Oblivious by Jamie Bowers Read Free Book Online Page B

with crutches and sit in the stiff chair, staring through the bars at a world outside the walls of Hampton Penitentiary. Often he wondered if his life would have been for the better if he did live this far from the city. Was there less to care about in a life out here, or do you just care about different things on a different level.
    Nearly a week since Warden Tanner said he needed to be in his cell and Joe was waiting to be taken back. Sitting on the edge of his bed, he fastened the top button of his orange shirt, feeling the rough weave of the material already making his skin itch. He looked down at his number ‘#63548’ and caressed it gently with his hand in the hope that this was still a dream and the number would rub off. Slowly standing, not to aggravate the injuries he could still feel, he knocked the bedpan with his cumbersome shoe which made it slide further under the bed. As he looked down at the spinning bedpan, the door opened and three prison guards entered the room followed by Captain Richards. Standing in front of Joe, Richards slowly took his baton from his waist and pressed the end firmly against the number stamped on Joe’s uniform.
    ‘You see that number?’ Joe looked down at the end of Richards’ hand pushing the baton, ‘that means that I own you. Whilst you are here, Parcoli, I am in charge and that number means exactly that. You are just a number to me and I don’t care if you are here for blowing up a bus full of church goers or stealing a lollipop from a five year old. You are a criminal and you will be treated like one.’
    Richards nodded to the other guards as he slid the baton back into its holder on his waist. Two of the guards stepped forward and grabbed Joe by an arm each as the other cuffed his hands behind his back.
    Richards held the door open as the guards led Joe into the corridor. ‘We won’t have any trouble with this one now, will we boys?’ One of the guards smiled and nodded as he walked out holding Joe’s arm. Richards was happy in the thought that he and his men made a physical and mental mark on Joe. As the guards ushered Joe along the corridor, he saw Francis in a neighbouring room seeing to another inmate. She glanced at him but didn’t make any reaction to him leaving. Joe thought that she would take care of him, but he hasn’t seen her since his run-in with Tanner, it was always another nurse who came to his bedside. He bowed his head as he walked past the room, trying not to let anything on to the guards as this could result in her to losing her job and they would both get into trouble. As they got to the end of the corridor, they stopped at the doors to the elevator.
    Doctor Gable shouted from the office opposite. ‘What is going on here?’ He quickly came to the door with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, ‘I haven’t authorised this man to leave. Put him back in his room.’ The guards stared at the elevator doors as the sound of the carriage got closer.
    ‘It’s the Warden’s orders.’ Richards exclaimed, ‘He wants him back in his cell tonight.’ Gable placed his hand on Richards’ arm trying to turn him around.
    ‘I haven’t authorised him to leave yet, there is still some tests I want to do. I have someone I am seeing tomorrow who should shed some light on everything.’
    Richards slowly turned towards Gable. ‘Is he walking, Doctor?’ he said as he stared Gable in the eyes.
    ‘Well, yes.’ said Gable as he took the cigarette from his mouth, ‘but he can’t leave yet, I won’t let it.’ Richards turned back towards the elevator as it arrived. One guard opened the gate and led them all in.
    ‘All that matters here is that he can walk,’ Richards stated as they turned to face the doctor, ‘if you have a problem with me helping your workload to decrease, take it up with the Warden. These are his orders.’
    The guard pulled the gate shut as Gable stood with a look of displeasure. The elevator slowly descended down the shaft, the cold