Cruel and Unusual (Somewhere In-Between)

by C. E. Wilson

  “Nice day, my ass.” Flynn laughed again. “Whatever. If you’re going to pretend not to be excited about it, that’s fine by me. Personally, I’m hoping Janet shows up today. I could use a little eye candy.”

  “She’s married,” I muttered.

  “And? You think this would be the first time I checked out a married woman?”

  “You?” I said with a wry smirk. “I doubt it.”

  “You’ve done it plenty of times yourself, Mr. Davenport. Rings come off, you know. Come on, now. Humor me. You’ve checked her out, right? Janet’s no beauty queen, but she’s not a dog. I’d rather see her than that asshole, Milo.”

  “I’ll agree with you there. Last month, it was Milo and Felix, so we should be okay. Milo usually doesn’t come two months in a row.”

  “Thank hell for that. The last time that guy came up here and Felix was talking to you,” he lowered his head, shaking it lightly, “I couldn’t sleep on my back for almost a week. Bastard.”

  “Try not to piss him off, and you’ll be fine,” I offered. I hoped that was enough to keep him calm. If Flynn got himself riled up and Milo showed? It would be bad. “Do what he says and take what he gives you.”

  “That asshole doesn’t give me anything!”

  “He brought some newspapers.” I set down my pencil. I guessed I wasn’t going to get as much sketching done as I’d thought. Still, a conversation with Flynn was better than not having anyone to talk with whatsoever.

  “Those were local papers,” Flynn said with a grimace. “The townies here don’t give a shit about stock prices. My wife is going to throw a fit.”

  I pressed my lips together. “I still can’t believe you’re married, sometimes.”

  “Believe it, Mr. Davenport,” Flynn said, winking. “Mrs. Andersen is quite the looker. I expect she’s doing well for herself during my absence. I’ll be out of here in a few months, hopefully.”

  I corrected him. “You have a hearing in a few months. That’s not the same. That doesn’t mean you’ll be let out.”

  “Heh. I have a better chance of getting the hell out of here than you, I’d say.”

  I couldn’t argue with him there. Flynn Andersen hadn’t done much. He was just another young, ambitious bastard who, at the time, would have done almost anything for money—including embezzlement. I guessed he needed to keep Mrs. Andersen around. I could only imagine what kind of woman could tolerate someone like Flynn even when he was a part of Project Isolation.

  “How come she doesn’t come to visit you more often?” I couldn’t help asking.

  Flynn sniffed. “How come no one comes to visit you at all?”

  When I didn’t answer right away, his sharp features softened slightly.

  “You know how it is. You should know better than anyone. That’s all a part of this stupid Isolation project. We’re not in jail, but we’re far from our loved ones. We have visiting hours, but who wants to travel to Alaska to see us for an hour once a week? No one.” He kicked a random stone toward the water. “There are places for family and friends to stay in Sand Point so they can be close by, but who wants to give up their life for that shit hole? I wouldn’t.”

  “You wouldn’t move there even if your wife was in your position?” I asked.

  “I’d have to think about it.”

  A few moments of stillness and silence fell between us, and I thought about picking up my pencil again. Was there any point? If it really was that time of the month—and it was—that meant someone was going to bring me more supplies. It also meant they would ask if we were interested in having anything next month. That wasn’t standard protocol. The new elect could be cruel with their games. They encouraged hobbies, but sometimes I wondered if they would be happy if we had only the basics—bread and water, old magazines, and our clothes from home. For now at least, they thought it was good for us to stay busy. Despite everything, one thing still held value even during our sentences: money. Most people could be bought. Janet and Felix were willing to bring us what we requested, but we still had to pay.

  I glanced down at my sketch, trying to calculate the colors I wanted. I’d need more brown…and definitely some more red if I wanted to bring out the highlights in this sketched woman’s hair. And blue. I needed more blue, but I had to be specific. I didn’t want dark or Crayola blues. I needed a sky blue, a baby blue, the type of blue that was like summer days and clear tropical oceans. I wanted the blue to match Mauve’s eyes completely.

  Sighing inwardly and then outwardly, Flynn turned his attention back to me. “Still drawing the old ball and chain?” he guessed.

  I shook my head. No. It wasn’t fair to call Mauve that. We weren’t together. That was pretty much established in the courtroom. Dammit. “No…I’m working on something else.”

  “Liar,” Flynn grumbled. “I can see the brown hair from here. And those tacky red streaks. You’re drawing her again. Seriously, man, you’ve got to let that go. She hasn’t come to see you. Not once.”

  “I haven’t seen your wife here.”

  “She came once and didn’t like it, surprise, surprise. So instead she sends me letters, notes…picks up the phone when I have my one phone call a week. Can you say the same about Red over there?” He jutted his chin at my sketchbook.

  I snapped the book shut. “It’s none of your goddamn business,” I said, my voice coming out like a growl.

  Flynn still wasn’t bothered. As long as I didn’t walk up to the fence and loom over him, he had no reason to be intimidated. I was only another tall, lanky kid. I stood up and thought about heading back to my place for a few more hours, but Flynn pointed out toward the water.

  “They’re here,” he called over. “You see them? I can see the little boat.” He turned in my direction and smiled widely. “Visiting time.”

  Chapter Three

  Thank hell.

  That month, Janet and Felix showed up. I could tell Flynn was cautious about getting overexcited as the two of them tied off on the dock and began walking up. I tucked my sketchbook under my arm and tried to greet them with a welcoming smile. I had a hard time reading Felix’s expression, but Janet looked positively bewildering. Her dark hair was usually matted to her forehead, but that day it was pulled into a tight, sophisticated ponytail, and I detected a trace of red on her full but chapped lips. She looked more professional than usual, but her eyes seemed haunted, and she stuck close to Felix as they approached.

  “Everything all right?” I asked carefully as they came to visit my side of the island first.

  Flynn looked put off—as though he wanted to check out Janet’s new look for a little longer—but he tried not to let it show, instead crossing his arms over his pea coat and heading back to his shelter for the time being. I would bet that Flynn wasn’t a man used to the elements, so despite his warm attire, it was probably too damn cold to wait for the two of them to finish up with me.

  Felix approached slowly with a heavy bag slung over his shoulder like a prison-warden version of Santa Claus. Janet was carrying only a few boxes, but as soon as I could reach her without getting shocked, I stepped forward and took them from her arms. She didn’t even bother to argue with me, instead looking up at Felix as though he had all the answers.

  “We should talk inside,” Felix muttered, nodding toward my place. “It’s freezing out here.”

  “It’s not too bad,” I said, starting to walk. “It’s just shy of the midforties.”

  “I think it’s terrible to put full-grown men in the middle of nowhere to serve out a punishment,” Janet hissed under her breath. “And yet they expect us to—”

  “That’s enough, Janet,” Felix warned her. “I said we’ll talk about this inside.”

  She lowered her head and nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  I was having a difficult time figuring out what was going on. I’d never seen Janet act like that. Usually, she was either soft-spoken and shy or smiling widely and in a decent mood because of something her husband or kid had done. T
hat day, she seemed bitter, angry—and that didn’t explain how she was dressed. Felix didn’t look much different. I could see under his coat that he was wearing something similar to Flynn’s style, including a red-and-navy-striped tie. What the hell was going on?

  Once we were all settled back in my place, Felix promptly walked over to the table in my ‘kitchen’, set down the large sack, and began to burrow inside for what I requested. Janet stayed close to the doorway as though anxious to leave.

  “All right, so we’re inside,” I said, unable to take the suspense much longer. “Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?”

  “Language, Mr. Davenport,” Felix warned.

  My face grew hot. “I’m twenty-two years old, and—”

  “You’re a child,” Janet huffed. “They shouldn’t expect you to—”

  “Janet,” Felix said. “I’ll not ask again. If you can’t keep that tone of yours under control, I’m afraid I’ll need to document it.”

  “So do it,” she snapped back, running a hand over her smooth, pulled-back hair. “What does it even matter?”

  “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” I asked again. Janet’s strange behavior put me on edge. “Is everything okay?”

  Felix glanced down at Janet and then turned to me, a weight in his eyes and on his shoulders. He sighed loudly and stopped rummaging around in the bag, placing both hands on the surface of the table, as though to steady himself.

  “I guess that depends on your definition of ‘okay,’ Mr. Davenport.”

  My eyes trailed over to Janet. “What’s wrong?” I asked again, taking care to keep my tone lowered so Felix wouldn’t reprimand me like a child.

  “The new elect,” Janet said at last.

  She was now taking care to remain calm and steady. Neither of us wanted Felix to turn on us. He was usually so kind and warmhearted. It remained a mystery to me how he ended up here in Nowheresville, Alaska, delivering shit to people like Flynn and me.

  “What about them?”

  “There’s talk of... tensions with the Russians and a few others,” Janet hushed. “They aren’t coming out and saying it directly, but it’s not hard to guess. All the local radios are talking about it, but as far as statewide radio? National? It’s like they’re turning a blind eye to it.”

  “Tensions?” I asked incredulously. “Over what? I thought the new elect were isolationists. What the hell—er—what are they so upset about?” My eyes danced back and forth between the two of them. “What? What is it?”

  “Other countries try to puff out their chests about how they don’t approve of this type of punishment,” Felix explained. “What they don’t understand is that it’s still a choice. You can serve a sentence here if you can afford it, or you can go to prison.”

  I was at a loss of words at first. “That’s true,” I stammered. “Flynn and I had a choice…because of our financial situations.”

  “Some representatives from opposing nations will be visiting today,” Janet said.

  Ahh. So that explained the fancy hair and makeup.

  Janet continued. “They want to see how things are at Sand Point. Word is that they’re even going to be visiting a few inmates.” My eyebrows rose at this, and Janet relaxed slightly, seeming more like herself. “You have nothing to worry about, Mr. Davenport. They are looking to see some of the more extreme cases.”

  “So I’m not extreme?”

  “Not compared to the others we have to deal with,” Felix said. “You and Mr. Andersen are rather pleasant compared with others we have to deal with.”

  I took note of Felix’s words. It was nice to no longer be seen as a monster despite being here. “So what about Milo? Where’s he?”

  Janet flinched angrily again. “He’s in charge of hosting the representatives.”

  “Him?” I growled. “Why—”

  “Seniority,” Felix said.

  I didn’t know why, but something in his voice indicated that was his final answer. It was not up for debate. I nodded my head slowly and finally walked around the table to look at my supplies.

  “I believe everything you’ve asked for is in there,” Felix continued. “I hope you won’t be upset when we say this is not a social visit.” There was the slightest hint of humor in his voice.

  “I’d rather be here than there,” Janet huffed. “The new elect…they’ll stop at nothing to get complete control.”

  “Complete control?” I asked, arching a brow. “What are you talking about? I thought you said they were coming to show this place to other countries.”

  “And they are,” Felix said, shooting Janet a look. “We don’t have much time. We should probably head over to Mr. Andersen’s to make sure he has everything he needs.”

  “Another pair of Italian loafers?” I said with a smirk.

  “That’s his business, Mr. Davenport,” Felix said. “Let’s get a move on, Janet.”

  “Do you think it would be all right if I stayed here for an extra minute or two so I can go over the supplies with Mr. Davenport?”

  Felix looked shocked for a moment, but quickly cleared his throat and put himself back together with that calm demeanor I was used to seeing.

  “I suppose that’s all right,” he said warily, his eyes going back and forth between Janet and me. “I hope there won’t be any funny business…”

  “No, sir,” Janet said. “I want to take a few extra notes of what to bring for next month.”

  “If there even is a next month,” Felix muttered under his breath.

  I almost didn’t catch the words, but I felt the meaning clear as day. Something was going on, and it was more than the damn observation period. Felix dumped everything else out onto the table and tucked the sack under his arm as he trudged toward the door.

  “I’ll need you at the boat in five minutes, Janet.”

  I smiled. Oh man. Flynn was going to be pissed when he found out Janet wasn’t even going to his cabin. Though I didn’t really think about Janet in that way, a sense of pride and possession came over me.

  “I’ll be at Mr. Andersen’s in three,” she promised.

  Maybe not.

  “Look, I know you’re going to tell him so just get it over with so we can get back,” Felix huffily continued. He turned his attention to Janet, who shivered slightly. It took a little effort on my part not to hug her and try to warm her up or at least offer something resembling coffee or tea.

  “My husband told me there was a high-level alert from the government about a suspicious-looking small aircraft traveling east.”

  “Oh?” I asked, lifting my head. It wasn’t like Janet to speak so openly about news from her husband. She really must have been in a foul mood about being observed. “So…what’s going on?” With the way she was practically hovering near Felix, I almost thought I’d done something to offend her. I was happy that I hadn’t, but I still couldn’t get over her expression from earlier.

  “There’s talk in some circles,” Janet muttered as Felix shook his head and exited my shelter. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you, but my husband wants to pretend everything’s okay, and most people I can talk to…I don’t trust. I still had to get this out of my system.”

  I tried to mask my surprise. “And you’re okay telling me?”

  “I have a few reasons. You spend more time outside than most other inmates and your area has a very good view of the sky. Also, it’s not like you can tell anyone else other than Flynn,” she said. “And it’s not like anyone would believe either of you.”

  “You said there’s something about an aircraft,” I said, prompting her to reveal her secret. She didn’t have a lot of time, and I could feel the seconds ticking away as she shifted on her feet.

  She nodded slowly. “Apparently the new elect have created some sort of spy drone,” she said. “State of the art. No one will talk about what it is exactly, but I have read a lot of suspicious chatter about it from the news services of other countries.”


  “Suspicious? Of what?” Honestly, I didn’t know why she was telling me.

  “Apparently, the spy drone was in a facility near here on the mainland,” she said softly, glancing around as if she expected a member of the new elect to jump out and pounce on her.

  I wanted to hold her—not as a lover but as a man, someone who could protect her. My time on this island had made me into a misogynist who could only see women as simple creatures, apparently. But still, I didn’t like the look in her eye.

  “I think the drone is the real reason for this sudden international interest, honestly. They pretend to care about this place so they can get close to the secret place. I wanted to give you a heads up. Things are getting nasty, and nowhere is safe, Mr. Davenport.”

  “I appreciate the warning, but does any of this have to do with me?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Like I said…I had to tell someone. If you notice anything suspicious, anything strange at all, please report it to me. Others might not think a punishment like this a big deal, but they haven’t had to watch men slowly lose their minds during the arctic winters like I have. If this drone is half as important as it seems, news of it could be valuable. Maybe we could get this place shut down or at least wrangle a pardon or two out of it.”

  “A pardon?”

  She nodded. “Yes. The only reason you’re not home already is because you tried to escape. There wouldn’t have been any need to escape if it weren’t for the cruelty of this punishment. Collaring men and women like dogs and putting them in arctic prisons! It’s terrible. Mr. Davenport, if you hear anything, or if Mr. Andersen mentions anything suspicious, please inform me by walking towards the sea until your collar activates for a moment, then backing away.”

  I nodded slowly. “Sure…I’ll do what I can…but, Janet…I don’t even know what I’m looking for.”

  “Anything suspicious.” She glanced over her shoulder. Like me, I bet she could feel the time ticking away. She started to turn away and move toward the door. “I should probably head over to Mr. Andersen’s.”