Therapy Session (Mac Prison)

Two: Saints and Heathens

Y'all are gonna like this chapter. ;)

The next day Trisha walked up to the penitentiary with a box of decorations and supplies for her office. She wanted to make it more homey to ease the inmates, so she was bringing a couple vases, books, and other things. It'd take a couple days to get everything organized, and she was hoping the Warden would be able to get her some furniture like shelves. She walked in through the staff door, where a couple security officers were standing in line waiting to be checked through the metal detector. She set the box of stuff off to the side and started taking her jewelry off, setting it in the small bowl that they offered for keys and jewelry. Luckily she was only wearing earrings and her wedding ring.

After she went through the metal detector, she was in the staff room. The staff room was next to the staff entrance, and no prisoners were allowed in that wing whatsoever. The staff room wasn't the biggest, and there were only two round tables that held up to eight people, two vending machines (one for snacks and one for drinks), a fridge and a set of counters. The smell of off-brand coffee filled the air, and Trisha was tempted to grab a cup. But she had work to do. Coffee could wait. A couple guards were already in there and were socializing over coffee. She set the box down and signed in by running her identity card through the machine.

One of the women socializing glanced up at Trisha, said a quick goodbye to her friend, and walked over to her. "Hi, I'm Katheryn. Johnathan asked me to escort you for the day, just so you don't get lost." She greeted Trisha, smiling hugely and shaking Trisha's hand. Katheryn had blonde hair that was pulled back into a very neat bun, had green eyes, and was a few centimeters shorter than Trisha.

"Ok, I don't think I'll explore too much. I have a few things to set up in my office." Trisha said politely, gesturing to the box on the table.

"Ok, well I still have to escort you. Orders, ya know?" Katheryn joked, laughing a little at her own comedy.

Trisha smiled as well and grabbed her box again, then she followed Katheryn out into the main hall. A few inmates were sweeping there, neither of which she recognized. They both had shaved heads and looked like they had Mexican origin. They had tattoos lining their necks and arms, and since they were wearing wife beaters, Trisha managed to catch a glance of what looked like a big "X" in the center of their chests. They looked nearly identical, and Trisha couldn't help but wonder if they were related at all. They watched the two women walk by with deep brown eyes, until Katheryn turned around and glared at them. "Get back to work!" She snapped.

The men didn't hesitate. They turned their attentions back to the task at hand and continued to sweep. "That's Marco and Jose. Twins. The way to tell them apart is their tattoos. Marco has an eagle on the back of his left hand, while Jose doesn't."

"Oh, ok." Trisha said, making a mental note of that. They were now walking down a long corridor with barred window on each side. Trisha glanced out one and froze in her footsteps.

Two enormous groups of men were standing in the courtyard, a large bit of space between them. And even from this distance Trisha could tell that there was hatred etched onto each and every one of their faces. Trisha stepped closer to the window and identified one of the men on the left hand side. It was Mac.

"What're they doing?" Trisha mumbled curiously, a little bit of nervousness settling into her core.

Katheryn took a look and sighed. Then she grabbed her radio. "Hey, the Heathens and the Saints are all out in the courtyard. Can a few guards get over there and keep a fight from breaking out? Over." She said. She got a few responses back, and Katheryn glanced up at Trisha. "I don't suppose Jonathan mentioned this, but there are two gangs here; the Saints, and the Heathens."

"Just two?" Trisha asked. She'd heard that gangs were very common in prison, yet she had honestly expected at least four smaller ones instead of just two enormous ones.

"Yeah. They don't get along well with each other. You see that guy over there? The one up front with the beard and long hippie hair?" Katheryn pointed, and Trisha saw him. He looked like Jesus Christ, in all honesty. He had long shoulder length brown hair and a nice beard, and his shirt was off. In the center of his chest was a tattoo of a cross. His fists were clenched as he glared at Mac from across the invisible barrier. "That's Paul Rovia. He's the leader of the Saints. And the guy over there, the one in the front, that's Mac. He's the leader of the Heathens."

"What're they doing? Are they going to fight?" Trisha asked, concerned for the inmates' safety.

"They're probably just showing off. Jesus doesn't like conflict, but Judas thrives on it."

"Who?" Trisha asked.

"Sorry. Paul and Mac. Paul calls himself Jesus while Mac calls himself Judas." Katheryn stated.

"Is this something that I should be worried about?" Trisha said, unable to tear her eyes away from the two gangs glaring at each other.

When Katheryn didn't answer right away, Trisha whipped her head around to face the shorter woman. "Well, you probably shouldn't have to worry too much, but if you're going to the bathroom or something be careful. Of both gangs, the Heathens are the most violent."

"Why haven't you broken the gangs apart?" Trisha demanded. She was scared now, knowing that there were two huge gangs at this prison that could probably kill or hurt her.

"We've tried, but it resulted in an inmate and an officer getting killed in the process. They're powerful, and we've decided to just let them deal with their problems." Katheryn admitted.

"Why not just lock up Mac or Paul?"

"Well, that's the thing. Mac keeps the Heathens on their leashes, so if he gets locked up then they could attack the Saints, or even the guards, and if Paul gets put in isolation then the Heathens will attack the Saints. Either way, there's gonna be conflict no matter who we lock up." She explained, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at the inmates.

"Which side has more people?"

Katheryn thought for a moment. "Heathens. But more people are loyal to Paul than they are to Mac. Mac runs by strength and fear, while Paul runs with charisma. They're both a force to be reckoned with, though."

"What happens when Mac or Paul get out of here?"

Katheryn laughed at Trisha's question. "Sweetheart, neither of them are ever leaving. They both have life sentences, which is a surprise."

"Why's it a surprise?" She wanted to know more about the gangs and their leaders. Maybe if she helped the leaders, then the gangs could get along.

"Because of the shit they've both done. They honestly should've gotten the death penalty. Don't worry, you have their files in your office in the filing cabinet. Come on, while everyone is still in the courtyard."

Trisha followed Katheryn down the hall towards her office, her Trisha couldn't stop thinking about Paul and Mac, or Jesus and Judas. Trisha would have to help them no matter the cost, and she wouldn't give up. Her goal was to make the world safe, and she planned on doing that.

She could only hope that Katheryn was exaggerating on how violent things could get.