After getting to work, I kind of drift off in my mind. I'm not making enough. One dishonest act made me two thousand dollars. That two thousand is almost gone.

Things go ok until around 8 pm. The sun has set, and the night comes. I'm walking the dorm hearing the same insults yelled out. Security, Security, Top Flight Security of the world Craig, Hey, Flashlight, I see you.

 

As I approach the TV area, all the lights flicker. Next, they go off. I lift my hand up to eye level and wave it. I couldn’t see a thing, but I can hear the inmates talking. After a while, the voices fade and then stop.

The dorm becomes ghost silent.

 

Reality sets in. An eerie feeling enters my bones. I'm alone in a pitch black room, no, not alone. I'm surrounded by a hundred convicted felons. I feel like a deer alone on a dark African night. At any moment a lion could rip out of the nothingness.  

 

Someone whispers, "Where is he?"

"He was over there, Red."

They are looking for me. I hold very still and stay quiet trying not to breathe too loud. What am I going to do? A body passes by so closely I can feel him. I keep my arms down by my side making my body as small as possible.

 

Someone grabs my arm in the dark. It takes everything in me not to scream. I want to run, but my legs are shaking. I can’t move.

Still gripping my arm firmly, the inmate says, "Do you know where the officer is?"

I deepen my voice. "No, I thought you were him."

The inmate says, "Here take one."

 

He hands me something cold metal and sharp.

I can’t see it but know its purpose. I feel his breath on my face. He walks off, and I slowly move a few steps away from the previous spot. What to do, what to do?

A blast from the radio on my duty belt breaks the silence. "Attention all units, we are experiencing a power outage. We will have the power on shortly."

For a moment we're back to all silence, but I could sense all eyes are peering in my direction.

 

Someone yells, "He's right over there."

The radio had given my location. Something explodes on the floor next to my foot. Then pow, another one, which I hear bounce after impact, like someone skipping rocks. The explosions pop everywhere like pieces of hail. Was it storming ice inside the dorm?

 

A piece hit the tip of my left boot. A hard object strikes me in the mouth and knocks me back a few steps. A second piece hits my collarbone. It stings so badly tears form in my eyes. A third hit my hand. I yell out in pain.

 

The inmates are throwing stones at me. I have to get out of here. I dash for the officer's cube in the middle of the dorm. Running to the cube, a few more objects sting my back.

Once inside, I slam the cube door. Hearing the door shut, the convicts turn their aim to the cube. A thundering noise echoes through the darkness as they throw objects at the cube’s plexiglass.

I felt as if I was trapped inside a car while someone fired a machine gun on the vehicle.

The lights flicker and slowly light up.

The radio announces, "Attention all units, the power is back on." I'm on the cube's floor with both hands over my head. I slowly stand up.

 

On the floor outside of the cube, hundreds of batteries litter the floor. Those bastards had been throwing batteries at me. My bottom lip felt numb. I touch it with my fingers. It is swollen, and my fingertips have blood on them. Inmate Moore is looking at me with a guilty grin on his face. This enrages me, but I couldn't do anything about it.

Who could I point out,? I heard a name spoken, "Red."  Identifying someone was useless even the video cameras go down during a power outage.

 

The inmates had gotten one up on me today. Looking downward I still had the shank in my hand. It had an inscription engraved on the handle, a name. The name, Youngblood.