Life On The Inside

Chapter 12

The man woke up in a small room. Four walls. He thought the worst. He thought he was back in prison. The hallucinations still hadn't stopped. "Fuck fuck fuck. This can't be happening." He tried to get up but was pulled back by wires. He had two going into his body. One through his nose and the other through his wrist. He had a heart and blood pressure monitor attached to his chest. His head was pounding. "What's happening? Where am I?" He tore the plaster which secured the tube going into his nose in place, he then started to pull it out. It was excruciatingly painful.

All of a sudden two nurses burst into his room. Reality had finally hit him.  He was still in hospital. The room wasn't at all like solitary confinement. The top halves of the walls were glass, had white curtains, which were closed. His bed was incredibly comfy and rather large. He was wearing a white robe, typical for that of patients in the psychiatric ward, making it easier to tell the difference between which patients were in which ward.

As the man's senses came back, the two nurses tried to reattach the tube. "What's this for?" The man asked, lifting up the tube. "It's for food darling. And this one is for medication. To try and regulate chemicals in your body and brain."
"Umm I don't think I need to be fed. I can eat. I won't flip out if that's what you're worried about." The nurse smiled at him before stopping. "Oh we are worried. Just take it easy for now okay. We don't wanna put too much pressure on you before you go back to solitary." She smiled again, handed him a few bottles of water and some juice before leaving. Solitary. Oh why fight it? I'll be there regardless. I'm a fucking inmate for Christ's sake.

A few days passed without any incidents. The man remained calm and collected, most of time. Although he did feel as though he was going to have an episode. Luckily, it never came. The warden returned that following weekend, telling the man he would be returning to Ironwood state. The man just decided to face it. He wouldn't be placed in general population, but surely it was much better than solitary confinement. At least he could enjoy some fresh air for more than eight hours a week. He would be returning in two weeks. In the meantime, the man had been returned to the much bigger rooms in the ward. It was almost like prison to the man. The private rooms were solitary and the main rooms were general population. He found it rather amusing. It made him chuckle slightly. Something he hadn't done properly for an agonisingly long few years.

The fortnight had passed, the man was to move back to prison the following day. Being placed in solitary would give him the protection he needed, but would make him he treated as though he was in solitary. Meals on his own. No privileges, like books, an education. Ironwood wasn't like most prisons. It had an education system. Allowing inmates to study and get a degree during their time in prison. The man saw no use in that. He'd be dead before he would ever set foot in the world as a free man.

The night went by, two COs turned up to take the man back. They handed him a jumpsuit and shoes. Once he had gotten changed, one of the officers grabbed his medication and then they set off to the mini bus. It was empty, strangely unprotected. The mesh on the windows was, rusty torn and disintegrating. The man took his head right at the back of the bus.

It didn't take them long to arrive at the prison. Just over an hour or so. He didn't need to be processed through the system as he was already in. The prison was oddly quiet. Usually it was much louder. The hallways had nothing but cleaners in them. No guards on patrol. "Officer, whys the prison so quiet?" The man asked with a face of absolute befuddlement. "Lockdown. There was another riot. Well more like a war." The guard scoffed. Another riot? Fuck me. The man didn't know how to react to that, nonetheless he didn't care. He'd be on his own. Again.

Lockdown had been in place for several days now. Two inmates sharing cells made to hold only one inmate. It was almost like locking a beast in a cage and poking it with hot metal. Violence would soon erupt. The heat of the Californian desert, combined with tight spaces and the smell of body odour made for a dangerous combination. Showers were not permitted during lockdown.