Nate was loaded onto a bus with a dozen other prisoners. There were four guards with rifles aimed at them in case anyone tried to make a break for it. Not that they could; the shackles on their hands and feet saw to that.
Eight hours later, the giant walls of Black Watch Asylum became visible from about a mile away. Black Watch was once a bustling city known for its vibrant nightlife. However, after a series of natural disasters rocked the city, it became abandoned as people found other places to live.
This left the government with a headache on what to do until a private company came forth with a proposal the government couldn't turn down. They repurposed the city into a prison unlike any other. Instead of bars and cells, the prisoners were allowed to live and roam in the city. It sounded like a haven for criminals, but this quickly proved a disaster.
The bus screeched to a halt in front of two massive gates. Prisoners walked out of the bus and lined up, standing shoulder to shoulder. A large, heavy-set man came lumbering towards them, pretzel in one hand and remote in the other.
“Welcome to Black Watch Asylum, ladies and gents.” The man smiled before waving his massive hand at one of the armed guards.
The armed guard clicked on a device attached to his ear and spoke. A minute later, a woman came out pushing a cart covered with a tarp. She placed it before the fat man before stepping back.
“This here is Black Watch Asylum. Does anyone know why you were sent here? Hmm?”
The fat man was quiet as he took a few more bites of his pretzel. His multiple chins wobbled as the man chewed with his mouth open, showing all the food in his mouth.
“I’ll ask a simpler question. We always seem to get the dumb ones. Does anyone know why these walls are here? Hmm?”
He asked again, taking another bite.
“Man, is yo fatass going to keep talking? Can we fucking get down to this shit or what?” A young white kid spoke.
“Ha! Are you confused, boy? Talking like that… Very well, let’s get on with it, shall we?”
The fat man held the pretzel in his mouth, freeing up his right hand to uncover the tarp, revealing shiny silver collars made of metal.
“Put it on.”
The fat man grinned, looking straight at the white kid.
“The fuck do I look like? A slave?! Miss me with that bullshit!” The young kid cursed.
Two guards approached the kid from behind and unlocked him from the chain, linking him to the rest of the prisoners. They pushed the kid forward, presenting him to the fat man who snapped the collar onto the kid’s neck. It seemed to lock itself as soon as it touched his skin.
The kid struggled and fought back. A kick to the groin brought down one of the guards. The other was shoved backward, falling over the downed guard. The kid, now free of shackles, ran as far as he could.
A mile of open road separated the large black walls of the Asylum and the large stretch of forest. If the kid made it and entered the tree line, he could stand a chance. The prison guards weren't aiming at him, and with every second, he drew closer and closer.
The fat man didn’t even look at the kid's sudden escape. He casually finished his pretzel and then licked his fingers. The other prisoners now grew anxious, wishing they had the chance to run and cursing their bad luck and cowardice for not speaking up earlier. It seemed the collar was an empty gesture.
The fat man held up the hand holding a black remote, then clicked his tongue, ensuring he got everyone’s attention. They all watched as he pointed at the white kid with the remote. Then he clicked a button.
All of a sudden, the kid seized up and fell. His seizing didn't end there as something continued to convulse throughout his body. The prisoners all watched with horrified fascination.
“This ain’t right! There are laws against this!” One person shouted.
“Ah, but you were sentenced to the infamous Black Watch Asylum. We do things a little differently here.”
The fat man waved his hands. A dozen armed guards walked up to the prisoners, collars in hand. The prisoners tried to resist, but it was futile. The armed guards enforced compliance. Eventually, they were collared and unshackled from the chain linking them.
“The wall is here, so nobody from the outside enters Black Watch Asylum. As for escape? Well, let’s say there’s never been a successful one yet. We'll know as soon as you leave the Asylum, and a single button will terminate that escape. Now, enjoy your stay at Black Watch Asylum.”
The kid was brought back from where he fell. He was frog-marched past the warden, who was talking to himself about whether he should get another pretzel or a donut from the break room.
The prisoners were loaded back into the bus as it proceeded past the gates and into the city. Nate looked out the window, stunned as the dark and ominous city unfolded.
Everyone knew the rumors about this prison. The public even tried to have it shut down after multiple reports of missing persons made headline news. It seemed the city was making national news every year, and despite the aggressive boycotts, Black Watch Asylum was still allowed to operate.
The bus navigated through a desolate metropolis where the air seemed to perspire fear and uncertainty. Gang markings were visible in some neighborhoods, but each had life and its hustle and bustle as people went about their day. It was strangely normal for the most part, which excited the prisoners on board the bus. Their eyes glued to the windows, pointing things out to each other and whispering things.
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The bus stopped in a parking lot surrounded by several stores. It looked like an old commercial district, but now it was a bunch of ruined buildings with cracked-out windows and people hiding in every corner. A single obelisk-like tower stood erect in the middle of the city block, an unnatural building that seemed out of place.
“Get it moving!”
One of the prison guards shouted. They began escorting the prisoners off the bus and pulling on those who were too slow, beating those who refused to move. Once they were out of the vehicle, the bus returned from where it came.
The prisoner group on the bus huddled together and watched as the prisoners from Blackwatch gathered before them. Nate’s never been to prison, but he’s seen enough movies to know what to do. He began looking for people of his complexion.
Spotting them in the distance, he contemplated briefly before walking over to them. Several of his contemporaries saw what he was doing and did the same. Slowly, the new prisoners were absorbed by the Blackwatch prisoners.
The group Nate walked towards were dressed like any other prisoners, but their skin color was what drew Nate. He moved towards the group with two other prisoners trailing behind him. A large black man separated from the group and walked in their direction.
The other two hesitated, but Nate continued his stride. He had to look up as the man approached. The large man was at least seven feet tall and three hundred pounds—all muscle.
The giant of a man stopped a foot away from Nate. His head lowered until his eyes met with Nate’s. A mean-mugging expression on his face had Nate tensing up. He wasn’t afraid, not after what he’d been through; he was on edge, though.
“This one has heart.” The mean mugging giant laughed, looking back towards his group. The group laughed along with him and nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, the large man swung his fist towards Nate, punching him. Nate saw stars as he fell to the ground, his whole head throbbing in pain. The large man motioned the other two black prisoners forward.
“Don’t flinch.”
The large man swung at one of the prisoners, but they instinctively leaned back.
“Don’t flinch bitch!” The large man yelled.
The second time around, the new prisoner begrudgingly took his punch to the jaw. The last prisoner followed by example, taking the punch without flinching, although his glasses flew off as the punch spun his head around.
“This is G Block. Y'all can call me Gorilla.”
Gorilla walked back towards the group of other prisoners. Nate followed, nodding to other group members.
Looking around at the other gangs, Nate saw that each had similar initiations. However, some remained loners, choosing not to affiliate with any group.
A loud, blaring noise filled the sky. The group of prisoners all began walking towards the tall obelisk. Nate was confused, but he followed, waiting to ask questions. The loud blaring noise went on for a few more minutes before going out.
“What was that?” He asked when he finally got his hearing back.
“Lunch time.” One of the prisoners responded.
The prisoners lined up against the black obelisk in the city center. Nate noticed metal bars sticking out of the black wall for the first time. These metal bars were detachable. Following another prisoner's example, Nate went up to one of the metal bars and pulled on it.
It was like a detachable faucet hose. Nate pulled the metal bar from the wall, placing it on his collar. The collar made a dinging sound, and then a panel in the black wall opened up, revealing food rations.
“Remaining balance: 0” Appeared on the wall in dark green letters. It drew Nate's attention briefly before he picked up his things and returned to the group. He observed his surroundings as he walked by.
Black Watch Asylum is roughly five miles long. The whole city was boxed in by large black walls that rose into the sky fifty feet up. Males, females, and races from all walks of life are sheltered together here.
The group led Nate and the new inmates down the streets of the old city for a few miles as Gorilla continued explaining things.
“This is our neighborhood. The Whites’ territory is to the northeast, and the northwest belongs to the Asians. The East belongs to the Mexicans. The center is for ‘others’ and all those who remain unaffiliated. As for the South, well, you’ll find that out tomorrow.”
Gorilla wasn't his real name; it was Leo. He was the chosen leader of this group. However, what he told Nate and the new prisoners completely shocked them.
“This ain't like how ya'll seen in them corny ass movies. We’re not split into these groups to fight each other; maybe it was like that at one point, but we not rocking with that no more.”
Leo turned to the South with a thousand-yard stare.
“You’ll experience things here beyond your wildest imaginations. I’d tell you, but you wouldn’t believe me, and I'm not wasting my time. If you wish to survive, I suggest you adapt quickly.”
He turned to them and looked each one of them in the eye. "One thing you'll need here is unflinching courage. You need heart if you want to survive in here. You understand me?"
Nate and the newcomers nodded. Leo nodded back, then walked over to a house and entered. Nate thought he saw a little girl staring out from the top window. The curtain collapsed shortly after, and the girl disappeared. That’s when Nate came to a realization.
“There are kids here?” Nate asked.
Even though he was only seventeen himself, there had to be babies that were born here, seeing as how men and women were both locked in here without guards to keep them from doing things.
“That depends.” A black dude with a large afro said.
Nate tried to recall his name again but couldn’t remember. He met too many people today.
“Some of the pregnant women notify the authorities. They get good care and have their babies in a real hospital, but as soon as the baby is born, their ass get tossed back in here - without the baby.
Those who choose to birth their baby here risk all sorts of shit, but if they survive, they get to keep their baby and raise it. Most parents prefer the first option.”
“What do you mean?” One of the other new inmates asked the one with the glasses.
“What kinda life that baby gon’ have livin' here? If the baby even survives till childhood, then what? Kids get snatched up playing on the streets by themselves, used as hostages, ransoms, and even just plain rape, and that was in the world beyond these walls where law and order reigned supreme; just imagine what would happen to a kid in here? Without the law holding people back? Some sick fucks into that sort of shit.”
“What’s to the South? And what did Leo mean by ‘We’ll find out tomorrow?’” The other prisoner asked.
“You’ll find out tomorrow.” The Afro dude said, waving the question away. “For now, pick a house and get some sleep; you'll need it.”
Nate and the two new prisoners looked at each other silently. They stood on the street, unsure of what to do. There wasn’t much activity, even though it was only four. The sun was still out, yet everyone seemed to shelter inside their homes.
“What were your names again?” Nate asked.
“Aidan.” Aidan was a gangly black dude with glasses and pimples all over his face. Nate surmised he was a young teen like him.
“Jodie.” Jodie was early twenties and reminded Nate of a construction worker—either that or a lumberjack.
“Nate.”
“Where do you think we should crash?” Aidan said to no one in particular.
“Y’all can do what you want to. I’m about to find something warm to cuddle up with before it gets dark.” Jodie said with a large grin as he walked down the street.
Aidan looked at Nate with one eyebrow quirked as if asking if they should go, too.
“Nah, we don’t know much about this place. If the others went inside so early, something must be up. Let’s find somewhere to sleep.”