The next night, Jimmy lost an ear.
There were no sharp objects in the prison, so Big Dog chewed off Jimmy's ear and spat it out in front of him.
Jimmy howled like a man possessed, but the prison guards didn't seem inclined to provoke the members of the Mexican Gang. Or to put it another way, Amanda had instructed them not to care for the well-being of these regular criminals. Thus, apart from the sound of bars being rattled, Jimmy received no response.
The Bandaged Murder Demon sat on his bed, coldly watching it all unfold: watching Jimmy break into sobs and curse everyone he could think of, before collapsing into a catatonic state in a corner.
"This kid's been lucky," Big Dog said as he reclined on his bed, "Rubbed elbows with a drug dealer at the border and got in with the dope gang as soon as he got here. Managed to get a cushy delivery job in Section A."
Big Dog spat on the ground and muttered, "His luck has run out now. The leader of the drug gang, Golden Hand, sent for you and gave him some good stuff to put in your water, such a bloody waste!"
Finishing his thoughts, Big Dog turned towards the Bandaged Murder Demon and said: "If this is your first time in prison, listen up. No matter if you look like Bruce Wayne or not, or if your face is ruined, your reputation now leaves you with no choice but to find a protector, unless you can live without food and water. Otherwise, you're bound to fall.
"I've already fallen," the Bandaged Murder Demon replied.
Big Dog squinted at him and said, "You're not planning to get out, are you? Don't you want to live?"
The Bandaged Murder Demon said nothing, turned over, and continued to sleep. Big Dog cursed, but didn't say anything more.
In prison, there's one type of person who is extremely troublesome to handle: the kind with no attachments, who don't even care about their lives. They're like ticking time bombs, and if they explode in front of you, you're likely to be punished even further.
Whilst the prisoners here rarely manage to leave with their lives, they at least want to survive in the prison. Fighting a man who is ready to die clearly goes against the rules of survival.
The following morning, as the inmates went to wash up, the Bandaged Murder Demon approached Jimmy. Jimmy looked at him with rage as if he couldn't believe the Bandaged Murder Demon would come near him again.
"Do you have a toothbrush to spare?" the Bandaged Murder Demon asked.
"You goddamn devil!" Jimmy swore in a colloquial manner.
"You hate me more than Big Dog?" the Bandaged Murder Demon asked, sounding both curious and eerie in his tone. He turned his cyclopean gaze towards Jimmy and added, "Even though you know that by my standing, it is right not to offend Big Dog and reasonable to leave you behind, you're still angry."
"I lost an ear; you don't understand how painful that was!" Jimmy clenched his teeth as he spoke.
While scrubbing his tooth-mug, the Bandaged Murder Demon replied, "I do understand. I do."
Jimmy choked on his words. His eyes darted to the wounds barely concealed by the bandages, before swallowing hard and mumbling, "You could have..."
"I couldn't have. I was fighting for my life."
"But you and Amanda..."
"Under such circumstances, I couldn't reach her."
Clutching his toothbrush, Jimmy questioned, "So, why are you here now? To comfort me? To rid yourself of the guilt for having not saved me?"
"I don't have such feelings."
Again, Jimmy felt a chill down his back. This man was not like him; Jimmy killed for survival, but this bandaged freak was likely killing just for the thrill of it.
"Then why are you seeking me out?"
"I asked you, do you have a spare toothbrush?"
Jimmy stared at the toothbrush in the Bandaged Murder Demon's hand in disbelief, "You have your own, don't you? Unless you've lost it, they wouldn't give you another one."
Ignoring the question, the Bandaged Murder Demon continued to squeeze out toothpaste and said: "Did you know? Any cylindrical object smaller than the eye's diameter but about the length of a toothbrush can go through the hole in the skull, reaching the brain."
Jimmy's mouth fell open in terror. He was on the brink of screaming, staring at the Bandaged Murder Demon and stuttering, "You're going to kill..."
"Do you or do you not have a spare toothbrush?" The Bandaged Murder Demon cut in impatiently. "I can't lose a toothbrush in less than a week of arriving here, it'll arouse suspicion. If you still want to ask for my help, figure out a way to hide one and give it to me... Big Dog won't trouble you for long."
The tooth-mug in Jimmy's trembling hand was about to tip over. His chest was heaving as all the prisoners finished rinsing and returned to their cells, leaving him still shuddering.
Deep in thought, Jimmy didn't respond when Big Dog called for him. Big Dog took this as defiance, something he absolutely wouldn't tolerate within his cell. He grabbed Jimmy by the throat and slammed his head into the bedpost overhead.
Instantly, Jimmy's head was gashed open and bleeding. As he lay on the ground, Big Dog stepped on his back, "You really thought knowing some drug dealers would let you disrespect me, you son of a bitch!"
After his tirade, Big Dog yanked Jimmy from the ground and punched him squarely in the face, like a boxer hitting a sandbag. A loud crack echoed as Jimmy's nose broke. He crumpled against the wall and another kick from Big Dog left his ankle visibly swollen.