Chasing a Familiar Shadow

by Aman Gupta

  Sam stabbed him in his thigh with a spork. Charlie yelled in his mouth.

  “Next one goes to the sausage,” said Sam.

  Charlie, breathing deeply, got up and walked to his seat, limping. Charlie saw her smiling at him as he sat down. Sam wasn’t a soft target anymore. Charlie’s friends asked about what happened. Charlie told them that he changed his mind and wasn’t interested in her anymore. When they didn’t look convinced, he told them she casually mentioned that she was HIV+.

  “Damn!” said the guy.

  Sam slept alone in her cell. It was the best night she had in a long time. She felt she was ready for anything.

  The next day, she was hanging out with Gale in the yard, when Vira approached her. Gale was telling about the threats he continuously faced in his cell block. He made her promise that Sam wouldn’t risk her life for him. Sam agreed, even though she didn’t mean it. On seeing Vira, Gale walked away.

  “Hey,” said Vira.

  “Hey,” said Sam.

  “I see you got rid of Charlie,” said Vira.

  Sam looked at Charlie, who was now hanging out far away on the east side of the yard, watching inmates play basketball resumed for one hour per week as per new guidelines issued by the warden.

  “I guess I made an impression,” said Sam, smiling.

  “Good,” said Vira. “And you made friends in the North-East.”

  “I did,” said Sam, as they saw Gale looking at them through the corner of his eyes.

  “Charming fellow,” said Vira.

  “Yeah, he’s got a good heart,” said Sam. “You have a lot in common.”

  “I would have to disagree,” said Vira.

  “He hates the Brotherhood too,” said Sam.

  “Everyone hates the Brotherhood,” said Vira.

  “Then why don’t we do something about it?” asked Sam. “Destroy it.”

  “Many idiots have tried, but they failed,” said Vira.

  “I’ll help,” said Sam. “I’m not an idiot, so that’s a positive.”

  “Where would we start?” asked Vira.

  “We can start with those who gave you those scars,” said Sam.

  Vira touched the scar under her left eye.

  “Who gave you that one?” asked Sam.

  “A woman named Trista,” said Vira. “The 7th and the last.”

  “Trista?” asked Sam. “The hacker?”

  “Yeah, you know her?” asked Vira. “She preyed on me for weeks. She wanted to rise up the ranks fast. She injured and killed almost ten others. Now, she’s as deadly with a knife as she is with a keyboard. Shame we can’t do anything about her.”

  “Yeah, such a shame,” said Sam. “I gotta go.”

  “See you,” said Vira.

  Sam went to the Brotherhood side of the yard. She was gunning for Trista, who was hanging out with her gang. Daffy saw Sam breaching the virtual perimeter.

  “Hey!” yelled Daffy. “Stop!”

  Sam kept walking as the entire Brotherhood looked. They created a wall in front of her, almost ten columns deep.

  “Clearly, I didn’t think this through,” uttered Sam.

  Daffy and his men grabbed Sam from behind and dragged her to the Brotherhood bench.

  “Look here, Mart,” said Fred. “Stone is back!”

  “What do you want, girl?” asked Mart.

  “I want you to leave Gale alone,” said Sam.

  “Leave him alone? Did he tell you to say that? We haven’t done anything to him. Not yet, anyway. Such a rat,” said Mart, smirking.

  “It doesn’t matter who told me to say,” said Sam. “Leave him alone.”

  “Or what?” said Fort.

  “You’re in no position to tell us anything,” said Ford. “Is that clear?”

  “A few days ago, you were talking big game of taking down this Alliance in the south wing, and now you’re dictating terms like you own the place,” said Mart. “Looks like you hit your head, did you poppet?”

  “I propose a match – Trista vs me,” said Sam. “If I win, you set Gale free. If I lose, I’ll join the Brotherhood.”

  “Why will we need a loser amongst us?” asked Fort.

  “Then?” asked Sam.

  “If you lose, you’ll take Gale’s place,” said Mart.

  “Okay,” said Sam, after pausing for a second.

  “Then it’s settled,” said Mart.

  Trista had arrived and entered into a staring contest with Sam.

  “So what do we have to do?” asked Sam.

  “You’ll know tonight at 7,” said Trista. “Unless you want to back out again.”

  “No, it’s fine,” said Sam. “I eat amateurs like you for breakfast.”

  “Ooh..she’s feisty. Tell you what, Mart. When I win, I get the first claim to own this bitch,” said Trista.

  “Me after that,” said Daffy, drooling with lust.

  Mart, Fred, Fort, and Ford chuckled. Trista flexed her fingers. Sam just smiled.

  “Skip Dinner Service and reach the 3rd floor in the Officer’s building,” said Fort.

  “Brad and his stooges guard the building like a bank vault, so you might have to get past them,” said Ford.

  “I can’t do it,” said Sam. “I don’t know how I will get there.”

  “I’ll get her there,” said Trista.

  “How?” asked Sam.

  “Just meet me in front of the infirmary. Can you do that, little bird?” said Trista. Her gang laughed.

  Sam nodded.

  “Come alone,” said Mart.

  Sam gave one last look to Trista before leaving through the crowd who gave way.

  During breakfast service, Sam told Vira about the deal she made with the Brotherhood. She omitted the part about her working for the Brotherhood in case she lost. She didn’t want Vira to question her loyalty. Vira wished her luck and told her that if she needed anything, she could ask Vira. Vira thanked her for doing it. Sam mentioned that she was doing it for Gale, but Vira thanked her anyway.

  As Sam was leaving, she saw Deathra arriving for breakfast. She looked like she had been in the infirmary for a day. Her forehead was still swollen. She gave Sam a death stare before walking past her.

  The laundry work was a piece of cake for Sam. She completed her increased share of 75 uniforms within time. She had created a routine for fellow workers to streamline the entire process. It took some convincing, but she had them when she promised them an early finish. As she made her way to the South yard, she saw Deathra was waiting for her. Sam had enough on her plate, so she sneaked past her and went to the lunch service early.

  She saw Vira was waiting for her at the door. They took their food. Vira made a depressed face when the lunch lady served her food. Sam wanted to say something to the lunch lady, Venus, but didn’t as she felt it didn’t concern her.

  Vira looked around while talking to Sam in whispers. She looked a little concerned, which initially scared Sam a little bit. She hadn’t seen Vira like that.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Sam.

  “There’s something you should know,” said Vira.

  “What?” asked Sam.

  “It’s about Trista,” said Vira.

  “What about her?” asked Sam.

  “I saw her talking to Deathra an hour ago. She sneaked into the South yard and had a private conversation with Deathra. Gale overheard them. He could only hear your name before Daffy took him away. I think they’re planning something before your showdown tonight,” said Vira. “Watch your back!”

  “I will. Thanks for telling me,” said Sam.

  “Of course. I got your back,” said Vira.

  “I know you do. I trust you,” said Sam.

  They saw Deathra enter the hall. She kept looking at Sam the entire time, which made Sam suspicious. Sam and Vira stayed in the hall long after they had finished eating. Deathra got up and left with her sidekicks.

  “Stay in the yard where everyone can see you. Including the guards,” said Vira.

>   Sam nodded.

  A couple of hours later, during the evening yard time at 4 PM, Sam saw Gale pacing up and down the yard. She went up to him and sneaked behind him. When she touched his shoulders, he overreacted and almost punched Sam before stopping.

  “Whoa, what’s wrong?” asked Sam.

  Gale held her hand and took her towards the back of a backup generator shed few yards away. A couple of convicts were working on the garden back there. Gale told them to take a break for the next few minutes. They left.

  Gale pushed Sam against the wall.

  “Did you challenge Trista for me?” said Gale. “Why did you do that, when I told you not to?!”

  “Who told you that?” asked Sam.

  “Vira told me that. Then I overheard Trista and Deathra,” said Gale. “Why did you do that?”

  “I hate bullies,” said Sam. “The Brotherhood has been bullying people for years. It’s time someone stood up for the little guy.”

  “Is that what I am? The little guy?” said Gale as he backed away.

  “No, you’re not,” said Sam. “You’re much more to me.”

  “I don’t need your help,” said Gale.

  “I don’t care. I’m offering it all the same,” said Sam.

  Gale stepped forward and kissed her for a couple of seconds, before backing away.

  “Sorry, I don’t know why I did that,” said Gale.

  Sam grabbed his uniform and pulled him towards her. She kissed him passionately. Gale unzipped her uniform and began kissing her on her neck and shoulders while she stroked his hair. Before they could go any further, a guard on top of the tower noticed them and fired a warning shot in the air.

  Gale and Sam separated immediately. Sam zipped her uniform. The inmates in the yard laid down on the ground face down, as was the common practice. Gale and Sam stepped out from behind the shed and lay down on the ground in the yard.

  A minute passed. All the inmates were still lying on the ground, hoping that the guards on the tower don’t fire another shot. Sam and Gale didn’t care. They were looking at each other. Gale was smiling, and Sam was blushing. The guard whistled, and everyone stood up.

  “Yard time is over!” yelled Captain Brad Bell from the speaker.

  There was a loud buzz on the ground.

  “Not one more word!” yelled Brad.

  The inmates covered their ears. It was too loud and sharp. Brad was unpopular for burying alive the convicts that pushed him too far, though no eye-witness ever came forward during the yearly internal review.

  Sam and Gale went their way. Sam was smitten. Gale smiled when he saw Sam blush the way she did.

  As Sam was making his way down the hall, she heard Vira’s scream coming from the corridor that led to the lunch hall. She rushed towards her voice and saw Vira lying on the ground. Her head was bleeding, and her left forearm had several knife cuts.

  “Vira! Vira!” said Sam. “Are you alright?”

  Vira coughed multiple times, before passing out for a moment.

  Sam heard a noise coming from the corridor. She turned around and saw a bleeding Deathra approaching them with a bloody knife. Sam got up and somehow landed a couple of punches onto Deathra, who dropped the knife. Sam reached for the knife, but Deathra pulled her away by grabbing her legs.

  Deathra picked up the knife and put it to Sam’s throat.

  “Now, you’ll die. Just like that bitch,” said Deathra. “You don’t mess with me! Nobody messes with me.”

  As she was about to kill Sam, Vira suddenly got up and pulled Deathra from behind, who dropped the knife. Deathra countered and began choking Vira, who got down on her knees. Sam picked up the knife and stabbed Deathra multiple times from behind.

  Deathra died on the spot, lying in the pool of her blood.

  Hearing the shouting and yelling, several guards and inmates were heard running towards them.

  “Give me the knife,” said Vira, and she grabbed the knife from Sam’s hands.

  When the guards arrived, they saw Vira standing on top of Deathra and Sam standing next to her.

  Vira dropped the knife and put her hands behind her head. Sam did the same. The guards approached them and cuffed them, tackling both of them on the ground.

  “I did this. I did this,” said Vira. “I killed her.”

  Sam didn’t know what to think or say. A murder charge would keep Sam indefinitely at Clarence.

  ************************************************

  Around 5 PM, Sam and Vira were brought in for questioning by Brad in front of the warden. Brad’s anger was visible on his face. Warden was more concerned about keeping the entire thing quiet. Brad couldn’t handle that someone had killed another on his watch. He slammed Vira’s head multiple times on the table.

  “Stop!” said Sam.

  Brad slapped Sam across the face as hard as he could.

  “Relax, Brad,” said the warden. “There’s a simple answer to all this.”

  “Vira here, confessed to killing Debra,” said the warden. “And Sam, here, is the witness. Isn’t it right, Sam?”

  Sam cried away in silence.

  “You heard him or didn’t you?” said Brad as he smacked Sam again.

  “I killed her. I killed her,” said Vira. “Sam, tell them.”

  Sam looked at Vira. She was crying. Sam was scared to admit her crime.

  “Did she kill her?” asked Brad. “I’m not going to ask again.”

  Sam nodded slightly, which was enough for the warden.

  “Great!” said the warden. “Captain, take Vira to the solitary confinement. I think she needs to spend a week alone to reflect on her actions internally.”

  A guard cuffed Sam and took her away to the South-West cell block. While they were being taken, Vira whispered to Sam’s ears that Sam doesn’t owe Vira anything, and she must be held Trista accountable.

  “Blood for Blood?” whispered Vira.

  “Blood for Blood!” said Sam.

  Sam was waiting in her cell for a message from the Brotherhood. The security had been stepped up, and she was sure Trista wouldn’t be able to get out of her cell as well. But she didn’t receive any message. The dinner service was announced to be cancelled, which riled up many male and female inmates. Captain Brad personally put four of them in the infirmary after beating them mercilessly with iron rods, while seven others were put into the solitary wing by the rest of the guards. Screams were heard in the solitary wing that night.

  Sam couldn’t sleep the entire night. She kept hallucinating that Deathra had returned to kill her. She would hear her voice every time she closed her eyes.

  In the morning, she was waiting for the yard time at 8 AM. After the roll call, the guard paused for a moment. Sam thought the yard time was being cancelled, but it wasn’t the case.

  As soon as they got out in the yard, the Brotherhood’s leadership asked the rest to look for Sam, and bring her to their feet.

  Sam saw Daffy approaching her. Gale maintained his distance.

  “Let’s go,” said Daffy.

  Sam walked with Daffy, and they went to the Brotherhood’s leadership.

  “As you know, the showdown couldn’t take place because a bitch killed another,” said Mart.

  Sam’s blood was boiling, but she kept quiet.

  “It could be like that for the rest of the week or maybe more,” said Fort.

  “An opportunity may arise, but we will need to cease it immediately,” said Mart.

  “How do we do that?” said Sam.

  “We will think of something. But be ready at a moment’s notice,” said Fred. “Don’t do anything stupid to end up in the hole.”

  “I won’t,” said Sam. “I’m ready, even if it’s the middle of the night.”

  “Okay,” said Mart. “Dismissed!”

  The yard time was cut short by half, and early breakfast service was scheduled. After the breakfast service, every inmate was told to go back to their cell, instead of doing their assigned job.
/>   Sam was waiting alone in the cell when she heard a guard yell to open her gate.

  “Open 47!” said the guard.

  The gate opened. Sam stood up, with her back against the wall. She was anxious to meet her new cellmate.

  A guard came to the cell and told Sam to come with him. He told her to pack her belongings and gave her a box. Sam was confused but obeyed the order. She put her pictures and mementos in the box, and left with the guard.

  She was taken to the North wing. As Sam saw the signboard, she was a bit flustered. She didn’t know where or why she was being taken. The halls were dark, with hardly any lights. As she entered the North-West cell block, she could feel the air change. It smelled different, like something rotten. It even looked different, like a shade of red.

  “Open 34!” said the guard, standing in front of the queue.

  Sam realized she was being transferred to the North-West block. She could see several prisoners were already waiting in line. She remembered seeing them in the South-West block once in a while.

  Captain Brad Bell stepped out in front and slammed his baton on the steel staircase.

  “Prison is not a place to make friends. If you do, we’ll keep transferring you. Is that understood?” said Brad.

  “Yes, sir!” said the prisoner standing in the front.

  Brad smiled and slammed the rod in her guts.

  “I didn’t ask for an answer,” said Brad.

  The woman went down on her knees. Sam could empathize.

  After 7 women were taken to their new cells, it was Sam’s turn. She could see Mart, Trista, and a couple of other women inside their cells. They were looking down at Sam while she was looking up at them.

  “Open 59!” said the guard.

  Trista stepped back, and her cell opened. Sam couldn’t believe it. The last person she wanted to share her cell with. But then she realized Trista was the enemy she knew. Anyone else could just pretend to be nice.

  Trista was a bit shocked. So was Mart.

  Sam was taken to the upper floor, towards Trista’s cell.

  “Close 59!” said the guard as the cell door closed behind Sam as soon as she stepped inside.

  “Behave!” said the guard and left.

  Sam saw Trista had taken the upper deck, so she kept her stuff on the lower one. Trista was standing against the cell door, while Sam sat on her bed. They didn’t say a word to one another. After inspecting the entire block, the guards left.