Ironclad Prison, the place where laws never truly applied. Here, there was only one rule everyone knew, submit or be destroyed.
And it all revolved around one man, Bruno "The Bull", The big boss behind bars. No one dared to defy him, expect for one inmate who'd arrived just a few months a go, Rick Carter, a man with sharp eyes and a cold demeanour.
Rick walked into the dinning hall filled with inmates.The clattering of spoons and forks, hars chatter, and suspicious glanced greeted him. Yet, Rick remained unfazed. He casually picked up his tray and sat an empty bench.
Bruno, a large man with a scar running across his face, sat at a raised table, towering over the other inmates. He observed the room like a king on his throne. A crooked smile spread across his face when his eyes landed on Rick.
"There's a rule in this place, new guy,"
Bruno said in a deep, rumbling voice that echoed through the hall.
"If you want to survive, you better know who runs this place," Bruno barked, his voice dripping with intimidation.
Rick didn't even glance his way. He continued eating calmly. "I don't care who you are. I'm just here to serve my time," he said flatly.
The room fell silent. Every inmate knew that defying Bruno was a death wish.
Bruno's henchmen, eight burly men with muscles bulging like coils of steel, immediately stood up and surrounded Rick.
"I think you don't understand, friend," one of Bruno's men said, slapping Rick on the shoulder. "In here, everyone bows to Bruno, and that includes you."
Rick sighed, slowly setting his spoon down. He glanced at the man, then shifted his gaze to Bruno, who was now staring at him coldly.
"I'm not the kind of guys who bows to anyone," Rick said with a faint smile. "If you want to me bow, make me."
Bruno's brows furrowed as he stood, his heavy footsteps echoing as he approached Rick.
"You're really stupid, new guy," Bruno growled, leaning his face close to Rick.
And then, it happened. The beggening of chaos.
Rick suddenly swung his stainless steel tray, smashing it into Bruno's face with a resounding clang!
"Aaaarghh... "
The sound of metal and Bruno's pained grunt reverberated through the hall as he stumbled back, blood dripping from his nose.
"Fiiuuu... Looks like we're getting a show today," one inmate whistled cheerfully as he scooped another bite of his food.
"Hahaha... That new guy sure knows how to entertain us," another inmate said, a smirk playing on his lips.
The room erupted in murmurs and smirk. Some inmates saw it as pure entertainment, while others remained indifferent.
Rick, unbothered, spat in Bruno's direction as the big man clutched his nose on the floor.
"You think I'm scared of you?" Rick taunted with a mocking tone.
Bruno glared at Rick, fury blazing in his eyes. "You'll pay for this, you little bastard!" He roared, his voice shaking with rage.
In an instant, Bruno's henchmen lunged at Rick all at once. A punch landed in Rick's stomach, causing him to stagger, but he fought back. He landed a blow to one man's face, knocking him to the ground. But the numbers were against him.
A punch from the side struck Rick's jaw, followed by a kick that sent him sprawling to the floor. Bruno took his chance and delivered a crushing blow to Rick's head with his fist, as solid as a boulder.
"You think you're tough? This is my turf!" Bruno bellowed as he pounded Rick and stomped on his face repeatedly.
Rick splat blood onto floor, a defiant smirk on his lips. "If this is your turf...why do you need eight guys to handle me?"
Bruno growled, his temper boiling over as he kicked Rick hard in the stomach, leaving him curled up in pain on the floor. His henchmen laughed cruelly, their voices echoing throughout the dinning hall.
"Pick him up!" Bruno ordered.
Two men dragged Rick to his feet. Bloodied and battered, he still managed to keep his sharp gaze fixed on Bruno, as if silently declaring that he wasn't done yet.
Bruno leaned in close, his face inches from Rick's. "I'll make your life in here a living hell," he whispered.
Rick chuckled weakly. "Hahaha... I've been living in hell for a long time. You're just an amateurs."
Bruno, enraged, delivered another brutal punch that sent Rick crashing to the ground again. This time, he didn't get up, and the room filled with jeering laughter.
The guards standing at the corners of the room merely watched, uninterested. Fight like this were a daily occurrence in ironclad.
"Take him to his cell," Bruno commanded.
Two of his men grabbed Rick's limp body and dragged him out of the dinning hall, leaving a trail of blood on the floor. Meanwhile, Bruno returned to his seat with a smug smile.
In the corner of the room, a few inmates whispered to each other. They'd never seen someone like Rick before, someone who dared to stand up to Bruno without flinching.
And even in defeat, the look in Rick's eyes showed that his fight wasn't over.
~o0o~
Rick was thrown roughly into his cell, his injured body slamming against the hard floor. He groaned softly as fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but he still managed a faint, defiant smile as if he'd long grown used to pain.
In the dimly lit cell, an old man name Harvey sat on a narrow bunk in the corner, reading a tattered book under the flickering light. Without looking up, he greeted Rick in his usual flat tone.
"Got yourself beaten up again, kid."
"How many times do I have to tell you? People like you won't last long if you keep picking fights with Bruno."
Rick cluckled weakly, leaning against the wall as he wiped the blood from his lips. "I'm not picking fights, old man. They're the ones who keep coming to me."
"I was young once, like you. Full of fire. But hear this in Ironclad, fire burns out faster than you think."
"In a place like this, you have to know when to fight an when to back down. Bruno isn't just some street thug. He's got people willing to do his bidding at any time. I've seen plenty of men like him... And even more who end up like you," Harvey said with a pointed look.
Rick stared blankly at the ceiling. "I can't bow down, Harvey. That's not who I am."
Harvey shook his head slowly. "Pride is your biggest enemy here. Do you think holding onto it will prove anything? All it does is give them more reasons to break you."
From the cell across the hall, laughter suddenly echoed.
"Hahaha... He's stubborn, old man. But I gotta admit, the kid's got guts," said Grady, a burly inmate with a scar across his neck, reclining on his bunk with his hands behind his head.
"But you know, Rick," Grady continued in a relaxed tone, "guts alone won't cut it in this place. Bruno's doesn't forget a grudge. Sooner or later, he'll make sure you can't get back up."
Rick gave a faint smile, his eyes still burning with the determination. "Let him try. I'm ready."
Harvey sighed deeply and reopened his book. "Foolish kid always think they can take on the world alone."
Grady chuckled softly. "Hahaha... At least he's making things more interesting around here, old man."
Rick closed his eyes, letting the pain coursing through his body was over him. Meanwhile, Hearvy returned to this reading, and grady and continued to watc Rick with a curious, knowing gaze.