Page 18 of Pen Pal

Alarmed, I broke out of prison to ensure she was alright. I saw her happily cooking a meal for her husband at home, so I realized maybe she grew tired of me. So, even though it killed me, I went back to prison, let her go, and succumbed to my dark side.

If I were stuck here forever, I’d make myself useful. I went after child molesters and rapists, beating them to a bloody pulp and finishing them off with my shiv. It was a thrilling break in my routine,and I got off knowing I made the world a better place by ridding the earth of scum like them.

As the guards figured out my modus operandi, they kept sex offenders out of general population so I couldn’t kill them anymore. Since then, things had been quiet, uneventful, and boring again.

Ashwood Prison had a permanent musty smell, the stone walls wet with condensation. Body odor wafted through the air, and the showers were cold and moldy. The floors were swept and mopped clean by various inmates, and beds always had to be perfectly made. Laundry was once a week, and you always risked getting your clothes and sheets stolen if you sent those out. The food was bland mush, often consisting of oatmeal, potatoes and gravy, creamed corn, ground beef, and beans. It all looked the same to me. Only inmates with money could buy good food from the commissary; otherwise, they were stuck eating prison slop.

Prisoners were allowed one hour of outside time per day, called rec time. Murderers and violent criminals like myself were often housed in the same wings and cells. The worst of the worst were in solitary confinement for their entire sentence. I found myself there numerous times for various fights. I didn’t let anyone walk over me; if they looked at me wrong, I’d jump them. I was a force to be reckoned with, and the other inmates knew it. I was mostly left alone, except for my crew.

Prison politics were different here. Some people sought out the top dog to dethrone him. Some sought his protection, and others wanted to be on the winning side. Those were the ones that made up my crew; they looked out for me, and I looked out for them. We treated each other like brothers because, like me, they didn’t have anyone else. All we had was each other.

“It was my fucking lawyer again,” Vitali muttered as he returned from visitation. “Useless motherfucker.”

I snorted since I knew just what he was talking about. I’ve dealt with many lawyers before, and other than the rare few who had a good heart, most didn’t care about their clients. Lawyers were money-hungry, always chasing that dollar and hustling. They were like strippers that way, and I hated dealing with those suited-up leeches.

“They usually are,” I muttered, twirling my shiv. My crew surrounded me, and I was obscured from the guard’s view.

“Didn’t you fire yours?” Luca questioned, sitting across from me, blocking me from the view of the guards.

“Yeah, he told me to take a plea deal. He wasn’t even willing to fight for me.Pussy,” I snarled.

“Those are the worst,” Vitali agreed, sitting beside me. “Most of them shouldn’t ever have become lawyers.”

I nodded in agreement, my eyes scanning the common room. Some inmates were milling about, minding their own business. I could tell some of them were up to no good. My crew and I shifted, sitting with our backs to each other, people-watching. It allowed us to see anyone with bad intentions coming from a mile away.

Like fucking Sacha.

This man knew how to rub me the wrong way. We used to be friends in high school until he dated Sofia and broke her heart. I understood relationships ended, but he was another level of psycho.

Sofia never told me the whole story of what he did, but I knew it was bad. It was bad enough that our parents pulled her out of that high school and made her change schools. She didn’t get to graduate with her childhood friends. That girl was robbed of so many rights it made my head spin.

We made eye contact, and the fucker grinned.Grinnedat me, knowing what he did. Knowing that Sofia was a hair-trigger for me.

“Enzo, don’t do it—” Ludovic began, his eyes also on Sacha.

“Fuck,” Vitali muttered, knowing full well that I wouldn’t let that slide.

“Here we fucking go,” Luca groaned, getting to his feet as I launched to mine.

“Hey Lorenzo! How’s that pretty piece of pussy doin’?” Sacha gloated, laughing with his friends. “That sister of yours was wild. What I wouldn’t do to get a piece of that ass—”

My fist connected with his jaw before he said another slimy word about my family.

Sacha fell to the ground, his teeth littering the floor as his buddies jumped me. My crew jumped in the fight, beating them off me as I jumped on top of Sacha, punching him repeatedly as the incident alarm blared.

I saw red. I wanted this loser dead for hurting my sister and for talking about her that way. How dare he disrespect my family. He had no idea what I would do for my family, but he was about to find out.

I barely noticed the screams in the background, the guards shouting at everyone to get down. Vitali tried to urge me to stop and pull me off Sacha, not wanting me to catch another charge. But I didn’t care. It would be worth it to eliminate every piece of scum off this earth.

When I started seeing grey matter, I stopped and looked at the blinding lights.My hands were covered in blood and gore. I laughed, tossing my hair from my eyes, and closed my eyes.

The guards grabbed me and dragged me away from what was left of Sacha, cussing and exclaiming at what I’d done. I couldn’t stop laughing as a strange rush of exhilaration surged through my blood.

Two down.

I planned to destroy every person who’d ever hurt Sofia, and I wasn’t done yet. They’d better stay away from Ashwood Prison or be next.

I felt myself hit a cold concrete floor hard before the click of the cell door as it slid shut alerted me that I was alone. I opened my eyes, and I recognized this place. We called it the hole, the place where inmates were put in solitary confinement as punishment. I wasn’t sure how long I would get this time.

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