Risen To The Top

CHAPTER 7

The loud clanging of the gates made him sit up immediately, he had a swift dream, he could barely remember the details, it was something about a cliff,  he could remember seeing sarah.

oh yes! he could remember seeing sarah hanging off a cliff, he had attempted to save her and she had taken him down with her instead.

The loud clanging on the prison cell 

made him open his eyes again, he looked at the opposite cell of the room, the old man sat there, bent over like he was a scribbling something on a piece of paper.

Marshall stood at the gate, looking at them suspiciously.

"suspension time is up! we're returning you back to your cell."

"hope you learn to be on your best behaviors boy!" Marshall grunted loudly as he watched Alex drag himself off the ground.

The old man stood up and walked over to the gate, he whispered in Marshall's ears and handed the paper to him.

Alex walked to the gate as he watched the old man scruffle back to his corner.

"Take care of yourself chap, good luck." The old man whispered to Alex as he walked outside the undergroundcell, heading to the buzz of the upper cells.

Alex knew he'd need more than that to survive all what was to come.

****

TWO YEARS LATER……

The prison arena chimed with loud explosive noises as the prisoners cheered on the fighters, in the recently announced annual fighting competition.

The winner would get to be under the protection of Argon the leader of the revolutionary gang,the biggest gang in the prison.

The prison had had quite a revolutionary change in the last few years.

some called it the rise of Argon.

Many who had heard his story had said that he had come into the prison as a nerd and after an encounter with the devil he sold his soul to be the leader of the biggest gang of one of the toughest prisons in the country.

His name was spread across all prisons.

many didn't know who Argon met the night he was taken down to the Eastern underground cell as punishment, everyone who offended in prison always got taken to the western and not the Eastern.

Many believed, anyone who was taken to the Eastern were either taken to be killed or used for something else.

In the stories that had spread, Argon had been taken there after he had been in a series of fights, he survived the night and when he came back he had a new fire in his eyes, he trained tirelessly everyday.

The highlight of his journey to the top came when his former cell mate tried to harass him again and Argon had knocked the man unconscious.

Some days after, the man came back with his gang of almost ten men and they locked themselves in the cell with Argon so as to not be interrupted by wardens.

But yet, only Argon made it out of the cell alive, no other man was left standing when he walked out of the cell.

As the weeks had passed, Argon got many more suspensions and he made the Eastern underground cell his home, he always went there all alone and coming out looking beastly.

He became a force on his own, a threat for other gangs and affiliations.

In no time, he created his own loyal following.

***

The crowd began to cheer as Argon stepped out to view the annual contest he created.

He stepped out looking majestic as he smiled to the crowd.

He wasn’t a male model but he could have been. 

The lush, molten jet black hair  hair with a few stray strands resting on his well shaped forehead, he groomed his hair so carefully that it had a rippling quality, a sign of his rude health.

 His only blemish was that he was beetle-browed and they sometimes knitted in frustration,which could be fixed if he got a good trim.

The aquiline nose he sported complemented his prominent cheekbones. Handsome in an understated way, his basalt jaw and Spartan shoulders spoke of strength. He possessed a latent, leonine power and always walked with purpose and authority.

many people had always remarked that his best feature was his entrancing, wayfarer-blue eyes. Sloe shaped, they could shine as bright as the evening stars when they were a-light with joy. At other times, they could resemble two liquid-blue pools of flashing fire. Flamboyant of character, the room always filled with his sonorous, rumbling voice. He was also quick to crack a joke or fire off a humorous retort. His rakish clothes were a source of amusement to some, not least because they emanated an herbal smell.

****

Alex sat down as he watched the crowd cheer him on.

He wondered if he actually wanted to leave prison now, he had built a name for himself, he was a better version of himself, coming out of prison would mean he had to start from zero again.

Laury, the old man had been talking about his daughter trying to reopen his case for him but now he wasn't sure if he wanted to leave prison.

He had everything he wanted, he was like a king in here, he was strong, smart, feared, loved, the wardens even liked him.

He had brought the prison to order, everything had been moving smoothly for. a year of two and it was all because of him.

He wasn't even watching the fight they had going on as he thought about all his progress in the last few years, that was when he smelt it.

Smoke! something was burning, he looked around, only a few people were noticing it, the rest were too busy enjoying the fight.

The smoke was getting thicker, a loud explosion followed, shaking the entire building from the floor.

Alex could see the horrified looks on the men around him as they all began to run helter skelter

The walls began to crack as the flames became visible, the room was full of screams, grown men screams.

The smoke thickened as Alex ran, trying to find his way to the Easter underground cell.

Everyone was running to the main gates, even the wardens.

Alex ran towards the Eastern underground cell, pushing through the crowd as he ran, he had to get to the old man first before the smoke got to him.

Another loud explosion shook the entire building again, the building was falling apart, it was collapsing on them all.

Alex looked towards the main gate, the building there had collapsed on all the prisoners and wardens who had ran there to escape.

His eyes seared with pain as the smoke thickened and debris sprayed all over his body.

He turned around the corner as he ran through the maze of prison cells.

Another loud explosion, this time it sprayed debris and a few rocks all over his body, he knew he was going to die in the building if he didn't hurry.

The doorway had collapsed!

Laury was shut inside the building, he hadn't been fast enough to get to him.

The building vibrated dangerously again, more debris sprayed from the cracked ceiling.

The temperature of the hallway had risen,sweat trickled down his back as thick smoke filled the passageway and had begun to choke him.

Alex knew time was running.

If he didn't act fast he could also get killed in the fire.

He heard his name!

it was faint but he was sure he heard his name.

He ran towards the direction he had heard his name from.

He heard it again!

it was fairly loud this time, he made a sharp turn into a smaller hallway, the fire here was thicker, he could see the old man, he was trapped in the middle of the fire.

He looked at Alex, Alex could see the fear in his eyes.