Innocent Criminal

Chapter 1

Third person POV:

The metal doors clang as they open, screeching beeps and obnoxious red lights before Kane, Thomson and Rodrick are shoved through. Door after door, gate after gate , security check after security check they were shoved and prodded through. Till they come to the main of the prison complex.

They had been strip searched and rid of all belongings, given uniforms of scratchy grey, almost translucently thin clothes and cuffed at the ankles and feet. And before them now echoed boisterous noise as inmates milled around the area in the center of the complex, surrounded on almost all four sides, for three floors up with cells.

They were lead up to their cells, Thomson and Rodrick were placed into the same cell first, before Kane was lead to the floor above. 'Your sharing a cell with an inmate already here.' The officer said as they reached the small concrete room. There was a bunk bed to one side,a toilet and sink behind it in a small crevice and a desk and stool by the opposite wall.

The officer continued in a bored tone 'lights go out at 10pm and cells are locked. Do not cause any disturbances after then or you will face punishments. When time is allocated for indoors you are free to remain in your cell or roam about. You are not permitted to enter your cell, or the indoor complex during time allocated outside in the courtyard.' And then he left. Heavy Footed boots an cling keys followed him out.

Kane looked towards his cell, wondering who his cell mate would be. Would they be charged with murder? kidnapping? abuse?. Or is it petty crime? Kane himself was a rather large man, standing 6'3 with decent muscle required for his training as an undercover officer. He looked intimidating on purpose too, buzzed cut dark hair, natural scowl resting on his face and sleeves of tattoos. All this, he felt confident he had what it took to survive however one needed in this prison. Confident he was scary enough to not be challenged, to be respected. Especially from his new bunk mate. He would ensure they knew not to mess with him, knew he was in charge.

However, as he walked further into the cell, he found a rather small lump on the bottom bunk. Shaped as a body, but tiny. He made his seps louder in attempt to make his presence known but the lump only curled up tighter.

'He's not asleep it seems' Kane thought. But given the size of the body he assumed he likely wouldn't be much of a threat. Kane placed his minimal belonging on the top bunk, then left to head over to Thomas and Ricardo cell.

Thomas and Ricardo had finished setting up their stuff in their new cell when Kate arrived. Kane glanced around the corridor in both directions to make sure no one was close by 'hey Tom, Rick.' He greeted.

'Sup.' Thy replied in unison.

Kane stood leaning against the wall by the entrance while the other two sat on the bottom bunk. 'I want to do a sweep of the area before dinner. Find out where kings cell is hopefully. Then at dinner we can try see how much control he has in here, how many people he has around him, and just who he is'.

'Sounds like a plan chief.' Tom quipped as he stood up.

'Stop calling me chief.'

'Roger that chief.' Tom then saluted the hand in jest as he walked past Kane, who signed and rolled his eyes but said nothing more.

It took them an hour to survey the cell complex for block C. They split up and agreed they didn't want to others to find out they knew each other just yet and took notes on the hang out areas, library and showers that where all restricted until certain times of the day. Memorising these schedules as they went along. As well as the medical office and prison wards office.

Finally, they found King. Or Kingston Andrew Michels. Convicted with a multitude of violent crimes and associated with one of the largest gangs in the south of town. He was a scarred man who sat on a bench in the center area of the complex surrounded by a multitude of black men, some Hispanic and a single white man at his right side. The three officers observed from afar, from separate parts of the communal area.

'Note down the numbers of his lackeys, I want to know their behaviours, common themes and values. If they have any.' Kane had told them before they split up.

By the time dinner was called and everyone was shuffled to the canteen the three had a general idea of the top leaders in the prison: King and his men, the Hispanics seemed to follow a man named Pedro, and a small portion of whites banned together under Mike. The rest of the inmates kept to their own small groups or themselves.

Right before heading off to dinner Kane made his way back to his cell to drop off the scrap paper he'd written notes on that was scrunched up his sleeve. But when he got to his cell he found the lump of the small man still in that bed, making no move to get dinner.

'Hey, roomie. If you don't get your ass to dinner the wardens gunna drag you there' Kane causally stated as he reached over to his bunk to stuff the paper between the mattress and bed frame.

The lump moved a bit. Shuffled around in the sheets before a hand reached out. Then legs swung over the side off the bed. And finally, a face.

The man's hair was a ragged bed head of loose dark curls. His face a bit darker then than caramel tone with scarily boney structure, and a blossoming bruise across the right side of his face. His eyes where dark green but his sclera red.

The man didn't say a word. Kane stood by the entrance and watched his cell mate drag himself out of bed, stumble a bit past him and leave.

Somethings not right with him Kane thought. The man was too thin to be ok, too exhausted even though he was in bed the whole time. And his eyes where too innocent yet soulless. To Kane, his cell mate had the aura of a man who lost hope, lost will, lost anything but a corse of a body.

He's defiantly not a threat at least

And Kane too started to make his way to the canteen for the terribly dull prison food that awaited.

The three officers are on different table. Observed more of the inmates behaviours. But Kane instead looked over at his cell mate, who sat at a table with others, fiddling with his food until eventually dumping it and leaving to his cell again. Kane wanted to know the man's story. What he was convicted of. Who he was as a person. And just what was going on with him.