Collapse (New America)

by Richard Stephenson

  "Sure thing. You guys gonna work in all the units?" The cellblock guard walked back to the door and opened it.

  "I hope not. I’m sure Landry has crews in the other buildings doing the same work. At least I hope he does. I wanna get the fuck outta here as quick as possible."

  "Me, too. When that shit started falling out of the sky, I was talking to Morales. He said that most of the staff not directly supervising inmates was already headed out the front lobby."

  "That doesn't surprise me. Can't say I blame ‘em. Smoke is getting pretty thick. I'm kinda scared to go out there. Probably have to crawl on our hands and knees just to be able to see anything."

  Two of the foremen came out of the hallway with two fifteen-foot ladders and set them up under the fans. The cellblock guard locked the door to the back hallway and went into his office to use the phone as the foremen began work on the fan. First, they took off the security cages. Next, they took the fan blades out so they could reach the motor. When the fan blades were passed down and put on the floor, Richard made his move.

  Richard dashed from the closet with a mop handle he had broken in two. He banged the mop handles on the wall to signal his fellow inmates to come out of hiding. Tank, Spider, and Head suddenly appeared from different areas of the cellblock. The five staff members just looked at them in complete confusion as the four inmates surrounded the staff members. Richard looked at the other men and motioned for them to stand down and follow his lead.

  "You guys lost?"

  "Nope. We're right where we need to be."

  "You don't live in this unit. You get stuck in here outta bounds? You aren't making it back to your unit just now. You can wait it out in here. I got an empty cell for you to stay in." The cellblock guard started walking toward the bottom tier of cells.

  "Not going in a cell," said Richard.

  "Is that right? And just where exactly do you think you're going?"

  "Out there."

  All five of the staff members started laughing. One of the foremen spoke up. "Pretty funny. You know it’s like a horror movie out there. You guys wanna die?"

  The cellblock guard swallowed his laughter and joined in, "And just how do you expect to get out there?"

  Richard looked at Tank and nodded his head. Tank stepped up and punched the cellblock guard in the stomach. The guard fell to his knees and hit the alarm on his radio. The other staff members looked at Tank in complete terror. They knew that the six foot nine inch monster could kill all of them in under a minute if he wanted to. One of them knelt down to help the cellblock guard.

  One of the foremen keyed up his radio. “We have an emergency in Cellblock A, four inmates out of bounds! Officer assaulted! We need help in here!"

  "Uh-oh! Looks like nobody's coming!" Spider peered at the terrified staff with a look of mock terror on his face. The inmates in the cellblock were watching the show from their cell windows. They were hollering and cheering on Richard and his men.

  Richard silenced Spider with a glance. Once Spider calmed down, Richard addressed the five staff members. "Gentlemen, let's just take it easy. We are not going to hurt you unless you give us a reason to hurt you. If you do as you’re told, everything will be fine."

  "If you think we are gonna help you escape, you're wrong!" one of the foremen screamed.

  "Sir, I wouldn't dream of it, I assure you," Richard said calmly. “The only thing I expect you to do is stay out of the way and behave yourselves. Now, this is what you’re gonna do. I want you to line up outside the officer's station and sit Indian style with your hands on top of your heads. If you attempt to get up or lower your hands, Tank here will make you regret the decision."

  The injured cellblock officer sat up and tried to catch his breath. The five men didn't move; the last thing they wanted to do was take orders from an inmate.

  "Tank? Would you please escort these gentlemen and see to it that they follow directions?"

  "I'd love to! C'mon, sweethearts, you heard the man! Get movin’!” Tank balled up his fists and bowed out his chest to the five men. They quickly followed Richard's instructions. Tank rejoined the group and asked, "What's the plan, Richard?"

  "Well, our friends here have done half the work for us. The cage is gone, and the fan blades have been removed. We just have to figure out a way to get the motor busted out of the frame so we can get down."

  "You expect us to jump fifteen feet down on the other side?" asked Head.

  "Not at all. We really can't afford a broken leg with the trip we’re going to have to take. You and Spider search the guard's office, then search the laundry room and all of the closets for anything you can make a rope out of. In fact, get the guard's keys and search that empty cell he was talking about. Get the mattress outta there and anything else we can use."

  "I'm on it," Head grabbed Spider by the arm, and they went in search of any materials that might be useful for the journey ahead.

  The cellblock was suddenly filled with a thunderous racket as inmates began kicking and banging on their doors. As inmates screamed at the top of their lungs, the noise was so deafening that it was impossible to tell what anyone was saying.

  Tank leaned over to Richard and screamed in his ear, "What the hell’s going on? What are they screaming about?"

  Richard yelled in Tank's ear, "We have to hurry! We don't have much time!"

  "Why?" Tank screamed.

  "Because the smoke is starting to pour into the cells! If it trips the smoke alarm, these fans are going to kick on and make things much harder for us!"

  "What do you want me to do?" shouted Tank.

  "Get up on that ladder, and see if you can get that motor out of the way! Hurry!"

  Tank grabbed a handful of tools and climbed the ladder to get a look at the fan motor. Lucky for them all, Tank had spent his youth repairing cars and motorcycles; he was no stranger when it came to mechanics. He quickly removed bolts and screws. The motor was almost free of its casing when Tank yelled down to Richard, "The motor is welded to the frame at the top on both sides!"

  "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 pillow case 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.”

  Richard, Spider, and Head grabbed a mattress in each hand and carried them the fifty yards to the fence line. Tank was pulling on the rope with both hands; he was either going to snap the rope at the knot or pull the motor frame out of the wall.

  As he walked back to the fence Richard said, “Hey, Head! See those thin wires sticking out six inches from the fence?”

  “Yeah, what are they?” asked Head.

  “A sort of trip wire. If you grab onto it and try to climb up the fence, your weight will yank the wire from the clip and snare you up like animal.”

  “Throw the mattress at it?” Head asked.

  “That’s the idea, right there in front of us at the top. Ready .... go!”

  Both men threw their mattress at the same point. The weight of the mattresses pulled down on the wires and snapped them free. The wires broke way from their casings and tangled up in the mattresses.

  “Holy shit! That coulda been one of us!” Spider was impressed with Richard’s problem solving skills. “How’d you figure that out?”

  “Well, Spider, I didn’t know,” Richard said, studying the obstacle they would have to defeat. “I knew we’d need the mattresses for the razor wire. Once I saw those wires sticking out, wasn’t hard to figure out what they did. Pretty much the same way a snare traps a rabbit.”

  “Now we just need to get a mattress up on that razor wire,” said Head.

  “Right you are. Go right ahead, Head,” Richard smiled at him.

  “Yeah, yeah, fuck off, I got it.” After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, Head was able to get the mattress to rest on the razor wire atop the fence. By that time, Tank had joined them with the rope.

  “What broke first? The rope or the frame?” Richard was quite curious.

  “The frame. Snapped a bolt and the rope came down.”

  “Outstanding! We’re gonna need it. We need to hurry; we don’t have a lot of time.” Richard was indeed correct. The wind had been blowing around the back of the building, keeping the smoke from getting too thick. The wind stopped suddenly, like someone had flipped a switch, sending the smoke billowing down on them like a dense blanket. It was hot and stung their eyes. Tank howled like a wounded lion as he pressed his palm to his eye and pushed as hard as he could. The pain dropped him to his knees.

  “We have to get out of here, now! If he can’t get over the fence, we leave his
ass here!” Head looked to Spider for support, Spider nodded in silent agreement.

  “We are not leaving Billy here to die! He’s gonna make it over the fence, same as us!” Richard spoke with an urgent finality, daring Spider and Head to spite him.

  “What the hell are you gonna do?” Spider said over muffled coughs.

  “Give me a bottle of water,” answered Richard. He took the bottle from Spider and untied a t-shirt from around his left elbow. The ex-Navy SEAL laid the shirt out on the ground and put two scoopfuls of dirt in the center. He then poured the bottle of water over the dirt, making a ball of mud. Richard rolled up the shirt and poured the rest of the water out of the bottle. He had made a cold compress.