The Calm after the Storm

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

//Dean//

The shrill alarm resounded, letting everyone know that it was midday break. Dean and Collins returned to the barracks, watching each of the inmates pass to the canteen. Every guard was responsible for one barrack and the prisoners were assigned by chance. That means they were not sorted by their crime they committed, just by the whim that took the guards. Some guards wanted special people in their barracks so they could torture them at their pleasure. All together there were 30 barracks for 1500 inmates and 30 workers were hired by the government; 25 guards, 4 representatives and one officer who was running the entire grounds. Apparently there were less guards than barracks, but often one guards took care of multiple ones. That was the only thing the guards took laxly.

Adam, another guard, approached Dean and Collins after the crowd rushed all to the canteen. Dean didn't like Adam, because he wasn't a trustworthy person. He always hung around with all the other guards, amusing themselves with the pain of the others. Sometimes he was all nice and respectful, but most of the time he just gave everyone a performance of his snootiness and might.

"We don't need to send them back to work after break, because they'll get some spare time as long as we register the new inmates, okay?" Adam indicated, waiting for Dean and Collins to accept the order and they nodded in response. "Alright." He ran his hand through his thick dark blonde hair while turning around and walked back to the other guards who were laughing scruffily. Adam always kept his head high and his chin parallel to the ground. He surely didn't suffer from a low self-esteem level and the thirst for potency was written in his eyes, seeking for any kind of attention he could get. Figuratively said, he was Luke's right hand and most trusted. As one might say Adam was the second head of the camp. Dean exhaled deeply as the guy distanced himself from the both of them, standing now in the middle of the other guards.

"I am gonna take a look to my people and check if everyone's there. See ya." Dean said to Collins and sauntered to the crowded canteen. The greyish looking building was big enough for all inmates to fit in and it had enough space for the newcomers. When Dean walked through the door, he could see the food distribution on his right. The serving counter was run by other prisoners like quite everything and the food was cooked by one as well. The government didn't bother to hire people for work that hadn't to be done professionally and the work of the internees was acceptable. The room was full of tables and benches strung together. Naked walls encompassed the dingy place, evolving a smell of depravity. A mixture of sweat, foul subsistence and uncleaned furniture. Some darker stains covered the blank white walls, referring to the unhygienic conditions. None of the guards wanted to enter this place voluntary, because of its lack of cleansing. The inmates always got different types of soups and other simple meals. Luke didn't care about the craving for food of the prisoners and spent as less money as possible on groceries that was transported once a week by a large truck. Dean scrunched up his nose as he perceived the intense smell.

Dean received hatred looks and he noticed all the quick glimpses he got while heading pass the throng. The guard could easily demand them to look away, also he had enough power to punish them and the reasons didn't really matter. Most of the guards did it just for their joy, but Dean wasn't one of them. He didn't care about what the inmates thought of him or if they were staring at him. After a while of observing he finally found the person he wanted to see. It was a young boy, called Ben, sent here because of his father being a traitor. The small boy radiated kindness and innocence, nothing that made him belong in such a dark place as here. As Ben realized Dean's presence a huge grin flashed across his face.

"Dean, you're here!" He declared the obvious and his voice was full of happiness. Dean glanced down at the big brown eyes that admired him with fascination. The guard was prohibited to sit down on the bench next to the inmates, because of several reasons. First Luke said you'd lost your dignity if you used or did something the prisoners did. Second Luke's ulterior motive was the delimitation between normal civilized people and those what he called 'nuisances'. He could talk to them, he just should avoid drawing suspicion if he spoke to them for too long in a friendly manner.