
“Ok, you’re all done.” the nurse tells him.
“Thanks. Leon says. He’s escorted back to the yard. Don approaches him.
“Did yeh make it in time for the news? I had to make sure to time it just right.” Don tells him.
“What are you talking about?”
“I stabbed you at 3:25, so by the time yeh got to the infirmary, the news on the music channel shoulda been on.”
“How could you know they were gonna-” The realization hits him.
“That’s right, I had yer buddy killed. Hell, I even made him famous first so it seems more tragic. I even called up the station with the story to make sure it aired. I told you, I run this place, I had them set it to the right channel. See, I’m smahtah than you, when I say I control everything, I really mean I control everything. I’m like f****n’ God. If it weren’t fer the feds wanting me locked up, I’d still be runnin’ s**t out there. See, you don’t get it, out in the real world, it’s rich people who run the world, and I’m one of the richest. That’s why I can bribe my way into a real prison that I bought with ‘donations’ I gave while I was out there. Had to pay the feds extra, but it was worth it. See, Burgsov was a coward, he coulda been fine too, but he’s spineless. He woulda talked, and he knew it. So, I told him to blow his brains out before he could. He was drugged up, so it was no problem convincin’ him.”
“You’re a monster.”
“Is that supposed to be an insult? Cause yeh know what? I’m proud of it. Aside from drugs, the next best high is knowing yeh control the world.”
“You’re going to die one day, and then what?”
“Then my daughter takes ovah.”
“I never met your daughter, just your son.”
“Well, of course yeh never met her, she don’t live in this state. She knows the business, once she hears I’m dead, she takes ovah. My family has owned this city since it was four towns. One of my ancestors saw the influx of imports movin’ in, so they just paved ovah all the woods and made it one big city. When I tell you I own this city, I’m tellin’ yeh the truth.”
“Why are you telling me all of this?”
“So when I tell you there’s nothin’ you can do to stop me, I’m tellin’ yeh the truth.”
“Oh my God!”
“You called?”
“What the f**k am I supposed to do? Just let you stab me until I get out?”
“That’s cute that yeh think yer getting outta here.”
“Well, yeah, I’ve only got five months left.”
“Oh, I’m sorry officer, did yeh forget I already got yer sentence extended once already?”
“You’re gonna keep picking fights with me to keep me in here, is that what you’re telling me?”
“Look at that, now he gets it!”
“So, how do I avoid getting stabbed?”
“That’s the best part, this is yer life now.”
“F**k...”
“I love being me.”
“I f*****g hate you.”
“Thank you, thank you.” he does a small bow.
“Why are you ruining my life?”
“I already told you, you put me in here.”
“But if they were stalling for time, you would have ended up in here anyway.”
“Yeah, but everyone loves a scapegoat. You just happened to be in the right place at the right time in the right job. It could’ve been anyone, you just happened to be it.”
“What about my father?”
“Real shame, that. He coulda been great leverage.”
“Didn’t you have him killed too?”
“Nah, that was all him. I was asleep, so I couldn’t have known he was doin’ it. Trust me, if I was, I woulda told the guards to stop him. Normally, they wouldn’t, I don’t usually care if someone kills themselves in here. But I really coulda used yer dad. Don’t worry, I got yer revenge for yeh, I had the guards killed.”
“Why did you have my best friend killed?”
“Cause I knew how much it would hurt yeh. Speakin’ of which, I got someone I want you to meet. YO JOEY!” Don calls across the yard. A tall, fat guy approaches them.
“Sup, bawss?” Joey asks.
“Joey, this the guy I was tellin’ yeh about. Tell him about how yeh iced his friend.”
“Ah, it was real easy, I just ran to the front, and blammed open his chest. He died like a b***h, askin’ ‘why? Why?’ It was hilarious.”
“And you were totally ok with going to jail for murder?” Leon asks.
“Of course, I knew Don had my back, got me a good lawyer, I’ll be outta here soon. Insanity, yeh know, it’s a real b***h.” he laughs heartily.
“You son of a b***h! You have no idea what it’s like to live with debilitating mental illness that drives you literally insane, do you?”
“Nah, but the judge believed it... or should I say bought it! See what I did there?”
“What? You bought the judge.”
“Shut up, the point is, I’ll be outta here before you are.”
“I can’t f*****g believe this.”
“Believe it, pal! Can I, bawss, can I?”
“Nah, I already got ‘im once today.” Don says.
“Ah, s**t.” Joey says.
“Joey, words hurt, ya know.”
“Yer right, bawss. Hey copper, I just wanna tell yeh somethin’.
“What?” Leon asks.
“If I had the chance to kill yer friend again, I’d do it fer free.” Leon, unable to take any more of Joey’s bragging, punches him in the face. “Did a baby just hit me?” Leon punches him with an uppercut this time. As the guards approach, Don stops them with a motion of his hand and continues to watch. Leon keeps punching in different spots, but Joey just laughs it off, being bigger and more physically fit than Leon. “Ok, that’s enough.” He telegraphs a straight punch to Leon’s solar plexus. Leon goes flying about twenty feet before he gets lands, gets road rash, while knocked out, and not breathing. “Did I hit him too hard, bawss?”
“Yeah, yeah yeh did. We’re gonna talk about this later.” Don says, annoyed. The guards grab Leon and take him back to the infirmary. CPR is performed, and he wakes up.
“HOLY F*****G S**T! I CAN’T BREATHE!” Leon shouts, his breathing is quick, getting slower as he catches his breath. He takes a deep breath, and exhales, finally getting his breathing back under control.
“Causing trouble in my prison yard again, Xero?” the warden asked.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you remember what happened?”
“What the f**k happened to my legs?”
“That happened when you skidded across the yard, now answer my question.”
“Hold on... lemme think. There was a big guy talking s**t to me, about how he had fun killing my friend.”
“Is that why you were punching him?”
“He egged me on!”
“But you threw the first of many punches as I understand it.”
“He killed my best friend!”
“And so you thought violence is the answer to violence?”
“I’ve known that guy all my life, I’d think you’d understand why I’d be pissed!”
“So lift weights, read a book, don’t hit other people. You were a cop once, I thought you’d know that’s not how to handle your problems. I’m tacking on another year for you.”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me! What does he get? He put me in here!”
“Oh, he was just defending himself, so he’s fine.”
“Wow, Don really does own you.”
“He owns you too, you’re his little plaything.”
“But you’re an agent of the law, you should know better!”
“It’s not that black and white here, not with Don’s family in charge. The only reason he’s even in here is to stop his influence from spreading. The feds are worried that with his power and wealth, it could affect the entire state, up to and including the country. There’s nothing I can do, I gotta put food on the table, and it’s Don who puts it there.”
“Why would you tell me all of this?”
“Because everyone who works here already knows, and is smart enough not to do anything about it. I think I’ll tack on another ten years, just to keep you here. Oh, and if you alert the media, you can be sure they won’t believe you, Don owns them too. Didn’t he already tell you he owns this whole city? He ain’t lying.”
“Yeah, he said the same thing.”
“So you get it, good. How are you doing?”
“I hurt.”
“Can you walk?” Leon slides to the side of the bed, and when he tries to stand, he instantly collapses.
“I feel like a baby deer.” The doctor and a nurse get him back into bed. “Do you have a conscience?”
“Conscience is an illusion, if you really need it to be.” He walks out.
“Holy f**k, this is deeper than I could ever imagine.” He says to himself. The nurse medicates him, and he passes out. He wakes up the next day, and gets out of bed successfully. The nurse checks him, changes his bandages, and lets him go, escorted by a guard. He ends up in the yard with the other prisoners and Don approaches him. “God, this is f*****g hell.”
“How ya feelin’?” Don asks.
“What do you care?”
“Honestly, Joey hit ya a little too hard, I had him sent to the box fer a couple days, so he can think about what he done.”
“That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“I thought it would, I don’t play favorites, he was just supposed ta knock the wind outta ya, not send ya to the hospital.”
“I suppose you want a thank you?”
“Yeah, it’d be nice, I coulda just let ya die.”
“I suppose. Thanks, I guess.”
“Nah, nah. Manners. Put yer hands together, and I wanna hear yeh thank me properly. Say ‘thank you so much Don fer sparin’ my worthless life.’”
“No, f**k you.”
“Yeh really don’t wanna push me kid, I don’t give too many chances out, this is yer last. Thank me properly for savin’ yer life.”
“F**k. You.”
“Oh, that’s disappointin’. Guess there’s always one that’s got to ‘show integrity’, a rebel for a useless cause.”
“I’m not your puppet, or your plaything, or whatever. I’m a f*****g person, goddammit!”
“You stood up ta me, good fer you, I’m gonna ask that you get extended time outside, enjoy the fresh air, Leon.”
“Really? Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“Glad you finally get it.”
“Oh, I get it, alright. I’ll see ya later.” Don walks into the prison. Leon just goes to a corner to think, wondering how his life could have turned out so badly. About twenty minutes later, Leon notices the sky getting cloudier, and the smell of smoke is in the air.
“What the hell is going on?” Leon asks himself. Don approaches him.
“I got some bad news fer yeh.”
“What now?”
“Seems yer brother got busted, and set the house on fire.”
“What? How?”
“I don’t know, but I guess this means you’ll be seein’ him pretty soon.”
“Yeah, I guess. It was only a matter of time, anyway.”
“It’s like yeh read my mind.”
“Why do you say that?” Don whistles, and a bunch of prisoners crowd around Leon. “What’s going on?”
“Yer brother failed, Leon. Zakk killed himself, cause he knew what I’d do to him. Yer brother on the other hand, fought back.”
“See? It’s not just me, my brother is a rebel too.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Don stabs Leon in the heart. “This is where we part ways.”
“Wha-” Leon manages to utter.
“He’s all yours, boys.” The crowd of prisoners repeatedly stabs Leon over and over, all over his body. He’s stabbed in the chest, and the back mostly. One of the stabs hits his neck, and he drops to the ground. He gasps for air, as he lies in a puddle of blood, choking on his blood. Just before he dies, Don kicks him in the head and spits on him. “This is why you don’t f**k with me, you f*****g scumbag.” The crowd disperses, and Don waves the guards over. The guards carry Leon’s body to the infirmary, where the doctor calls his time of death. He is put into a body bag and sent to the morgue. The medical examiner counts 53 stab wounds, mostly on his abdomen, back and front, the heart and lungs were pierced, but it was the stab to the throat that finished him off. Nobody was at his funeral, he was cremated and put into a mass mausoleum with many other forgotten cremated remains. And so, the story of Leon Xero is over.