Behind the Gate

by Renee Adams

  He’s still crowding in my space but I admit, I really like it. He has a strong presence, the kind that if he goes to speak, you listen, and those baby blues do not hurt matters. I wonder why there is no guard here. That scares me, like down to my toes. His words ‘Do you really think you are safe even with guards’ play in my mind. I guess I have always trusted people on face value.

  Once I gather my composure and put on the RBF, I ask him what he's being seen for today. Him answering, ‘you’, is not what I expected. My cheeks heat, I have to clench my thighs together to keep myself from moaning, because yes, please. I really want him to want me. He seems unaffected by my presence, so obviously he doesn't intend to lay me down and screw me. Jesus, I need to get laid, because whenever I look at this man all I can think about is sex. I need to dust out the cobwebs, because obviously if I am getting horny talking to an inmate then B.O.B. isn’t doing the job.

  I barely give Xavier and the guard time to leave the room before I barge in to check on Olivia. I could tell he did something because she has a slight tremble to her, and she is paler than her normal porcelain skin. What he did, I don’t know, she won’t say and that pisses me off to no end. But I did make her blush, which, by the way, is the most incredibly beautiful thing I have ever seen. My ego soars because I was beginning to feel like I was slowly losing my touch along with my sanity being locked up in this shithole. I want to reach out and touch her, but she looks like a scared kitten waiting to swat in defense, so I don’t think she would want to be comforted by the likes of someone like me.

  When she asks what I am being seen for, I can definitely tell she wasn’t expecting my response, and the blush that I receive in return causes my dick to stir. I feel like I could pound nails with my cock right now. Shower time is going to be another night of taking care of business so my balls don’t explode. I want her and it’s quickly turning into needing her, or better yet, needing a reaction out of her. But I don’t know her, and I have no idea why I feel this way.

  At this time a guard walks in, Josh I think is his name. Seems like an ok guy, but he stares at her a little too long for my liking.

  “What the hell is going on in here? Olivia, you know that you cannot be around an inmate without a guard! Are you trying to get your ass fired?” He is downright angry now. Don’t blame him, but I can’t help but growl at him. He ain’t talking to her that way.

  “Josh, as you can see I’m fine.” She looks ashamed that she was caught with me. I don’t blame her. I’m an inmate, I’ve done bad things in life, and I am sure that I will do more bad things when given the chance. Whether it be love them and leave them with many women, or beating someone to a pulp, she still shouldn’t be around me alone.

  “Don’t let it happen again! You’re lucky he’s not a murderer!” he yells out at us. I don’t understand what his deal is. He has a look of lust I his eyes that’s a little too wild for me, almost like he is obsessed with her. He must want to fuck her, but I bet not as much as me. Being in prison teaches you how to read people. Helps you avoid fights when you are in general population.

  “I’m sorry,” she mutters quietly.

  As soon as she says the words I’m instantly pissed. Who does this pansy ass wanna be cop think he is? She has nothing to apologize for. If he wants to come down on someone, it should be me.

  “Sweetheart, you don’t have to apologize,” I say looking into her eyes. It’s like the douchebag has faded away and its only me and her in the room. I see the blush creep up her neck again, and I feel like I have just won the Olympics. It’s a feeling that rushes straight through from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.

  “The fuck are you doing Olivia? Do you know this creep?” he roars at us.

  “Josh, no, I don’t know him and you are not my boyfriend, I don’t know what more you want me to say. I apologized, so let’s drop it.” And just like that, my dick is hard again. This little pixie of a girl has some fire and chops.

  A knock at the door stops all three of us. It’s Burton, I guess ready to take me back to my cell. Olivia backs away from both Burton and Dick Head Josh. I give one last look at her, wink and walk towards the door. I’m ready to go because the tension in the room is palpable almost like something that you could taste…pungent and powerful.

  What the hell just happened? I mean I am so confused, and now I have Josh looking at me like he wants to wring my neck, Burton glowering like always it seems and Damian just strutting away. It’s a damn fine strut, too. But that’s besides the point! One minute he is being this sweet man concerned for my safety, the next with Josh here, he seems like a dick.

  “Olivia, seriously, are you trying to lose your job?” Josh asks me with judgment written all over him. It’s kind of like we can all tell when someone is judging us, they look at you like you smell like shit. Oh well, I guess this is really just true colors coming through. I thought Josh was a nice guy, but I can see now that it’s probably not the case. The look on his face right now reminds me of one my mother would give me when I was a kid and did something wrong.

  “Josh, I am not trying to lose my job, he came in before I could stop him. But if you think you can come in and boss me around, then you got another thing coming. Because I am not your woman, nor will I ever be, and you are not my boss!”

  “Fine, Olivia. But I’ll be standing guard in the room while Burton escorts the inmates in and out, just to play it safe.” Cocky bastard backs into the corner glowering at me.

  I breeze through the rest of the inmates that are in line. Most are diabetics that need their feet checked, or have simple ailments, like athlete’s foot and jock itch. Nothing that requires any of them to come back to the clinic. Josh gives me one last look of disgust and books it out of there with a quickness. Oh well, if he is going to treat me that way after one date, he certainly isn’t the candidate I want to dust the cobwebs off. No love lost between me and him.

  Thankfully the rest of my day flies by and there no more run-ins with Xavier or Josh. Sadly that means no more running into Damian. I can say that I am actually sad about that. Something about that man both turns me on and scares me. His eyes are so intense like he is not just looking at your outer shell, but straight into your heart and soul. Never before have I experienced it. It’s terrifying because you feel as if you can hide no secrets, he knows them all.

  Jack is waiting on me when I get home, practically bouncing up and down to tell me that he has learned how to ride a bike without training wheels. I jump up and down with him because that’s amazing. I have tried and tried to show him, but he just wasn’t getting the hang of it. Sad that I didn’t get to see the first time, but it’s still awesome.

  “Go get your helmet on, I want to watch you ride around the yard.” And like a flash of movement out the corner of my eye, he is gone and getting his helmet.

  “I’m so ready, I can’t believe I did it, Mom!”

  “I always knew you could. Told you, you just had to believe that you could and straighten up that leg.”

  I sit on the front porch and watch him ride his bike proudly. I feel my cell phone buzz in my pocket. Hmmm, that’s odd, I don’t know this number. Ignore city then. Nobody has time for a wrong number these days, let alone a telemarketer. Brushing it off as nothing, I watch Jack as he makes it quite a few feet then just stopping all by himself. He is growing up so fast, that I don’t know what I will do when he is an adult. It’s always been just me and him. The thought of him older and possibly off at college has me wishing I could hold him and that will stop him from growing up.

  After dinner, homework, and a shower, we snuggle up on the couch and watch some TV. Jack is a huge wrestling fan so we always end up watching that. His face lights up in pure awe and excitement as he watches one of his favorite high flyers jump from the top of the ring, and it gives me joy to see my boy so captivated.

  “Mom, help me, I’m sick!” I hear being yelled from the bathroom at 2 am.

  “Coming baby.”

 
Rushing into the bathroom the poor boy is clutching the toilet like it’s a lifeline. He looks green around the gills and seems to have thrown up yesterday’s dinner. I’m exhausted but immediately jump into momma nurse mode. I get him a cold washcloth to put on his neck then go ready a trash can with a bag inside and bring him to my bed. After some medicine and watching some more wrestling in bed, he is safely asleep in my arms, running a fever. With a sigh, I text Mary to call off sick.

  We spend the day in bed eating soup and watching movies. He is such a nut for action movies. I’d never tell him, but those are my favorites too. I like having him watch chick flicks with me because it helps me teach him how to be a man and how a man should act. By the end of the day Jack is feeling better, puke and fever free. So thankfully he’s going to school tomorrow, and I can make it to work.

  Mary called earlier to tell me that since I was out today, I needed to cover on Saturday. My cell rings, and not even looking at the number I pick up so not to disturb Jack who is sleeping peacefully.

  “Hello.”

  “You’re gonna die, bitch.” Xavier's voice pierces the line, sounding like sandpaper on wood. It’s a unique sound, rough and edgy. You don’t doubt that his words carry the weight of what he means.

  “Who is this?” I ask, my insides are screaming at me in a panic, so it is making me doubt that it is even him on the phone.

  “The last person that will see you alive. I can’t wait to taste your blood on my lips. Can’t wait to hear your screams and watch you beg for me to end your suffering.” A sinister laugh fills the call before he hangs up.

  I look at the caller i.d. and it’s a private caller. I quickly run through my house and check all windows and door. I call my cell company to get details of where the call came from and they tell me that it was made from a payphone. I call the police and they take a report, but there is nothing they can do since it was from a payphone. Who knew payphones were still around because I surely didn’t? I know logically in my head that there are payphones at the prison, I also know logically that it was Xavier, but it’s like my head won’t wrap around the truth. Luckily Jack didn’t wake up through any of this or he would be freaking out. Hell, I’m freaking out! Sleep doesn’t come easy for me, I toss and turn all night until the alarm goes off in the morning.

  Dropping Jack at school I can tell he knows something is up. He was quiet on the whole ride, and I seem to be snapping more than usual at him. He couldn’t wait to jump out of the car and run into school by the time we made it there. I keep a close eye watching my mirrors in case anyone is following me, and I was too scared to stop somewhere that I didn’t even stop for my morning soda.

  Walking towards the clinic I hear, “Olivia, can I talk to you for a second?” Shit! It’s Rhonda, the prison Warden. Of course you can talk to me, you’re basically my boss is the words running through my head. We walk into the clinic, and I get the key from Cori to the med room. Seems like this is as private of a place to go to talk. Cori’s eyes get big when she sees who is standing behind me.

  “Olivia, it has come to my attention that you were alone with an inmate in the exam room in housing A two days ago, care to explain why? Because I am sure that you know that fraternizing with an inmate is grounds for dismissal.” The way this lady carries herself scares me, she is very no nonsense. I wonder if she has any friends.

  “Well, I had just gotten done with inmate Xavier Richards’ exam, he was being escorted back to his cell, when inmate Damian Shaw came in. It wasn’t intentional on my part to not have a guard, and inmate Shaw is new and might not have known protocol.”

  “Did Shaw threaten you?”

  “Not in any way, ma'am.”

  “You do realize how important it is to have a guard with you at all times, you know that you could lose your job for this, but seeing as how we have never had any kind of issue with you, we will let it slide this time. With a warning, of course. Next time you won’t be so fortunate. I expect that you have a guard at any and every time you are in the blocks. It would be a shame to lose you, Olivia, but you are easily replaceable.”

  With that, she walks out. I’m flabbergasted because I have never had any kind of disciplinary problems in the time that I have worked here, so I’m surprised that my first time came from Rhonda herself. I would have assumed Mary would have handled that. That lady is scary, and with the rumors that have gone around about her, she can handle her own in every situation.

  Now that my stomach has stopped trying to drop out of my butt, I am pissed. Josh had to have done this, the douchebag. I want to kick his balls up in his throat, but then I know I would really get fired. Putting the bitchface into place, I get set up for the day. Determined not to let Rhonda, Josh, or Xavier get me down.

  “What did she want?” Cori is practically squealing in excitement just knowing she might hear some gossip. I expect the foaming at the mouth to happen soon because this girl is ravenous for some juicy details. Gossip rarely happens in the clinic, so both she and I love to hear it whenever we can.

  “Nothing really, she just warned me because of the issue with Shaw during sick call the other day.” Cori already knew about the Damian incident because we text constantly when we aren’t at work.

  “Boo,” she says as if she is truly disappointed with the gossip.

  “Sorry bitch, next time it will be juicier,” sarcasm drips from my retort. She slaps my ass and walks away. She really is my other half in this crazy world. Cori is the type of girl that people gravitate towards because she is so friendly and bubbly. I, on the other hand, am not bubbly, so she brings it out in me.

  Walking into housing A, I get the butterflies in my belly and I know why. Damian. He has starred in more than one of my dreams at night; the tattoos, the eyes, just everything about him is so mouthwatering that a girl can’t help but to dream of him. I see that Burton is one of the guards today. Great, he’s a tool, but I can’t pick what guards are going to be where. Certainly is a step up from Josh, though. Just thinking about him has me seething. He is apparently paranoid about where he stands with me. Little does he know he stands nowhere near me and didn’t even before he tattled on me. He has just cemented that position because apparently he is a 2-year-old who tattles to their Moms.

  Walking down the corridor with Burton I notice that it’s silent. No inmates are talking which sends shivers down my spine. I instantly go on high alert because something is wrong, there is almost a crackle of electricity in the air. Making our way to Xavier and Damian’s cell, Burton starts opening the door.

  “What the fuck is this!” I hear him yell out, but before I can look up from grabbing my blood pressure cuff and Xavier’s meds, I see a flash of orange flicker in my peripheral and feel the most incredible heat I have ever felt. A blood-curdling scream echoes through the small cell and I look up to see that Burton is set up in flames, thrashing around violently. The smell, the smell is just overwhelming. I freeze in a panic, rooted to where I stand for a few seconds before I can jump into action. Nothing this heinous has ever happened at this prison. Oh my God! Doing the only thing I can, I shove my way into the room and push Burton down on the ground and out into the hallway, trying to get him to stop, drop and roll. But I know it’s too late. His movement has stilled as the flames settle, a thick, pungent smoke billowing from his body. I press my fingers to his charred skin to confirm what I already know and pieces of flesh come back on my fingers. Just as I reach for his radio to call for help, I see someone tower over me, and I know… I just know that this is the end.

  Holy Shit! That crazy motherfucker just lit that guard on fire. I think he was hoping it was Olivia, I didn’t even see him with anything. I’ve been watching this crazy bitch for days now and nothing. Looking over at him, he is smiling this cruel smile. He looks like a dog stalking his prey, just pure viciousness. I am waiting to hear the other guards, but I don’t know where they went to. They had to have heard this, hell the screams the guy let out should have been heard prison-wide. I guess
Xavier has more guards on his payroll than I thought because someone should be here by now. The other inmates are going wild in their cells making it hard to hear anything. Olivia is down on the floor over the guard. I know he’s gone, but she is trying hard to save him. Xavier stalks towards her, but I react on instinct and charge into the cell hitting that motherfucker in the back, crashing his head against the concrete wall. I grab Olivia by the arm and haul her to the guard’s room at the end of the hall, locking us in. I don’t think she realizes it’s me because she is thrashing about, kicking and clawing at me. But then again to her I am an inmate, so she has every reason to be scared.

  I force her down in a chair, she’s starting to panic, and I don’t have time for this right now. Looking out the window I can see that Xavier has the dead guard’s keys and is opening the cells to the other inmates. This is going to be a full on prison break. I have to get us out of here. Pandemonium is breaking out as inmates are released from their cells. They run through the corridor, screaming and shouting. A few have even gone over to the guard and are pissing on him and kicking at his lifeless form. It is doing nothing to help the smell of burnt flesh.

  “Olivia, is there some button to push for this, like a panic button or riot button or something?” I would assume prisons would have a panic button that would alert others of trouble, but I guess not.

  “H-h-huh?” Great. I don’t have time for a panic attack. I know she’s scared, but we have to move if I am going to save our lives.

  “Baby, look at me” I am trying to be soothing, but she’s frozen in place completely consumed with panic.

  “Bitch LOOK AT ME!” I roar in her face hoping to startle her into getting her head in the game. Even though trembling and covered in someone else’s gore, she is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. But now is not the time for that as Xavier is getting closer with a group of inmates and we are sitting ducks in here.