“No, but he makes stupid fucking decisions,” mutters Constantine.
An open door leads into the sally port, basically just a long corridor that ends at a second door leading into Unit 1 of General Population. About a quarter of the way along the corridor is the security room that Sawyer used earlier that night.
Constantine tests the door that leads into the unit. It’s unlocked, but he doesn’t open it. Instead, he inserts key after key from Montoya’s key ring until he finds the one that works. He then takes the key off the ring and slips it into his pocket.
“What are you doing?”
“I don’t want to be fumbling around looking for the key if things get hot.” He looks at them both. “Ready?”
Sawyer and Felix nod. Constantine takes a deep breath, and then pulls the door open.
The entrance into Unit 1 is totally sealed off. Tables, broken desks, smashed-up chairs, all the pieces jammed together like a puzzle blocking the doorway. Sawyer can’t see a single gap through the barrier.
Constantine kicks at it, but it holds firm. Felix joins him, but their kicks do nothing at all.
“What the hell have they shored this up with?” growls Felix. “Okay, step aside.”
Sawyer and Constantine move up against the wall as Felix takes a running start and hits the barrier with his shoulder. He bounces off and dances around in agony. “Motherfucker!” he shouts. “Christ, that hurt.”
Constantine tries to pull something out of the blockage. Sawyer thinks he’s hoping it’s like Jenga; that if he yanks something free, the whole structure might weaken. As he’s pulling on a table leg, a wooden pole emerges from somewhere and thuds into his chest.
“The hell?” He moves back a step, but the pole has vanished back inside the unit. He reaches out again. As he does so, the pole slowly emerges, like a turtle peering from its shell. Constantine stops moving. So does the pole. He takes a step forward. The pole inches farther out.
“Touch me with that again and I’ll break your jaw!” shouts Constantine.
“Fuck off and leave us alone.” The voice from the other side of the barrier sounds scared. And old.
“Don’t tell me to fuck off,” snaps Constantine. “Let us in. We need to get through the unit.”
“Son, there’s more chance of whoever that woman is getting on her knees and sucking my shriveled cock than there is of me letting you in here.”
Sawyer’s eyes widen in embarrassment. Felix chuckles, but quickly stops when she throws a glare in his direction.
“You’re starting to piss me off,” says Constantine.
“Ooh, look… I’m trembling. I’ve made the man angry. You think I give a shit? Just leave us alone. We don’t want any part of whatever’s going on out there. We’ve already had to let Preacher and his men through. No one else.”
“You let Preacher through? When?”
“About ten minutes ago.”
“Why?”
“Why? I’m not arguing with him. He’s a goddam psycho. Easier to just let him through. Now fuck off!”
Constantine growls and kicks out. Felix joins him, and the two stand together, lunging in and hitting the barrier while trying to avoid the pole jabbing at their faces.
This goes on for about thirty seconds before Sawyer sighs and steps forward, putting a hand on Constantine’s arm. He looks at her in surprise, and she gently shakes her head, then steps closer to the barricade.
“What’s your name?”
“Carl.”
“Carl. I’m Sawyer. What are you actually doing in there?”
“Hiding.”
Sawyer glances back at Felix and Constantine. They both look surprised.
“Hiding from what?”
“The hell you think? You actually seen what’s going on in this place? We let anyone get in here, we’re all dead.”
“You let Preacher in,” she points out.
“Yeah, but he swore on the Bible he’d leave us alone.”
“Who are you? Are you a gang?”
“Yeah. The over-seventy gang.” The voice chuckles. Sawyer thinks she can hear appreciative laughter from inside the unit.
“So… what are you saying?”
“I’m saying me and everyone else who is too old to fight the psychos have all taken shelter in here, and we’re not gonna let anyone in.”
“But what about the hurricane?”
“What about it?”
“Well… this place is falling apart. It’s not going to last.”
“And what do you suggest as an alternative?”
Sawyer glances at Constantine. He shakes his head and mouths, “Don’t you dare.”
“We’re going to make our way to the Glasshouse. It will hold—”
She’s cut off by the voice bursting into laughter. “The Glasshouse? Jesus, woman. I’ve been there. If this place goes down, there’s not a chance in hell the Glasshouse will stay standing. At least in here we’re dry.”
“Can you just let us through, then?” asks Sawyer. “We’re not going to do anything. We just need to get to Northside.”
“Through the prison units?”
“It’s the only way.”
“Then I’m saving your life by saying no. You try to go through the units, you’re all dead.”
“We’re dead if we don’t,” says Felix. “Just let us through.”
“Piss off.”
Sawyer thinks about it. This isn’t getting them anywhere.
“What about a trade?”
“What kind of trade?”
“You let us through, and we give you something to defend yourself with.”
“What kind of something?”
“A gun.”
“Sawyer—” Constantine’s voice is urgent. She holds her hand up to stop him.
There’s a long moment of silence from the other side of the barricade. Then, “Let me see it.”
Sawyer turns to Constantine.
“I’m not giving up my gun,” he says. “It’s the only one we have now.”
“We have no choice. If it gets us through the unit, it’s worth the loss.”
Sawyer can see Constantine doesn’t want to do this, but he reluctantly pulls the gun out of his waistband and hands it to her.
“Hold it up,” commands the voice.
Sawyer does as she’s told. There’s a noise from the other side of the barrier, and after a few moments, a larger hole opens up.
“Pass it through.”
“No way,” snaps Constantine. “Open up first.”
“No. Hand it over first.”
Sawyer ejects the magazine, handing it over to Constantine. She passes the gun through the hole and sees a liver-spotted hand pull it out of sight. “You get the magazine when you let us
