Red Rain

Red Rain

Sofia Martinez

04/17/23

(Warning: Explicit Language)

Ever since I was young, I’ve had an obsession with being clean. I loved the water, being in the shower, but especially the rain. It was as if the rain washes away all the dirt, the filth, the past, it makes me clean. Being locked up, I barely get to experience the rain like before. I miss it.

3:00 A.M

My sleep was rudely interrupted by the blinding light our correctional officer shined in my face. They’re so rude with that, they forget we are human beings, even if some of us are here for fraud, or drug dealing. The murderer’s don’t live in this block. My time is finally coming to an end, thank god. I get scared of the outside world. I got sentenced in 2050, it's been 10 years since I’ve been out. I forget what it's like out there, the responsibilities that wait for me, the things I have to do, the people I have to face. You would think being surrounded by convicts, I wouldn’t be scared of the regulars, but the way they look at you, the way they judge, they don’t know that I’ve changed. All they see is convict, prisoner, I fucking hate those words.
Tommy, my cellmate and best bud here, heads over to the bathroom with me. No one is in the bathrooms during that time and it's the only place where we actually get silence. We never talk during bathroom time, we let ourselves wake up, we brush our teeth, and after that, we say one form of gratitude towards each other. It's our little way of staying sane in this place. Then we head to work.

3:30 A.M.

Tomorrow is my last day here. From 3:30-7:30, I work at the cafeteria. We prep the foods, wash the foods, etc. I never would’ve thought before this job, how much time it takes to make breakfast, considering how shitty it is. Today, lumpy potatoes, stiff scrambled eggs, and toast. We got the good delivery this week, bacon. The good thing about being in breakfast crew, we get to eat before everyone else, and we get double servings. Tommy and I eat together, talking about, well honestly I don’t even know what we talk about, but we just talk. He got time for theft, he has 2 years left though. Most people think of prison like the stuff on shows, just gangs. Of course there’s gangs, we have two main ones, the Latino crew and the Whites. But there are also outsiders (those who don’t belong to anyone but are still respected) and loners (these people are kinda messed up in the head, so they get picked on a lot by the inmates). Me and Tommy are outsiders, we don’t belong to anyone, but we get along with everyone. Being in breakfast crew kinda helps with that, especially since we are pretty much feeding these people. We do a lot of favors, especially for Cash and his crew.
Cash is the big guy in the latino gang. He’s pretty intimidating, he only has one eye, tattoos everywhere, he’s extremely tall and incredibly fit. I have never seen Cash alone, he always has someone with him. Despite his tough reputation, Cash is really good to his people. When I first started out, I was young, about 18 years old. He immediately befriended me, wanting to make the new kid his ally I guess. He got to know me, my story, my vulnerabilities. I guess he always has that on me now. Anyway, everyone’s got people on the outside, especially Cash. He has people for everything, that’s why his status here is so high. Back when my mom was sick, we didn’t have money for the bills or insurance or treatments. I got into prison trying to get her this money, so I would steal everything I could and I got pretty good at it. On my biggest heist, I got caught, and well here I am. I could no longer care for my mom, she had no one. When Cash was getting to know me, he got to know that story. He swore to me that his people would help her as long as my loyalty stayed with him. And obviously, I agreed. His people were able to help out my mom tremendously, she was able to finish her treatment and they took care of her as if she was one of their own. Eventually, all this gang stuff started becoming too much for me and I told Cash I needed a break, but my loyalty still stayed with him. To my suprise, he let me go but he still has that leverage over me. As soon as I drifted from their gang, Trippy and his people moved from the correctional unit up north, as soon as they came, they already had a high status.
Cash and his people always go head to head with Trippy and his gang, the Whites. Trippy and his people are crazy, like actually crazy, with all their white supremacist shit. Even the guards don’t like them, the white ones too. Trippy is shorter than Cash, he always has some sort of funky smell on him, it’s so nasty. He has greasy blonde hair and crazy bacne, he always goes around in a beater that shows it off, I think he thinks of it as an intimidation tactic or something. Trippy also has grease stains on his clothes and his stomach always pokes out from under his shirts. Although me and Tommy get along with everyone, I like to stay away from Trippy and his gang.
These past few weeks, something happened between the Whites and the Latinos. Rumors say it was like some Romeo and Juliet thing where one of the members got with one from the other gang and the rest have been battling it out, pretty badly, considering Trippy’s gang is severely homophobic. It’s hard not to get involved since both of them think of outsiders as allies, it starts getting violent at times. We start seeing everyone’s true colors, we get reminded that we are in prison.



After my shift, we head back to our cells and have count. The guards all make sure we are where we need to be, then we have an hour of leisure time before yard time. “When you get out, what’s the first thing you’re gonna do?” Tommy says as the guard counts us.
“Dude, the only thing I’ve been thinking about is getting some real food, probably pizza. Then I want like a pet, a cat or something. Just to keep me company”
“A cat? What about a fish?”
“Fishes are cool but like I want something that’ll love me”
“Soft ass”, Tommy says as he jokingly slaps the back of my neck.
We start laughing and then someone comes into our cell. It’s one of Cash’s guys.
“Yo Max, Cash wants to speak to you” he says.
“Do you know what for?”
“Meet us at our spot during yard”
I nod and look over at Tommy. We both know it has something to do with me getting out soon. I think back to what Cash did for me in the past, knowing I may have to do something in return.

An hour passes and the speaker goes off. “Yard Time, Inmates in Cell Block A, B, and C head over to the yard”. Outside gets so ugly. Our “yard” is always flooded, the heat is getting worse by the day. My mom would tell me about the times when the land was actually land. People used to live in dry areas, and it wasn’t just the rich who were dry, it was regular people. Stilts weren’t a common thing, along with elevated grounds and raised cars. She would tell me how floods would happen only on rainy days and eventually dry out, but now floods stay. The prison doesn’t have enough money to elevate their land, so we are stuck in a swampy area down in Homestead. The prison constantly smells like mold, we’ve gotten used to it though. Our yard consists of a rusty basketball court that is hard to play on since it's always flooded. All the wooden picnic tables are warped. There’s a field, which surprisingly isn’t as flooded as the courts. The field has a track, well we consider it a track, but it’s just a path of worn down grass from the people who run on it. There is a section for the greenhouse on this miniature hill, but that’s where Cash and his guys get their drugs in. On the other side, near the fences and the track, is where Trippy and his guys normally stay. Me and Tommy like to stay at this one picnic table, right in the middle. We bring our books out or our papers and write. Tommy is a poetry fanatic, so he’s normally in his own world during yard time.
As we sat down, I looked over towards Cash’s area, they’re looking at me. Cash nods his head, insinuating to come here.
“I’ll be right back T”
“Mhm” he said, not lifting his head up from his paper.
I walk over there. “You need to talk to me?” I ask.
“Jay, leave us alone, we’re good” he tells his men.
He nudges to go inside the greenhouse, I go in, he follows.
“What’s up man” I asked him. I feel a sense of nervousness for some reason. I know we are on good terms though, why wouldn’t we be.
“This shit with Trippy is starting to get messy. He wants to fuck with my guys on the outside and I don’t like that. I know you’re getting out soon. I need you to do something for me.”
I look at him and sigh. “Man, I can't get in trouble again. If they catch me doing something I’ll get double time and I can’t. I’ve changed, I don’t do this anymore, you know that.”
“Max, I took care of your mom. I did so much for her. Me and my guys, we saved her, we saved you. And now I need you to save me.”
“I don’t know man”. I start sweating. This greenhouse has no air. His eyes and demeanor change completely. I haven’t seen him like this before, not even with Trippy.
“Max, It’s not an ‘I don’t know’ situation. You need to do this for me. I got people everywhere. For everything. It’s going to be done… I don’t want anything to happen to your mom.”
“What does that mean?” Was he threatening me or was he saying that Trippy could do something to her. Either way, I didn’t want to ask. I always knew that I would have to pay Cash back somehow. I’m curious though, what does he need from me.
“If I were to say yes-“
“You are gonna say yes” he interrupts me.
“What do you need me to do?”
He smiles. “So Trippy is the leader of the whites but he has a boss above him. One of his own on the outside. Now Trippy is already pissing me off with this whole gang war shit. He’s starting to come for my men on the outside as an intimidation tactic. He’s even infiltrating my guys who deliver my shit. But it's his boss who’s giving him the orders. I need you to kill him. I need this shit over.”
“Why can’t you get your guys to do it?” I ask, eager for a way out.
“He knows them, and he’s starting to learn more. What he doesn’t know is what me and you have. He and his guys came after you left, so he never knew about our alliance. You and I only share conversations during breakfast, we don’t visibly show our loyalty. His guy wouldn’t know about you. That’s what makes you perfect. My guys on the outside know about you. They can help you do this. You have it all set for you, all I need is for you to comply.”
I look at him in disbelief. How does he expect me to do it so easily?
“Max, you haven’t told me everything about yourself. You’ve been hiding a part of your past haven’t you?”
He goes toward the plant to his right. He digs up a little hole in the dirt of the plant. He turns around and pulls out a shiv and two photographs. That feeling of anxiety kicks in. He’s not talking about..no, no one could know about that. There’s no way.
He puts the two pictures on the table and tells me to get up and look.
One of the photos was an old family picture of my mom. The other was a photo of her from afar, in her apartment watching TV. He knows.
I immediately look up ready to say something but he cuts me off.
“Max, I told you I have guys for everything. Who do you think I am? And who do you think you are? Hiding the fact that you came from a family of spies, the same one who killed my parents. Max, you’ve shared with me your past and I’ve shared mine. You know how I got into this whole business, how it started with my family, how my parents were murdered, by our rival gang, how I found my parents dead, full of blood, slaughtered, with a bullet in their head, their fucking faces torn apart, in my own home, when I WAS 12 YEARS OLD! You know this story. You know how it affected my family, you know how things changed after that. What it did to me. Your family completely erased their history after that, they decided it was time for change AFTER they murdered my parents. How convenient. Even after the stuff I did for your mom Max, you still didn’t say anything. And when I found out, I wanted to kill her on the spot. But then I realized, I could just torture you instead, since now you will do anything I say to save your mom. And that’s what I’m gonna do. So now you see how you can’t agree or disagree. You’re no longer an ‘outsider’, no you belong to me.”

I didn’t have any words. Everything he said was true. My family always had a history in martial arts, but once Hurricane Myrna destroyed half of Miami back in 2030, it destroyed my family’s home on Miami Beach, and left my family with no shelter and eventually no jobs. They initially became assassins for the money, desperate for a way to provide, but then they became addicted. After the murder of Cash’s parents, my family did everything to get rid of their past. I always hated that I held that part of their history with me, especially when Cash and I started getting close, but there was nothing I could do, but do what he said.
“So I know how good you are with getting in and out of places, being someone you’re not. I also know your family’s combat skills, so you know the ways to silence someone with any weapon. That’s what you’ll do with Trippy’s boss. They leave through an alley. He always has 4 men around him and they always get into a black Cadillac. Like all cars, this one has raised wheels, but his are extra high. My men will find you and give you the details. Lucky for you, the alleyway we need you to kill him in is elevated, along with the building the club is in, so the flooding shouldn’t be that much of a problem. This place is top shit, with crazy rich people, the type of people with secrets. It’s always guarded inside but there’s a building next to it. My men will stay up on the roof of the other building and have you on the ground. We’re always going to have eyes on you. Just get it done.. You can leave now.” He was sitting down, his arms crossed, you can tell how serious this was to him.
Without saying a word, I turn around and leave.
I went blind to my surroundings, where I was going, the only thing that was on my mind was what just happened. I never would’ve expected anyone to find out about my past and hold me to it. Not even the judicial system that arrested me discovered that. I head back to Tommy who was still doing his poetry. He looked up at me as I arrived.
“That was a long talk” he said as we both got up and headed back to our cell.
“Yeah. Nothing crazy though, he was just saying bye” I said, looking down on our muddy ground, realizing this might be the last time I feel safe here.
We head back and the rest of the day was a blur. I remember getting stares from Cash’s men. I’m guessing they all knew.


3:00 AM


I get woken up rudely by our cell guard. They’re so rude with that.
Tommy was up too. We did our morning routine as usual.
It was hard to act normal.
After our shift, our breakfast and our daily conversations, it was time. I was escorted by the guards into the raised bus that would take me to my home. I looked back and waved to Tommy. Cash and his men were behind him, Cash nodded his head to me. I remember what had to be done.


I got into my “home” down in West Kendall. Inside there were keys and a phone. There was food in there, just the basics, bread, butter, eggs, and some apples. I only had $200 on me. This place smells like mold, I thought I got used to that smell. The elevation was way higher than the prison though, so my house didn’t need stilts, it was just slightly raised. My place was all warped on the outside. The grass and vines were starting to grow on the walls outside. The floor is wooden but the walls on the inside have stains, it’s pretty gross. My mom moved up to Atlanta since the hospitals in Florida have all been contaminated with black mold. I would’ve gone up there, be safe with her, but she hasn’t picked up any of my calls. I would’ve thought something was wrong but apparently she’s doing fine since Cash has people stalking her now. Jesus. What did I get myself into?

A couple hours later, I got a call from an unknown number. It was one of Cash’s people. “Tomorrow at 11 P.M., take the metro downtown and get off at Brickell. There’s going to be two major buildings. One is a hotel, and the other is a club, you will be able to hear the music. Trippy’s boss gets out at 3 AM. You are going to go in the hotel and come to the roof. That’s where we will be. Our guys are all scattered in the hotel so you won’t get caught. Meet us at the top and we will go from there. See you then.”

Tomorrow

These past few days have all been a blur.
My family always went on missions as I was a kid, but I could never go. I was always trained for emergencies but I never used it. I mean, my skills were being used when I started stealing but that wasn’t anything like murder. I’ve never done anything like this before. I look at the time.

10 P.M.

Shit. What if I die? I mean, isn’t this guy like a top dog? Does Cash really expect me to be THAT good? My family had a reputation, they were good. They could assassinate anyone, I was never directly involved in that. I just watched and learned.
I started getting dressed. All black, just as anyone would suspect.
Yesterday, after the call, I went to my childhood home. Even though it was abandoned, I would always go there after any of my heists and I would sit there on the porch. Before my biggest heist, I had a bad feeling, so I hid a family knife and silenced pistol under a tile on the porch. Yesterday, I dug it back up and brought it with me.
I started packing a bag. I put my knife and gun in there. That’s really all I needed to get the job done. I took the bus to the metro station. All forms of transportation are raised in cases of flooding, apparently downtown is where it gets really bad.
Everything was a blur.

I blacked out. I was like a robot getting to where I needed to be, I don’t remember getting on the metro, meeting these guys. I just gained consciousness and now I’m in an alley leaning against a building. I hear the music of the club. I look up and Cash’s men are there, staring at me. I remember earlier one of his guys telling me that they are all scattered on other buildings, so there’s eyes everywhere. I have my knife and gun under my shirt. There was no one nearby, just the eyes above. I saw the black Cadillac approaching. I was told what my target looks like. Tall, suit, bald, big, with 4 guards around him. That’s all I got. That’s all I need.
I check my watch and my surroundings, examining what it is I’m working with. There’s a pipe on the other wall in front of me, a garbage bin, and a metal garbage lid. Not much to work with but noted.

3:00 A.M.

I hear a door open, and I light an e-cig, trying to look normal. People come out, 2 men in suits, a big, tall bald guy, that’s him, then two other men. They pass by me, eyeing me down.
“Good evening” I say, e-cig in hand.
A shot comes down from above and knocks out one of his guards. They pull out their guns but I was quicker. I quickly pulled my knife and started fighting. The tricks I was using were just like my training, I remembered all the moves, the way to slice the throat, which bones to break, the pressure points to touch, the ways to fight like an assassin. With Cash’s guys firing from above and my combat on the ground, we quickly assassinated his guards, but I saw the boss running away. I looked over to where he was going and started running after him.
All of a sudden, I hear a loud sound come from behind me. I was one of Cash’s guys on the floor, he was pushed off the roof. I looked up and the boss’s men were killing and pushing Cash’s guys off the high ground. They started taking control of the territory. All I heard was shots, I forgot what to do, my heart was pounding, and I lost sight of my target. I was dodging bullets from above using a metal plate from the garbage bin. I hear the Cadillac take off. I followed the car, but it immediately blew up right before my eyes.


I got thrown back by the force and landed on my back. My hearing was muffled, all I heard was my pulse.
But then I remembered the plan. I started laughing maniacally, tears started coming down my face, I started choking on laughter. How could I forget? We had a backup plan all along. Cash’s guys were always going to be in his Cadillac, the whole assasination scheme was just so he could lose numbers. The plan always involved a car hijack and an explosion.

I felt so relieved. My vision was still pretty blurry as this figure came up to me and reached his hand out to lift me up. I reached for his hand. As I slowly gained consciousness, I looked back around and saw all the dead bodies. What did I just do? Was I really just celebrating? The reality of the situation came back to me. I turn back around at the person who lifted me up.

The streetlights from behind him revealed his tall, shadowy figure. As he got closer, I saw more details of his face, his tattoos, his one eye. Cash.
How did he get out? What is going on? I have so many questions.
“You never would’ve won either way, now would you?” Cash says, looking down on me. It took me a second to realize.
It was his plan all along.
“Max, I always knew who you were. Did you really think, coming from your family background, you would’ve gotten caught? My guys put you in jail, my guys brought you to me, I befriended you to get you close to me, to let me into your family. My guys slowly infiltrated your family, assassinating them one by one, leaving your mother for last, so you can do one final thing for me. So I can slowly dry your family out, and now that I have, I reveal to you how I avenge my family, the way I seek vengeance. Truth is, I killed your mother during her “treatment”. You never wondered why she never called? ‘Your target’ was never Trippy’s boss, or my boss. He’s one of my guys. The whole gang war happening back in prison was just part of my game. I told you Max, I have guys for everything and this was my final move. Check. Mate.” He pulls out a weapon.

All I hear is my own pulse. My heart beating, my head pounding, my body aching. I had to pay the consequences of my family.

3:30 A.M.

I closed my eyes. I felt something stab my chest. I opened my eyes to see the weapon that pierced my chest. Memories flash by me as blood fills my lungs. It was my family knife. I took my last breath as I felt the rain start to fall down on my face. I am now clean.