1934 Alice in Jails: Prison/Prologue II: Bruiser

Synopsis
In a private room of a certain tavern's basement, an unnamed individual asks a guard about a con who was transferred to Alcatraz from the prison the guard used to work for a few months back. The guard, affably enough, demurs that he does not remember much about the prisoners – only for his whole demeanor to change when the individual specifies prisoner Number 302010.

The guard remembers Number 302010 all too well, identifying him as Ladd Russo, nephew to don Placido Russo of Chicago's Russo Family. He tells the individual all about Ladd's demeanor while he was incarcerated, including Ladd's oddly 'chipper' attitude when he first arrived at the prison and how his quiet capableness made him a model prisoner.

Everything changed when prisoner Gustavo Bagetta – a former Runorata Family capo – went on a rampage in the dining call. The guard and his colleagues surrounded Gustavo and the other offending fighters, and the guard had condescendingly warned the prisoners that they might find themselves in Alcatraz should they keep their behavior up. When Ladd had asked the guard how exactly one might find themselves in Alcatraz, the guard exaggerated just how bad Alcatraz was and declared their prison was planning on sending their worst prisoner to that place.

The guard explains that more trouble had befallen the dining hall that night, and when he arrived at the hall, he found Ladd eating dinner amidst dozens of groaning prisoners laid out on the floor. Gustavo had reared up from the carnage and thrown a table at him, but Ladd snapped it and decked the former capo across the room.

Afterwords, Ladd had approached the guard and explained how his 'hobby' is teaching people like Gustavo a lesson: people who think they are never going to die. The implication that he considered the guard one of those people had been clear – and in the present day, the guard shakes so badly at the memory that he has to take a break.

Once the guard calms down, he apologizes for 'losing it' and says that they put Ladd in solitary for ten days – during which time the guard quit his job. He believes that they sent Ladd to Alcatraz around the same time Al Capone was sent there, but he has no idea when Ladd will be out; for all he knows, Ladd will be out in the next one to two years.

The fear the guard had been suppressing earlier comes back with a vengeance, and he panics so badly at the thought of Ladd coming after him that he starts screaming. When he returns to reality, he begs for liquor – what kind does not matter. All he knows is that he is scared of death and that dying is frightening, and he urges the individual to agree with him.

Trivia

 * This chapter confirms that Gustavo survived his fight with Luck Gandor in 1932 Drug & The Dominos, and reveals what happened to him in the aftermath.

Cultural References

 * Mickey Mouse crimes

Characters in Order of Appearance

 * Unnamed former prison guard
 * Ladd Russo (anecdote)
 * Gustavo Bagetta (anecdote)