Part XXIII:
“You’ll know when I am ready,” Cliff quickly closed the door on the conversation.
With the rest of his time outside, Todd simply strolled around the area, almost doing laps. His mind was preoccupied with the thought of a nice drink, which he hoped to enjoy that evening before bed. He walked swiftly, with his eyes focused on his feet walking in rhythm directly below his legs. Still, after all that had occurred in his recent past, he was able to become completely encapsulated in a given moment. Nothing mattered to him except the planting of his heel and the slow progression to the ball of his foot. Again and again, he continued, as if nothing else was going on around him.
Rrrriiinnnnggg! The loud, electronic bell echoed out from the speakers positioned on the facade in different spots of the building. It was an excruciatingly unpleasant sound, particularly designed to get the attention of all the inmates, to let them know that their time outside had come to an end. As per the usual, one ring was not enough. The basketball game continued, as if nothing else was going on. Until the guards came walking around to break things up, none of the inmates seemed to care that they were being summoned.
Amidst the commotion outside, Todd couldn’t wait to get back to his cell and check if the flask was there waiting for him. Unnoticed by anybody, he made his way up the steps to his second floor cell. He found the pace of his steps increasing as he made it ever closer to his open cell. Grabbing an outside bar, he swung quickly into his cell and quickly lifted up his pillow.
To be continued…
