Prison Break Chapter 2

By Cadet Deming

Rated PG-13. Thank you so much to those who review.

Clint Barton traced his fingers along the wall. It felt like ice, with movement like water currents pulsing behind it. His hawk-like eyes saw rubber along the top of the wall, and hinges on the bottom.

A guard barked at him, "Get back in line or no dinner."

Clint hurried along.

He murmured to the other teammates, "Some of these walls are doors."

Sam said, "That's good, right? Makes it easier to break out?"

Scott said, "Not necessarily. I have a background in engineering, and these are designed to swing inwards. Why would they be set up that way unless they wanted to flood this place?"

Clint frowned. He had heard rumors that the Center for Disease Control had a fail-safe to burn everything inside in case its security was compromised. He wondered if this was a fail-safe of sorts, if the prisoners were so dangerous the government would rather drown them then allow anything to escape.

He imagined the doors opening up with waves of water crashing in on them. In the past when he knew was doing something life-threatening he tried to have back up routes and contingency plans. Down here there was no backup plan.

Wanda seemed to turn a shade paler than usual, which was saying something.

She sighed, "I think my claustrophobia is getting worse."

They came to a room marked: "Cafeteria: 34 Days without a Novo virus Outbreak!"

Clint said, "If we're about to meet the other prisoners, we need to be careful. Men in prison can be vicious to newcomers. If you seem too strong they'll see you as a threat and try to take you out. If you seem too weak they'll take advantage of you. But some important things to remember: Do not get drawn into a fight with people. Be very wary of anyone who's too friendly, they always have an ulterior motive. Do not let anyone do you a favor in the beginning. You don't want to get in the wrong person's debt. And be careful of making direct eye contact. That could be seen as a threat."

Sam said, "No direct eye contact? Are we dealing with people or wild animals?"

They entered the cafeteria. At the table closest to them, a seat swiveled around revealing a giant monkey-human hybrid. It was covered in mostly olive green hair, with white tufts on its belly. The legs were those of an extremely muscular human, making it as tall as a full-grown man. Its nose was long and red, with blue ridges on the sides. Its eyes were pale yellow but still human, disturbingly so. Clint realized he had already broken his rule of no eye contact and was staring in shock.

The monkey stared at Wanda and smiled, revealing four razor sharp canine fangs. Clint questioned how it was even allowed out with teeth that sharp.

The beast stood in its chair let out an excited shriek, "Oh goody. We finally get another female!"

Clint instinctively stepped between it and Wanda.

One of the guards ordered it, "Sit down and behave yourself Jerome, or we throw you back in sensory deprivation."

Jerome shrieked and bared his fangs even more, but sat down and bent his head as if he was sulking.

Scott said, "Which is weirder: That we joined the Planet of the Apes, or that the chimpanzee's name is Jerome?"

Jerome said, "I'm part Mandrill you half-wit."

Scott said, "Half-wit? Why I outta…"

Scott glanced at Clint, who shook his head.

Scott finished, "…I'm sorry. I'm not an expert on non-insect species. I don't want a fight, not that I'm a wimp that can be taken advantage of in the prison hierarchy, just so we're clear. How is it that you're able to talk?

Jerome said, "Let's say nuclear power isn't as clean and safe as the industry wants you to believe."

Clint and the others took their seats. Opposite Wanda was a female prisoner with long, stringy hair that was faded red on the ends and white at the roots. It clashed with her bright orange jumpsuit. Her mouth was covered with a muzzle, as if she was feral and they needed to keep her from biting the other prisoners.

Next to her and across from Clint was a bald man. Tall and lanky, his forehead had an "X" with a circle carved around it, the scars forming a target sign. The scar tissue appeared red and raw, as if he had been recently defaced.

He half-smiled at Clint, "Welcome to the Raft. I'm Bullseye."

"I'm Clint and this is Wanda, Sam and Scott."

Scott got excited, "Bullseye! I've totally heard of you. You're like, a legend in criminal circles. They say you once killed a guy with a piece of carpet!"

Bullseye smiled completely. It revealed two gaps in his teeth.

"True. It wasn't my most…satisfying job. But it was up there. I can kill anybody, anytime with anything. It's why they won't let me eat solid food here ever since I got bored and murdered a guard with a plastic Spork."

Scott, Sam and Wanda all moved one seat over from him. Clint stood his ground.

Bullseye cocked his head to the side. Clint thought of a predator sizing up its prey.

Bullseye said, "I've heard of you too. You're that Avengers archer. They say you're the best marksman in the world…with arrows. It must suck to be here without the arrows."

Clint sensed he was being baited.

He said tersely, "I get by."

The cafeteria doors swung open and two guards led in a monster. They guided it with what looked like two dog-catcher poles around its neck. It must have been 10 feet tall and was solid muscle. Its flesh was blood-red and its eyes were black and white. The worst part was its mouth. Every tooth was a curved fang, longer than most kitchen knives. As it bellowed it stuck a mottled, pointed tongue into the air.

Scott muttered: "Do not show fear…do not show fear…do not show fear…did I say that out loud."

Clint asked, "What the hell is that?"

Bullseye, "He used to be Cletus Kassidy, the serial killer. Now he calls himself Carnage."

Carnage turned his head to them. His eyes didn't stay one size, but seemed to pulse and change shape.

Carnage growled like he was possessed by a demon speaking with two voices at once, "I see we have new fish. Good, I was runnin' out of snacks."

He was dragged off to a table of his own and chained down.

The guards brought out everyone's meals. Bullseye was given a Styrofoam cup filled with green liquid. The red and white haired woman was given a similar cup with a straw to fit through her muzzle. Carnage had a platter full of raw chicken.

The Avengers were all given a platter full of cafeteria-quality bland food. To the side was a small cup filled with a yellow vitamin capsule and a green pill.

Clint said, "I'm not on any medication."

A guard said, "If Dr. Sofen says you take a pill, you take the damn pill."

Bullseye whispered, "The yellow one is safe. It's just Vitamin D because we don't get any sunlight. I wouldn't take the other one. It causes hand tremors. And what's a fellow marksman without a steady hand?"

Clint felt trapped behind a rock and a hard place. If he took the pill he'd lose his greatest survival skill. If he didn't, he'd be in debt to a psychopath like Bullseye.

Clint sighed, put the pills in his mouth while the guards were looking, and spit it out to his napkin when the guards were distracted.

Bullseye winked at him and said, "I guess you owe me now."

To Be Continued