Reckless - Memoirs from the End of the World

Monarchy Malarkey [Part 3]

They would bring wet food to me once a day like I was a fucking dog, one guard would whistle an inaudible tune at a certain time of day and then later on I could hear another on his tablet yapping away to his mistress. Every now and then I would get a visit, well it is more of a violent extraction of information but I always held my ground. The only thing that kept me going was that Don was somewhere else enduring the same shit otherwise they wouldn't be here still worried about what they didn't know that could harm their precious monarchy.

As time went on I started realising that I would eventually lose my mind; I would spend the day exercising, punching the walls and sometimes shouting out things I had learned in my life, I don't know why but I felt the urge to do these things. Sometimes the guard would jump in and shut me up with their batons and Tasers and at other times they would just laugh.

That lasted a year.

I only realised how long I had been in there when I finally woke up in normal prison cell.

"Holy shit Aid, you fucking made it mate!" Don was ecstatic but we never hugged or anything.

"Don, you beautiful bastard," we smiled for a while in disbelief but then just kind of looked around and then stood up.

"Man if someone told me I'd be happy to wake up in a prison cell, I would told 'em to get stuffed."

The reunion was great; Don had been through the same process as me, it hardened us both and gave us a slightly weird psychotic edge like we had nothing to lose anymore.

Would you believe me if I told you prison was a bloody riot? Well, it was, once they knew who we were and what we had been through we fitted right in. Not one fucker tried to mess about with us and Don had caught quite a temper through it all, he gave out quite a few beatings, he did, and I loved him for it.

Some of the inmates were already part of our gang and it wasn't long before more of the members poured in once they found out.

Prison gave Don and I connections we never could have gained in the real world and in all honesty most of them were there because of their hatred for the monarchy. I didn't know whether it was because being in this place caused them to hate it or if they had the hate to begin with. It didn't matter said Don as he recruited most of them to our cause and not long after I was once again addressed as Ché. My speeches were now in the food halls and yard, my members did everything they could to make me comfortable and in turn I gave them a purpose.

Don and I had the whole place to ourselves after a few years.

Now I'm sure your wondering why they didn't kill me so let me address that before I carry on. It's simple in the words of the guards themselves who hated and despised me for this, the matter was uncomplicated; if they killed me I would become a martyr, if they kept me a prisoner then they could let me run riot in a controlled environment, or that's what they thought anyway.

I now had access to all kinds of things, explosives, Chem, guns you name it. I bloody had it, so of course it was only inevitable that the prison that kept us would eventually end up in flames and be reduced to rubble, right? Yes, it was an epic escape and the guards had never seen anything like it, they were ill-equipped and it just made it that much easier. We showed no mercy because we were basically thugs now, but we still had an ideology to keep us cultured, so to speak.

The word was spinning out of control now as all the population was hearing about our mischief, the destruction of the prison and of course the bloody revolution. Many people reached out to join, others gave us shelter or a place to talk and nodes providing aid whenever they could.

Of course it wasn't as rosy as it sounded; most of these helpers were normally found dead a few days after and we had a mole problem.

We realised that the best thing to do right now was hold it down for a year, stay low and reorganise. Another year had passed and even though the chase was still very much fresh, the effort had gone down a peg or two. We took advantage and held as many meetings as we could in order to finally bring about that change and finally end this Monarchy malarkey.

So here I was along with Don and the others again. A nice meeting with the founding members, but it was different this time. I was different, no longer that fresh faced visionary that wanted to set things right and expressed himself freely. No, I had been radicalised hadn't I? The gang knew it, everything had to change and they had to step up or leave.

"I think we should go digital hun." You remember Trixie right?

"I'll be honest with you fella's, I just want to blow some shit up and knock a few heads, I want to burn that fucking monarchy to the ground and I wont die until that's happened!" I shouted, Don shouted in agreement as he took a few lines of Chem, handing me the tray after. Trixie looked away in disgust.

"Come on know love, aren't you used to it by now? I'm officially a product of the monarchy, a victim of oppression."

"There used to be love in you, passion, but know you just act like a thug."

"You see Trixie that is where you are wrong, there is no way in hell we would have achieved anything by being polite, do you think it was polite of them to beat me senseless? To rip out my fucking toenails?!" My mouth spitting like some crazed animal's, "They asked for this and I am fucking going to give them it!"

"Trixie look Ché knows what he's doing so just let him, yeah?" Don explained.

"Ok, I trust you, I just miss the old Aiden."

Trixie, I'm still here but I can't risk it, not until they are all gone hun, okay?" I said stroking her cheek, "I need you love, I fucking need you," she kissed me in agreement, "We go digital, make the preparations, Lionel get the explosives from that guy I introduced you to a while back, let me know when we are good to go, dismissed," I said mockingly.

I'll be very honest here, Trixie was spot on; Aiden had died the night I went to prison, those fuckers had tortured him out of me and I just couldn't look back. I had to take vengeance, it was all I had, for Aiden, I mean me. I was stupid to think I had a cause, Don knew what we were doing, I think he was the only one but we never acknowledged it.

In the few years this had all taken place, many innocents died, members were executed and those that were suspected were killed also, it was savage and the population knew it. You have to understand those members being executed were sons and daughters, they were family and that's more important then anything.

I guess deep down I was just hoping to die and take a few bastards with me, I mean it's the end of the world right? What the hell were we all doing playing house?

A few weeks later our plan was finally in motion.

TBC...