The Bars Between Us

3. Inside The Walls

I wake the next morning, as I do most mornings, to an empty bed. I roll onto my back and stretch out, lifting my hand up to my head, and to where my bandage is. I exhale loudly, before rolling over and picking my phone up off the nightstand. I blink a couple of times, before my brain can put the blurry lines together to get the time: 7:05.

Groaning, I turn my alarm off, so it doesn't go off in five minutes and make my headache even worse. Then I drag myself out of bed, and towards the bathroom. Once the door is shut behind me, I pull my bandage off and look at the wound in the mirror.

I sigh and begin to get ready for the day.

After I'm dressed and filled with breakfast, I leave the house, with my lunch in my bag, and lock the door behind me. I look over the road and to the drab structure that is Boston Correctional Institution. The prison holds medium and close security inmates. The buildings are surrounded by one wall, holding barbed wire on the top.

I start down the porch steps and to the roadside. I watch the cars passing for a moment, and it's only when I hear a horn blaring at me, that I realize that the cars have slowed to let me across. I quickly lift a hand to apologize, and rush across the road. As I walk quickly, I reach into my bag, grabbing my pass. I walk up onto the sidewalk, and up to the box where the guard is. I smile at him, showing him my pass. He nods. I push against the door, thanking the guard.

The main gate for the vehicles that need to enter, and leave, the prison is further down the road. I fall into the small security area, from the shock of the door opening, my face nearly hitting the stone floor. I hold myself up with the door, at the last minute. I compose myself before putting my bag, phone, and anything metal in a tray, before walking through the metal detector. I hold my breath as I pass through it, even though I have nothing to hide, and I know it won't go off.

As expected, it stays quiet. I move off to the side once I'm through, and a female guard pats me down. As I stand spread eagle I look around. Since the prison is medium and close security, the facility is not as secure as a maximum security prison. However, Roman makes sure that some of the guards are armed.

Behind the woman's head is a mirror, where I know a camera is hiding behind recording all the faces that enter. Three more guards are in the room, along with both of us. Once the woman is happy, she smiles at me, and waves me forward. I grab everything that I put in the tray and walk on.

If I was to turn left, I would be in the visitation center, where there are rooms for visits, along with the telephones attached to a partition that you see in most movies. I continue forwards and to the door that leads out to the main building. As always, one of the many guards employed here, is waiting for me so they can walk me safely to my office.

Roman insisted, when he became warden, that to get to his office he would have to walk through the main blocks, and past all the prisoners. Again, I think it's an intimidation thing. But, unfortunately, that means I have to as well.

"Hi, how are you?" the guard asks.

"I'm okay, I guess. I fell down the stairs," I explain when I see his eyes go to my wound.

I freeze when I realize what I have said. I had told Clayton that I fell into the glass cabinet upstairs. I was so used to making excuses, and that was my usual excuse for my injuries, but if I get my stories mixed up then people will start to doubt what I tell them. It was unlikely that Clayton and this guard would talk about me, but I feel stupid anyway. The guard looks on at me obliviously.

I follow him across the asphalt to the main building. As we walk, I look around. The tall, solid walls are dominating and watch over the movements of the people outside the main building. Every time, I feel like an ant in long blades of grass. And—I assume—like the ant, it's hard to see the outside world. The only thing to look at is the varying colored sky, depending on the day. Each corner holds a shift of two guards, in a tower, who are both armed and ready to take down any escapees.