1. The Prison of Bankcrook

The electricity went out.

Every night at eleven o'clock, and it usually lasted for ten minutes.

Jalen had been observing this for three consecutive days in the Bankcrook prison. But for those who had been there longer, the power outage had been going on for two months.

"Scared of the dark, Jail?" a mocking voice came from the opposite bed.

"I fear God," he replied, adding, "And it’s Jalen."

On the first day, Jalen had already faced much pressure and mockery. First, there were the altered names, like Jail-in or Jail, that they called him.

Second, the case he was in for—money laundering involving billions of dollars, which, apparently, wasn't considered cool by the other inmates.

But that was the scenario Jalen had to play along with.

Jalen Hunt was a government agent who had to infiltrate Bankcrook to investigate it. It was a dangerous mission and highly confidential.

He could have refused, but at his quarter-century age and dealing with significant cases, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

So, Jalen agreed and now had been in Bankcrook for three days. His task was to investigate the prison for two full moons, and his superiors hoped for some breakthrough.

"You've probably never experienced anything bad like this, have you? Your life must be so easy," the man in the neighbouring bed babbled.

"Hmm," Jalen replied shortly.

"By the way, you fear God, but why become a corruptor?"

"I fear God. But I love money."

"Find money the right way, Jail. That's what I'll do when I'm free."

Chip was always talking. He ended up in Bankcrook for being a gang member and involved in a murder. He should have stayed in Bankcrook for another five years.

This was what puzzled Jalen.

From Jalen's information, many inmates had been released from Bankcrook in the last three months. Strangely, these released prisoners never returned to their families or were seen anywhere. They just disappeared.

"The electricity has been out for more than ten minutes," Jalen said.

"Yeah? So what?"

"Strange."

Jalen got up from the bed and approached the iron bars, feeling his way through. It was too dark outside; he couldn't see anything.

From other cells, he heard murmurs of other prisoners talking in hushed tones. The rest of them must be asleep.

"What's the difference if the power is out for more than ten minutes?" Chip complained.

Jalen still needs to answer.

"We're still here. Inside the cell. Nothing changes."

‘Aarghh!’

Suddenly, a distant, agonized scream echoed. Jalen strained his ears, but the sound didn't come again. Did he mishear it?

Chip approached, standing next to Jalen. Chip's breath was fast.

"Did you hear that?" Chip whispered.

"That was a scream, wasn't it?" Jalen asked just to confirm.

"Yes, it was. What's happening, I wonder?"

Violence among inmates did happen but was strictly handled. Not many dared to misbehave in Bankcrook.

The prisoners were more afraid of the punishments than going mad behind the guards.

Those with aggressive tendencies were placed in separate cells. There were several levels of cells, categorized by prisoner types and behaviours.

So, if there were any fights inside the cell, it was a rare occurrence.

"What's going on?"

"I think I heard a scream."

"Who's injured?"

The voices came from other cells. Apparently, they heard the scream, too.

A faint flashlight appeared, coming closer. The steps of the guards sounded hurried. They were patrolling the cells where Jalen was kept.

"There must have been a fight," Chip grumbled.

Chip, the man in his early thirties, stepped back to bed.

"A newcomer. Doesn't know the rules. Wants to test Bankcrook's punishment," Chip continued, laughing.

"Is there a new inmate?"

"I don't know. As far as I know, you were the freshman who arrived."

‘Bang, bang, bang’

Three gunshots. Very clear.

Then, more guards followed, banging their batons against the iron bars. The prisoners started yelling from their cells.

"Silent! Silent!" the guards shouted firmly.

Jalen moved backwards as a guard struck his cell's iron bars with a baton.

"That's a gunshot," Chip hissed.

"Quiet," Jalen warned.

The electricity still hadn't returned, and Jalen couldn't know what was happening.

A few minutes later, the sounds of someone crying out in pain were heard. The guards were patrolling the cells, apparently carrying someone injured.

"He bit me, Man!" a man cried out in pain.

Jalen couldn't determine who was injured, a guard or a prisoner. He couldn't be sure.

Jalen went back to his bed and sat on its edge. This wasn't normal, he thought.

Everything had been fine during his stay there. The prison system was excellent, and the prisoners were obedient. Jalen hadn't noticed anything suspicious.

But what had just happened made him alert instantly.

The door of the cell next to Jalen's was manually opened. Then, a flashlight shone toward Jalen and Chip, and a guard opened their cell door.

"Out," the guard ordered firmly.

"Where are we going?" asked Chip.

The guard said in a stern tone. "Move right now!"

Jalen and Chip hurriedly stepped out of the cell, their hands cuffed. After that, they had to hold onto the shoulders of another prisoner in front of them.

Jalen and the other prisoner walked down the long corridor, passing empty cells. They descended the stairs with difficulty, following the steps of the guards guiding the way.

Ahead, they saw a crowd of guards with flashlights in their hands. A prisoner writhing on the floor was being attended to.

"Take them to the dining hall!" one of the guards ordered upon seeing Jalen's group arriving.

Jalen noticed the injured prisoner's bleeding hands. He assumed that the one who had screamed was this prisoner.

And suddenly, the prisoner convulsed violently. For about three minutes, and then he stopped moving.

In seconds, the prisoner lunged at one of the guards. He tore at the guard's neck with his bite.

All the inmates in the group froze in shock.

Jalen could see the prisoner's eyes turning blood-red under the flashlight's reflection.

The prisoner emitted a low growl.