Hellbound

Chapter Four

Three years later.

I wake when the bed moves, dipping me into the middle as West leans over my right shoulder.

"Morning babe" his groggy voice cracks as he wakes. He presses a kiss to the back of my shoulder before rolling out of bed.

"Morning" I whisper back, the morning silence peaceful. I lie with my eyes closed; I hear West move throughout the room, the floor creaking under his weight.

"C'mon" West comes over to my side of the bed "big day today" he says as he gives my hip a pat before he makes his way to the bathroom, the shower turns on seconds later.

I turned twenty five last week and the government allocated me a job. I never ended up writing to them in the hopes they would take into consideration of a dream job I wanted. Why? Well, I never came across a dream job.

I found out last week they allocated me to the prison. It was the last place I ever thought I'd be allocated. I expected to just get a normal job at the supermarket or at an office, where most women end up making a living.

It's Monday and I've had exactly a week today to think about it, and I still haven't changed my mind. I'm dreading it. I don't know what they were thinking putting me in a prison. I wouldn't consider myself strong enough for the job and I also have no training whatsoever.

When West had found out he freaked, insighting my own panic. He made me realise the possible danger this could put me in. We wrote to the government in hopes of them allocating me elsewhere but came up empty. Instead they sent a letter back saying I was to start at Hellbound Maximum Security Penitentiary at 8am on the twenty third of April.

I hear the shower shut off as butterflies fly around my stomach. I lie in the peaceful silence for the last remaining minutes, trying to gather myself as my nerves begin to take over.

The bathroom door opens as West steps out in a towel. I sit up in bed and stretch when he makes his way to the closet.

I skip washing my hair in the shower, not wanting to take the risk of showing up late on my first day.

"Babe, you're going to be late!" I hear West shout through the bathroom door before he walks away.

I shut the shower off and hurry applying make up, making myself look half presentable and awake. I gather my hair in a simple pony tail.

West is in the kitchen, eating a bowl of cereal when I walk in. He's dressed in his usual firefighting uniform.

"Wow, look at you" he says once he sees me. I'm dressed in my own uniform, consisting of black cargo pants and a black shirt and jacket that has the penitentiary's logo on it.

I give him a smile as I make my own breakfast, deciding on toast.

"You nervous?" he asks. I nod with a mouthful as I lean against the counter. "You'll be okay, just don't go anywhere alone" he reassures me.

"Not planning to" I reply.

West finishes off his cereal while I finsh my toast. We leave the dishes in the sink, having no time to clean them at the moment.

"C'mon, we've got to go" West says as he gathers both our bags. He guides me out the house as I drag my feet.

We share a car and so West drives the both of us. I know how to drive, it's just cheaper for us to have the one car and so far we've had no problems arise from it.

The sky is overcast today, the early morning fog still floating in the sky. The huge building of Hellbound Penitentiary becomes visible in the distance. High, grey walls with barbed wire fencing surround the outside, making sure no one gets out or in.