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by Richard Stephenson

  Head started throwing mattresses toward the ladder. He even managed to find a few bed sheets. Richard quickly took everything and made a rope from the extension cord and the bed sheets. It would have to be sturdy enough to support Tank’s three hundred and twenty-five pound frame. Richard looked up to Tank who was pounding on the motor, slamming it back and forth.

  Richard yelled up the ladder, “How we coming up there, Billy?”

  Tank managed to grunt out, “Almost there! I popped one side; just have to get the other side out!”

  “Good, keep it up! We’re gonna be ready to roll in a few minutes!”

  Spider came down the tier with a load of laundry in one arm and a pillowcase stuffed to the brim in the other. “Jackpot! There’s gonna be two unlucky bastards gonna be wishin’ they’d stayed in their cell! Took all their commissary and got a pair of work boots, too. Gonna run back and get the mattresses.” Spider dropped his cargo by the ladder and quickly returned to the cell.

  “Finally! Fucking bitch! YES! Okay, the motor’s out! What next?”

  Richard started passing mattresses to Tank. “Toss these down on the ground directly underneath the hole!” When he was done he motioned for Tank to come down. By that time, Spider returned with two more mattresses.

  “Okay, start putting on as many clothes as you can. If something doesn’t fit, wrap it around your arms and legs.”

  “It’s hot as hell out there! I’m not wearing all of that shit!” Spider was angry and not getting the point.

  “You fall from that hole down to the ground, you’re gonna wish you had on a whole lot of padding. We also have to make it over the fence. Stop your crying and trust me! We’re running out of time! Just do what you’re told and do it quick!”

  “Okay, man, sorry!” Spider did what he was told and started putting on layers of clothing.

  Richard glared at Spider to ensure he was done talking. “Okay, take a shirt, soak it with water and wrap it around your face, it will help with the smoke.” Richard grabbed a thermos from the pile and began to soak his own shirt. They wrapped up their heads and waited for further instruction.

  “Okay, Spider, you’re the smallest, get up there. Tie this rope to the frame and climb down. When you get down there, make sure the mattresses are in the best spot to catch us in case somebody falls.”

  “What about the guards riding around the perimeter with guns?”

  “Oh, I’m sure they’re long gone by now. If they’re out there, they probably couldn’t see you anyway. Let’s go! Get up there!”

  Spider climbed up the ladder and tied off the rope to the frame. Tank fed him the rest of the rope with the laundry bag tied to the other end. Spider lowered the rope to the ground.

  “Fuck! The rope’s not long enough!”

  “How far off the ground is it?” Richard yelled up the ladder.

  “At least three or four feet!”

  “Big fucking deal, you moron! You scared to jump a few feet? Stop being a baby!” Tank was about ready to shake Spider from the ladder.

  “Okay! Fuck! Just thought you should know! Damn! OK, here I go!” Spider lowered himself down the rope. Once his feet hit the laundry bag he jumped to the ground. “OK! I made it!”

  “Head, you’re next. Get moving!”

  Head nodded to Richard and proceeded up the ladder. Once Spider was done arranging the mattresses, he gave Head a thumbs up and grabbed the end of the rope to stabilize his descent. Head quickly lowered himself down.

  “You’re up, Billy. Time to leave this hell hole and venture out into a worse one.”

  “Damn right, I could use a change of scenery.” Tank climbed the ladder and was just barely able to fit through the hole. He grabbed the rope and climbed down to the half way point, jumping the rest of the way down. He landed with a thud and screamed, scaring the living shit out of Head and Spider. Tank laughed and mocked the two men like they were little girls.

  Richard landed on the ground next to them. The three men waiting for him were astonished at how quickly he made it down the rope. If they hadn’t known any better, they would have been convinced that he jumped from the hole in the wall directly to the ground.

  “Jesus, Richard! How’d you do that?” Head was nearly impressed enough to begin a round of applause.

  “Be quiet, all of you, and listen! We finally caught a break, as you can tell.” Richard looked up at the sky, which was relatively smoke-free for the time being. “We don’t have long until the smoke starts pouring in over the top of the building; we can’t afford to waste a second.”

  The three men nodded in agreement.

  “First, keep the wrap over your face at all times and make sure it’s wet. The wet cloth will help keep the smoke out and make it easier to breath.” Richard looked around and surveyed his surroundings. “Now, we need to get these mattresses over to the fence. Tank, grab the rope and yank it down.”

  Richard, Spider, and Head grabbed a mattress in each hand and carried them the fifty yards to the fence line. Tank was pulling on the rope with both hands; he was either going to snap the rope at the knot or pull the motor frame out of the wall.

  As he walked back to the fence Richard said, “Hey, Head! See those thin wires sticking out six inches from the fence?”

  “Yeah, what are they?” asked Head.

  “A sort of trip wire. If you grab onto it and try to climb up the fence, your weight will yank the wire from the clip and snare you up like animal.”

  “Throw the mattress at it?” Head asked.

  “That’s the idea, right there in front of us at the top. Ready …. go!”

  Both men threw their mattress at the same point. The weight of the mattresses pulled down on the wires and snapped them free. The wires broke way from their casings and tangled up in the mattresses.

  “Holy shit! That coulda been one of us!” Spider was impressed with Richard’s problem solving skills. “How’d you figure that out?”

  “Well, Spider, I didn’t know,” Richard said, studying the obstacle they would have to defeat. “I knew we’d need the mattresses for the razor wire. Once I saw those wires sticking out, wasn’t hard to figure out what they did. Pretty much the same way a snare traps a rabbit.”

  “Now we just need to get a mattress up on that razor wire,” said Head.

  “Right you are. Go right ahead, Head,” Richard smiled at him.

  “Yeah, yeah, fuck off, I got it.” After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, Head was able to get the mattress to rest on the razor wire atop the fence. By that time, Tank had joined them with the rope.

  “What broke first? The rope or the frame?” Richard was quite curious.

  “The frame. Snapped a bolt and the rope came down.”

  “Outstanding! We’re gonna need it. We need to hurry; we don’t have a lot of time.” Richard was indeed correct. The wind had been blowing around the back of the building, keeping the smoke from getting too thick. The wind stopped suddenly, like someone had flipped a switch, sending the smoke billowing down on them like a dense blanket. It was hot and stung their eyes. Tank howled like a wounded lion as he pressed his palm to his eye and pushed as hard as he could. The pain dropped him to his knees.

  “We have to get out of here, now! If he can’t get over the fence, we leave his ass here!” Head looked to Spider for support, Spider nodded in silent agreement.

  “We are not leaving Billy here to die! He’s gonna make it over the fence, same as us!” Richard spoke with an urgent finality, daring Spider and Head to spite him.

  “What the hell are you gonna do?” Spider said over muffled coughs.

  “Give me a bottle of water,” answered Richard. He took the bottle from Spider and untied a t-shirt from around his left elbow. The ex-Navy SEAL laid the shirt out on the ground and put two scoopfuls of dirt in the center. He then poured the bottle of water over the dirt, making a ball of mud. Richard rolled up the shirt and poured the rest of the water out of the bottle. He had made a cold compress.
r />   “Billy! Sit up, c’mon! We need to get moving.”

  Tank managed to sit up and look at Richard. “Cut my eye out! I can’t take it!”

  “I don’t think that would solve anything. Probably make things worse. Here, tie this around your head as tight as we can get it.”

  Richard put the center of the t-shirt over Tank’s eye. He lifted Tank’s hand to the compress so he could hold it in place. Richard then wrapped the shirt around his head as tight as he could get it. Hopefully the cold pressure would allow Tank to persevere.

  “Better?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be damned. Still hurts like a mother fucker, but I think I can manage.”

  “Good, come over here. Let’s start getting over these fences.”

  Tank and Richard locked their hands together and knelt down. Head put his foot in their hands and the two men hoisted Head to the top of the fence. Head sat on the mattress while the three men below him passed up the mattresses they had brought along. Head dropped them down the other side and jumped safely to the nice, cushy landing pad he’d made. The same process was repeated for Spider, and then Tank hoisted Richard to the top. Richard sat on the mattress and lowered his arm down to help Tank make it over.

  Head collapsed on his hands and knees, coughing and gasping for air. Spider dug in the bag for another bottle of water. He managed to get Head to sit up and poured water on his face wrap. Spider then did the same for himself, as well as Richard and Tank.

  “How the fuck are we getting over that?” Tank pointed to the second of three fences in their way. The middle fence was electric. The electric fence operated in two stages. The first stage delivered a non-lethal charge, enough to throw you off the fence like you’d been kicked in the chest by a bull. The second shock was lethal. You touched it a second time and you died instantly.

  “We’re not getting over it, we’re getting under it,” answered Richard.

  “Huh? You mean like dig a tunnel? This ground’s as hard as concrete. No fuckin’ way we’re doing that! You don’t know what the fuck you’re doin’, do you? We should have taken our chances inside!” Head was about ready to punch Richard in the mouth.

  “Shut your mouth right now or I’ll throw you into that fence and bounce you right back into it. Smoke’s not getting any thinner, and we don’t have time to argue. Head, I told you to trust me.”

  Head was glaring at Richard but kept his mouth shut.

  “Start stripping the covers from the mattresses! Hurry up.” The four men pulled the homemade knives out of their shoes and cut the mattress covers off.

  “Okay, Tank and I will head left, you two head to the right. Don’t go more than fifty yards. We need to find the section that has the most clearance under the bottom wire. Hurry! We’re not gonna make it much longer before we pass out.”

  In less than a minute, Spider found a four-foot section that had a decent amount of clearance. The four men gathered in front of it and reapplied water to their face wraps.

  “Okay, listen to me. You need to do exactly as I say or you might die.”

  “Fuckin smoke is going to kill us if this bitch doesn’t,” Spider uttered, looking at the fence, “what’s the plan?”

  “First, make sure every inch of your body is covered by clothing. Second, take that extra cover and lay it under the wire. Throw me the boots. Head, throw some mattresses over the kill fence.”

  The extra cover was laid on the ground under the wire. Richard put on the work boots for the extra few inches of rubber insulation on the bottom. He laid down on the ground and got inside the mattress cover like it was a sleeping bag.

  “Listen and watch me. As long as you stay grounded, the current can’t pass through you and complete a circuit. It’s best that you don’t touch the wire, but if you stay grounded you should be okay if you bump it. Just don’t bump the bottom wire into the wire above it. Okay, watch closely.”

  Richard slowly inched his way under the wire. He remained grounded the entire time and never once touched the bottom wire. Richard took off the boots and tossed them under to Head.

  “Wish my fat ass would have lost about thirty pounds before we decided to leave.”

  “Hurry up, fucker!” Spider was kicking the bottom of Head’s boots.

  “Stop it, you little shit!” Head slowly inched his way under the wire. At one point he did bump the bottom wire and it raised just a hair. Once he was on the other side, he tossed the boots under to Spider. “Your little ass could probably crawl on all fours, you stupid bitch!”

  “Fuck you! Here I come! Stop fuckin’ with me! This is serious!” Spider made it under the wire with little effort.

  Head leaned over to Richard and spoke in his ear, “You know Billy ain’t makin’ it under the wire, his chest will bump the wires together.”

  “Billy! Make sure you keep your arms at your sides and flatten yourself out the best you can. And go feet first”

  “Yeah, I got it! Here I come.”

  “Be ready to catch him,” Richard said to Head.

  “Catch him? What the… oh, shit, yeah I got you. Fuck, this ain’t gonna be pretty.”

  “Lookin’ good, Billy, just be careful. Nice and slow. That’s it.”

  Tank’s legs and stomach were under the wire. Head grabbed his feet and angled his legs to the left. Richard grabbed his right arm and pulled as hard as he could.

  “What are you…” Tank’s chest pushed the bottom wire up and it touched the wire above it. The stun charge was delivered across Tank’s chest and propelled him the rest of the way under the fence. Head and Richard held on tight, stopping Tank from being propelled into the stack of razor wire a few feet away. Lucky for Tank, the two men had shared the jolt of electricity, making it equally painful for all three of them.

  Spider was laughing hysterically. “Man, that shit was cool! Holy shit! I can’t believe that just happened! You guys all right?”

  “Shut up, you little fucker,” Head said, looking like he’d had the shit beaten out of him.

  “OK, the last part is easy, let’s go.”

  The four men helped each other over the final fence. The mattresses bore the punishment of the razor wire for them as they clambered up to the top of the fence and jumped down.

  Once they were over, they ran a few yards at a time and stopped to lay on the ground to get away from the smoke. Once they got about ten yards on the other side of the perimeter road they stopped again, as Head began to choke and vomit. He sounded like he was being strangled. Spider tried to calm him down as he kicked and flailed around.

  “Richard, we’re all gonna die out here! This is crazy! What the fuck are we supposed to do?” Spider sounded like a frightened child.

  Richard had absolutely no idea what to do. He figured that most of the inmates locked in their cells were dead. Had he managed the nearly impossible feat of escape only to die a hundred yards from the fence? His only hope was that Mother Nature would show him some kindness and blow the smoke away.

  “Is Head okay?” Richard asked Spider.

  “I don’t think so, man, I think he passed out. He’s still breathing.”

  “We just need to relax and wait a few minutes. The smoke has to let up eventually. Just try to stay calm and save your breath. Stop talking, close your mouth and breathe through your nose.”

  The four men rested on the ground for the better part of an hour. The smoke didn’t clear up at all; if anything, it got worse. Richard was more worried about the heat than the smoke. They were losing bodily fluid in the form of sweat at an alarming rate. If they stayed in that spot for too long, dehydration would set in, and they would begin to suffer from heat stroke. Richard continued to scan what little he could see of his surroundings. It was the middle of the afternoon but it was dark as night. All he needed was for the sun to peek through just a little so he could see what was around them. They needed some type of shelter from the heat and smoke.

  Spider was nearly in tears. “I don’t think Head is going to make it! I
can’t tell if he’s breathing or not!” Spider continued to nudge Head. “C’mon John! You still with me, man? C’mon, just hang in there! Richard, we gotta do something! I don’t think he’s breathing!”

  Richard crawled over to Head and turned him over on his back. He detected a faint pulse and very shallow breathing. Richard began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to put some much needed oxygen in his lungs. One thing was certain — Head was going to die very soon if something wasn’t done.

  “Stay here and keep putting air in his lungs. Make sure you tilt his chin back and watch his chest rise and fall. I’m going up the perimeter road a bit to see if we can find a way out of this.” Tank and Spider looked at Richard in fear as he crouched down and headed towards the road. Once there, he dropped a shirt in the road to mark the spot. The rear gate was on the opposite side of the prison grounds; no way he could make it that far. He just needed a drainage ditch or maintenance shed anything at all. He had only moved a few yards when he saw a glimmer of light reflect off something.

  It was one of the perimeter vehicles.

  Was someone still in it? Did the guard die in there? Is he laying down on the floorboards with his pistol ready to defend himself? Richard slowly approached the rear bumper of the vehicle and peered in the back window. He couldn’t see anyone inside. He slowly crept to the driver’s side and peered around. The driver’s side door was wide open. He laid down and looked under the vehicle. The driver’s side tires were flat. It was clear to Richard that the guard had abandoned the vehicle and shot out the tires. He probably joined the other perimeter patrol and they left together when the smoke got too thick and no one was answering the radio.

  “Thank you, gentlemen, this will do nicely,” Richard said to himself.

  Richard quickly looked over the vehicle to see what he was dealing with. The keys were gone, so was the radio. Richard noticed that the front passenger seat had been replaced with a gun rack. One slot was empty and the other had a rifle resting in it. Richard grabbed the rifle and saw that it was a variation of an M-16. He searched for ammunition but came up empty handed.

  Richard exited the vehicle and made his way back to the three. He could tell something was wrong.