Rikers Island Inmates

[illWILL8455]

The End is Near?

Derricka had always aspired to be a leader. She put in the hard work and dedication that it took to learn the skills necessary to be one of the best at what she did.

She remembered all of the blood, sweat and tears that she shed throughout the years to earn her spot on the cheerleading squads each and every year. Derricka had earned a full ride scholarship to cheer for a division 3 college.

The achievements and accolades that Derricka had racked up along her journey to cheerleading success had always earned Derricka respect amongst her peers. They realized the pride and determination that Derricka had to earn those honors so they always listened to what she had to say.

For the first time in her life, Derricka felt that her leadership ability was getting taken from her. She stared from across the yard at Fu Fu Brown, yapping a bunch of nonsense at some of the cheerleaders, as if she was coaching them.

Derricka resented Fu Fu. She watched as Fu Fu single-handedly undid weeks of training to perfect the cheer routines that Derricka had planned out. Derricka glared at Fu Fu belittling the girls, and demanding that they do what she was doing.

Fu Fu's technique was awful and she had absolutely no talent. All she had was a loud mouth, and an enormous ego. This combination was good for making a fool out of herself as well as making enemies.

Fu Fu had to go.... It was that simple. She had attacked Derricka directly and threatened her life. Derricka wasn't about to lose her leadership position on the squad, because of Fu Fu and her ratchet nonsense.

Derricka also knew that many of the cheerleaders had seen Fu Fu's attack on her. Followers always look to strong leaders so Derricka couldn't allow that attack on her bologna sandwich go unnoticed. She would soon see all of the girls leave her and follow Fu Fu instead if she did that. Something needed to be done, and it needed to be big.

Derricka knew what she needed to do. She had planned it out in her head over, and over again. She could do the job all by herself. It would be quick, clean, effective, and would even look like an accident.

Derricka's blood had been boiling as she watched Fu Fu confuse all of the cheerleaders that Derricka had worked so hard with, but now she felt chills. Her soul was in a very cold place, and her thoughts were dark.

The job would get done when the timing was right. An evil smile came over Derricka's face as she knew that time was coming soon. She slowly made her way to her cell to wait by herself for afternoon chores to begin.

The solitude and silence gave her time to play the scenario in her head over and over. She couldn't wait! Derricka could be seen laughing to herself as she sat alone in her cell....

Fish Braid Drama

Derricka's evil plot against Fu Fu wasn't the only potential problem that the Rikers Island Cheerleading squad was going to be faced with. Estrella Nunez had worn out her welcome at the Medical Ward, and was now on her way to sit in solitary for throwing things at the nurses.

Officer Flapjack Cooke made his way up to the Medical Ward to walk Estrella to solitude. Estrella kicked, screamed, and squirmed, but her tiny, 90 pound, frame was no match for the 300 pound beast. In fact, Officer Cooke hardly even noticed that she was trying to get away.

Like everyone else at Rikers Island, Officer Cooke spoke no Spanish. He had no idea what Estrella was saying as he walked her to her solitary jail cell. Estrella was mocking his weight, and calling him a diabetic, but Officer Cooke had no idea. He simply smiled and walked her into her cell and locked the door.

Estrella hurled insults all day long. All of these insults were in Spanish, so nobody had any idea what they meant....

Estrella's frustration reached a new height as she realized that she was going to be all alone in that cell. She couldn't sit still because she was too infuriated. She didn't know where she was, or how long she'd be there, but she did know one thing... Connie had lied to her.

Estrella, the twin sister of former-Rikers Island football player, Benjamin Nunez, had grown up in the streets of Brooklyn. The code in their hood was not to let anyone wrong you or disrespect you. If they did, then you had to punish them. Estrella had been wronged by Connie. She realized that Connie had lied to her in order to get to leave the room without getting hurt.

That didn't sit well with Estrella.... Not at all....

Dark thoughts got the best of Estrella as she sat alone in solitary, plotting her revenge on Connie. Every time she happened to see her tangled hair she got even madder. Connie promised that Derricka would come and braid her hair into a beautiful fish braid, but then it never happened.

Connie had lied, so Estrella was going to make her pay!

*

[illWILL8455]

Prescott

Connie couldn't believe her eyes. She must've gotten it wrong....

It was a few minutes before 8pm, and Connie had just arrived at Pegorino's Pizza to meet up with Prescott. Prescott had mentioned that he would make reservations, so Connie anticipated a fancy dinner, and had dressed accordingly.

Connie was in disbelief at the condition of Pegorino's Pizza though. She had never seen such a dump. It was out in the middle of nowhere and the building appeared to be running down. Connie had initially wondered why she hadn't heard of it prior to tonight. Now she knew....

Disappointed and a touch embarrassed that she had overdressed, Connie made her way inside at 8pm.

Cigarette smoke poured out of the building as Connie opened the door. A multitude of drunken bums were crowded around a pool table next to a bar, betting on the game that was going on. Connie gagged at the horrid smell of cigarette smoke and booze radiating throughout the pizza place.

A biker gang was grouped together towards the back of the place. Connie assumed that they were a biker gang as many had matching bandanas. They were tatted from head to toe, and the women looked just as manly as the men.... They were clearly intoxicated, and a game of cards was beginning to get out of hand. Connie feared that a fist fight could break out at any time....

Another group of bums was huddled around a table in the corner. Strange colored smoke billowed up from a suspicious looking vase. The entire group was staring at Connie and attempting to hide the vase. Connie worried that they may think that she's a cop. She was more than convinced whatever they were smoking in that 'vase' wasn't legal....

Connie was scared. She wasn't used to these types of people, and she didn't know how to conduct herself. Having dressed nicely, Connie worried that she would get robbed by someone who assumed that she had money....

None the less, Connie knew that she needed to press on. Prescott was likely here somewhere, and she really wanted to hear him out. This atmosphere was intimidating, but Connie was on a mission.

She made her way through the huge crowd that was stuffed in the run down pizza shack, wondering how she would ever find Prescott. She didn't even know what the guy looked like, so how was she supposed to find him? Connie chuckled at the thought of such a run down place actually having reservations....

As Connie scanned the crowd, it wasn't long before she located the one and only, Claude Newman. Claude didn't see Connie at first. He was guzzling a light beer, and flirting with any chick who walked by. Despite his gleeful attempts, none of the women were responding to Claude.

Connie made her way over to Claude. She knew that she needed to be trying to find Prescott, but seeing a familiar face in such a rough crowd comforted Connie.

Claude seemed startled when Connie greeted him.

"Coach?! What are you doin out here in these parts? Folks like you ain't usually around here."

Connie smiled. She explained why she was there to Claude. Now that he understood, he kicked back and relaxed. Connie noticed that Claude was clearly drunk, and was having trouble standing up. He was propped up against the wall so that he wouldn't fall over.

"Well then, coach... let me introduce you to dating 101! This here is what you call a loaded pond. See all them fishes swimming out yonder. Any one of them there fish could be coming home with ole Claude tonight if you catch my drift. I'm just over here tossing in my hook and my worm just a waiting for a bite!"

Connie nearly threw up. The fact that Claude would be happy going home with any of the people in this terrible place was sickening. The fact that he chose to use an example including fish and worms didn't make it better.

"Now, if you'll excuse me there coach. I'm seeing a scrumptious fish over yonder just begging for me to bait my hook!"

Claude stumbled off in a drunken stupor towards a group of rough looking biker chicks sitting at a table. He was wobbling so much that he nearly collapsed onto the table. They giggled and helped him sit down. Claude was beaming at them and began flirting away.

Connie literally felt herself getting sick watching that play out. She worried what these filthy people had, or what they were capable of. She began to wonder if Prescott set her up to come to this place and get mugged....

Suddenly, Connie was grabbed by her arm and jerked away...!

The surprising yank, nearly sent Connie tumbling to the floor. She barely managed to catch herself and hold onto her purse. She was being led towards a table in the back room, forcefully.

A door swung open, and Connie was tossed into another crowded room. Outraged by her treatment, Connie scanned the room for someone to curse out.

However, when she looked around, her rage was soon replaced with fear. What was this place?

Men in suits surrounded a circular table near the back wall with a seated man with his back to Connie. She assumed that this was the Prescott that she was looking for.

The men in suits were all wearing sunglasses and were all clearly in great shape. Connie knew that all of them likely had guns, so she swallowed her pride and elected to be peaceful instead of letting them all know how she really felt.

"Connie, my dear, sit...."

The man summoned Connie over to a chair in front of him without even looking back towards her. This creeped Connie out, but she did as he asked.

She sat awkwardly, and stared across the table into the eyes of Prescott....

Connie isn't Important at All?

His eyes were icy grey. Connie had never seen such a color. It was eerie and creeped Connie out. He seemed to be staring right through Connie.

His jet black hair was slicked straight back on his head. Connie wondered how much grease he had used in order to get it that sleak. Prescott rocked back in his seat and puffed on a fancy pipe. He excelled a giant cloud of smoke that clouded Connie's vision.

As the smoke thinned out, Connie saw that Prescott was dressed in an elaborate fur coat. It looked so authentic. She wondered if he actually was wearing one that was likely gotten off the backs of endangered animals.

Curly hair was visible on his chest, and Connie hadn't noticed an under shirt. A horrible thought crossed her mind, what if the fur coat was all that he was wearing. She dismissed the thought quickly so as not to lose composure. She noticed that he was wearing a thick gold chain, a gold bracelet, and a thick gold ring on each of his fingers. The watch that he was wearing must have cost thousands.

Connie soon returned to making solid eye contact, waiting for him to speak. The awkward silence continued, and Connie realized that he hadn't stopped staring at her the entire time. This was really beginning to freak Connie out.

Prescott took another drag of his pipe without breaking eye contact. Connie was at her wits end in terms of inhaling second hand smoke for tonight so she decided to break the silence.

"You...wanted to see me, Prescott?"

Prescott grinned as he finished the drag and blew yet another thick cloud of smoke in Connie's face.

"Connie, my dear. So glad we can finally meet face-to-face...."

Connie knew that he had a reason to bring her here and treat her like this so she was defensive. She didn't speak and crossed her arms, waiting for him to continue.

"Easy, darling. Why are you so up tight? We're all friends here...."

Connie hated the way that he drug out the last word of his sentences. It was creepy. However, it wasn't as bad as how he continued to stare directly into her eyes without blinking.

"Guards, pour this fine young lady a drink!"

Prescott was smirking at Connie as he snapped his fingers at one of the men in suits to fulfil his request. Connie didn't trust Prescott one bit. She quickly declined the drink. She didn't know if Prescott was the type of man to drug her, but she surely wouldn't put it past him with how weird the night had been so far.

"Awhhh, you don't trust me? That hurts my heart, Connie! Here I am trying to help you out, and you don't even trust me, sweety?"

Connie didn't know what to say. She hated that he called her things like darling, and sweety, but she didn't know how to say it without coming off as totally inappropriate.

Prescott beamed at Connie. It was a little bit too much of a smile for Connie's liking considering how awkward things were going.

"That's too bad, darling. See, I thought we could be friends. I thought we could work together. You know, scratch each other's backs."

Connie's eyes narrowed as Prescott continued. She was losing hope that Prescott was a friend, and was starting to feel like he would turn out to be an enemy. She remained quiet as he continued though.

"How can we make that happen if you don't trust me, Connie? It hurts my feelings that you don't consider Prescott a friend. What has Prescott ever done to you, sweet pea?"

Connie didn't like the mood of the room all of a sudden. She was never once comfortable but she really wanted to leave now. She looked up towards the door, only to see multiple guards blocking her path.

She knew that she was trapped. With her heart racing she looked back to Prescott. He was still staring at her, but his fake politeness appeared to be being replaced by a little hostility that Connie didn't trust him.

"I'm disappointed in you, Connie girl. I really am. You have hurt Prescott's feelings tonight. None-the-less, let's continue, shall well...."

The guard set the drink down on the table that Prescott had offered Connie. Prescott blankly stared at Connie with those piercing grey eyes, and reached for the drink. He finished it off in one swallow, and leaned back in his chair. He never once broke eye contact.

Connie felt like a jerk. Had she acted out of line? Was she being too judgemental? She really was starting to think that she was acting like a fool, when the smooth, gentle voice of Prescott broke her train of thought.

"Here's what you're going to do, my dear. You're going to let Prescott join your team. Prescott is quite the magician when it comes to turning programs around. Pull a string here, pull a string there, and all of sudden, look whose winning...."

Prescott referring to himself in third person was weirding Connie out. She paused for a moment as she realized that he had said, 'here's what she's going to do'... Did she have a choice?

An evil grin came across Prescott's face as he saw Connie thinking through what he just said. He rocked back in his seat and took another drag of his pipe. After blowing an even bigger cloud in Connie's face, he continued.

"I respected "The Warden." He was a good man. He did a lot of good for the people, and he had a dream that he was willing to die for. That's the true measure of a man. He's good people. I don't know about you, nor do I really care to know you. You're not important to this in the least. The only thing that matters is that I'm not a nice guy, believe it or not my dear."

Connie was beyond offended. How in the world was he going to justify what he had just said to Connie?

"Easy darling, don't get yourself all worked up. Prescott is here to solve your problems, so sit back, relax and let Prescott ease your pain."

The phrasing of that troubled Connie, but she was still not happy about him saying that she wasn't important in the least.

"As I was saying... Men like "The Warden" are dreamers. They dream of a better tomorrow and come up with plans to make it happen. That's great but it also will never happen until men like myself come along to actually make it happen. There's dirty work that has built everything good in this life, my darling. Every mall you shop at, every spa you go to, every kitchen you cook in, it all came because someone was willing to do the dirty work to make it happen."

Connie's rage hit a new level as she felt as though all of his examples were extremely sexist. She refused to speak out though out of fear for what Prescott or the guards might do to her.

"Do we see eye to eye on that, princess?"

Just when Connie thought that it couldn't get any creepier, Prescott was leaning forward and staring her dead in the eyes. She knew that he wanted her to agree despite how offensive he was being. It was a power trip for him, and Connie didn't want a fight. Not here with all of his guards around in this sketchy place. She hung her head and agreed. She could feel herself dying a little inside.

"Good girl. Now, all you are going to do is let Prescott and his people work behind the scenes. We'll find everyone that needs to be found, and present them to you when the timing is right. You may never see me again, sweet pea. That is, as long as you follow the rules...."

This meeting had gone from weird, to beyond creepy. What was he talking about? What rules?

Prescott chuckled with his eyes still wide open, as if he was staring into Connie's soul.

"Put it this way, my dear.... You don't ever want to see Prescott again after tonight. So you be a good little girl, and follow all the rules and nobody will have to get hurt. Start acting out, and you or those around you will suffer the consequences."

He snapped his fingers and one of the men flipped on a security camera monitor on a tv in the corner.

Connie's jaw dropped as she saw that the camera was zoomed in on Claude Newman. Claude was now flirting with a woman who clearly had a boyfriend right beside her. The angered boyfriend shoved the drunken Claude down and Claude was flopping around on the floor trying to figure out how to stand up. He kept hollering that the world was spinning too fast and that someone needed to drop and anchor to stop it....

Chills shot down Connie's spine as she realized that Prescott had just threatened her and her friends. She was absolutely terrified to look back at Prescott. However, after a brief awkward silence, she knew that she would have to.

She reluctantly made eye contact and her heart skipped a beat. The evil grin on Prescott's face was truly troubling. He slowly stood up as he took a drag of his pipe.

Connie was frozen. She didn't know what to do as Prescott walked towards her. All she could do was stare into his icy grey eyes, terrified.

Prescott took a huge drag from his pipe and leaned in close to Connie. He pressed his nose firmly up against hers and let out all of the smoke right on top of her. Connie gagged and coughed harshly.

As Connie regained her composure he softly touched her chin and guided her head back up close to his.

"Don't worry my dear, the rules will be plain and simple. You will get them from my people in due time. I trust you will be a smart little lady and follow them like the good girl you are. You will, won't you my dear?"

Connie was frozen in fear again. She managed to nod, despite the fact that she was terrified.

Prescott took a step closer to Connie. He was right up in her face.

"Anything you want to say to me, sweety?"

Connie furiously shook her head no. She just wanted this to be over. She didn't know what she had gotten herself into, and she now only wanted to get out.

Prescott laughed in her face and backed up to take another drag of his pipe. After once again, blowing the smoke towards Connie, he continued.

"See my dear, it would've been much better if you had just been Prescott's friend. You let me down, Connie.... But you know what, Prescott is and always will be your friend. I don't think you liked the way that the guards snatched you in here. I'll see to it that you get a different treatment on your way out. Guards...."

Multiple guards picked Connie up and began walking her to the door to the main part of the Pizza Shack. They plopped her down gently on the nearest pool table and returned directly to the back room, slamming the door behind them.

Connie was beyond relieved to finally be free from that. She scurried off the table and raced towards the door. She was running on pure adrenaline at that point and couldn't formulate thoughts. She just wanted to get out as fast as humanly possible.

She busted out of the shack and sped off as fast as she could out of the isolated driveway of Pegorino's Pizza. Her mind was still numb and her heart had never beat so fast in her life.

Claude, who was entirely oblivious to the whole situation, remained at Pegorino's Pizza late into the night. The later it got, the drunker he got, and the less and less actual women remained at the pizza shack. Claude was so out of it that he was flirting with a bearded biker lady, before Claude slumped down on his bar stool, and wiped out on his face, sound asleep.

Prescott chuckled from the back room. He called up a cab to ensure that Connie's friend made it home. Claude was too valuable to Prescott's master plan to let him get murdered by a drunken bearded biker lady....

*

[illWILL8455]

Broken

Thunder clapped loudly as rain pelted the roof of Connie's house. None of the lights had been flipped on so the flashes of lightning lit the room for brief instances prior to darkness falling over it.

Connie was shaking all over. Not from rage or anger, but from total fear. She hid under the covers of her bed, clinging tightly to a pillow, terrified to leave.

Prescott's evil stare was all that she could think about. She would never be able to forget those icy grey eyes. Connie felt that he was staring right through her the entire discussion.

Connie was frozen in terror. She thought back on everything that he had said. He had taken complete control of the future of her football team and Connie was too scared to stand up to him.

She felt small. The feeling of defeat and failure came over her, and Connie covered her face with the pillow. Thunderous crashes continued outside as the storm raged on.

What would happen to everyone? Who would Prescott bring in? Who would Prescott kick off the team? What rules was she supposed to follow? Did she really not matter at all? How soon until Prescott had her fired from the one thing she was passionate about, Rikers Island Football?

These questions jumbled up in Connie's mind. She had no answers. Nothing felt the same anymore. She felt violated. Something that Connie loved dearly had been taken from her and she felt that there was nothing that she could do about it....

The storm continued to get worse. It's dreary presence didn't help Connie's mood. The monotonous rumbling of rain on her roof was usually calming, but Connie knew that no sleep would come tonight.

Every time that she closed her eyes, she saw that evil icy stare from Prescott....

*

[illWILL8455]

Step One

Patience is key when it comes to pulling off a master plan. Derricka knew that she needed to take her time and account for every possible eventuality if she was going to successfully off Fu Fu.

Derricka had broken her plan down into multiple parts. She had scribbled down all of the necessary items that she would need on a piece of toilet paper one night as her cell mate slept. She had sneakily tucked the tiny shred of toilet paper under her pillow. She grabbed it the next morning as they left their cells.

Throughout the day, Derricka referred to this list in order to accumulate the needed items. She needed something sharp to stab Fu Fu. After much thought, Derricka elected to stop by the workshop.

The workshop was an area that inmates went to repair various items such as lamps, and flashlights. Inmates assigned to this chore, worked for hours each day to try to fix broken lamps by fiddling with the wiring. It was a very frustrating job, but it did allow the inmates access to a multitude of sharp tools.

Derricka knew that she would never make it out of the workshop with a tool. The second that the guards realized that a tool was missing, the entire jail would go on lockdown until it was found. She also knew that if she would get shipped off to maximum security prison if she was caught with a deadly tool. Derricka intended to murder Fu Fu without getting caught so she knew that she needed to come up with a more clever plot then stealing a tool.

Having worked in the workshop when she first got to jail, Derricka knew that the tables were held together by screws. Derricka figured that if she could sneak a screw out of there, that she could use it to stab Fu Fu with. It wouldn't make much of a cut, but if Derricka stabbed her in the right spot, it could be enough to end Fu Fu.

The problem with this strategy was that Derricka was no longer assigned to the workshop. Failure to report to her assigned work station would likely earn her time in solitary confinement. This would delay her progress, but Derricka figured that it was a necessary evil. She couldn't think of any way to get a deadly weapon without getting to the workshop.

Derricka had friends who worked in the workshop, but she had trust issues. Derricka didn't believe that any of them would actually get her a screw with all of the trouble that they could get in for having it. Derricka also intended to get away with this murder, so she feared that getting someone else involved would risk someone snitching on her. Premeditated murder was a charge that Derricka never wanted to have to endure. She considered herself wise enough to avoid it....

The screw was the first item listed on Derricka's tiny shred of toilet paper. She plotted how she would go about getting into the workshop to get it. The most advantageous time to do so would be after lunchtime. This was when a large group of inmates would be flooding out of the cafeteria to report to their afternoon chores. Derricka felt that she could easily slip into the workshop for long enough to get a screw.

She was smart enough to know that the inmates who were in the workshop might get suspicious if she snuck into the workshop for no apparent reason. Derricka sighed as she knew what she had to do. Derricka would have to start a petty fight with one of the chicks in the workshop. She would run her mouth about one of the girls in the workshop as she unscrewed, and would hide the screw as she threw a few punches and got caught, and thrown into solitude.

It wasn't the most ideal plan. Derricka wasn't looking forward to spending time in solitary, but she couldn't think of another way to pull off such a sneaky murder. She would have to sacrifice her lifestyle in order to set her evil plot in motion.

Derricka didn't have an appetite at lunch. The thought of sitting alone in solitude sickened her. She knew that she would have to, but it still saddened her. She grabbed a carton of milk, and sipped it slowly as she zoned out at her seat at the table.

It wasn't long before she noticed Fu Fu from across the cafeteria. Fu Fu was loudly laughing, and yelling nonsense at anyone who would listen. Derricka smirked as she pictured how great life was going to be once Fu Fu was no longer there to annoy her.

The lunch period slowly passed. Derricka simply stared at Fu Fu, and her ratchet homies that she surrounded herself with. Fu Fu had spent the entire lunch period freestyle rapping, and throwing gang signs at guards who weren't looking. The sheer stupidity of this angered Derricka. She had simply shaken her head at how much joy this ridiculous behavior had brought Fu Fu.

The buzzer finally sounded and the inmates knew that it was time to report to their afternoon chores. Derricka swallowed as she prepared for the rough afternoon that she was about to have.

Derricka made her way towards the door. She fell in with the group that was heading to the workshop. She was careful to not call any attention to herself, and she kept her head down and walked quietly behind the girls heading that way.

Upon arrival, the inmates began checking out tools, and grabbing broken down lamps and flashlights to begin to frustrating task of trying to make the junk work again. Derricka found a seat at a table where a screw driver had been checked out. The chicks were used to seeing new faces coming and going as assignments were changed from time to time, so nobody seemed to notice that Derricka didn't belong... yet.

Derricka knew that one of the girls that she knew would soon see her there. They would have lots of questions for her since they knew her and liked her. As co-captain of the cheerleading team, many female inmates aspired to be like Derricka. Derricka knew that she'd have to start up the fight soon once they started asking questions, so they wouldn't get suspicious.

Derricka quickly reached for the screw driver. Once she had it, she grabbed a badly broken lamp. She sat down and pretended to work on the lamp.

Inconspicuously, Derricka reached under the table. She felt around before finally finding the screw that held the corner of the table down. She smirked, and moved the screw driver under the table. After some effort, Derricka managed to slip the screw driver into the grooves of the screw's head. Derricka yanked on the screwdriver and sure enough, the screw began to slowly turn.

Derricka peaked around as the screw continued to give. Nobody had noticed her yet. She quickly finished undoing the screw and it fell freely into her hand. Derricka gripped the screw tightly. This was the part that she wasn't looking forward to. It was time to fight....

She scanned the room of women. Derricka had been at the top of the totem pole amongst female inmates for so long that she hadn't had to fight for years. She wasn't looking forward to getting into another fight, but she knew that she was still in great shape.

Derricka used to fight all of the time when she first got to jail. She had refused to make any friends due to her trust issues, so most of the inmates hated her. It wasn't until Derricka began to win fights that the girls began respecting her. The more Derricka fought, the more her popularity increased.

She wasn't proud of her past. All of the fighting had left scars that would never go away on her face. At the time, the scars made Derricka smile as she began to intimidate those who wanted to fight her, but she hated the scars now.

Derrick's excitement over the Rikers Island cheerleading squad had took her back to her college days. She remembered how pretty she used to get before going out to cheer for their football team. That cheerleading squad was incredible, and Derricka had learned so much from it. It was one of the prouder moments in her life. Now that she was stuck in jail, the Rikers Island cheer team was all that she had. She aspired to once again be beautiful and enjoy it as much as she had her college cheer team, but the ugly scarring and lack of make up and hair styling didn't allow for that....

Nonetheless, Derricka knew that she needed to start something up, and fast. She gripped the screw tightly and stood up.

She slapped the nearest girl in the back of the head. Screams and laughs erupted from the crowd of girls. Derricka grabbed the girls's ponytail and slammed her head into the lamp that she was working on.

Derricka had angered the girl. She was bleeding from a cut on her face from the busted light bulb in the lamp. Derrick took a step back asthe girl swung on her. Alarms began sounding and Derricka landed another punch on the angry girl.

Derricka knew that she needed to get her hands free to put the screw in her mouth before the guards got there. She knew that they would likely not check her mouth, and if they did, Derricka would just swallow the screw and wait to throw it up when she got to solitary. It wasn't a flattering though, but Derricka knew that she had to do what she had to do.

Derricka shoved the angry girl down and quickly plopped the screw under her tongue. It was perfect timing as the guards rushed in, and threw Derricka up against the wall. Derricka smirked as she had gotten the screw hidden before they had managed to handcuff her.

After detaining the other girl, the guards began to walk the girls toward solitary. Derricka's heart was pounding as she hoped that they wouldn't check her mouth.

Upon arriving at solitary, officer Flapjack Cooke scolded the girls for their foolish fight. Derricka noticed that the girl that she had fought was bleeding all over and she had a black eye. She smirked out how she still knew how to fight well even after all of the time that she didn't have to.

After Officer Cooke was done preaching to them, he opened up two cell doors and forcefully tossed both girls into their own cells and slammed the doors closed.

Derricka could hear that the other girl had began crying but Derricka was all smiles as she spat out the screw and held it firmly in her hand. She had successfully completed step number one of her evil plot to end Fu Fu....

*

[illWILL8455]

Stolen

Connie groaned as she reached over to turn off her alarm clock moments before it was set to go off. Having not slept at all the night before, Connie had blankly stared at her alarm clock for hours until it came time to turn it off. She didn't want to hear it's incredibly loud ringing.

Aches and pains shot through Connie's body, as she wished she could force herself to actually sleep. She hadn't had a peaceful night's sleep since her meeting with Prescott. His evil stare haunted her as she tried to settle down each night.

Connie slowly worked up the motivation to pull herself up, and stagger out of bed. She made her way to the bathroom to ready herself for the day.

Connie felt her heart skip a beat when she saw herself in the mirror. The sleepless nights were beginning to take a toll on her. She saw heavy bags under her eyes, and new wrinkles were appearing. Grey hair was becoming more visible. The unreal stress load, coupled with Connie electing to put off a trip to the salon, had allowed her grey roots to show through. Connie was ashamed of what she had let herself become, and quickly looked away.

Still and yet, she wondered if she would ever recover. The meeting with Prescott had scared her. Prescott was a powerful man with a lot of power, and Connie couldn't do anything about it. In one meeting, Prescott had stolen the one thing that she had devoted her life to ever since her husband died, Rikers Island football.

Nothing felt the same. Each time Connie walked onto the field, she no longer felt pride. It felt as though the team belonged to someone else now. Connie felt as though she was an employee who was watching over things until the boss got back. It saddened Connie as she had cared so deeply for the team for so long, and now it was as if it was all taken from her.

The meeting had also instilled fear in Connie. Prescott had warned her to follow rules when they were presented to her. This would include hiring people sent by Prescott, and listening to what they say and doing what she is told.

Paranoia had overcame Connie since the meeting. Connie never went anywhere without scanning the room. She'd look for anything suspicious, and was never satisfied unless she could see the door at all times. She worried that someone could come in that she needed to see.

Connie also worried that she was being watched. She'd scanned over her house to see if anything looked out of place. She'd peer out of windows around her house to see if any cars were suspiciously parked to where they could observe her. Connie watched what she said or did, when she walked around her house just in case someone could see her. Therefore, she had not shared her troubles with anyone. Nobody knew that anything was off. Nobody else knew about Prescott....

Connie began brushing her teeth. She knew she wasn't going to shower before work. What was the point? Everything that she loved was now taken from her. Rikers Island was now in Prescott's control and there was nothing that she could do to stop it.

She shed a tear as she finished brushing her teeth. She was thinking of how soon Prescott would fire Claude and Sue. Both were friends of hers who had stepped up when nobody else would, and became coaches of a team that nobody thought would ever amount to anything. Connie loved their loyalty and fully intended on keeping them onboard so that they could experience success once the team started to develop. Connie just knew that Prescott would fire them, so that they would have nothing to show for their loyalty.

Connie didn't even bother to brush her hair. She simply tied it up and looked for a ball cap to cover up her grey roots. She shook her head as she realized that Prescott had stolen more than her team, he had stolen her happiness. She now no longer cared what she looked like, or what people thought of her. What was the point?

After tossing on an old, loose sweater, and pajama pants, Connie made her way out the door. She couldn't shake the thought of Prescott and his evil icy grey eyes....

What Prescott says, goes... She doesn't matter anymore....

Final Practice Before North Texas

Whistles begin to blow signifying the end of practice. Connie watched as her players began making their way off the field, towards the showers. She smirked as they still seemed excited and overjoyed that they were playing another game the following day.

Connie longed for the days where she shared their excitement. Sure, she had stressed a lot before every game, but in the end, she really enjoyed the process. The buzz of excitement on game day amongst the inmates was truly electrifying and Connie always smiled as she thought about how happy "The Warden" would be at that sight.

However, Prescott had stolen that joy from her. The lone meeting with that evil man had completely destroyed everything that she loved about her team, and Connie feared that she would no longer be able to ensure that "The Warden's" dream was fulfilled.

Sleepless nights had continued for Connie, and she was now living on caffeine alone. She hadn't been able to work up an appetite as she felt that her life was slipping away from her, so she was losing weight. Her spirit had been crushed to a pulp by Prescott so nothing that she did brought her any joy. All she felt that she could do was go through the motions until Prescott gave her some orders.

Nothing had happened since the meeting. Prescott had said that Connie needed to watch for a set of rules that she would need to follow. He had also informed Connie that people would be sent to her in due time, and that Connie would need to hire these people, and do as they said.

Connie had been extremely paranoid all week that she had somehow messed up and missed a sign, or failed to meet one of the people that Prescott sent. He had warned Connie that she didn't want to see him again. This led Connie to believe that he may kill Connie or someone she loved. Connie wanted to do everything that it took to keep Prescott happy. The fear of the unknown was killing her though.

"Howdy, Coach.... Mind if I speak atcha right quick?"

Claude's question startled Connie who had zoned out as she thought of Prescott. She turned to Claude to see what he wanted.

"Us boys has been talking about you, and we just wanted to say, you ain't looking so well. I ain't saying that to be rude, but you looked like you haven't slept in ages. We're worried about you. You got anything that you'd like to get off your chest? Something seems to be the matter. You know that you can always talk to ole Claude."

Claude was grinning at Connie in a joking fashion but Connie knew that he was sincere. She knew that she couldn't possibly let Claude in on anything. Connie feared that Prescott would see or hear her telling him. This might endanger her or Claude's life.

Connie managed to grin. She realized that she hadn't smiled all week. The thought saddened Connie, but she assured Claude that everything was okay. Claude patted Connie on the back.

"Okay pal! Just wanted to check up on you. I know how stressful being a coach can be. Thankfully I have lots of medicines to help get me through it."

Claude chuckled as he unscrewed the lid of his 'Special Gatorade' canister. The removal of the top released a rich smell of alcohol and Connie took a step back. Claude took a giant gulp before continuing.

"Now coach, I know you ain't a fan of this here medicine, but if you ever change your mind, just let your ole buddy Claude know. I have plenty of medicines to go around!"

Connie giggled. Claude was a dear, dear friend and his heart was always in the right place. This made Connie happy. She graciously declined his offer of 'Special Gatorade' but gave him a big hug. Claude once again patted Connie on the back, as if to assure her that everything would be okay.

After another huge gulp, Claude began staggering towards the door. He let out a tremendous burp as he made his way out. Connie cringed at how nasty it was, but she was very thankful that he had taken the time to talk to her. It had given her a much needed break from her bleak reality that seemed to be totally owned by Prescott.

Connie hung her head as she flashed back to the 'real world' and remembered that Prescott could be watching her. She quickly loaded up her things and began heading out of the dome.

She needed to at least try to sleep some before the game tomorrow....

Rikers Island to be without Cheer Team Co-Captain, Derricka Rose

(October 5th, 2012) The Rikers Island Cheer Team will once again be without one of their Co-Captains. Derricka Rose will miss tomorrow's game against North Texas. Derricka has been locked in solitary confinement this week for fighting a fellow inmate and failing to report to her assigned work station.

Security cameras show Derricka brutally attacking an inmate beside her at the Rikers Island workshop. Derricka bashed the girl's head into the lamp that she was working on, and followed that up with brutal punches to the girl's face.

Officer Flapjack Cooke offered insight on Derricka's behavior since being locked in Solitary.

"Derricka has been a model inmate. This is surprising considering the nature of her crime. She has been very well behaved, and has said thank you each time she received a meal. Derricka was also kind enough to share her pudding cups with me. Her kind behavior is very appreciated since most of my day is spent listening to insults and threats while dodging food that inmates throw at me out of the slot in their cell doors. Derricka will stay as long as she has to after such a violent crime, but I will release her as soon as possible after that if this great behavior keeps up."

How could an inmate who committed such a violent crime be so well behaved now? It is a question that everyone is asking as Derricka Rose sits in solitary, happily.

The Rikers Island Cheer Team has been without one of their Co-Captains for all but one of their games so far this season....

REPORT: Shanking Victim Returns to Rikers Island Football

(October 5th, 2012) The Rikers Island football program will get one of their best players back from injury this week. Reserve running back, Blair McCormick returns from a shanking injury, that has kept him out since Rikers Island's first game against Navy.

The Inmates have a very depleted roster so McCormick's return comes at a great time. Rikers Island has found a way to gain yards on occasion and even managed to score once in McCormick's absence. Adding the talents of McCormick will likely increase the Inmates' chances of stringing together the successes and actually playing a competitive game.

Reporters attempted to get a statement from Blair McCormick following Rikers Island's last practice but all he seemed interested in was asking the reporters "Trick or Treat?" This confused reporters so they eventually moved on.

McCormick appeared to have suffered a head injury following a brutal hit in the first game of the season. McCormick's questionable responses to the reporters is suspicious, and could hint that McCormick still has some screws loose in his head....

Head Coach Connie Jenkins blew off the question quickly at a pregame press conference when asked if McCormick was acting odd. Coach Jenkins simply stated that "He's always like that." before laughing and moving on.

Many reporters still wonder if he really is always like that, or if Connie is covering up a potential head injury to improve her team's chances of winning.

This story will be monitored closely tomorrow as the Rikers Island Inmates host North Texas.

REPORT: Injured Rikers Island QB, Brunner, Begins Rehabbing Torn ACL

(October 5th, 2012) Rikers Island's starting quarterback, Wallace Brunner, tore his ACL during a hard hit in the Air Force game. Brunner had to be carted off the field on a stretcher, and team doctors later confirmed that Brunner had torn his ACL.

Earlier this week, Brunner had surgery on his right ACL. Brunner had to delay surgery initially in order to let the swelling go down. He had refused any pain medication during this time. Doctors were blown away that Brunner continued to refuse pain medications, even after the surgery.

Head coach, Connie Jenkins, issued the following statement about Wallace Brunner, earlier in the week.

"Brunner is a warrior. That is all I can say. The man blew out his knee while giving his team 110%. He even told me at the time that he was going to stay in. During the course of this stay at the medical ward, I have yet to see Brunner accept any form of pain medication. He is unreal. That warrior-like mentality is exactly what I want from the leader of this team. I look forward to getting him back with us next season after he rehabs his knee."

Brunner will have a long rehab process to get back to where he was before the injury. The time off of his knee has caused a loss of muscle mass, and it will be awhile until he is back on his feet after surgery.

Coach Jenkins seems optimistic that Brunner will return to form next season as Rikers Island's starting Quarterback. Only time will tell.

For the sake of Rikers Island, let's all hope that Wallace Brunner has not played his last game as a football player....

Inactive List for Rikers Island's Game against North Texas

(October 5th, 2012) Rikers Island has had their fair share of injuries and suspensions throughout this season so the inactive list for tomorrow's game against North Texas is very lengthy.

INJURIES

- QB Wallace Brunner: Torn ACL

Wallace Brunner had surgery earlier this week to repair a torn ACL. Brunner will miss the remainder of the season. It is unknown at this point if Brunner will ever fully recover from this injury with the jail's lack of funding for proper physical therapy. However, head coach Connie Jenkins seems optimistic that Brunner will be back for next season. Only time will tell....

- WR Devon Howard: Head Injury

Little is known about Devon Howard's injury. Devon was knocked unconscious by teammate, Steve Wilson, during the Inmates' game against Air Force. Howard has remained unconscious ever since. Reporters have attempted to get updates on Howard's status, but everyone has refused to offer any information. Reporters were able to confirm that he is still alive, and after snooping around, one reporter noticed that Howard remains checked into a room on the 4th floor of the Rikers Island medical ward. Access is restricted to the medical ward and our reporters weren't allowed up there. Our guess is that whatever happened to Howard, isn't good....

SUSPENSIONS

- MLB D'Jaun Bo Bo

Bo Bo remains suspended after his antics in Rikers Island's game against Air Force. Bo Bo pulled a teammate's pants down prior to a snap. This foolishness resulted in a 4 game suspension. The NCAA confirmed that the forfeit against Middle Tennessee State wouldn't count towards any suspensions so Bo Bo will still need to sit out 3 more games before returning to the team. Bo Bo was the vocal leader of the Rikers Island team prior to his suspension.

- OL Steve Wilson

Steve Wilson received a season-long suspension after striking teammate Devon Howard over the head with a Gatorade cooler. This blow has left Devon unconscious ever since. Reporters are unsure of Howard's current condition, but it is likely that he has suffered a major injury. Wilson has been locked in solitary ever since as his fate depends on how seriously hurt Devon is.

- FB Marshall Eaton

Eaton will serve the last game of a 2 game suspension that was issued to him following a fist fight with fellow teammate, Wes Shultz. The two began fighting during a kickoff in Rikers Island's game against Air Force. Eaton was the starting fullback prior to his suspension.

- K Wes Shultz

Shultz will also be serving the final game of his 2 game suspension. The small statured man decided it would be a good idea to fight the much stronger Marshall Eaton during a kickoff in the Air Force game. This foolishness got his butt kicked in front of everyone, along with a 2 game suspension. The kicking duties have been handled by punter, Robbie Banks since Shultz's suspension.

OUT

- RB Skip Clay

Clay has been unofficially dismissed from the team following a mental breakdown after the Army game. Clay began talking to himself, and being incredibly mean to himself so head coach Connie Jenkins elected to release him from the team until he was deemed okay to return to football. Clay has had no contact with the team since, so he remains out until further notice.

- Cheerleader Derricka Rose

Derricka Rose brutally attacked a fellow inmate during afternoon chores earlier this week. Rose was not even at her assigned work station when the fight broke out. The time table for Rose's release from solitary confinement is unclear at this time. Rose is the Co-Captain of the cheerleading team.

- Cheerleader Estrella Nunez

Tiny cheerleader Estrella Nunez remains locked in solitary confinement as well. After suffering an injury in Rikers Island's game against Bowling Green, Nunez was admitted to the Rikers Island medical ward. After several days of bed rest, Nunez became very hostile and threw multiple objects at the nurses attempting to care for her. Nunez was instantly thrown into solitary where she has remained ever since. The timetable for her release also remains unclear.

*

[illWILL8455]

A Visit?

What was going on? Where was she?

Connie wiped her eyes as she tried to make sense of things. She tried to clear her mind and think back to how she ended up in the middle of an empty parking lot....

Her memory was blurry. She could remember nothing from earlier in the day. Connie felt drunk, or high. She rubbed her head to try to ease the throbbing. Her head was pounding, and it seemed to get worse as she tried to make sense of things.

As the pain got unbearable, Connie decided to try to find help. She slowly trudged through the abandoned parking lot.

It was the middle of the night, and a light fog had settled over the empty parking lot. This fog made it hard to see more than a few feet in front of her as she pushed ahead.

Concern fell over Connie as she began to wonder where she was. She had never seen this parking lot before in her life. Having grown up in New York City, Connie had seen few parking lots that weren't jammed completely full of cars so Connie didn't know what to think.

Had she been drugged? Had she staggered off in a drunken stupor?

The more Connie began to worry, the more her head throbbed. Connie felt her chest getting heavy so she paused to catch her breath. She felt as though she had walked for miles, and yet she still seemed to be in the same place.

Connie knelt down and breathed deeply. She tried to slowly inhale and exhale. This began to work, and Connie knew that she needed to keep pushing on in order to leave this strange place.

However, as Connie began to stand up, everything went dark....

It was a darkness that Connie had never seen before. Absolute darkness. Something seemed off to Connie. Something was really off about where she was. She didn't like it one bit.

Connie stumbled around awkwardly in the total darkness. She had hoped that her eyes would eventually adjust but they never did. There was absolutely no light anywhere around her.

Connie continued to pick up on very negative vibes. Something was very off and Connie just wanted to leave. Her concern soon turned to fear and Connie began getting desperate.

She feared for her life. With Prescott's threats, Connie worried that he had somehow drugged her and left her for death in this horrible place. Connie felt her knees get weak and once again, she was out of breath.

Connie fell to her knees, and began gasping for air. She knew that she'd never make it by herself. She began crying out for help. The more she cried out, the more alone she felt. Connie tried to focus on breathing. She'd slowly inhale, and exhale, before finally regaining her energy. She cried out once again, and still, nothing....

Connie pushed on into the complete and total darkness. She felt the temperature begin to drop. It started as a minor breeze, but soon dropped to a bone-chilling level. Connie wrapped herself up in an attempt to stay warm. Her head was throbbing as she continued to worry about her safety.

Shivering, Connie continued to stumble forward into the darkness. She walked for what seemed like forever since she had no concept of progress in the total darkness. The more she walked, the colder it got. Connie's teeth were chattering as she paused once again to catch her breath. She squatted over and began focusing on breathing....

Suddenly, lights flashed on from behind her....

Connie was temporarily blinded by the lights. She was used to the total darkness, so the light was too much. She tripped over her own feet as the light had startled her, and she collapsed to the ground.

Connie rubbed her eyes, and squinted towards the lights. She gradually began to make out what it was that had flashed on.

What she saw sent shivers down her spine....

It was "The Warden's Jailhouse" dome. The home field of the Rikers Island football team. It was all lit up as if a game was going on. Connie lost her breath as she knew that she would've recognized where she was earlier if she was anywhere near the dome. What was going on?

The faint sound of music could be heard. It was coming from inside the dome. Connie figured that the speakers must have been blasting since she could hear the music from as far away as she was. Connie didn't see how it was possible that she had been so lost earlier if she was that close to her dome.

Also, how was she in total darkness for so long if the fully lit dome was so close by? Connie didn't like this situation at all.

Even more troubling to Connie was the distinct feeling that she got that she was no longer alone. Somebody or something was close by, and yet all Connie could see was the dome. She was frozen with fear as she remained completely clueless as to what was going on.

Connie caught her breath and climbed to her feet. She knew that she needed to get to the bottom of this and stop letting her imagination run wild with all of the worst case scenarios. She pulled herself together and began to make her way towards the entrance of the dome.

Connie's feet and hands were numb. The frigid temperature had caused the blades of grass to crunch beneath her feet. Connie wondered how long it had been since she had left that abandoned parking lot, as she listened to the grass crunch beneath her feet. Then she paused. There was no large parking lots anywhere near the dome....

Rikers Island had invested in multiple parking decks to house all of the game day traffic. There was a series of tiny parking lots scattered across the jail complex that served for employee parking lots, and that was it. Connie knew for a fact that no vast empty parking lot existed anywhere that she could've walked from. The thought was troubling to Connie.

Perplexed, and horrified, Connie forced herself to block out those thoughts and push forward towards the dome. Having a mental break down wouldn't help her odds of survival.

Finally, Connie reached the entrance to the dome. She paused to collect herself and took a deep breath before grabbing the handle of the door.

Suddenly, the loud music shut off and the dome fell completely silent. Connie froze in total fear. She had no idea what to make of that....

Chills went down Connie's spine as she heard footsteps from inside the dome. It startled Connie because they appeared to have started from the other side of the door, and got quieter as if the person was walking onto the field....

Connie felt her legs give in and she collapsed in total fear. Whoever it was inside, knew Connie was outside, and knew exactly when she had walked up. She shivered in fear, in the fetal position, unable to get up.

Time passed and Connie remained shaking on the cold ground. Nothing had happened since she collapsed, so Connie knew that whoever it was had been waiting for Connie to come inside. She knew that she needed to pull herself together and get it over with....

Slowly, she pulled herself up off the ground and looked towards the door. Her heart was racing as she once again reached for the door. She gripped the icy handle and began to pull. It opened easily, and Connie began to cry as she tried to work up the courage to go inside.

Tears still streaming down her face, Connie decided that it was time. She awkwardly stepped inside and began making her way onto the field.

Someone was definitely there. Connie felt the presence of someone, and the mood wasn't good. Something was happening that wasn't good, and Connie feared the worst.

She knew that she had no choice but to figure out who it was and what they wanted. Slowly she kept walking as she stepped onto the field.

The dome was fully lit. The bleachers were completely empty in front of Connie, so she feared that whoever it was would be sitting in the bleachers behind her. Connie knew she lacked the courage to look behind her, so she kept her head down and kept walking ahead, shaking in fear.

She reached the logo at midfield and stopped. Something seemed to move once she reached the midfield logo. Connie felt a movement in the dome, despite the fact that it looked completely empty.

Suddenly, Connie heard footsteps coming from the tunnel. The person was walking from the tunnel, towards the field. Connie knew that whoever it was would be on the field in a matter of moments.

Connie went numb. She cried loudly, and dropped to the ground. She was shaking as the footsteps kept coming. They were walking at a slow, methodical pace. Connie knew that they had heard her cry. She sobbed as she felt that this was how it would end for her.

Connie couldn't look as the figure made their way onto the field. She knew that whoever it was, wasn't friendly because they would have rushed to help her as she cried if they were. Whoever this was, meant Connie harm....

There was a long pause as Connie cowered at midfield, too afraid to look up and see who it was. She sobbed as she feared that she would see Prescott's icy grey stare. If it was indeed him, Connie knew that she would be killed.

The pause continued, and Connie came to the horrible realization that whoever it was had been standing still, watching Connie cry, waiting for her to look up. This troubled Connie. Who was that cold? Prescott...?

She cried for awhile longer, before deciding to get it over with. Connie wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up slowly.

Connie fell silent....

How could this be? It made absolutely no sense. Why was this happening? How was this happening?

The man walking out of the tunnel was "The Warden" himself....

"The Warden" was smiling at Connie. It was a warm smile that had always comforted her during their marriage. He had a way of making Connie feel better, and ensuring her that things were going to be okay. Joy seemed to radiate from him as he began to walk towards Connie.

Connie lost her breath. She was unable to move as she watched with her own two eyes, her dead husband making his way towards her....

"The Warden" chuckled at Connie as she flopped painfully on the ground, trying to pull herself together. Connie couldn't convince herself that this was real. There's no way. She had watched him die, and she had seen him lifeless in the casket. She had put her hands on his cold dead hands and wept at his funeral. He was dead... Connie knew it....

He kept making his way towards Connie, slowly and methodically. Connie slapped herself in the face. She pinched herself all over as "The Warden" drew nearer. She tried every way that she knew how to try to wake herself up, but nothing seemed to be working. Was this really not a dream? Was she dead? Was this actually happening in real life?

Unable to figure out what was happening, Connie sat still as her husband arrived at where she was. She peered up at him from her knees at his warm smile, and calming demeanor.

"The Warden" extended his hand to help Connie to her feet. Connie reluctantly accepted it, and squealed as she touched his warm hand. It really was him, he was alive!

Connie couldn't believe it. What was going on? Had she not witnessed this man die, had she not spoke at his funeral, had she not slaved away continuously working to improve a football team to ensure his dream didn't die along with him? Had she imagined all that? How could this be?

"The Warden" embraced Connie. He pulled her tightly against his body. Connie didn't know what to do. She had accepted the fact that her husband had died, so she thought that she would never feel the warmth of his hugs again.

She awkwardly hugged him back. The warmth and assurance of his embrace brought tears of joy to Connie's eyes. It really was him! She loved it when he wore the soft sweaters. Connie pushed the side of her face up against "The Warden's" chest so that her face felt the softness of the fabric.

Connie pulled herself away and beamed at her husband. She stared at him in complete disbelief. She didn't know how this had happened but it was a pure blessing. Connie had missed "The Warden" dearly, and she knew that she hadn't been the same without him. She had made fulfilling his dream her mission since he had brought her so much joy in life, but the truth was that she didn't care for football, she cared for him.

She looked at him from head to toe. Connie's eyes fell to his sweater. It was her favorite sweater. It was so warm and cozy. Connie would wear it some nights when "The Warden" wasn't using it. Connie missed that sweater dearly because it happened to be the one that "The Warden" was wearing the night that he was shot....

Oblivious to the problem with what she had just remembered, Connie stared towards "The Warden's" pants and shoes. He was wearing the horrible corduroy pants that Connie hated. The color clashed with his sweater, and Connie always gave him a hard time for not having any fashion sense. This would amuse "The Warden" and he got a good laugh out of wearing outrageous combinations to get Connie worked up.

Connie stared at the horrible boots that he was wearing too. She despised those boots. He had gotten them to wear on his nightly patrols of "The Jailhouse" as it was being built. "The Warden" had stood guard over the construction site so that vandals couldn't derail the progress. He had been shot while on patrol.

Connie snickered at the outfit combination, and was about to give her husband a hard time like she used to when he was still alive, when all of a sudden... it hit her....

The sweater that "The Warden" had on WAS the one that he had been shot in. She remembered that night vividly. "The Warden" had been rushed into the hospital room, and Connie had watched the medical staff cut off the blood soaked sweater that he was wearing....

Connie froze in place as she stared blankly at that very sweater. It was in perfect condition. That was impossible.... Connie knew that the sweater was gone for good....

Connie couldn't bring herself to look back at her husband yet, so she glanced back at his pants and boots. She now remembered why he got those boots. It was for his nightly patrols of "The Jailhouse" as it was being built. "The Warden" had died after one of those patrols.

Chills rushed down Connie's spine as she again collapsed to the ground as she realized that "The Warden" was wearing the very clothes that he had been shot in, years ago....

Connie trembled all over in fear. What was happening? Connie wanted it to stop!

"The Warden" chuckled at Connie and again extended his hand to help Connie up. Connie reluctantly made eye contact with him again. That same warm smile that only "The Warden" had beamed back at her. Connie instantly felt better. Something about him made Connie know that he was really back, and this was truly him.

Connie took his hand and used him to help pull herself up. She stared directly into his eyes. The same twinkle that Connie remembered was there in his eyes as "The Warden" beamed at Connie. He took her hand and squeezed it tightly as if to say things were going to be okay.

Connie remembered squeezing "The Warden's" hand at the hospital after he had been shot. She remembered sobbing as "The Warden" was unable to muster up enough strength to squeeze her hand back. It was then that Connie knew that "The Warden" wasn't ever going to come home again....

"The Warden" winked at Connie as he squeezed her hand. Was this the squeeze that Connie had hoped for at the hospital? Tears began streaming down her face as she realized that it was.

What was this? How was she seeing him? What was going on?

Suddenly, "The Warden" pulled his hand away from Connie's. This shocked Connie and nearly through her off balance. Startled, Connie watched as "The Warden" turned around and walked back towards the tunnel. He moved slowly and methodically.

Connie cried out for him. She begged him to tell her what was going on. She pleaded for him to help her. Connie attempted to run after him, but she stumbled instantly and was suddenly out of breath.

Nothing that Connie did changed "The Warden's" walk. He continued slowly and methodically towards the tunnel. Connie sobbed loudly as she watched her husband walk away from her and disappear into the darkness of the tunnel.

Connie once again felt completely alone. She figured that she needed to leave now, but regardless how hard she tried to pull herself together, she couldn't. She remained out of breath and unable to get up.

Suddenly, a sound came from directly behind Connie. Chills shot down Connie's spine as she knew that whoever this was, wasn't her loving husband.

A shadow suddenly fell over Connie. There was no source of light from that direction, so Connie couldn't rationalize how a shadow had came to be but it scared Connie nonetheless. Connie attempted to make out the figure in the shadow as she gasped for breath on the ground.

She instantly lost her breath....

The shadow was coming from someone who had a full head of hair slicked backed. The man appeared to be wearing a fur robe, and was kicked back on the bleachers smoking a pipe....

Connie's heart skipped a beat as the man periodically took drags of his pipe. Smoke began to fill the stadium. Connie gagged as she attempted to breath. She was frozen on the ground, unable to move a muscle. Her fear of Prescott had frozen her in place and she couldn't turn around to look at him even if she wanted to.

Connie could only tremble as she watched the shadow of her greatest fear stare towards her and puff his pipe....

Suddenly, a tremendous gust of wind ripped through the dome. It chilled Connie to the bone. She closed her eyes as the wind had blown in dust particles from outside. Connie wasn't sure why wind was ripping through a dome but she suspected the evil entity of Prescott had something to do with it. She sobbed loudly as she shielded her eyes.

The wind died down and Connie opened her eyes again. She was shocked to see that the shadow of Prescott no longer was draped over her. She also had regained her breath. She felt all alone again, which was actually a lot more comforting than the feeling of Prescott staring at her.

Connie scrambled to her feet. She planned on running as hard and fast as she could away from the dome. She didn't know what had happened but she didn't like it.

Something still seemed off. She no longer suspected that anyone else was there, but she began smelling something that didn't seem right. She glanced around right before she was going to sprint towards the exit. She didn't see anything at first, but the smell continued to get stronger.

Connie made her way closer to the smell. She couldn't zero in on it at first but as she began to walk, she realized that it was coming from where Prescott was sitting....

This fact troubled Connie and she once again, felt as though she should run away as fast as she could. Something didn't seem right though so she resisted the temptation and walked closer to the smell.

As she neared it, Connie realized exactly what the smell was. It was the burning pipe that Prescott had been smokin on. Connie reached to pick it up and put it out, but she bobbled it, and it began rolling away from her. Connie tried to grab it again, but she dropped it. It fell to the turf.

A blaze of fire flashed up, and Connie fell to the ground. The entire field ripped into flames, and Connie laid alone, helpless as the fire raged on.

Connie felt herself catch fire, and looked down to see herself engulfed in flames. The pain was excruciating and she cried out in pain. The fire got stronger and stronger, and climbed to the heights of the dome. Connie watched as the sprinkler systems came on, but she knew it was too late.

Water poured over Connie as she felt herself burning, and listened to "The Warden's Jailhouse" dome burning and breaking apart. Pieces of the dome crashed down all around Connie. She caught a glimpse of an entire wall of the dome crashing down in a blaze of fire.

Large burning pieces of this once glorious dome rained down around Connie. She screamed in pain and fear as she realized that her life was over. Prescott had ruined the dream of "The Warden" and had in turn, killed her off too.

Connie was barely clinging to life as she glanced up to see a tremendous chunk of the roof falling directly towards her. This was it... It was all over....

Water from the sprinkler system had apparently rained all over Connie. She felt completely soaked as she struggled to prepare herself for the crash of the roof.

She waited and waited, yet the fatal crash never came. Connie opened her eyes to see what had happened.

Connie was completely speechless....

She was laying at the bottom of the shower in her home. Still fully dressed from the practice the day before, Connie slowly began to realize that she had passed out asleep during an attempt to shower.

It had all been a dream....

Connie's heart was still racing from the rush of the nightmare. Had it been a vision? Did it mean anything? Was it simply the result of Connie stressing out too much and not sleeping enough?

Connie had no idea what to make of that nightmare. She did know that she needed to get up and shed out of the cold, wet clothes that she was wearing. The shower may have started out hot, but the water was now icy cold. Connie quickly shut it off, and pulled herself up.

The alarm clock sounded from her bedroom so Connie knew that it was time to start preparing for the game. She shook her head as she had yet again missed out on quality rest.

Still rattled from the emotional roller coaster that she had just endured in her nightmare, Connie redressed herself in dry clothing, and splashed water over her face to try to regain her composure.

She didn't want to admit it, but Connie still truly believed that she actually received a visit from her husband, and that something about that dream was meant to be a sign.....

Still shaking, Connie attempted to squirt toothpaste on her toothbrush. After failing miserably as both her hand holding the toothbrush, and the one squirting the toothpaste were shaking, Connie slammed the items down, and made her way to the living room to sit down and pull herself together.

Connie knew that she was going to be a total wreck at the game today....

*

[illWILL8455]

North Texas Mean Green vs Rikers Island Inmates

Game #6

Pregame

It was him! It really was him! No... it couldn't have been. Could it?

Connie was conflicted. She was trying to determine if the terrifying nightmare of the night before had any meaning or if it was just her imagination running wild.

She had seen her husband clearly. His warm smile comforted her, and he had held her close. Connie had felt his warm touch and saw the twinkle in his eye. It really was him! He had come to visit her in the dream! Or had he? Connie couldn't convince herself either way.

Connie did know one thing, however. She was going to be a mess during the game today. With the crazy dream, and the paranoia associated with Prescott, Connie's head wasn't going to be in the game at all. Connie sighed as she thought that a team as bad as Rikers desperately needed a focused coach.

Nonetheless, Connie readied herself for the trip to the dome to get ready for the game. She hated getting all dressed up when she felt like crap. Connie just wanted to throw on some sweatpants and a hoodie and get it over with. She resisted the urge to do so because she truly felt as though her players were still overjoyed by the football games. Connie needed to do her best to put on a smile, and act as though things were okay, even though her world...and sanity, may be crumbling around her....

Connie arrived at the dome. Everything about it seemed spooky after her nightmare. She had vividly watched it collapse to the ground as flames engulfed it. Yet here it was, as proud as ever.

Connie shook her head. Was she going crazy? She elected to clear her mind and try to forget that she had that horrible dream. It was time to put on her game face and act like this game was any other game.

She was one of the first people on the field. Several camera crews were setting up, but for the most part, the dome was silent. Connie walked onto the field much like she had in her dream. She paused at midfield and stared back over her shoulder. She remembered how scared she had been at this point in her nightmare.

The sound of footsteps coming down the tunnel were heard. This creeped Connie out slightly due to the similar timing to her dream. She listened as the footsteps got closer and closer.

Soon, Claude Newman appeared....

"Howdy, Coach! Ready to kick them there fellers' butts?"

Connie was relieved to see Claude. She giggled at how ridiculous Claude was, and nodded her head. She flipped through one of her clipboards as she made her way to the sideline.

Oddly, Connie felt as though this would be a very relaxing game of football. She had mentally checked out due to the stresses of Prescott and trying to interpret the crazy dream and she no longer felt as though the team belonged to her. The team doing well was now no longer associated with her. Connie hated that but she had accepted it as reality. She was terrified of Prescott, and he took everything away from her.

As game time neared, Connie watched as the visiting bleachers began to fill up. The 'Mean Green' following was impressive. Connie thought about how far they had to travel to get to Rikers Island. She had hoped that one day, fans would follow her team loyally like that. Connie could only shake her head as she thought how long ago that seemed like. That was back when she thought that the team would be her's for years to come. That was back when she thought that she mattered to the future of this team....

It was finally time for the pregame festivities to start. Connie plopped down on the sideline bleacher and braced herself for what could very possibly be a horrible cheerleading routine.

Cheerleading Co-Captain, Derricka Rose, was out for today's game. Connie didn't like Derricka at all, but she realized that Derricka was the only one with any natural talent. Tiny cheerleader, Estrella Nunez, was also out today. Estrella was the only cheerleader who had successfully completed a flip in midair. Connie hoped that none of the cheerleaders attempted that today.

However, with Fu Fu in charge, she had reason to worry....

Fu Fu Brown began the chant and the girls began the routine. It was very evident from the start that the girls didn't like the show that Fu Fu had designed.

Fu Fu was the center of attention from the start. She did all of the kicks and twirls and the other girls simply danced around her or did spirit fingers. They seemed very unhappy and Fu Fu could care less.

As the routine went on, Fu Fu's dancing became more and more 'hood' and less and less 'family friendly'.... The announcer elected to move on once the song, 'drop it low' came on. Fu Fu smiled as she was satisfied with how the show had went. All of the other girls glared at her and trudged off the field behind her. It seems as though Fu Fu is not well liked at all amongst the cheerleaders....

'Inmate Ike' was next up in the pregame performance. 'Inmate Ike' was on his best behavior today. He has yet to perform this season as he keeps getting arrested prior to his performance. 'Inmate Ike' was an avid juggling enthusiast so he really wanted to showcase his skills to everyone while dancing around at midfield.

'Inmate Ike' began jumping around and pepping the caged in inmates up as he pranced onto the field. Even fans of North Texas began cheering for him. 'Inmate Ike' appeared to be a fan favorite.

Then disaster struck....

'Inmate Ike' had jumped around so much that his mascot pants were beginning to come loose. Lost in the moment, the inmate playing as 'Inmate Ike' didn't notice that his pants were sliding off. It wasn't long before they slid all the way down and were around his ankles.

Shocked, 'Inmate Ike' bent over in an attempt to quickly yank his pants up. The mascot suit was extremely hot so the inmate playing as 'Inmate Ike' usually didn't wear anything at all underneath. Today was no different....

'Inmate Ike' remained bent over as he tried to get his furry paws wrapped around his mascot pants. The struggle continued as loud booing and angry shouting began.

It appeared as though the entire stadium thought 'Inmate Ike' was mooning them....

Frantically, 'Inmate Ike' continued to try to pull up his mascot pants. He finally got a grip of them and began pulling his pants up to his knees when suddenly, Officer Flapjack Cooke tackled 'Inmate Ike' to the ground.

Officer Cooke was a large man. He was easily over 300 pounds, and he had been able to get a running start from the sideline. He collided with 'Inmate Ike' at full speed. 'Inmate Ike' was crushed into the ground, and he skidded to a stop under all 300 pounds of Officer Cooke.

Officer Cooke cuffed 'Inmate Ike' and snatched his pants up and began walking him off the field. 'Inmate Ike' appeared to be pleading his case, but Officer Cooke ignored him. The entire stadium booed 'Inmate Ike' as he left the field.

Connie was staring blankly in disbelief. She couldn't comprehend how anyone could be that stupid....

Claude plopped down next to Connie. He was guzzling his canister of 'Special Gatorade' He winked at Connie and offered her the canister.

"That there was a horrid sight. Ain't nobody in here want to see that mascot's bottom. I'm working on forgetting I ever seen it. Want to try to forget it too, coach?"

Connie smiled and shook her head. She needed to remain sober in case Prescott made an appearance. She smirked at Claude and patted him on the back as Claude took another huge gulp of 'Special Gatorade.'

The Rikers Island Chorus made their way onto the field. Connie simply watched from her spot on the bleacher. She no longer felt as emotionally attached to them as she no longer felt that she was in control of the team. Her pride and passion for turning the chorus group into an acceptable performance was lost when Prescott met with her. It was gone for good. Connie simply watched, and clapped as they finished.

The chorus group proudly marched off the field, and the loud speaker announced that it was time for some football. Connie smiled. She wasn't looking forward to the game...she was looking forward to getting it over with.

She hung her head as she thought back on when she did care passionately. That feeling of pride and passion had been stolen from her by a cold and evil man. There was nothing that she could do. She was powerless, and it hurt her to feel like this but it was the truth....

Why did it matter anymore? She didn't matter anymore....

*

[illWILL8455]

North Texas Mean Green vs Rikers Island Inmates

Game #6

Connie had never felt so dejected. All of the magic of game day was gone. She had no drive to coach at all. This team no longer felt like hers and she no longer cared if they did well or not.

She felt numb. Connie watched as the captains met at midfield for the coin toss. Rikers Island won and elected to receive. Connie simply grabbed the clipboard with the offense plays on it and prepared to call in a random play. It didn't matter to her anymore. She'd just wing it and hope for the best, it's not like she mattered anymore, anyway....

North Texas' kicker launched the kickoff deep into the Rikers Island end zone. It bounced out of the back of the end zone for a touchback and Rikers Island's offense jogged onto the field. They all looked to Connie eagerly, awaiting a play call.

Connie randomly flipped to a play towards the middle of the play book. She realized that they hadn't practiced it a lot but she didn't care. Failure was likely regardless what play they ran, and Connie didn't care anymore. She signaled it in.

Backup Quarterback, Gary Donaldson, looked confused. He apparently didn't remember that play. He awkwardly walked to the huddle and shared it with the team. There were a lot of confused faces but Connie didn't care enough to call another play instead.

Donaldson took the snap and began running around aimlessly before being crushed by multiple North Texas defenders for a loss. Connie simply shook her head. It was supposed to be a running play but neither Donaldson or running back, Terrance Horton, seemed to notice that.

Connie flipped to another play. She knew that they would know this one. It was a simple handoff to Horton who would run the ball up the middle. Connie signaled it in.

Donaldson nodded confidently and made his way to the huddle. Rikers Island seemed more assured this play. Donaldson took the snap and handed it off to Horton.

Horton seemed to be motivated. He exploded forward, before getting tripped up by a Mean Green defender that had broken through the line. Horton gave it his all, and dove ahead as he fell. He gained 1 yard on the run.

Connie was shocked that they had actually managed to gain a yard on the play. She liked the effort. However, she casually flipped through the clipboard and chose another play at random.

Donaldson looked to the sideline as Connie signaled in the play. He looked shocked that Connie selected that one. It was a 3rd and 16 and the play that Connie was signaling in was a quarterback sneak....

Donaldson made his way back to the huddle. The huddle broke with a lot of confused players. Donaldson took the snap and rushed ahead as hard as he could.

The North Texas defenders were also shocked by the play call, but quickly slammed Donaldson onto the turf for a gain of 3 yards. Rikers Island would be forced to punt....

The once fired up Inmate football players seemed bummed out at Connie's play selection. They slowly made their way off the field as the punt team ran on.

Punter, Robbie Banks, was horrible at punting and this time would be no different. He booted a wobbly kick off the side of his foot that barely made it back to the line of scrimmage before bouncing out of bounds. The official stats credited Banks with a 2 yard punt....

Connie remained indifferent. Nothing about this game mattered to her anymore. She casually swapped out her offense clipboard, for her defense clipboard, and prepared to select a random play.

This indifference was glaringly obvious to her players. Frustration began to set in as Connie's random plays made no sense, and failed to give her team a chance to actually drive the ball down the field. Each possession ended with a horrid punt from Robbie Banks.

Banks had yet to boot the ball for longer than 5 yards. He had actually managed to kick multiple punts of 0 yards, and even accidently punted one over his head for a loss of yards....

Connie didn't care at all. She watched indifferently as her team fell further and further behind. Halftime arrived with Rikers Island trailing the Mean Green, 63-0....

The Rikers Island players hung their heads and trudged slowly off the field for halftime. They were disappointed that they yet again had no chance to win.

The touchdown against Air Force had given all of them a tiny taste of success. They longed to experience that again. All of them had messed up in life, but the success they had experienced as a team filled a void that was missing in their lives. They had banded together as a family, and they considered Connie their fearless leader.

Connie's indifference was frustrating to the Rikers Island players. Many players slammed down their helmets and shoulder pads, and sat sulking in the locker room during halftime.

Connie made her way in the locker room behind the players. She had come to the realization that she had never once been with the team long enough to go into the locker room with them at halftime. She was usually ejected by this point....

She wasn't feeling the halftime speech at all. Connie winged it, and even she could tell that she sounded like she didn't care. She gazed around the locker room at all of the angry and dejected faces. Connie knew that losing sucked but what could she do about it? Prescott was running the show now.... Connie didn't matter anymore....

"All that sound real good, coach. But it seem like some people ain't trying to actually win...."

Fullback, Ted Cleveland had been the one to speak up. He was glaring at Connie, clearly frustrated that she wasn't trying.

Connie was shocked. She never anticipated her team lashing out on her. If only they knew what she was dealing with. If only they knew that she didn't have any control anymore. Then they'd understand....

Connie frowned as she realized how pathetic that thought was. She hated who she had become since meeting with Prescott. She glanced around the room at all of the players who she had cared so deeply about. They were all angry at her. Connie knew that her passion was gone and that they knew that. They must hate her so much right now....

Connie didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell them anything as she worried that Prescott could be listening. She tried to come up with something quickly, but the words never came to her.

Claude Newman saw that Connie was struggling and he jumped in.

"Ain't nothing you doing, all that good neither. I seen you out there. You tackling folks like a little baby girl. Man up or shut up, there feller!"

Cleveland looked confused at Claude. He had hardly understood what he had said, but began to explain to Claude that he played on offense and didn't tackle people.

However, as Cleveland began talking, Claude burped loudly. Claude licked his lips and motioned for Cleveland to sit down and shut up. Cleveland awkwardly stared at Claude, as he proceeded to take another huge gulp from his 'Special Gatorade' canister.

Connie was thankful that Claude had helped her out. She still had nothing to say, but she elected to send the team back onto the field to get ready for the 2nd half. The players weren't enthusiastic at all, and slowly made their way back out of the tunnel.

Connie waited alone in the locker room for a brief moment. What had she allowed herself to become? She felt as though she had let her entire team down. The inmates on her team used to look up to her and view her as a symbol of hope. She had sold out when Prescott intimidated her. She had failed them.

She could only shake her head though. Connie was petrified of Prescott and what he could do to her or her loved ones. Her will to fight had been crushed and she now felt that all she could do was wait for Prescott to make a move. He was in control now, not her....

Connie sadly exited the locker room, and began walking out of the tunnel. She thought back to how her loving husband had been in this very tunnel in her crazy dream. She again pondered if it was really him.

As she neared the exit of the tunnel, Connie noticed that Claude Newman was laying on his side. He had apparently toppled over in a drunken stupor as he was walking onto the field.

Connie made her way over to him, and Claude began to chuckle.

"Howdy Coach! I done helped you out in there. How's abouts you help out your ole buddy, Claude now? I just need a hand up and I'll be fine."

Connie shook her head. Claude was simply ridiculous. She smirked as she helped hoist the large, drunken hillbilly up. She envied Claude and his laid back view on life. Claude's heart was always in the right place, and he was a very loyal friend. Connie didn't know where she would be right now if it hadn't have been for Claude.

"Thank you kindly there coach! I do very much appreciate all that. See you over yonder on the sideline."

Claude wobbled off towards the sideline. Connie had her doubts that he would actually make it, but she knew that Claude always found a way to get where he was going, regardless how much booze he had consumed.

Connie shook her head as she tried to avoid eye contact with any of her players. She had let them down and they knew it. Connie walked to the sideline, and kept her back to them until the 2nd half began.

As much as Connie hated it, she didn't know what else that she could do. She simply didn't have the fire and passion to effectively coach this team and the players weren't happy about it. She casually picked plays at random and hoped for the best.

Failure after failure resulted in more horrid punts from Robbie Banks. Banks kicked one so poorly that Connie had to dive out of the way of a line drive, knee-high punt. That particular punt was officially for 'short gain'....

As time ticked away, Connie watched as her team simply stopped listening to her and began winging it. They never looked to her for the rest of the game. She sadly made her way to the sideline bleacher and watched her team do everything they could to try to succeed. They were painfully unorganized, but the effort was there. They gave all that they had, but it just wasn't enough.

North Texas finished them off easily, and the final score was 88-0. Rikers Island had once again been humiliated.

Anger and frustration radiated off her team. Connie heard loud shouting and cursing as the players trudged to the locker room. The fury deteriorated into attacks on each other. Soon bickering turned to shoving, and shoving turned to fighting. By the time the team made it to the locker room, an all out brawl had erupted.

Guards tossed in pepper spray and tear gas. Soon, the entire team was flopping around on their bellies, crying like little girls as their eyes were burning.

Connie was standing safely in the hallway. She felt like absolute crap. She was responsible for that. She knew it. Had she not allowed Prescott to walk all over her, then those players would still have a leader to look up to. Connie felt as though she had failed them.

Connie hung her head. She felt defeated. Slowly she made her way to her office to sob alone, as guards rushed into the locker room to log tie the trouble makers who had started fighting again....

*