If Only I Knew You Before

Newly Released Felon

LEE EVERETT WOKE UP THAT MORNING WITH AN IMMENSE SENSE OF RELIEF. He was up earlier than he usually was, eyes wide with anticipation and an almost unusual pep in his step. From the moment he arose, around six-thirty in the morning, he guessed by looking out the tiny two-by-four window, he found himself waiting eagerly at the front of his cell.

Lee's hands gripped the bars tightly, as he continuously looked up and down the tiny hallways, on the lookout for the guard ordered with sending him through processing.

Lee Everett was due for release from prison today. After having five years of his life stolen from him due to an angry outburst, the soon-to-be ex-convict was ready and eager for the escape from his personal hell. Lee looked forward to building his life back up. The last five years had been torturous on the now forty-two-year-old man.

His hair had grown out, and due to him being considered particularly dangerous due to prior confrontations with his fellow inmates, Lee was rarely allowed to visit the prison barber. His hair had been braided down to the nape of his neck, and his beard, once properly trimmed and neat, was a ragged bush of hair that completely covered the lower half of his face.

Lee decided the first thing he would do once he was free was go find a barber shop.

Finally, after what felt like years to Lee, he heard a set of footsteps echoing down the halls. After the guard on duty checked the other inmates, he seemed to take his time coming to Lee's cell, much to the man's chagrin. Finally, Lee saw a pair of beady eyes glaring in at him from the other side of the cell.

"So, Everett," the man drawled in a low voice, "I see it's that time, huh? You gonna miss me when you leave?"

Lee tried his hardest not to snap back at the man, but the scowl that grew on his face spoke his feelings towards the man in front of him clearly. "Of course, Warden. I'm going to be simply heartbroken," the man scoffed.

The Warden chuckled darkly. "Don't be too sad now, Everett. It only takes just one-" the man began, holding up a finger. He then smirked as he pointed at Lee, "-little mistake, and you'll continue being my bitch for another nine years. Think you can behave, Professor?"

Lee said nothing else, simply opting to glower at the man before him. He thought he was so much better than the inmates he was paid to oversee, but he was even worse than the most hardened criminal in the facility. That man was far from Lee, but the man knew why the Warden was especially brutal with him compared to other inmates.

He was that bastard's uncle.

With one last smirk in Lee's direction, the Warden turned to the pair of guards behind him. "Get this piece of shit down to processing." The guard nodded once as he stepped towards Lee's cell, opening the sliding panel on the door.

"You know the routine, Everett," the guard stated simply. With a small huff, Lee stepped forward and put his hands through the panel, where he was effectively handcuffed. He stepped back as the cell door opened, where he was then grabbed by the two guards and taken away. The warden stayed behind as he glowered at Lee's retreating back.

"Please make a mistake, Everett! I'm already feeling lonely without you!" he called tauntingly, causing the man to bristle with barely concealed rage...

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