Birth Row

Part Eight

Kirby Jorgenson, captain of the guards, walked with the Warden through the thick glass doors and aimed toward the crowd outside the prison.

 “I can’t believe we’re doing this Warden.”

“Well you better believe it Kirby, because Watkins wants this to happen and I’m not about to say no to him. You’ve already seen what happens when he doesn’t like someone. They don’t stay alive very long. We lost some good men along the way and we need as many as we can get. This rabble is okay for infiltration and destabilizing the city, but we need reliable soldiers to have real knock-down power when the time comes.”

“Warden, I know he has amazing control over people . . . I mean, the prison is one thing, but Lincoln, a whole city? How is he going to control that many people?”

The Warden stopped walking and faced Kirby, then said “You know what it feels like when he has direct control over you, right?”

“Yeah, I remember.” replied Kirby, “I only felt what he wanted me to do, but it wasn’t like I was being forced--I mean it felt like I wanted to do what he wanted. Oh shit, I can’t really explain it, but you’ve been there, you know what I mean, right?”

“Yeah Kirby, I know what you mean,” replied the Warden. “Do you feel that way right now? Do you feel like he’s making you walk and talk to me this very minute?”

“No.”

“Then why are you doing it?”

“Because he scares the shit out of me, that’s why! You saw how he made Jenkins and Waller kill each other, just like we all did.”

“Well, there’s your answer Kirby. You understand what I mean, right?”

“Yeah, I can’t tell what he’s going to make people do next. Those two were friends for over twenty years and suddenly they’re shooting each other to death. He told us he didn’t like them so he made them get into a gunfight just so he could watch. And that’s only the first time he made one of us kill someone he didn’t like. Watkins can make anyone do anything he wants. I don’t know how many he’s killed so far, but it’s a lot.”

“That’s the point Kirby. He doesn’t have to control everyone all the time. It’s enough that he can control anyone he wants when he wants, and no one else can tell who they are or what he’ll make them do. His real power is fear and that fear gives him control.”

“I think I get it, but what about all these people?” Kirby said as he waved his arm toward the huge crowd.

“Them? Those idiots are easy,” said the Warden, “Just look at them, rejects and crazies from all over the map. These are people with weak minds. I don’t know how he did it, but he called out to them, got them to come here because they’re the easiest to control. Hell, with them all it takes is a group suggestion from Watkins and they turn into a mob. They’re like cattle. Shoot a gun and they’ll stampede. He told them to take orders from us and he told us to put a few guards in the crowd to make sure they do. Any cattle that stray from the herd get shot.”

“I don’t know,” said Kirby, “We’ve got over two hundred guards and two thousand prisoners behind us, but there’s like a million people in Lincoln. How are we going to deal with that?”

“Watkins is a genius,” Said the Warden, “And he’s had a long time to plan this thing. They underestimated him and that’s his advantage. He had me send out personal invitations to key officials in the region over the past two months. These were some of the top dogs in the Lincoln police, state troopers and National Guard. Since everyone is so interested to see what goes on in here with the rebirthed prisoners, they all accepted. Some of them I recognized, some I didn’t. But I’m telling you, there were a lot of them. Watkins always met with them alone, so I didn’t get to hear the conversations. But, I know he’s making promises that he’ll give them huge amounts of money and power after we take over, I mean after he takes over.”