Life On The Inside

Chapter 14

The man slept well, he woke up with a huge smile everyday for a few weeks. The guard who had been helping him out had brought him breakfast everyday too. He woke up one Saturday morning, earlier than usual. He had received another letter from Natalie, telling him that she's definitely be visiting before the end of the year. It was currently mid November. It was a cold winter at Ironwood. Made colder by the metal in the cells.

As the guard brought him his food, he also had some news for the man. "Inmate. You're going to be transferred to general population. You didn't hear it from me. So try I act surprised." The guard handed him the tray and left. The man had a smile on his face. He genuinely believed things were taking a turn for better. Perhaps he would make some friends too.

The breakfast was the same disgusting food they'd always served. Nasty, old corn, mouldy bread, incredibly undercooked eggs. Which didn't look right even if they had been cooked properly. The only thing good on the tray was the bottle of water, the carton of juice and a small bag of nuts. He took what he wanted and flushed the rest down the toilet.

The man was sat there nearly all day. It wasn't until the sun began to set that a few COs came into his cell. "Stand up now!" The guard yelled at the man. He did exactly what he was told, dropping his water bottle and book immediately. The guards cuffed him, took him outside and then tossed his cell. "Books? Just books. Well you can't have these anyway." He took all the books from him, only leaving one. It was his Poe collection. The man was just stood outside, not really knowing what was happening. "Officer what're they doing in there?"
"They're getting rid of shit you don't need inmate. You're being moved back to general population. The cells this time."

It didn't take them much time to gather the things he was allowed to have and was taken to the cell blocks. The cells were tiny. Only built to hold one person. It was smaller than the solitary cell. "How on earth do you expect me to stay in here? I'm taller than it is long." The man said in protest. "I don't care if you squeezed yourself into box." He was pushed into the cell, tripping over his own feet and landing face first.

The cell itself was not habitable. It was only a foot narrower than the solitary cell but it was much different. The window on the wall was much larger, there was a window on the door too. It had metal bunk beds, a fan bolted to the wall and a small toilet area at the head of the bed. The window was positioned just opposite the beds, making it easier to look out of.

The man got up, dusted himself off and laid out his bedding. He sat down, picked up his book and began reading some of the tales. Suddenly, the lights went out. They were on a controlled timer. Turning on at 8am and off at 10pm. The moon was out that night, it lit his cell up.

The night passed rather quickly, it wasn't long until the bright shine and heat from the sun boiled the man's face. He woke up sweating heavily and breathing loud. The lights in the cell block were on. The doors were unlocked allowing inmates to walk around in the cafeteria area.

The man walked outside after washing his face, the noises was quieter than expected given how many inmates there were. As the man stepped out of the doorway, he looked around at his cell block, the other inmates. Predominantly Caucasian. The man walked downstairs, smiling at other inmates, trying to be as polite and as friendly as he could be.

As his foot stepped off of the last step, his face was met by a fist of an African American inmate. The Africans knuckles connected with the man's jaw. The punch had knocked a few of his teeth out and also took him to the ground. "This nigger done spend his time out there. Think you can come back in here huh." The African man laughed. Suddenly, several guards rushed in, armed with tasers and handguns. They shot a few blanks but it didn't work. Some of the other inmates began attacking the guards, using whatever weapons they had, books shoes, jumpsuit shirts or trousers to strangle guards.

The man got up off the floor, coughing, spitting out blood and teeth. "Come. On. I didn't do. Nothing." The man could barely spew the words out. He spat more blood but a huge foot smashed into his ribs, breaking and fracturing them.

It didn't take long until a lot more officers rushed in, this time with live ammunition. A few inmates were shot in the legs. Some shots missed and hit them in the chest or stomach. One inmate was shot in the neck. They also released teargas and had a riot squad come in.

The African man suddenly stopped attacking. He had collapsed backwards, landing right on the stairs. He had been shot in the leg. The bullet went straight through his leg. He was thrown around by a riot squad officer, being beaten with a baton.

It soon began to calm down, inmates were cuffed and dragged away into cells. Packed until bursting. The officers wanted to punish the inmates further by cranking the heat up to make them incredibly uncomfortable, however it would be better to keep them cool. They didn't want another riot to start.

The man had woken up, he was still laying on the floor where he had been beaten. He crawled slowly back to his cell and just climbed straight into bed. He regretted his decision, asking to move back to general population. He feared that he wouldn't return to solitary and that he would simply live his life being bullied. Being beaten. Being alone. Dying alone. No wife. No children. No friend. No family. Not anymore.

The man woke up the next day, his entire body in great pain. Sharp pains all through his body. He struggled to sit up but he eventually managed it. The man got out of his cell and had breakfast with the remaining inmates who hadn't been detained during yesterday's riot.

As he limped towards a table, a few Latino inmates walked over to him. They kicked his tray out of his hands and pushed him back, causing him to fall back. He luckily didn't hurt himself too much. The Latino men grabbed a bottle of water from the table and just poured it all over him. They kicked his legs, then simply walked away.

The man got up, he scurried away back to his cell quickly, slamming the door shut. He lay on his bed and began to sob. The tears stained his bedding heavily. It soaked right through. An inmate walked over to his cell and looked in. He opened the door quietly. "Little punk ass bitch." The inmate was a Kenyan man. He closed the door behind him. The man got up off of his bed and clenched his fists, he also picked his book up to protect himself just in case. "Sir. I don't want any trouble. Please."

The Kenyan man laughed and kicked him in the chest. He grabbed the bedding and just left. The man again picked himself up, he just collapsed back onto the bed. He took his shirt off. There was an enormous bruise right in the middle of his chest. It crawled up towards the left and ended near his collar bone. The man rubbed it gently, wincing and groaning in pain. It was bright blue, with purple spots here and there.

"I can't take this anymore." The man's eyes became heavy and weak. He looked up at the wall just next to the window. It became dark and had swirling lines. He took one deep breath and suddenly. Collapsed. His head hit the medal bed with a loud clunk.

The man was still conscious and breathing. He stayed that way for the entire day. It wasn't until the lights turned off that he finally awoke. His eyes opened sharply. He was oddly alert. He lifted his head up to look around his cell. He was still alone. His entire body was aching and throbbing. Each small movement brought intense sharp pain. "Uhh fuck. My head." His voice was croaky and deep.

Once he managed to gather himself, he stood up and looked out of the window. He could just about see some of the yard and some of the gym. He remembered the gym. The showers. The man rubbed his neck gently as he scanned the ceiling of his cell. There was nothing above the top bed, which was around five and a half feet up. The man just decided to go back to sleep. There was nothing more he could do.