Frerard - Guys Like Us

The New Arrival

Frank was scared. Frank was fucking terrified in fact. He struggled to breath as he neared his destination; the rumble of the tyres on gravel announcing that the vehicle had left the main roads and was heading down a more secluded route. He sat in the cramped prison van heading into the unknown. His knee bounced up and down and he had to give himself a talking to before the vehicle came to an abrupt halt. He peered through the tiny slit of a window and took in the dark clouds that loomed ahead, giving the huge stone prison an even more intimidating and daunting appearance. He took a deep breath and forced a firm, unwavering expression on to his face as he heard the doors being unlocked.

As his small compartment door was thrown open he was practically dragged from the van and cuffed to a large prison officer who simply grunted at him and pulled him along. He was led through corridor after corridor, door after door until he reached a small desk where he had to give the same details as he'd given numerous times before leading up to this. He wanted to make some smart-ass comment but thought better of it when he realised the officer behind the desk already looked pissed off beyond belief. So he just kept his mouth shut and did as he was told.

Frank had always been a bit of a tearaway, but over the last couple of years, he'd gotten in deeper than he should have. He never thought it would come to this though. He'd been arrested more times than he could count, but always managed to escape with a bit of community service or yet another slap on the wrist. Not this time though. His shady ways had finally caught up with him and he'd earned himself a twelve-month stretch in prison.

Finally changing into the clothes he was given, he was told which wing he would be in and a quick checklist of the dos and don'ts. He kept a tough expression on his face even though his heart was racing. He would never show that he was scared. Could show no sign, whatsoever, of any weakness. That was his plan at least.

The guard he was attached to un-cuffed him at the last security door and walked him inside. He looked him up and down and smirked.

"They're gonna love you in here sweetheart" he grinned as he led him to his cell. "Luckily for you, you're not sharing" he throatily laughed again.

Frank managed to look around at some of his fellow inmates that were wandering through the vast confines before him. Each and every one looked absolutely terrifying to him. He was only small and suddenly felt smaller than ever. In that moment wished he'd had his head shaved to give a tougher appearance. His hair sat on his shoulders, curling up slightly at the back, doing nothing for the intimidating vibe he wished he could give off. Still it was too late now. He simply tucked it behind his ears and made his way into his cell, simply standing in the middle and awaiting the guard's exit. He allowed his eyes to scan the cell once the door had been slid closed and locked. The off-white walls were stained various red and brown colours (which Frank couldn't bring himself to wonder what they were from). Paint flaked from it in patches and crude drawings were scratched into it in other areas. There was a basic toilet bowl in the corner with a ratty curtain to pull around for 'privacy' and a wash basin which had a ring of scum around it, making it obvious it had never been cleaned. Frank gagged at the thought of who had lay on the bed before him. The blankets were scratchy and grey and the pillow looked like it had been there for a hundred years, with a round yellow stain from the many sweat-soaked heads that had slept there before himself. He didn't know where to sit; the bed making him feel uneasy so opting for the plastic chair against the wall. He bit at the inside of his mouth and cowered slightly at the shouts and hollers coming from his fellow inmates at the excitement of the arrival of the newbies. He closed his eyes and tried to drown out the noise; instead listening to his own heartbeat reverberating in his ears.

Parkway was a fairly open prison. He knew he wouldn't be locked away in a box all day, but in all honesty, he wished he would. He would have much preferred to sit alone all day and not have to interact with anyone in this God-forsaken place. He knew that wouldn't be possible. He would have exercise, meal times, communal times, and chores to do. He would have to fucking speak to people, and he just hoped he had a good enough judge of character to choose the right ones.

He didn't move from his cell for the remainder of that first day, and when the lights went out that night, he pulled the rough grey blanket tight around him and shook in fear as he listened to the taunting and shouts from his fellow inmates. He rolled towards the wall and let quiet sobs fall from his mouth and heavy tears fall from his eyes, praying that he could just get through the following day without having any problems.

Praying to anyone that would listen that he could just keep his head down and attract no attention from anyone.

Frank could only hope!