The Real 304

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I made my way up to him grasping his shoulder in the palm of my right hand, at first he jumped and was severely nervous. Probably thought I was there to finish off whoever witness me kill the poor bastard last night, however, I was actually quite glad he was still alive and not taken down yet by any of that guy's goons. 

"Please! Don't hurt me!" He yelled in the middle of the main hall, clenching his fists together and hiding behind them like a poor wounded puppy. It made quite a scene but most people just wandered on by. 

"Relax! I'm not going to hurt you." I assured him, resting my other hand upon his other shoulder. 

"Wh- Why did you, do it?" Then he paused and looked at the ground for a brief moment before returning to visual eye contact with me, "Why'd y- you kill him?"

I swept down and continued walking with the lad but of course I didn't want to come off as a softie. "I gave you the food. It was yours. Not his. Now someone that would take another man's food, that's not okay in my book. Besides, I needed the new rating anyway." I explained as I brought up my hand showing the digital numbers 280 scanned and printed onto my arm. 

"Oh, o- okay. So, are we friends?" He asked still a little weary about us talking and walking together. 

"Yeah, for now. Just don't ever cross me, or you're next. If we understand each other, we'll get along fine." I went on and on about how he had no reason to be scared of me. If anything, I was his only hope for surviving any longer than he already has. We walked side by side to the alarms going off at the end of the hallway towards the rec center. The rec center was the opposite block of the cafeteria. The cafeteria was contained in cell block C, while the rec center was in D. Prison cells were in B, while the security station, guards station, medical station, and most importantly, the exit, was the first block. Block A. 

To block D we headed, walking the pitter pattery floor as you heard click and clack from shoes and boots down the freshly cleaned tile. 

"Before we get into this, what's your name?" I asked the bone skinny guy I just made friends with. 

"I am prisoner 304." He replies.

"I mean, your actual name."

"That doesn't exist anymore."

"Why not? You should still be able to carry out your life in here. Not everything has to be different." 

"For me it has to. I can't even mutter the first two letters of my name without wanting to end myself. I am a horrible man, and I don't deserve to live. So like I said, my name is 304. Call me that." 

"Okay." I agreed to him. "304 it is." 

More steps it was before leading our way into the rec center. It was a long and utterly exhausting walk all the way there but we made it and in fact it was my first time. Apparently they do these alarms every time a group of newcomers arrive, the idea is just to show them around and let them get used to it. For those serial killers that were able to raise their ratings to 202 and higher without serving any other prison time, those were the ones who needed the showing around. For me however, I've been through each jail and prison there was and this one was no different. Besides the fact that people were using numbers as their names instead of their birth name. Maybe I should do the same. 

"What do these introductions usually do?" I whispered to 304 as he walked beside me, both him and I in a straight line with others following directly in front and behind of us. 

"Just to show how everything works and the daily schedule, when you're allowed to eat, when you have to sleep, when you're allowed to play."

"Play?"

"Yes. Play."

"What type of play are you talking about?"

"Depends what type of playing you do, mystery boy. Or should I say, 280?"

I chuckled as he acknowledged me by my rating which was something I didn't want happening until I got into my early 400's.

"Don't call me that. I have a name."

"Best not share it with any of us. Us here are nameless, and numbered. That's the rules."

"Reckt never said anything about acknowledging fellow prisoners by their numbers though."

"Remember the one you killed last night?" 

"Yeah, the one who said he ran the block."

"Exactly, he did in fact run the block. I've been hearing things right since I woke up. People don't genuinely like their cell block leaders being cut open. Every cell block has a specific leader assigned to it. They aren't chosen, but they're definitely the highest of the highest ratings ever seen in ECO SEC. That's why they run the show around here. Reckt is assigned to all blocks, she's the overseer of it all. Within the prison, the higher rated members, are her little spies I guess you could say. Cell Block B belongs to The Benjamin Bros. They're twins with a messed up bloody side of humor. I suggest to not mess with them. They're Reckt's right hand boys. Cell Block C belongs, or should I say belonged, to the fella you put a stab into the other night. Cell Block D in which we're in right now, belongs to none other than the young blood you see standing up there." 

304 stopped in his tracks and pointed up to the podium in which Reckt stood, along with The Benjamin Bros like 304 said. And to the right of them, a young blonde, blue eyed, tattooed maniac it looked like. Or in other words like 304 stated afterwards. Reckt's son, Dynam. It seemed like each cell block leader met Reckt on the podium, but what about the one I murdered? 

That was the question I specifically asked to 304. In which his response guided me toward expecting something in the near future.

"The old rules used to state if you killed a cell block leader, you became cell block leader but there hasn't been a cell block murder in months. The rules could have changed by now but who knows. I may have to start calling you leader of Block C."

I laughed as we stepped closer and finally into the line for the new day introduction. Reckt gracefully stepped apart from the rest of them up there and took a step forward at the podium which was higher than the rest of us, and began the speech. 

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