Prompt: A prisoner awakens to find the prison empty - but he's locked in his cell.
John had been in prison for ten years. He had long since grown accustomed to the routine of his life behind bars. He woke up every morning to the sound of the guards' footsteps, ate the same bland meals, and spent his days in the small cell he shared with another inmate.
But one morning, when John opened his eyes, something felt off. The prison was silent. There were no footsteps, no voices, no clanging of metal doors.
He sat up in his bed, feeling a sense of unease. He called out to his cellmate, but there was no answer. He got up and approached the cell door, but it wouldn't budge. It was as if it had been welded shut.
John started to panic. He banged on the door, shouting for someone to let him out. But there was no response.
He paced around his cell, trying to make sense of what was happening. Had there been a prison break? Had the guards abandoned the facility? He couldn't believe it. He had always thought that the prison was impenetrable, that he would never be able to escape.
As the hours passed, John grew increasingly desperate. He tried to break the door with his fists, but it was no use. He searched his cell for anything that could help him escape, but there was nothing.
Days turned into weeks, and John started to lose track of time. He was consumed by a sense of hopelessness and despair. He had always dreamed of being free, but now that he had the chance, he was trapped.
One day, he heard a faint sound in the distance. It was the sound of footsteps. He ran to the door of his cell and shouted for help. To his relief, he heard someone approaching.
The door to his cell swung open, and a group of heavily armed guards entered. They looked surprised to see John, as if they had forgotten about him.
"We're sorry, sir," one of the guards said. "We thought we had cleared the entire prison, but it seems we missed your cell."
John was free, but the experience had changed him forever. He had seen the darkest corners of his own mind, and he knew that he could never take his freedom for granted again.
