Richard Stephenson - Collapse

“Hal, I want you to extend the perimeter of the drones by fifty percent. Monitor any traffic that enters the perimeter. If any vehicle is on a direct route to the residence, I want you to wake me immediately.”

“Yes, sir. Sleep well.”

Howard drifted off to sleep. Hal stood watch over the estate and monitored the ten-mile perimeter. He monitored some sporadic traffic that entered the perimeter and did not wake Howard because their routes did not come near the residence. At 4:30am, Hal took notice of a large convoy of vehicles headed in the direction of the estate. They slowly approached a four-way stop. If they turned left, Hal would wake Howard. The convoy stopped and a few people congregated near the intersection, clearly discussing which way to turn. They got back in their vehicles.

Hal turned on the lights in Howard’s bedroom.

“Excuse me, sir. Are you awake?”

Howard sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Yes, Hal, what is it?”

“Sir, a contingent of National Guard soldiers is approaching the residence. If they maintain course and speed, I estimate they will be passing in front of the residence in twenty-five minutes.”

Howard Beck was terrified. He did not like guests. He certainly didn’t like multiple guests that carried big guns.

“ALL INMATES ON THE YARD RETURN TO YOUR ASSIGNED CELLS!”

“Eat shit!!”

“Fuck off!!”

“Make us go to our cells, you cocksuckers!”

Richard Dupree knew that things were about to get very bad in a very short amount of time. The nine hundred inmates on the yard had completely forgotten about the ash that was covering the ground and getting in their hair and eyes. They readied themselves to do battle with the three squads of Riot Control Teams staged behind gates that would spill them out on the yard in three directions.

“ALL INMATES ON THE YA…”

A live voice silenced the loudspeaker. The recreation yard fell silent.

“Gentlemen, may I please have your attention?”

“Who the fuck is that?” asked Head.

Richard had heard the voice before. He never forgot a voice or a face.

“That’s the Warden,” Richard answered.

“No shit?” Tank asked.

“Big man himself,” answered Richard.

Three things about the words he had just heard made Richard realize that they were in deep shit. The first was that the warden had called them “Gentlemen.” He had never once in his incarceration been called a gentleman. The second was that the man said “please.” Hacks don’t say please, it just didn’t happen. The third and most troubling was that the top man at the prison had asked a question. Inmates were not asked to do anything. Inmates were given a command and if they did not comply, the next step was, well Richard had never witnessed the next step for himself. Non-compliant inmates were taken to the Special Housing Unit to be locked in a cell with three other inmates twenty-three hours a day for a very long time. The cells down in the SHU were about the size of the average American’s bathroom. Four men living on top of each other in such a small space made for a living hell.

The warden’s tactic had been effective. You could hear a pin drop.

“As many of you already know, much of our state is seeing the worst wildfires in our state’s history, the evidence of which is falling all around you. The ash falling to the ground is only the first stage and will be the easiest for us to manage. The second stage of this disaster puts every one of us, staff and inmate alike, in great danger.

“Get us the fuck out of here!”

“You gonna let us die in here? You can’t do that!”

“We don’t wanna die!”

The inmates on the yard were on the brink of an all-out riot. Many began to run around in circles screaming at the four speakers on each end of the center guard tower. Richard laughed out loud when he realized most of the inmates thought the warden was addressing them from inside the tower. Richard knew the man was on the other side of the electric fence sitting comfortably in his gigantic office deep inside the Admin Building, talking into a microphone. The inmates began to pile up on the fence leading to the corridor that led out of the prison.

The Warden continued, “Please, please, you have to listen to me! Please, remain calm! Your lives depend on it, I promise you!”

That got the attention of the inmates, who continued to pile on the fence trying to get out. They didn’t stop their aggressive behavior; they did however, stay quiet enough for the Warden to continue.

“Thank you, I appreciate your cooperation. For the last twelve hours we have made preparations to lock the facility down and ride out the disaster. Our previous estimate led us to believe that we would have another twelve hours to prepare. That has changed. A massive cloud of smoke and ash was due to hit Highland Valley later tonight. However, a weather system twenty miles away has changed direction and will meet up with the smoke cloud, blowing it to us sooner than we had anticipated. The weather system will drop the smoke cloud into Highland Valley, keeping it on top of us for eight to ten hours.”

“Jesus, does anybody understand what that asshole is talking about? Is he speaking English?” asked Spider.

Richard knew he couldn’t make Spider understand weather systems, so he tried to dumb it down the best he could. “Spider, he’s saying the Smoke Monster from Lost is coming for us.”

Spider got angry with Richard. “Fuckin’ Smoke Monster? Dude on the speakers is making more sense than you, man. Jesus.”

“Dude, you’ve seriously never see Lost ?” Head began to laugh.

“Naw man, we didn’t have no TV when I was a kid.” Spider tried not to look embarrassed.

“For real man, best show ever made. No joke, you should check it out. It’s about these people who crash on some island, I’m gonna say Atlantis or some shit. Then some whispering dirty people kidnap the fat dude, the…uh…what was that guy’s name from Party of Five ? Fuck, never can remember. The doctor guy and I think like four other dudes. Then the bald guy and uh… it was Jack!! Yeah, that’s it. They blow up this underground house from the 1950s, had to be some old shit cuz the music was played on these mad huge black things as big as a dinner plate…”

Richard seriously enjoyed listening to Head confuse one of his favorite shows, but they didn’t have the time to listen to him tear J.J. Abrams masterpiece to shreds. “Head, shut up. I’m starting to wonder if you’ve actually seen the show or just listened to an Alzheimer’s patient describe it to you.”

The Warden continued, not having paused for Head’s review of Lost . “…..are confident that the air handlers in the cell blocks will keep the smoke out. What little smoke does enter the buildings will pass through air filters. I give my solemn word to each and every one of you that you will be safe. I also give you my solemn word that if you remain on the yard for another, uh… Kevin, how much time do we have? … forty-five minutes, you will die out here. Please, I am begging you, return to your assigned cells so that we can batten down the hatches and survive this disaster.”

The Warden had to wait through a full minute of quiet murmurs and inmates running back and forth talking with their respective gangs before large groups began to turn and walk to the cellblocks.

“Thank you gentleman. Let’s show the country that the Highland Valley State Prison is the best of the best.”

Richard didn’t move. He had to think about everything that the Warden had just said before he did anything. Tank, Head, and Spider looked to him for guidance. Richard would have a plan.