St. Lucia Stories - Life

**“Life”** is the first tale of the *St. Lucia Stories* that are narrated by Conservator Dick Mulligan. It is set between 1945 to 1968, decades before the events of *Wolves’ Dens 4*.

## Synopsis

“Hello, I am Richard Mulligan, but many call me Dick for short. Whether it is a joke or a sincere nickname, I am unsure. But I am a conservator. I preserve cultural or otherwise, interesting stories that are related to the great city of St. Lucia and Greater St. Lucia, Louisiana. I have laid out five stories that appeal to your interest. The first one is what many of us call “Life.” This story in particular, involves two African American men who were wrongfully accused of murdering a State Senator in Park’s View. This story will tell how they have served their life sentence in the infamous prison Camp 16 in Callahan County. So pay attention, my fellow folks, for this may just bring a tear to your eye…” - Dick Mulligan.

”Life” is a book detailing the story of two young African American brothers from the 1940’s: Reilly and Cleveland Patterson, who were simple colored folk from Harlem, who was paid to smuggle moonshine and marijuana from the North to the South. However, they were caught at a crime scene for the murder of a Louisiana State Senator in Park’s View and must serve out their life sentences.

## Plot

### Park’s View, 1945

Two colored brothers, 25 year-old Reilly and 23 year-old Cleveland Patterson, arrive in the town of Park’s View, Louisiana, where they planned to meet a contact in a small bar. They eventually are called into the back to discuss the payments on the shipment of moonshine they pulled down from the New Jersey Italian mob. Neither side could agree and they all decide to take a step outside to cool off when they hear gunshot sounds. Concerned and curious, the brothers quickly rush to the scene, where they discovered a man having been gunned down in a back alley. The police arrived quickly and aimed their guns at Reilly and Cleveland, demanding for them to surrender. With no other choice, they agreed. In custody, they explained that they heard gunshots and rushed to find the man, but they could not find the killer. The brothers then realized that their testimonies were worthless, even if nothing was said, considering that they were in the South, which was still heavily segregated. With this, the Patterson brothers were found guilty of 1st-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison camp for hard labor and later a state penitentiary. Although infuriated, the brothers calmly accepted their sentence, knowing that they would be beaten or shot if they resisted. With this, they were put into the notorious Camp 16, roughly 3 miles south of Park’s View in Winnie Parish.

### New Adjustments, Camp 16, Winnie Parish, 1945

The brothers were initially outcasts, not being involved with any gangs, but one inmate demanded Cleveland’s salisbury steak dinner, which he refused to give up, with Reilly in assistance. With this, the inmate’s gang proceeded to attack the brothers. The two hold their own as they fight off the gang members. This fight continued and it almost ended with Reilly killing the inmate that demanded Cleveland’s steak, but a guard broke it up. When the guards and the warden, Gerald T. Lowell, demanded who started the fight, nobody initially spoke up, but eventually, Reilly took the blame, with Cleveland taking it as well. As punishment, they were locked in a hot box for two days. But this earned the respect of many inmates, especially one in particular: Huey Wright.

A week later, Wright approached the Patterson brothers and offered a chance to not only build up their reputation, but win and earn some luxuries and commissaries that would be much better than what is served: a secret fight club. Although the risk was already fairly high due to guards punishing those who fight by sticking them in the hot box, it would be worth whatever punishments they would receive. The Patterson brothers then agreed to this deal and would proceed to engage in fight clubs in the bunks in exchange for food that outside sources could get, cigarettes, and reputation. This endeavor was kept up for years, with them sometimes being put into hot boxes, but ignoring the punishment in exchange for the rewards.

### Across time from 1958 to 1967

Ever since Reilly and Cleveland had decided to sacrifice their own possibility at freedom in order to free those with small charges from prison, they have stayed in prison, and have made new friends after the old ones either died or have been released. The fight club was disbanded, but Reilly and Cleveland were often given gifts for their legendary statuses.

### Work Detail, Lee’s Creek, 1967

Reilly and Cleveland were brought up for labor detail up north towards Lee’s Creek in Washington Parish. Accompanying them were the two men they were dealing the moonshine to over twenty-two years ago, their names being Maynard Peyton and Abraham Fuller, whom they immediately recognized, but did not acknowledge to avoid trouble. However, eventually, Reilly finally let go of his temper and struck Peyton, taking his shotgun in the process. Cleveland then tackled Fuller and took his revolver. The brothers aimed their guns at the two swindlers, with their observing officer ordering them to put their guns down or he would be forced to kill them. The brothers officially decided that they would rather die in the woods getting revenge than to rot away the rest of their lives in the prison. When they threatened them into revealing who they were and what they did, they revealed everything: they had the state senator murdered by a couple of their boys and had the brothers framed so that they could make off with both the money and the moonshine and they had in fact, come back to ensure that the brothers were either dead or still in prison. As Reilly and Cleveland prepared to act, Fuller suddenly pulled out a hidden derringer and fired at Cleveland, injuring him. In response, the guard shot Fuller, with Reilly executing Peyton before he could stab him in retaliation. The guard realized that the brothers were in fact innocent all the years they were in prison and swore to get them released as soon as he could. Suddenly, they were fired upon by more gangsters, who have come to take out the Patterson brother. The three hold their ground within the woods and pushed into a nearby cemetery, taking down more of the gangsters. In a final standoff, Reilly took position on an upper balcony inside of the church, with Cleveland taking cover behind the pastor podium, and the guard covering the back entrance. With this, a final siege occurs and the three fight off the gangsters until they finally back off, barely surviving. The three then devise a plan to get back to the prison. Unfortunately, when they return to Lucius, the guard is kidnapped, tortured, and executed, continuing to keep Reilly and Cleveland imprisoned.

### Final Stand, Lucius State Penitentiary, 1968

On one night in the fall of 1968, a year after the incident in Lee’s Creek, the prisoners host a private poker game in the laundry room. However, when the party leave to sneak back into their cells before guards would catch them, Reilly and Cleveland notice something very off. They find a window that peeks out to the parking lots and they see an army of cars, both marked police cars and unmarked cars, with men getting out and getting guns from the trunks. The Patterson brothers then realize that they were there to kill them, something they failed to do in Lee’s Creek. The Patterson brothers then sneak to the armory, avoiding reinforcements along the way. It turns out the guards were bought off, giving the corrupt police and the gangsters the opportunity to find the brothers, whatever the cost. The brothers finally reach the armory and realize that they may never make it out now as there was too many of them and there was no open window to slip away. Reilly then comes up with a plan to have them find a way to open the prison cells, which would cause a riot, and ambush the attackers. The two then sneak to the prison guard room and proceed to open the cell doors, while sounding the prison alarm. This sets off a reaction of prisoners leaving their cells and engaging in fights, including against the gangsters and the police. The brothers take this opportunity to slip into another wing of the prison and set up an ambush as it was empty. After getting the preparations ready, the brothers alert their assassins that they were in the next cell block. They then await for them to enter the block, and proceed to fire upon them. The brothers then engage in a large-scale shootout against their wannabes assassins, both gangsters and corrupt officers alike. The brothers then pick up grenades and alcoholic bottles from the guard rooms and armories, preparing one big final plan. Their final plan is to lure them into a part of the prison where they can trap them, and use molotovs and grenades to destroy the incoming enemies. Huey, along with more of their friends, Cole, Mark, David, Earl, Daryl, and Travis all join, despite it all being a suicidal plan. Unfortunately, all of the supporting prisoners, save for Huey and the brothers were killed in their attempts, but were ultimately successful. Although unseen, the brothers confessed their plan to Huey: they would use two of the bodies to make it look as though they died, and they would slip out and steal a truck. Huey wished them luck.

The brothers then proceed to lure reinforcements into smaller areas and proceed to toss grenades and molotov cocktails into their areas. This ultimately set off a chain reaction of flames spreading across the old wing of the prison, effectively finally putting it to rest. The remaining trapped prisoners were freed by the brothers, but when everyone was outside, Cleveland was nowhere to be found. Despite protests, Reilly ventured back into the burning wing, content with “rescuing” his brother. As he enters, the door behind him is covered with burning rubble. Huey then screams Reilly’s name as he cried, but smiles when he realizes that their plan was in motion and they were going to succeed.

The next morning, state officials arrive to do a run-down of the incident and in the end, Reilly and Cleveland’s plan worked: the burnt bodies with guns left next to them seems unrecognizable, but the officials believe that they were the bodies of Reilly and Cleveland Patterson and pronounces them dead.

### Epilogue, 2013

Forty-five years later, an elderly Huey is seen tending to a general store, serving the people of Park’s View. Despite being an African American, he was well received in the community. As he looks at an old picture of himself, Reilly, Cleveland, and the rest of their prison mates. Just as he goes back to work, two African American brothers, who had a bold resemblance to Reilly and Cleveland, named Lenny and Paul Brown, walk into his store and asks for “supplies,” not “just any supplies,” meaning that Huey has become a weapons dealer and smiles at the similarities of the brothers. Meanwhile in Miami, Florida, Reilly and Cleveland are revealed to be alive, enjoying the sunny beach and ocean while talking about how their lives went and how things might end.

### Present Day

Dick wraps up the story and says that although the Patterson brothers never escaped the physical binds and found the tranquility everyone strives for, they escaped the torment in their own way and have found peace in their own demise. Dick remains oblivious to the Patterson brothers’ survival.

## Rewards and Unlocks

### Rewards

* Reilly’s “Hooch Outfit”, “Camp 16 Outfit”, “Outdoor Labor Outfit”, and “Dyin’ Day Outfit” for Lenny and later Paul added to wardrobe.
* Cleveland’s “Smuggler Outfit”, “Camp 16 Prisoner Outfit”, “Outdoorsman Outfit”, and “Final Day Outfit” for Paul added to wardrobe.
* Reilly’s 12 Gauge Remuel Shotgun added to Gun Locker.
* Cleveland’s .45 Cylinder Revolver added to Gun Locker.
* Camp 16 Mossberg Rifle added to Gun Locker.
* The Tommy Gun added to Gun Locker.

### Unlocks

* Hidden stashes near Camp 16 and Lucius State Penitentiary.
* Special conversations with Lucille Hughes, George Frankfurt, Huey Wright, and Alberta Greggs.

### Aftermath

* If spoken to Lucille and the Patterson brothers are mentioned, she is shocked that anyone remembers them as it has been nearly or over fifty years since their deaths and mourns their losses, calling them “good boys.”
* If spoken to George Frankfurt and the Patterson brothers are mentioned, George is clearly still overjoyed about their deaths, calling them “a couple of good-for-nothing ni\*gers,” which infuriates Lenny/Paul, causing George to back down.
* If spoken to Huey Wright and the Patterson brothers are mentioned, he will fondly remember them and begin to tear up as he considered them his own brothers, even if they were not brothers by blood. He composes himself and tells Lenny/Paul that in a way, his brotherly bond with his own brother reminds him of the deceased brothers.
* If spoken to Alberta Greggs and the Patterson brothers are mentioned, she recalls that she got pregnant by one of the camp members in Camp 16, and believes that either Reilly was the father as she often slept with him the most, also mentioning when her father tried to identify who was the father by comparing physical looks, but failed.

## Trivia

* “Life” draws heavy inspiration from the 1999 film, Life, which starred Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrance.