REID

Chapter: 18

The sun hasn't been up for very long. There was not even much time for breakfast before it was time to go. Reid was given a cup of plain oatmeal and only had ten minutes to eat it and do his morning business before he was in cuffs once again and taken from his temporary cell. Before long, he was with 9 other inmates, all with cuffs and simple clothing. They were placed in a line and taken through the small jail building.

Luckily, they weren't all attached to one another, but they were still expected to stay in the line. A couple of them refused to stay quiet. However, Reid kept his mouth shut the entire time. They were brought outside and instructed to get onto a prison bus. It was white in color and had horizontal bars across each of the passenger windows.

Reid sat down in one of the seats. One prisoner to a seat. Once they were all on board, the bus lurched forward. They left the city and drove close to an hour through the wilderness before the deer could see the ominous building appear in the distance. Tall chain fences outlined the complex, towers made of brick at each of the corners.

The bus pulls up to the large fence, and a gate opens slowly, allowing them to come through. Once parked, they were brought off and put back into a line. They walked through a single door into a small holding and processing area. Each prisoner was shoved into a single holding cell and uncuffed. Reid thought for sure fights would break out, but he was surprised to see everyone remain calm.

One by one, the prisoners were called out to the desk, where they were fingerprinted and processed into the system and given an inmate number. From there, they left the room out of sight, but from hearing the guards, that was where they were stripped and changed into their prison wear.

"Hirsch!" the security guard stated loudly.

Reid walked out of the holding cell and approached the desk.

"Use the screen. Follow the instructions."

The deer placed each individual finger on the scanner and gave his fingerprints. Once finished, he was given a small slip of paper where he saw his number, 2101.

"Go through the door and they'll tell you what to do."

He did just that. He turned around and walked through the small door. On the other side, he was given an orange jumpsuit and a plastic bag. He undressed completely, placing his worn clothes in the bag, and putting on the jumpsuit. The upper back was stenciled with "Henderson State Prison."

Each of the new prisoners was taken to the D Block, which was the wing of cells where they place each new inmate until they are given a more permanent cell in another block. A guard walked up and cuffed Reid once again after he was dressed and ushered him through a small hallway to a thick metal door. It was automatic, operated by someone in an adjacent room.

The block was small. Two stories, but had roughly twenty cells on each tier. Each cell furnished with a bunk bed and a metal toilet with a sink. Reid was taken to one of the closed cells. The door was opened by a separate guard, and he was placed inside. There was a black fox with silver eyes in the cell already and didn't look happy about sharing it with someone. The deer was uncuffed after the door was closed. The guard spoke.

"You are placed in this holding cell for no less than twenty-four hours while the prison administrators find a location for you elsewhere in the facility. You will have no access to the yard while you're held in this block. You will receive three meals for each day you are kept here. You will be taken for showers after your breakfast tomorrow, then once more every two days."

At that, the guard left and moved on to the next cell where he stated the exact same information in the exact same tone of voice. Reid turned around and saw his cell mate climb the bunk bed and lay on the top, not saying a word. Reid stood and leaned against the wall, looking out through the bars of his cell door.

A couple hours had gone by, and the deer lay on the bottom bunk of the bed, staring at the underside of the mattress above him. There was a clang on the metallic door. He looked over and saw a tall, brown deer with black antlers wearing a suit standing at his cell.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Marlin, I'm the warden here at the prison. Just checking in on everyone and making sure they're nice and comfortable." He gave a smirk.

Reid was about to say something when the black fox spoke first.

"Yeah, go fuck yourself, coat rack. You don't give a shit about us in here, you're just here cause your nose is stuck so far up the feds' assholes that you can smell their brain. Get outta here." He spat.

Reid didn't know whether to laugh or be offended. So, he just shrugged at the warden and went back to resting in his bunk.

The day went on without another incident. Later in the evening, the fox was busy using the toilet while the deer watched out of the cell, not looking back for obvious reasons. He saw a couple of guards walking around, pushing a cart that had stacks of black, plastic trays with food. They came up to the cell and took two trays, offering them through a slot in the barred door.

Reid grabbed one of the trays and sat on the bed. The food was as dreadful as everyone says. A small portion of brown rice with some boiled chicken breast. There was a side of raw baby carrots and for dessert, it was just a tiny cup of cherry Jell-o. The drink was a paper cup full of water.

Lunch wasn't served here. It was strictly breakfast and dinner, though it looks like, even though the food was less-than-desirable, it was enough to feel nourished. The empty trays were taken by security later, and at that point it wasn't too long before an electronic signal blared through the block, followed by guards yelling "Lights out!" to everyone.

The entire cell block shut the lights down apart from two or three in the center to light up the stairways and walkways. He could hear yells from other inmates, as well as the slamming and clanging of the metal bars. It took a while to get to sleep, but when he did, he slept horribly. Waking up every hour, tossing and turning through the night, getting up and using the toilet, knowing anyone could be watching.

The next morning, he was woken up by a guard clanging his cell door with a nightstick. Reid looked over and saw the lights were turned on again.

"Wake up! Time for chow!" the guard shouted into the dark cell.

The deer sat up on the side of his mattress and looked over to see his meal. It looked to be plain oatmeal with a side of strawberries and a cup of white milk. His ears perked and he became excited at the sight of the strawberries, but once he had his tray and took a closer look, they seemed to be molded. He left them on the side and choked down the plain, tasteless slop they called oatmeal.

"Hey, coat rack." Came the voice of his cell mate. Couldn't anyone ever come up with a more creative insult?

Reid looked up. "What?" He said harshly.

"Can tell this is your first time. Just you wait until showers. Word for the wise. Keep your back to the wall." He cackled and jumped from the top bunk and looked at the tray, scoffing at himself. "Usual bullshit. Never changes." He shoved the tray, knocking it to the ground on the other side of the cell door.

It didn't take long for the guards to come around again to pick up the trays and take the inmates away in groups. Reid was cuffed and pulled out of the cell. He was stuck in line with a group of around fifteen inmates. They all walked together out of the cell block, down the narrow hallway, and into the shower rooms.

Each shower stall was big enough to hold up to five inmates. He was told to strip down and place his jumpsuit in a dedicated spot before being sent into the shower, still cuffed. They were each given a small bottle of shampoo. Reid hadn't been around this many nude guys before, he kept his eyes up and kept his back to the wall just like his cell mate said to do.

He carefully bathed himself, keeping an eye on his surroundings, unsure what could happen when a guard turns away. Unfortunately, he was about to get a good glimpse of what exactly that could be. Once their shower stall wasn't being watched, one of the guys he was with, a large brown bear, turned toward a smaller black Doberman and shoved him, knocking him to the ground.

Reid turned his head away, not wanting to know what was going to happen. All he heard was a yelp, and then someone run in and begin beating the bear with something. The deer held his eyes shut, waiting for it to be over. He quickly found where the water was falling and rinsed off all the shampoo, he had on him.

Once dressed and placed back into line, now the group down to only thirteen inmates, they were led back into the cell block and placed into their chambers. Reid was uncuffed and he immediately laid in his bunk and faced the wall. Shortly after this, he heard the bear's voice ring out through the block.

"Fucking brutality! I will fucking kill every single one of you, don't even try me! I'll rip your head right off your scrawny little neck, you piece of shit! C'mon! Open this cell and fight me like the little bitch you are!"

Reid barely moved from hisbunk the rest of the day. He hadn't known what to expect before showing up tothe prison. His mind wandering. Wishing things had gone differently, wishing hecould go back. You can't change the past, and now, he will pay for letting hisown life spin out of his control.