Warden

Molalla was a mess, bodies lay scattered around the prison yard. Raiders, prisoners, and guards alike. Syd and Addey had hidden behind a larger rusted storage container. It was a sin bin where any folk who were playing up on the yard got sent to. "This shit is wild," Addey whispered, he leant around the corner and studied the scene.

"I wonder who they were trying to get out?" Syd asked.

"So many raiders in this joint it's hard to know for sure. One of them scumbags probably," the ghoul looked to him and shook his head as he spoke. "Shit!" Addey pulled himself back behind the storage container.

"What did you see?"

"The warden. She's out there." The warden was an older woman, Celia Warren-Cunningham. She thought of herself like some old west sheriff, always with a pistol in her holster and always walking with some exaggerated swagger. Addey held his index finger to his lip to tell Syd to be silent.

A guard walked over to Warren-Cunningham, he held his hand over a bullet wound on his chest. "I'm real sorry warden, those Pig Rat boys just outnumbered us. We couldn't hold them off."

"You still could have done better." Celia said, her tone was cold. Like a teacher talking down a disappointing student. "I don't like people. If it's even fair to call them that. People, like the Pig Rats breaking into my prison setting everyone free, inciting a riot and exterminating my staff."

"I understand warden. But there was tons of them, they came prepared. They knew everyone of the buildings flaws."

"You implying that my prison has flaws?" Warren-Cunningham walked up to the guard. Her face was practically against his.

"No ma'am, of course not-"

"You either address me as warden or warden Warren-Cunningham. Is that understood?"

"Sorry ma'am, I mean warden, I understand. You know I do." The guard's voice was full of fear. If one day in the future he were to be asked what was the scariest moment of that fateful night he wouldn't say it was the raid, it was having to deal with Celia Warren-Cunningham and her anger.

"You and whoever is left best clean up this place. Contain any prisoners who aren't dead. If any of the Pig Rats are alive too throw them in a cell, but give em' a good slap against the head with something heavy first." Celia ordered. As she walked back she continued to turn quickly to watch the guard's movements.

The two prisoners had watched the whole thing. Once the yard was empty of any conscious beings Syd seized the moment to speak, though it was more of a whisper. "Crazy bastards."

"It's what make this place so special," Addey smirked. Syd could tell that his ghoul cellmate couldn't wait to get out of this place once and for all. "It looks safe now, let's go for it." The two of them went as fast as they could, staying low running in a way in a crouched position. They made it to the first perimeter fence, Syd lifted the much lighter Addey up and over. Then the second fence and then the third. It was by now that anyone making a run for it usually got stopped by a sniper's bullet. But not today. The two went as fast as they could, into the arms of the wasteland. It was safer there.