C16 Chapter Sixteen

John couldn't believe where his selfishness and recklessness had brought him. Tears rolled down his eyes as the prison gates clanged shut behind him and it echoed a finality that sent shivers down his spine. This was a whole new environment, this wasn't the Milburn mansion anymore and there were no servants nor cooks. And definitely, no one was going to call him "young master." He stood in the harsh, fluorescent-lit intake area as he thought about every wrong thing he'd done, "I really shouldn't have done all of this." He whispered to himself. His heart beat faster as the cold steel of handcuffs bit right into his soft wrists as the prison guards processed him. "God, what have I gotten myself into? If only I was calm and appreciated how lucky I was to be a member of that family, I wouldn't be here now." The thoughts kept coming and that made him regret more and more.

He was about to say a silent prayer before he heard Officer Thomas barking "John Milburn, from this very minute, you're now an inmate of Baxter State Penitentiary."

He needed no introduction, he knew this was going to be hell, "Oh hell no!" he said as his eyes darted nervously around his new surroundings.

"I'm gonna make it through this, and I'm gonna come out strong." He tried to assure himself while being led through a series of doors with heavy metals, each one sealing off a part of the outside world. "Oh fuck no!" John exclaimed as he finally found himself in the heart of the prison.

*****

Michael was covered with sweat as he danced to Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal. He was alone in the house and this was a celebration for the $10,000 that he successfully got from Melissa through the blackmail. She did exactly what was asked of her, she arranged the money in a briefcase and took it to the location she was given, dropped it at night then ran off. And then here was Michael rejoicing for the third time after getting the cash some days ago. "Oh yeah... That's what I'm talking about." He happily said, still trying to imitate Michael Jackson's moves.

"Come on... oh yeah!" He was happy to have successfully done the moonwalk. "This is the best month of this year." He said out of excitement.

*****

Baxter State Penitentiary, cacophony of voices, clanging bars, and distant echoes of despair enveloped John Ethan as he felt his hands getting so cold. The reality of his crime settled in as he approached the cellblock that would be his home in what could only be said to be a very long time.

The cell door creaked open, and his watery eyes saw a cramped space with a narrow bed and a small metal toilet. “Shit man, this place is shit for real,” the stale smell of confinement hung in the air. “I guess I do belong here, I can't stand to look at the faces of those I tried to kill.” As the door clanged shut behind him, the young man who tried to eliminate his entire household took a deep breath, attempting to steel himself for the challenges that would come in the future.

“So this is it? I'll just spend my life here now while that Mc boy takes my place and enjoys all the good things?” He was having mixed feelings with regret and anger at the moment, he felt bad for doing something so terrible but at the same time found part of himself giving him reasons why it was worth it.

His thoughts came to a pause when he heard someone sneer “Fresh meat!” that was his cellmate Gaviro, a weathered man with tattoos covering his arms. John was shocked to see someone with such tattoos, he was scared.

"What you in for, boy?”

John hesitated, his throat dry. "Attempted poisoning," he muttered, avoiding eye contact.

Gaviro chuckled darkly, it was actually no offence compared to what him or the other prisoners had done to be there. "Family troubles, huh? You'll fit right in." He added, still laughing.

“Let me ask you this, did you really do that or you were accused wrongly? I know you'll say you didn't do it.” He was trying to make fun of John, it was his habit to make fun of new inmates.

“I did it!” John admitted with a firm voice.

“Yeah I see tough guy, well hold on tight and put on your seat belt, you're about to have a rough ride in this damned place!”

*****

Anderson wanted to surprise Melissa, who he knew as Cara, he had just woken up from a nap and went straight to shower, wore some nice clothes and made sure he was smelling good. He had so much confidence in himself at the moment because Melissa had agreed to visit him the other day before their plans got changed because of the blackmail which changed her mood to not being emotionally ready for any hang out. But it was all over, he had helped her pay the money and was sure to earn a place as someone who could take care of her.

"I've got to be awesome!" He smiled to himself in the mirror.

Anderson wanted to stop by at Melissa's hotel and he was hoping that she'd be happy to see him, but he never knew that Melissa wouldn't be so happy to be seen, it was still risky to be discovered.

Reaching the hotel, Anderson stepped out of the car and pretended to check the time on his expensive wristwatch for a while, it was just a normal way of making the people around to notice he had something so precious on him. Just one look to the right and he saw Melissa coming back from getting groceries, it was always easy to identify her perfect figure approaching with her face covered in a hijab, which became a mask to hide her face whenever she was in public.

"Hey Cara, what's good? You're looking so damn..." His charming smile fell out from his face and Melissa couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm okay, you don't look bad yourself." She opened her arms as Anderson approached for a hug "mm... You smell so good," she didn't know why she said that, it just came out probably because that good looking man did smell really good.

"And I'm right here trying to stop sniffing your hair," Anderson said jokingly and they laughed still tight together from that hug, "I guess we won't remain like this forever," Mellisa said then pulled out of it.

"Tell me, how have you been Cara? I heard there was a shooting around here last night."

"Yeah but I'm a super woman. I wasn't scared." She joked and Anderson took a chance to see those beautiful teeth as she laughed behind the hijab.

"Superwoman, yeah? Then maybe you should save the city, it needs you." He played along as they went closer to the entrance and it was interesting.

"I'm not like other superheros."

"Oh tell me about it, superhero Cara." He was kidding

"The other ones save people for free, but I'll do it for money." They both laughed uncontrollably, Anderson always found her more interesting every time they had a conversation.

"Can you tell me one time you saved a person? Miss superhero?"

"Of course I do it everyday, I heal the hearts of many people with my beauty." She made a nasty wink and they bursted into laughter again.

"You are the most nasty person I've ever known, and interesting." The young man said and then put his arm around her shoulders like High-school lovers, they walked with smiling faces as each of them could feel the attraction, right in Mellisa's mind, she knew that if she walks into that hotel and this jacked young man follows her in, she will definitely fall under his spell and it wasn't safe.

The wind was blowing harder and just when Anderson was about to take his arm off her shoulders, his wristwatch clipped on Melissa's hijab and with the air blowing so hard, it fell back as Anderson pulled his hand away and right there was Melissa's face in front of him. He was shocked to know that the person he's spent nights thinking about, the person he'd fallen in love with and had wanted to please all this while was someone he tried to frame for murder. It was someone who was believed to have been killed in prison and she was someone he never thought he'd fall for.