Richard Stephenson - Collapse

“Can you push it out? If you can’t we’re all gonna die in here!” Richard gave Tank an uncompromising look. His life was in the hands of the man at the top of the ladder. If he failed, they were all dead.

“Don’t worry, Killer! I got this! Get the rope ready!”

Richard turned to discover the five staff members were no longer sitting down as they were instructed. They were scrambling towards the front door, trying to get out.

“STOP! NOW! You go out that door and you’ll be dead in a matter of minutes! Get back here!”

The cellblock guard was fumbling with his keys as he tried to open the door. The other men took up an aggressive posture, ready to fight Richard. Richard approached them and put up his hands in a gesture of truce. “Just listen to me! If you don’t know what to do out there, you’ll be dead before you get to the front gate!”

The five men didn’t listen. The front door was opened, and they disappeared into the smoke. Richard knew the smoke would quickly overtake them, and they would lose their bearing. They would probably wander around the yard, lost, then collapse and die.

Richard dismissed the five men as their fate was no longer in his control. He turned his attention to Spider and Head. Head came down the stairs with an armful of laundry and threw it near the ladders. Spider emerged from the mop closet with a twelve-foot extension cord.

“How’d you get that?” Richard asked. “Wasn’t it locked up inside a cage?” Inside the mop closet was a large, padlocked locker containing cleaning chemicals and other assorted supplies. The grand prize was a twelve-foot extension cord.

“Got the keys from one of the guards before he made a break for it.”

A layer of dense, black smoke was gathering high in the ceiling. The majority of the inmates had stopped kicking and banging on their cell doors. They had either passed out or simply given up. Richard looked down the row of cells and could tell that the smart convicts were lying on the floor with their mouths to the crack under the door, desperately trying to get any air they could.

Richard pointed to Head. “Go into the office and get the cell roster. Look for any unassigned cells. Check them for anything we can use — bed sheets, mattresses. Let’s go! Hurry up!”

Next he turned to Spider. “You do the same thing in cells that have been assigned but are currently empty. Find a laundry bag or pillowcase and fill it with any food and water you find. And make sure to look for work boots.” When the inmates were sent back to their cellblocks, not every inmate would have returned. Inmates housed in the infirmary still maintained their cell in the cellblock. Inmates working in the chow hall or in the prison factory might still be at their jobs. Richard only needed one cell that met these requirements.

Head started throwing mattresses toward the ladder. He even managed to find a few bed sheets. Richard quickly took everything and made a rope from the extension cord and the bed sheets. It would have to be sturdy enough to support Tank’s three hundred and twenty-five pound frame. Richard looked up to Tank who was pounding on the motor, slamming it back and forth.

Richard yelled up the ladder, “How we coming up there, Billy?”

Tank managed to grunt out, “Almost there! I popped one side; just have to get the other side out!”

“Good, keep it up! We’re gonna be ready to roll in a few minutes!”

Spider came down the tier with a load of laundry in one arm and a pillowcase stuffed to the brim in the other. “Jackpot! There’s gonna be two unlucky bastards gonna be wishin’ they’d stayed in their cell! Took all their commissary and got a pair of work boots, too. Gonna run back and get the mattresses.” Spider dropped his cargo by the ladder and quickly returned to the cell.

“Finally! Fucking bitch! YES! Okay, the motor’s out! What next?”

Richard started passing mattresses to Tank. “Toss these down on the ground directly underneath the hole!” When he was done he motioned for Tank to come down. By that time, Spider returned with two more mattresses.

“Okay, start putting on as many clothes as you can. If something doesn’t fit, wrap it around your arms and legs.”

“It’s hot as hell out there! I’m not wearing all of that shit!” Spider was angry and not getting the point.

“You fall from that hole down to the ground, you’re gonna wish you had on a whole lot of padding. We also have to make it over the fence. Stop your crying and trust me! We’re running out of time! Just do what you’re told and do it quick!”

“Okay, man, sorry!” Spider did what he was told and started putting on layers of clothing.

Richard glared at Spider to ensure he was done talking. “Okay, take a shirt, soak it with water and wrap it around your face, it will help with the smoke.” Richard grabbed a thermos from the pile and began to soak his own shirt. They wrapped up their heads and waited for further instruction.

“Okay, Spider, you’re the smallest, get up there. Tie this rope to the frame and climb down. When you get down there, make sure the mattresses are in the best spot to catch us in case somebody falls.”

“What about the guards riding around the perimeter with guns?”

“Oh, I’m sure they’re long gone by now. If they’re out there, they probably couldn’t see you anyway. Let’s go! Get up there!”

Spider climbed up the ladder and tied off the rope to the frame. Tank fed him the rest of the rope with the laundry bag tied to the other end. Spider lowered the rope to the ground.

“Fuck! The rope’s not long enough!”

“How far off the ground is it?” Richard yelled up the ladder.

“At least three or four feet!”

“Big fucking deal, you moron! You scared to jump a few feet? Stop being a baby!” Tank was about ready to shake Spider from the ladder.

“Okay! Fuck! Just thought you should know! Damn! OK, here I go!” Spider lowered himself down the rope. Once his feet hit the laundry bag he jumped to the ground. “OK! I made it!”

“Head, you’re next. Get moving!”

Head nodded to Richard and proceeded up the ladder. Once Spider was done arranging the mattresses, he gave Head a thumbs up and grabbed the end of the rope to stabilize his descent. Head quickly lowered himself down.

“You’re up, Billy. Time to leave this hell hole and venture out into a worse one.”

“Damn right, I could use a change of scenery.” Tank climbed the ladder and was just barely able to fit through the hole. He grabbed the rope and climbed down to the half way point, jumping the rest of the way down. He landed with a thud and screamed, scaring the living shit out of Head and Spider. Tank laughed and mocked the two men like they were little girls.

Richard landed on the ground next to them. The three men waiting for him were astonished at how quickly he made it down the rope. If they hadn’t known any better, they would have been convinced that he jumped from the hole in the wall directly to the ground.

“Jesus, Richard! How’d you do that?” Head was nearly impressed enough to begin a round of applause.

“Be quiet, all of you, and listen! We finally caught a break, as you can tell.” Richard looked up at the sky, which was relatively smoke-free for the time being. “We don’t have long until the smoke starts pouring in over the top of the building; we can’t afford to waste a second.”

The three men nodded in agreement.

“First, keep the wrap over your face at all times and make sure it’s wet. The wet cloth will help keep the smoke out and make it easier to breath.” Richard looked around and surveyed his surroundings. “Now, we need to get these mattresses over to the fence. Tank, grab the rope and yank it down.”