Red Rock

Chapter 29: The Range of Wits (Part 2)

Daire and Jacob did not partake in any of the activities set out for them. They sat separated with their shoulders hanging low. Jacob was still bound by chains while Daire was left unconstrained. After rejecting all the services that were offered by Dominick's slaves and guests, they were escorted to the exit.

Dominick was lying down motionless in comatose. He was in a dead-like state with a syringe half full in his arm. His eyes were open looking to the walls with a big smile. The saliva dripping past his cheek was evidence of his excessive use of the nerve numbing drug. His vegetable-like state did not do justice to the chemical activity taking place in his mind. To the outside world he had taken an overdose. To the lone man on his inside it was bliss. The syringe was carefully pulled from his arm by a slave and he was then left to mellow.

*

Their treatment was over. Daire and Jacob quickly found themselves taken to separate well-lit adjacent prison cells, each equally identical with the exception of a barred window in Jacob's cell. The source of the light was a low hanging oil lantern drooping in the middle of the room, swinging from a metal chain. The cells had no walls between them, only bars separating the spaces. The lack of privacy and exposure would be humiliating for long term residence, but Daire didn't mind.

"This is bullshit!" exclaimed a hook nosed cannibal to his four partners, uttering his distaste for the situation while hanging the prison cell keys on an edge next to the door. "I ain't gonna watch these Marbles all night. Don't they have some prison guards or something?"

"We do this or we don't get the reward," responded an older cannibal who had taken the initiative as leader of the group. "They're executin them tomorrow morning. Then all of our jobs are done."

"Have you seen Digger?" Princess chipped in, just as furious as the first cannibal. "He's fucking two girls at once in the brothel!" Princess was shaking from his urgent desire. "Fuck, I'm so horny right now. We should all be gettin our share of pussy too!"

The leading cannibal was staying firm. "You can have anything you want tomorrow morning."

Princess turned to Jacob and Daire, seething with anger. "I dun understand why we don't kill these fuckheads right now. Why are we the ones who have to keep them alive? You hear that!" he yelled toward Daire and Jacob. "We might just kill ya right now!"

"Blud told us to guard them, and that's what we're going to do," the leader replied.

"Come on, Grey!" said the hook nosed cannibal desperately. "You maybe need what? Two of us to stay on guard."

"None of you are going anywhere!"

"What if we bring some of the party here, you know what I'm saying?" another cannibal with a tall lanky stature said with a tall grin.

"No!"

"Jesus Christ," Jacob said to Daire, listening to the cannibals fight amongst themselves.

Daire sat down next to Jacob, separated by dense columns of metal bars. "I at least wanted my last night alive to be quiet," he joked.

Jacob didn't respond and begrudgingly stared at the cannibals bickering at each other.

"I'm sorry, Jacob," Daire pleaded, feeling the edges of his mouth weigh down his face. "You told me better, I know you did. Now I'm bringing you down with me."

Jacob was dissatisfied with Daire's mournful softness. "Don't be," he said firmly.

Daire ignored the affirmation. "I messed up, Jacob."

"That, you did. But it's done."

"Yes, it's done. But you didn't deserve this," Daire swallowed the lump of sorrow in his throat. "No one did."