Freedom Games
"Inmate: 26715, step forward. You have two minutes to explain why you should be in the Freedom Games." I step forward and lift my head up. I glance in his direction, his smile, that smile I wanted to end. I turn my head at the officer behind me and focus back on the warden. "Warden John, I want to participate in the Freedom Games. I want to start fresh, I messed up once and it won't happen again. Please accept me, I'll do anything." The Warden glances at me, studying me, my heart begins to pound. I keep my eyes straight. The warden goes through my files, records, and medical history. "Now I see you're ex military. Well I think that can be an unfair advantage to the rest of the inmates." Warden John takes off his glasses and rubs his eyes, red, irritated, and tired.
I love that look in his eyes, the weakness in him. He ran his left hand through his pale white hair. He looks at me," So why do you think you should join the games?" I thought about it. "I just can't be here anymore, I want to go back to my family, back home." The warden smiles at me and hands me my files. "Congratulations, welcome to the 18th Freedom Games." I froze and uttered, "Th… Thank you Warden John. Thank you so much." The warden smiles at me. "No thank you." The officer turns me around and shoves me to begin walking. The heavy, bulky chains make noise with my each step. I thought to myself, soon I'll be free from these chains. One thing I can’t wait to be free from.
The cell door locks tight behind me, I rub my wrist from the restraints that tightly held me. I walk over to my radio and turn the volume on low. Walking to my bunk I slide my hands under my pillow, I take out a small faded picture of my wife. Thinking about what I did was wrong. Chasing the images that haunted me for what seems like a lifetime. I gently rub my head, thinking about what is coming up ahead. I rush to the door and call the guard. “Yes, inmate?” He asked me. “Sir when is the Freedom Games?” I ask impatiently. The guard thinks about it scratching his five o'clock shadow. “I believe its in one week.” I immediately begin thinking of a plan that is best for my survival. Thinking what is best to start with for survival. I think of my military training, all of the countless push-ups, the endless running, and the brutal fighting. I take a fighting stance, CQC, close quarter combat, is the basic of all fighting.
Five days have passed and I still don’t know what I'm going up against. I begin reading a book about all sorts of edible and poisonous berries. A few guards pass my cell, I decide to ignore it. I hear a tap on my wall, i knew exactly who it was. Blake Woods, crazy but cool. I reach and tap back. I looked at what the time was, not to long before we get our free time. I get up and start to clean my cell, I make my bed, clean up my books, and turn off my radio. A minute passes by and my door slides open. I slowly walk out to see Blake. “What's up man?” I ask shaking his hand. “same s*** different pile.” I laugh at what he says. “man, I got accepted into the freedom games.” I give him a nudge. “Really? Man you're really in that?” He studies my face. “Yeah man, I want to get out of here. Even if i do die i'm not going to die in this prison. ” He laughs at me. “You're crazy man.”
The next morning I wake up to a flashlight in my face. “Inmate time to wake up. ” I groan wanting more sleep. “What time is it?” I asked, flashlight still shining in my face. ” Its four in the morning, now get up and shut the hell up!” I groan and roll out of bed. "Hurry up inmate!" The guard yells. "Hey don't wake up my neighbors." I laugh at him. The guard shoves me to start walking. One guard in front of me and one behind, I didn't have any cuffs on. We continue walking throughout the prison, to a part that I never recognized. The air felt dense, smelt strange. The guard stops walking and so do I. "Go through those doors and you'll make it to your destination. Good luck." I nod to him and I walk through the door. The whole atmosphere changed. It was cold, dark, almost demented. I see lights coming for the door in front of me. I rub my arms to get warm. I walk through the door to see 63 other inmates, some I've seen, some I knew, all staring at me. "Glad you can join us! Now we can get started!" I look up so see the warden smiling at me.
End of chapter one