Page 25 of Diamond in the Rough

“What?”

Carl glared at him. “You. I think someone knows about you. We’ve got to wait for him to get in contact, then plan our next move.”

Chapter 5

Maddox had heard about GalleyHead. A maximum-security prison in the countryside. The fences were high, and coils of barbed wire decorated the tops. There were more prison guards and security cameras than any other prison in the country. The gates were endless and the keys strictly accounted for. There were keys to unlock key cards to unlock other keys. Once the prisoners went inside GalleyHead, they were there for life. He’d hoped to avoid such a place, but as they led him from the police station, Detective Green stopped him in the corridor. He grinned, leaned close, and whispered Maddox’s destination.

GalleyHead. No one had ever escaped from GalleyHead.

Maddox showed no emotion as they helped him up into the police van. His hands were cuffed in front of him, and he slumped onto the small seat. The door was slammed, setting his teeth on edge, and then the engine rumbled to life. There was a small window at the top of the door, but Maddox didn’t bother standing to see out of it. He didn’t want to see the outside world pass him in a blur.

They took his clothes, they took his lighter, then they marched him into a small room to be searched. They asked to see the palms of his hands and the bottom of his feet. They asked for him to ruffle his hair, then open his mouth and wriggle his tongue side to side. Then they asked him to squat and present himself, and Maddox nearly blew a gasket. He thought of kicking off, smashing the officer’s head into pieces, and attempting an unplanned escape, but instead, he gave in and did as the officer asked him.

“All done.” The officer pulled a bag of clothing from a drawer and handed it to Maddox. “Change into these, and we’ll get you on the wing as soon as possible.”

Maddox tore through the plastic with a grimace, then climbed into the grey joggers, the grey vest, and the grey jumper. No longer his favourite colour, he despised the clothing he was forced to wear.

“I’m officer Leon. I’ll take you onto the wing.”

Maddox got up and followed Leon through the maze of gates. The clunk of locks got louder as they got further into the prison, locking systems more advanced, bulkier. The final lock rang out and stabbed right in Maddox’s ear. He was led into the wing and looked up at the doors that contained each inmate. He heard their angry shouts and their growls of violent promise.

He wrinkled his nose at the strong smell of bleach and the puddles of frothy water on the floor.

“They’re on lockdown,” Leon said.

“Why?”

“Fight broke out earlier, still cleaning it up.”

Maddox spotted a bloodied mop resting against the wall. “I see.”

“This cell’s yours. I think you’ll be happy with your cellmate.”

“I’m sharing?”

Leon nodded. “You’re starting from the bottom, quite literally the bottom cells. Everyone has to share, but this might be somewhat of a reunion.”

Leon opened the door and gestured Maddox inside. A sheet had been pinned over the window, and the air was cloggy on Maddox’s lungs. He heard a faint wheezing from the bottom bed and narrowed his eyes to make sense of the odd lump in the dark.

Leon closed the door, and Maddox squinted to make sense of the cell. He didn’t move, just listened to the wheezing and the occasional gasp.

He reached for the window and tore the fabric away. The figure under the duvet cursed, then revealed himself.

“What the hell you do that for?” he yelled.

He swung his legs out of the bed, still wheezing, then Maddox noticed what was clutched in his hand. A small oxygen tank. The man looked up at him with a scowl, but it faded from his expression, and they both gawped at each other.

“Ernie?”

The old man nodded, then burst out laughing. His laughing ended in a coughing fit, and he shoved the oxygen mask over his mouth and gulped for air.

“Never thought I’d see your face again,” he muttered.

Maddox snorted. “I didn’t think I’d see yours either, but I gotta say, it’s changed a lot.”

“And how am I looking?”

He was skinny to the point Maddox could see the knobbly joints of his bones. His pale skin and his sunken eyes gave him the appearance of a corpse, and not a fresh one.

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