November 14, 2036.
The metal door clangs shut, followed by the sound of keys jingling in the lock. Footsteps of the only free people in the high-ceiling chamber echo, growing fainter as they move toward the exit of this cold room. Another door slams and the only sounds are the quiet voices of private conversations and the rustle of paper from those who chose to read in their cells. Florescent lights hum and and buzz over head; one blinks every so often as if its about to go out. Another prisoner another day closer to repaying their debt to society by dwelling in the prison.
The prison cell was barely six feet by four. The walls were the same thick grey stone as the dwellings of the region, but instead of a wide window with a flower box there was a mean barred opening with thick metal bars and no glass. In the summer the fresher air was a relief, helping to alleviate the stench of festering sewage but in the cold seasons it let in a wicked draft and reduced the temperature to near freezing. It was no brighter inside than the gathering gloom of dusk, even at midday. The bed was a plank of wood on legs, there was no mattress, no cushioning and only one thin blanket. It was either suffocatingly quiet or pierced with the screams of tortured inmates.
I've seen all the t.v. shows, there should be creaking metal bunks, a small barred window and a surly cell-mate who becomes like a sister to me, maybe more. I wasn't expecting a wooden shelf, a dirty blanket and a bucket. The walls are old stones from the quarry and the floor is too, everything in here is hard and cold. There is nothing to give back the body hear that is being stolen. The reality of being caged begins to sink in. Then I notice the thin grey clothes at my feet. I wrap my arms around my thick black sweater and sit on the bench. A reedy male voice comes though the vent. "Get changed."
They've got to be kidding. I turn to see eyeballs pressed against the narrow strip of glass. He intends to watch. I stay sitting, arms crossed tighter. That's when the door swings open and the owner of the reedy voice steps in with two mates, all male. "Get changed or we'll do it for you." I wanted to laugh it off but they were serious. I got dressed and sat back on the bench.
I Allison Paige McCormick, at the age of sixteen sits in jail.
Authors Note: "It is said that no one truly knows A nation until one has been inside its jails. A nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but its lowest ones. "
The prologue really isn't that much of an eye opener, but it will get better as it goes, promise. I think all of you will like the ending, for sure. ☺😊 Don't forget to Vote, and comment. ↓↓
