I turned around and leaned against the wall that circled the prison yard with my cigarette in hand, looking at the sky and the prisoners.
I would have expected Henry to come to me after coming to the prisoner yard, to continue with getting on my nerves, but no.
Eventually, I saw what should be my dog coming here with gayman, not even looking around, instead going to a corner at the side of the building, which was mostly out of sight from others.
I raised my eyebrows, who would have thought? At least they would leave me alone if they came together. They could go and do it as long as it was out of my sight. Though, maybe Henry wanted to make true to his statement and really defend his master after being insulted gravely.
I continued to smoke and conjured another cigarette up when my two minutes were over. Although the corner was not really visible, the guards naturally knew of it, and patrolled regularly. Whatever was happening in there, they would get caught soon enough.
There was no way I would miss out on a show, so I did my best as an audience, and stared at the corner.
Soon a short-haired crying man came out, and I burst into laughter, getting a few strange looks from others that had their eyes on me as always.
"BAHAHAHHAA!" How did Henry even get his hands on a pair of scissors? What a fitting punishment for that gay fucker. I hated how he always played with his hair while others were eating.
Henry didn't come out immediately, and instead of the guards, someone else found him first. The crying nuisance came with backup—a muscular prisoner, who should be his prior bed partner. The gay man pointed inside the corner accusingly.
"Daaamn." I conjured up one single popcorn and threw it in my mouth, followed by another one.
I watched as the muscular guy went in the corner, the crying man following inside as well.
Who would come out of the corner? I bet twenty thousand bucks that it will be.... Hmm...the muscular guy. Henry was also tall and muscular, but this guy who went inside was a beast.
I waited a few minutes before going to a guard.
"What are you doing when someone gets killed?" I also pointed in the corner, and got another laugh flash when I saw the guard going there. It was somehow comedic.
Soon more guards followed, and I continued to laugh, seeing Henry relatively unharmed being dragged out in cuffs.
This time he looked for me, and after finding me with his eyes, he grinned proudly.
I involuntarily applauded him a bit, it was true that my dog had brought me entertainment. When he saw my movement, I could swear I saw his tail waggling happily.
The muscular guy was also dragged out, and his face looked a lot worse, the winner was clear, and I lost imaginary money, with which I could live.
Henry didn't come for dinner this evening, as did the other participants, and I could imagine where he would lounge for the next time.
A normal day-to-day life continued without Henry, until it was exactly one month after the earthquake. Neither was I informed of ANYTHING, nor did ANYBODY visit me, nor were any of the guards I talked to accepting bribery.
When I was ready to fight my way to the damn phone, something changed from the daily nonsense.
***********
My plan had been like this: A guard regularly led me through the corridors to the white room. Seldom did we run into others when we walked there, everywhere were cameras, naturally anyway. I would trip and fall, try opening the cuffs with my conjured-up key, then conjure my knife up and threaten him to get his gun, and theeen, I would force him to let me make a phone call.
But all of this was not implementable because I was brought not to the white room on this day, but instead to the office of the sleazy businessman-warden.
I made a point to fixedly stare at the picture frame that was turned away from me when I entered his office. Just to annoy him, and to challenge the motherfucker with a hot daughter.
He really put the frame in a drawer of his desk, giving me a small victory. Then he took a few papers and motioned for the guard to uncuff me, before giving me the papers.
"Interested in an expedition? Then sign this." He said.
"To where?" I asked.
"You have heard of the sinkhole, haven't you?"
What?The?Fuck?
I started to read through the document. It was a declaration of assignment. If I got hurt during this expedition, or died, neither I nor my family could sue anybody. I would give up any rights.
If I came back and told them what I experienced in this sinkhole, I would get one year deducted from my convicted time in prison.
"And what exactly means a one-year deduction from lifelong imprisonment without the possibility of parole?" I asked, throwing the paper on the floor. I am still underage, even if I sign this, it should not count a thing.
The prison warden's face contorted,
"These are just details. Do you want to go, or do you not want to go? You aren't the only one who gets the possibility." The warden motioned for the guard, who bent down and picked up the papers, giving them to him.
"Why prisoners? Why not someone more capable?" I asked, already sure that I could guess the answers. Something had happened, and they had no information what was inside that hole, now they needed cannon fodder to go inside.
"This information should have been confidential, but it was leaked on the first day already, and is all over the internet. It doesn't matter if I tell you." The warden started.
Well, not that I know, I have no internet.
"Since the earthquake, they tried to first send down cameras, helpers, the fire department, then biologists, then special agents...nobody came back. Every electronic device disappeared as well, without delivering news. They don't know if anyone has survived, so they can't fill the hole up. Meanwhile, no one wants to go down again. Now, the prison was asked to provide...more manpower."