Reasonable Doubt ✔ | Open Novella Contest 2020 | Complete

Nineteen - Colt

I process out like I was processed in. Naked and bruised. The proud saunter I'd worked for stumbles. There's suddenly a hitch in my giddy-up.

Paperwork, IDs, forwarding addresses. Captain Johnson escorts me through the gates and into the front lobby. The first time I've seen it without handcuffs.

"You got someone picking you up, Cross?" He inquires, sealing my authorization in a manilla envelope.

The poor bastards who don't have family are driven to the Greyhound Station, given $150, a pat on the back, and a prayer. I've heard Johnson complaining about the drive before.

"Yes, sir." I manage.

Extending his hand to shake mine, he gives what I can only describe as a fatherly nod. "Good. No offense, I don't want to see you again."

"Feeling's mutual, sir."

"Stay safe out there." He hands me the envelope, dismissing me from the cement and steal beast I called home.

The bright, crisp air of mid-October stuns me as I take my first steps outside the gate. Things I'd taken for granted suddenly move me to tears. A view unobstructed by chain-link and razor wire. Sensations that shouldn't be new: the smell of freshly mown grass, the sound of birdsong, the rumble of threshers in the surrounding corn fields.

So ordinary.

So incredible.

The years have been like decades. I feel like I'm 75, not 25. So many months of being on edge, waking at the slightest noise, always being on guard. I'm suddenly lighter, as though I've been shouldering a bag of gravel. Only now, I'm allowed to drop it.

I'm free.

Alex should be here. Kid doesn't belong in that place. Never did.

A woman with the same blonde hair and lanky frame as mine leans against a sleek black Lexus. She tilts her Gucci glasses down her nose and eyes me as I approach.

"Colt."

"Finch." I return the terse greeting. "Thanks for picking me up."

Though we share parents, Finch has never been my biggest fan. Not that I blame her. I wasn't exactly a great sibling. There was some love regained when she got pro-bono hours working with me on my case, but that was about all.

Finch wrinkles her nose in distaste, taking in my maroon scrubs. "Sure. I was heading to Cincy anyways."

I lower myself into the passenger seat gingerly, breathing past the sharp ache of broken ribs. "Why's that?"

"I have an errand to run for the firm."

"Still working for Daddy?" I sneer.

"Excuse me, baby-brother." She flicks perfectly manicured claws at me. "Who is picking up whom from prison? Do you really have the audacity to question my life choices?"

Point taken.

We ride in silence down south. I know she's glancing at me side-long through those dark shades. I should talk to her, rebuild burned bridges. Instead, I gape at the surrounding city scape, marvel at how much has changed: the cars, the highway, the advertisements.

Places that were once open fields are now inhabited plats. Entire hotels have been torn down and rebuilt. Billboards that advertised Hollywood Casino now broadcast CBD Oil, whatever the hell that is.

Turning off the interstate and into the sketchier part of Over the Rhine, Finch's body language changes. The haughty lawyer gets scared, eyes darting to the shadows and people gathered around alleyway.

Understandable. I used to avoid this part of town, though I ain't been down in a while. The squalor, poverty, and crime were a far cry from the manicured lawns and garden wine tastings we grew up with.

This same neighborhood where Alex and his brother ran drugs.

I feel a pang of guilt. Our upbringings were so different. I spurned a life of luxury while he had nothing.

"You're a lot..." she trails off, leering at the tattoos on my arms, the ecchymosis coloring my face. "...taller."

"Seven years will do that."

A dainty sniff. "What's wrong with your voice?"

"My jaw's wired shut."

Finch blinks. "How'd that happen?" Then, realizing the stupidity of her question, she shakes her head. "Hope it was worth it."

I smile despite myself. "Oh, it definitely was."

Finch parks in front of the high-rise building. I swear she's going to snap the steering wheel she's gripping it so tightly. More than a few junkies eye the luxury sedan. Some blow kisses her way.

I step out of the car, shoulder the small rucksack of clothing. One look at my scowl has them shuffling away. Good to know mean-mugging is a universal language.

"Colt?" Finch's voice is quiet. When I turn, her big brown eyes show a rare tenderness. "Take care of yourself."

I tap the top of the car, dismissing her. "You too."

Once I've gotten my keys, I trudge up the nine flights of stairs to the apartment. I'm not about to take the elevator. I don't care how badly my body screams at me.

The apartment is a barren studio space. A stove, a refrigerator, and not much else. Still, it's more than Lebanon.

In prison, the state provided everything for us: mattress, sheets, blankets, shampoo, and soap. Here, I have none of that. Just my ID and the card that has funds transferred from my books. Lawson squared me away. I'll be able to afford the basics until I start my job the following Monday.

The weeks after release are much like the first ones in prison: acclimating to a new environment. I need to learn how to talk, move, eat, and dress again. My schedule is no longer regimented by count times and locked doors. I have my own space and access to technology.

Fuck, the technology.

Things have changed a lot in the world. Before lock-up, everyone used T-9 predictive text and Netflix sent DVDs in the mail. Now cellphones are tiny computer-do-it-all machines. Not to mention the Amazon and Google overlords.

Gradually I establish more of a routine. Wake, eat, walk to the autobody shop, work on getting my bearings, return, eat, sleep. Eventually, I no longer feel like I'm going to fall up into the sky.

AN://

Hello! Thank you for your continued attention to this story. I appreciate the reads, favorites, and comments.

Colt's family dynamic?

Colt's interaction with the world outside of prison?

Feel free to DM me. I'm not scary, I promise. I love to beta-read. It makes me super happy to offer input <3

Stay safe out there!

~ T