Doing Time
Inside my head I’m screaming, shit scared, totally freaked out. The noise around me is overwhelming, constant and loud, really loud, crushing my thoughts into splinters of memories and a blur of pain. The guard shoves me in the back and I stumble, I’m clutching a small pile of clothes, an orange jump suit, black plastic sandals and some “one size fits all” underpants. I’m naked. I stumble again and shuffle forward, the ankle chains have cut deep into my skin, and each step is agony. I look up and see a long corridor with cells off each side. Each cell is fronted with bars and I can see everything that’s in them, a narrow bed with a folded blanket and a flat pillow, a small table bolted to the wall and a stool bolted to the floor. A battered steel food tray and a mug sit on the table. There’s a hole in the floor in one corner, a squat toilet. No door to hide behind. No windows, no shelf, just dull green painted walls and a dirty grey concrete floor, some with irregular dark coloured stains. There is one light fitting with steel mesh over it in the ceiling.
At each cell as I pass the resident stares out, most just glare at me as they run their metal trays back and forth along the steel bars, some yell obscenities,. A few stand naked, puckered scars and unhealed sores burn red against their grey skin. One has a maniacal smile, a toothless gap in a battered and bruised face. “Stop here” the guard shouts in my ear. A second guard crouches down and unlocks the shackles around my ankles. Runs his hands roughly up my legs and into my crotch “ I need to check your not hiding anything” he says with a crazy laugh, then “just joking” and they both hoot with laughter. I’m so scared I piss on the floor. “You can clean that up you mongrel “ Guard One says, he snatches my jump suit, dumps it on the floor and pushes me down “go on, soak it up”. I kneel down and wipe the floor; notice there is still blood mixed in there too. Guard two notices and hauls me up, peers into my face “you wanna see a doctor?’ he spits at me, I nod and mumble, “please”. “Request denied,” he shouts and the 2 guards laugh maniacally.
Red mist rage flows through me, I take a breath, I close my eyes - time seems to slow down. My mind has blocked out the pain, I feel calm, in a space that is safe and I know I’m in control again. I open my eyes and look directly into the face of Guard One, its pock scared, his nose has been broken many times in the past, his eyes are bloodshot and his breath stinks of some cheap alcoholic spirit. Two teardrop shaped tattoos near his eye and 3 dots lower down on his cheek tell me he’s an ex-con. One ear looks like its been torn off, maybe bitten off, no lobe and only half the rest of it is there. I decide to name him Daniel as in Daniel Craig – because he’s the exact opposite. I turn and stare at Guard Two – a short but muscular man, black body hair everywhere, he has a fat face with the capital letters CC in a circle tattooed on his forehead above his right eye. He has another tattoo on his neck in black and green of a flying eagle. His arms seem too long for his body, his torso too big for his head but from the look he’s giving me, I know he has attitude. I decide to name him Tattoo – from the fantasy Island TV show.
“Look away, look away – do not look at the guards,” yells a man from the cell beside me. “You stupid arse, look away!”
The noise has started again, steel trays against the bars, screaming voices, loud shouting in languages I’ve never heard before. The guards don’t react to the warning shout. “Were a bit overcrowded,” yells Daniel above the cacophony of noise, “you’ll have to share a cell”. He turns the key in the lock and the cell door slides open and I’m pushed inside. “Share the bed” he snarls and slams the door shut. I turn to look at the person in the cell already. “Well, what are the chances of that” he croaks, “ long time no see”.