PR150N

Chapter 2

Once breakfast was done and I'd scanned myself back into my cell, I made sure to get ready for my ten minute shower time. I headed into the showers with my head to the floor, wanting to ignore all the things I'd already seen too many times before. The showers were open, like in campsites and old-fashioned prisons - just a row of showerheads coming out of the walls. There were no dividers, no shower curtains, no spaces to hide away from the other inmates. This is where most of my problems occurred. The cheers and the catcalls started from the moment any person walked into the showers. Luckily for some of the more vocal inmates here, a lot of the others were happy with the attention and thrived off it. The walk into the showers became more like a catwalk; the hips swaying, the hand on hip as they strutted past their desired inmate and gave them a flirtatious wink. The showers had become the meeting place for some up and coming couples to get to know each other in a more personal way - if you catch my drift.

Unlike most, I actually wanted to use my shower time to wash and to mentally prepare myself for the day. Despite the robotic functioning of the day, and how strict they were to the times of things, the day could still be mentally and physically draining. I spent a lot of my time reading, just to pass the time and to allow my mind to explore these fictional worlds freely without a robot telling you time was up or shocking you into oblivion. It reminded me of pre-prison times...

I was stupid to get myself into this mess and I had known that from the minute I committed the crime. I had been brought up in a working class family, one that always tried their hardest and was as nice as they could be to everyone, hoping that their way of living would be repaid to them later in life. Their money went on our bills and mortgage and whatever was left was split between savings and their two children; me and my sister. My sister was the pageant queen, dress up extraordinaire. I was the action man, crawling through mud pretending I was fighting in a war. Where my parents would buy my sister a new princess dress, they would buy me some combat boots. We were complete opposites but I think that's what made us closer.
One time we were struggling to pay the bills. I'd heard mum and dad talk about it in the kitchen but they'd thought I was upstairs. They were gutted, feeling unworthy of the family and the house they had made a home. I couldn't stand it, the thought of them thinking they'd failed, so I went out and got a job. It was just doing night shifts at a 24/7 burger bar but it helped. I would get paid and send the money over to my parents. It was a calculated transaction. It was going well, until I got greedy.
Soon the money wasn't enough; if I was paying my parents then I didn't have enough to buy the trousers I wanted, or that new punching bag. The money worries began to pile onto me and before I knew it, I was reaching out for help to a gang who hung out behind the burger bar. They signed me up to be their deliverer of drugs; they'd drop the load at the burger bar, I'd hide it, the customer would come in and order and I'd hand them the goods. The pay was fantastic, even with a lot going back to the gang. I began to get comfortable, happily doing this alongside my work with no thought or care in the world... until it came crashing down. One of the 'customers' was an undercover police officer, I got arrested and sent to their holding cells. My parents were called, they were furious because they thought I was taking drugs without them knowing. It all went wrong from there. I was sent here, my family stopped speaking to me, practically abandoned me as soon as I boarded the truck to come here. I was now more alone than ever, and yet I still tried to get the best out of the situation and that's where Solomon came in.

As I made my way to the shower furthest from the lovefest, I made eye contact once again with Solomon, the guy from the truck, and offered him a short smile as I turned the water on and hung my towel on the wall opposite. I wore a black bikini when I showered, something that I hoped would tell people to leave me alone and let them know I was not interested in the fun and games half of them would enjoy in their ten minute stint. Unfortunately for me today, the clothing didn't seem to make the difference. One man strutted up to me with a confident, cocky grin on his face, eyeing me up as if I was a hot meal to a starving man.

"Hey gorgeous..." He began and luckily for him, I was facing the wall as I grimaced and rolled my eyes. I turned quickly to face him.

"Hi. Sorry, I'm not interested in joining the shower high club." I said flatly as I waited to see his reaction. I remained tall and confident, making sure he knew I wasn't to be messed with.

"I wasn't asking." He raised an eyebrow at me and stepped closer, arms outstretched as if he was going to hug me. This guy had timed his advance perfectly. The showers had been scanned when we had arrived but now they would give us the time we needed to wash, and wouldn't scan again for ten more minutes. He had ten minutes of free time, unless the Guards happened to see him acting badly. It was down to me to solve my own problem.

"And I was telling you. Back off and leave me alone." I stepped away from him again, hoping he wouldn't continue his tirade but he was stupid enough to think he had this one in the bag. He stepped closer again and in that moment I decided, there was only one way out of this situation. "Step closer to me and I will break your nose." I threatened, my hands balling into fists at my side. This man let out a laugh and stepped nearer to me, his hand touching my arm delicately. Before I had even had a chance to think, my fist was already flying into his face and the crunch was sickening under my fist. He fell to the floor with a thump, attracting all the other prisoners in the showers. They began to cheer, boo, jeer and clap. I wasn't sure who they were applauding but I knew I needed to get out of here before- Eurgh. Here it comes...
The shock caught me off-guard and I fell to my knees, my hands grabbing at my head as if that would stop the awful feeling inside my brain. The sound became distorted, my vision blurred as the shock wore off and then came back stronger. I grunted out in pain as I shut my eyes, waiting for the shocks to finally pass.

"Get her up. Get her out of here." Mumbled words were heard from near me and as my brain felt like it was imploding, two pairs of hands grabbed me and lifted me to my feet, practically dragging me out of the showers. The cold air hit me as we left the stuffy room and I could feel my skin getting goosebumps. Another second passed before my towel wrapped around me and I suddenly felt warm and safe.

"Where shall we take her?" Another voice asked, different to the first.

"Back to her cell. We can't risk any of us getting shocked. She's in 138." The first voice answered before I could sense we were on the move again. Lights seemed to brighten and darken as we made our way down corridors before we got to the room.
The shocks were finally done, but they left a lasting impression on your body. It felt like a migraine, like whiplash, like you'd just run a marathon or swum against a strong current, it was so tiring. I could feel my eyes wanting to close as they lifted my hand up and scanned my hand to get me access to my room.

"T-thank you." I mumbled as one guy walked me into the room and helped lay me on my bed. I felt like politeness was all I needed to muster right now, seeing as they'd helped me not only to escape a difficult situation with the guy after punching him, but also managed to get me somewhere safe to recover from the shocks. "You didn't have to do that. I appreciate it."

The man's face came into better view as he stood over me at the side of my bed. His thick eyebrows, his chiselled jaw... I already knew who it was.

"Don't worry about it. We've got to stick together. See you at social."