...
The next day you could smell the tension and gunpowder in the air security was tighter and the guards moved consciously. Periodically glacing over their shoulders
Doing my best to keep a low profile I went Through my daily routine
At labours I kept sketching the whole prison one job at a time our escape plan coming together
Patrol intervals, what days the supply bus comes, what day new inmates are brought and more stuffs like that
Making sure I know everything to the tee
Hammering away at the nail I brooded over the rough sketch in my mind multiple times going over and over
" This part is done let's move on... Trevour focus!" The group leader shouted
" Huh?" Breaking out of my reveir seeing
everyone staring at me " what!
" You should focus more and think less, you break anymore planks we are getting our asses kicked" the group leader frowned
Looking down I saw I hammered the nail down didn't stop and hammered the plank breaking it in the process...."
" Ohh so sorry, didn't mean that"apologizing
....Ghost pov...
Buzz! The siren sounded
And it was time to head back to the cells
" And that's a wrap for today, same time tomorrow" the group leader said
Turning in our tools we washed our hands took off our work outfit headed for lunch and then the yard
Stepping into the yard I could sense the underlying tension in the air. The usual cheerful and chattering inmates are now silent eyes darting here and there
Something was about to go down! I could sense it from a mile away
Gangs hurdled together.... obviously for protection
The guards stood on an elevated platform, guns in hand patrolling their cold gaze not kind
Steps quickening I kept my head down sticking to the corner going for our regular spot which was far away from the other inmates and goons
Safe!
Sitting down I watched, my eyes squinting behind my glasses analyzing....waiting for the trigger.
The tense outlook continues for a minutes streching into hours. It was clear no one wanted to start it but it was bound to happen
And it did
A lanky inmate stumbled and crashed into a gang member eliciting a brutal beating the horrifying screams of the inmate rang out throughout the field
Ahhh!
Sending chills down my spine, my hair stood on his ends. It continued for a while it was clear to everyone the group didn't plan on stopping
If this went on the guy could end up dead
And a guards stepped up trying to seperate them but a flying fist struck him right in the nose
KO! Ohhhhhh! Shit!
The guard collapsed on the ground nose broken blood leaking. Unconscious
That was the trigger sensing that already I hid behind the bleachers lying low on the ground
Bam! bam! Bang!
The yard exploded into chaos!
Screams, shouts, and curses filled the air as the first punch ignited a chain reaction. Every buried grudge, every whispered insult, every unsettled debt.....all of it erupted at once. Prisoners lunged at one another like wild animals freed from their cages.
The guards tried to restore order, but they were outnumbered. The loud crack of a baton striking bone echoed. A bottle shattered. Someone screamed for help, another laughed....a high, deranged laugh that cut through the noise.
"DOWN! EVERYONE DOWN!" a guard bellowed from the tower, his rifle aimed at the yard.
No one listened.
It was pure mayhem now.
I pressed myself flat to the ground behind the bleachers, heart pounding like a drum in my ears. Dust filled my nostrils, and I could taste the iron tang of fear in my mouth.
Through the gaps in the metal slats, I saw bodies collide fists, elbows, boots...men who just hours ago were quiet now turned into monsters. Blood splattered across the pale concrete, painting it crimson.
The perfect example of the "calm before the storm"
Then came the first gunshot.
BANG!
The sound froze everyone for a heartbeat. Then another followed, closer this time. Someone yelled, "They're shooting! The bastards are shooting!"
That was when the yard truly descended into hell.
People scattered, some ducking for cover, others charging straight at the guards. The tower lights began to swivel, alarms blaring.
I could see Trevour through the chaos...our group leader...his face streaked with sweat and dust. He was trying to crawl behind a toppled bench, waving at me.
"Stay low, Ghost!" he shouted, voice drowned by the uproar.
But even as I nodded, I knew things were spiraling out of control.
A guard fired another round, and a man dropped instantly, blood soaking his jumpsuit. A roar of rage erupted from the inmates ..one collective howl that shook the ground.
They surged forward.
The guards fell back toward the gates, firing warning shots, but panic had taken over. Prisoners grabbed whatever they could rocks, makeshift knives, pieces of metal from the benches.
One of the taller inmates, a bald man with tattoos snaking up his neck, swung a pipe and smashed a guard's knee. The guard collapsed screaming, only for another inmate to snatch his baton and join the fray.
The smell of sweat, blood, and gunpowder mixed in a fog....choking
I crawled along the ground, moving behind the wall that separated the bleachers from the shed. From there, I had a full view of the yard
The perfect vantage point to watch hell unfold.
Trevor was shouting orders, pulling a few of our crew toward the south fence. I knew what he was doing. The riot was our cover. The plan we'd spent weeks sketching was falling right into place...too soon, but maybe this was fate forcing our hand.
"Move! Now's our chance!" I hissed under my breath, pushing myself up and running crouched across the open space.
Bullets zipped past one striking the metal pole near me, sending sparks into the air. I dove behind a concrete barrier just as another explosion of sound rang out.
Boom!
Someone had gotten their hands on a tear gas canister. The white smoke filled the air, stinging my eyes, burning my throat. I covered my nose with my sleeve and kept moving.
Through the haze, I could see Trevor and three others cutting toward the maintenance tunnel behind the workshop area.
Then I heard a scream.
"Trevor! Behind you!"