Tinnitus

Chapter Two

Ari Garcia:

The tiny hairs on my arms and legs shot up as my body jolted in surprise. I immediately sat up as cold sweat droplets streamed down my nape. Inmates were screaming, crying, and laughing as the alarms screamed over and over repeatedly. I couldn't see anything except when the alarms repeated, they flashed red beams inside the facility. I slowly approached the door and peeked out the tiny window. Pitch black. I stepped closer as my eyes adjusted in the dark.

"BAM!" An inmate jumped in front of the window as the red light flashed on her. I shuffled back as my heart nearly ripped out of my chest. The inmate laughed as she jiggled something that sounded like keys. I stepped back as the door opened. "Morning sunshine." She had a nasty smirk on her face.

"What's going on out there?" I asked as I watched her movements. She stepped closer, but I didn't dare to move. "Answer me. Where are the guards?" I looked over her shoulder. I could catch glimpses of inmates fighting each other and fighting guards.

"It's the end of the world," She smiled as she caressed my collar. "I've been wanting to kill you since the last time." She raised her other hand. It was all dried up and scarred. "You'll pay for burning my hand." She pushed me against the wall.

"Don't blame me just because I happened to be in the same room when that happened," I pushed her back. "Plus, we know it was your bunk buddy that forced your hand into the boiling water..." I fixed my collar. The girl looked slightly younger than me, I never took my time to observe her. She's smiling, and there's no sign of her bunk buddy. She must've killed her. I sighed loudly enough for her to hear.

The girl jumped towards me, trying to wrap her arm around my neck, but I quickly squatted down as I grasped her arm and flipped her over my shoulder. She groaned in pain as her hip cracked against the cold floor. I cringed at the sound and squinted as the flashing red lights shined over her. All I could do was run out the door before she could get up again.

I held onto the railing as I rushed down to the main floor, guards were fighting back as inmates attacked them. People were screaming, bodies were dropping to the floor. Chaos. I ran towards the main gate, the only gate that led to the outside world.

In the heart of the maximum-security prison of Cheongju, the atmosphere is thick with tension and the scent of blood, sweat, tears, and violence. Surrounded by towering concrete walls and barbed wire fences, the inmates move like savage animals, their war chants echoing among the sounds of sirens like forbidden melodies. I stood at the center of the chaos, my gaze scanning the courtyard with a wary intensity. I had to make my way into the sea of inmates, the danger that lurks beneath the surface. My only way out.

Without hesitation, I moved towards the crowd of bodies. I navigated through the horde of onlookers until I caught glimpses of one of the violent fighters. The inmate locked eyes with me in a brutal struggle for dominance. With a swift and fluid motion, I pushed myself into her stomach and tackled her out of the way. I felt her twist her fist onto my pants and proceeded to lift me by my leg, throwing my body to the side.

I jumped right back up as she kicked the air that I once laid in. Fists fly, and bodies collide in a flurry of motion, the sound of impact echoing off the concrete walls like thunder. Everyone else continued to fight each other as I stared at the enemy who stood in front of me. Her movements are a lethal combination of skill and raw power as she navigated the chaotic battlefield with ease.

Her every strike landed with precision and force. With each blow exchanged, the tension in the courtyard mounts, the air crackling with anticipation as the inmates watch on with bated breath.

As the fight reaches its climax, the inmate unleashes a devastating combination of strikes, her fists a blur of motion as she delivers blow after blow. With a final, decisive strike, she sent me crashing to the ground in a heap, and the force of the impact caused me to bite my tongue.