The Lies That Confine by John Reeves (the reading list .TXT) 📖

an example to the others. There was just this rage that had built up inside of me, so when he shoved me in the back I sort of lost it a bit. The beat down the ensued was not worth it, but that's not saying it'd never happen again either.

I went for two weeks into the hole. The hole is very dark with a dirt floor. If they bring you something to eat it usually gets the floor dirt all over it. They don't always feed you in the hole, and when they do bread and water was usually the meal. The warden let it be known we weren't in Disney Land, which I don't think one man inside the joint ever thought it was. Sometimes when it rained real hard the dirt floor would become mud. That seemed to be the only time you managed any relief from the rats and mice. I wondered if the rats knew I couldn't see them in the dark, as they were not afraid to run up and bit the hell out of you. The hole stinks of raw sewage as the luxury of a toilet are gone. You can't write your local congressman about it either. I have seen them beat an inmate to death and, I am sure the report was written up much different than the truth.

"Are you still alive in there today, or did we get lucky?"

When spoken to in the hole you become worse than trash. I've even seen them stop an piss at the bottom of the door where it soon seeps inside the hole. It's bad enough smelling your own piss but, to smell the piss of another is worse. You never really knew how long any one specific stay might be. There's a train that runs every night, and in some strange was it soothing to hear.

It was a cold rain falling when the floor began to flood. As I sat in the corner it felt as if water was running below me. I instantly turned around kicking at the loose brick. I could feel in moving behind ever blow of my bare foot. I stopped kicking to ask my self some important questions. What was on the other side of the brick wall? Would there be a guard waiting to shoot me. I continued to kick the brick out of the wall. I stuck my head out as far as it would go to see what was out there. The other bricks weren't easy to remove as the first on had been, soon I had three of them out. I knew when I got the forth one out I could fit through the hole. I continued to work at it as quickly as I could knowing a guard could show up at any moment.

Once outside I noticed to be on the very back of the prison. There was a portion of broken fence and, that's where I made my escape. I had no shoes and a bright orange prison jumpsuit. I ran off into the woods as fast as I could, the pain of my shoeless feet didn't stop me at all. I knew any jump I could get on them was better for me. It was tough running through the dark woods with rain pouring down very heavy. I couldn't remember the last time I had ate something, my strength to run became of my falling to the ground. I then rolled off a slope tumbling down between two trees. I had nothing more in me to keep going, I even thought if they find me I made a good run at it. I just laid between those two trees sucking rain water off the saturated leaves. By the time the morning light began to come through the trees I noticed how far I had fallen and, knew why I might never had been found.

Escaped convict is what I was but, the simple truths were I was not guilty of anything. I had done nothing to have to fend for my life, to remain free was all I could think about. I really wanted to see my little girl but, I feared the authorities had already gone there. In the mountain side I ate insects or anything I could find. It was a step up from being in the hole. This was a procedure that would be one step at a time. I walked the entire next day drinking from pools of water between rocks, eating wild berries, and moving as quickly as I could, to get as far away from Stone Mountain as I possibly could. I never felt as if time were on my side. There was always the constant feeling they were closing in on me, or worse had me trapped in waiting for me.

"I want that son of a bitch found before sundown."

The warden had a brigade of men searching for me. The bloodhounds lead then through the brush but, least a nine hour head start. I had come to this large rock wall and, I knew if I was able to get to the top of it the bloodhounds wouldn't be able to. Feeling weak I was reluctant to try it, soon I had basically faced the pure fact it was try that of probably get caught. Besides my strength being low I had other ailing body parts. My bare feet had been cut badly in multiple places. There weren't as many spots to grip as I thought there had been from the ground. Being that I was fifty feet up and, half way to the top I kept climbing. There was one point I almost slipped to what would have been a certain death. Ignoring the close call I proceeded to move upward to the top. Getting to the top seemed like a small victory but, I was too tired to celebrate. I crawled to some brush were I laid out of the sun to rest.

"Yes sir, we have searched all the way to the gorge."

"Yes sir, I do understand you don't want to have to call this one in."

I walked the wooded are trying to figure out where I was at in relation to where I had been. Before I could realize what had happened there were men all around me with rifles aimed at my head. The first thing I realized was they didn't look like police officers, but then again the citizens could have volunteered themselves. I would come to find out I'd ran across a marijuana growing operation. I had no idea the bushes had been marijuana, I had never seen a plant before. The only marijuana I'd ever seen was in the cigarette form. My situation was revealed to them and they pointed me in the direction they thought it would be best for me to go. It was a huge turn of luck for me, as they'd gave me some clothes and shoes. They donated some food I could eat along the way. I drank as much water as I could before leaving. I took the prison uniform one way then walked back the other. I wanted to deceive any sent I might had been leaving. Then for what seemed like miles I continued to walk through the wooded terrain. finally I came upon a road curving through the mountain side.

I had walked the road when I saw a sign up ahead that said "Mountain Top Grocery", though I hadn't seen a car in the thirty minutes I wondered if the place was open. I moved quicker to get a look. If by chance it wasn't in operating order anymore perhaps there was something I could use. When I got closer I noticed it was a truck stop. The idea hit me almost as soon as I saw the eighteen wheelers, I needed to get a ride as far as one would let me go. I walked over to find possible prospects for the ride when I found the perfect guy. He was leaving Hill Top headed for Glendale, Arizona. We took off with the CD player blaring 80's rock about as loud as my ears could stand. Finally when I offered conversation he turned it down to talk to me. I was feeling him out seeing what kind of guy I was riding with. He seemed to be intelligent but somewhat gullible too. He seemed like the kind of guy that would surely turn me in if he knew I was an escaped prisoner. I told him I was going to Arizona to see my sister. Truthfully it was just across the country I wanted to be.

The warden didn't want to have to call for help in the situation but, the elapsed time had him concerned as to where I might be. As the wheels turned on the big truck so where the wheels in my head. I somewhat knew the search for me had extended beyond the prison guards. My picture was being shown on televisions across America. I happened to be riding with someone who wouldn't be seeing a television and, my location was changing rapidly. It was being relayed across the radio but, he was listening to CD's. While the circumstances had kept him away from this knowledge it had kept me away as well. I was not aware or properly informed myself. The impending dangers were lay ahead while I didn't know they were coming.

I can't tell you how but, I managed to fall asleep in the passenger side seat. The volume on the radio was maxed out, I had thought his hearing might be bad. If it wasn't, it was well on it's way to being that way. I jolted awake as I felt the rig come to a complete stop. When my eyes opened I could see the lights flashing behind the long trailer, the reflection of the lights symbolized time. It happened really fast but with the changing tones of light I could see the life I was attempting to mend, ending on that long stretch of interstate.

"Do you know how fast you were going back there?"

"Sorry officer but, I don't know. I must have gotten carried away, with the traffic being cleared out of the way."

"What do you have in the back?"

"Car tires."

"Let me see your logbook.

The officer began giving him hell about the sloppiness of his handwriting. He then asked him out of the truck. I thought about running off into the wood along the side of the interstate but, realized everything might check out fine. I could hear the doors opening on the back of the trailer. If I had known for sure they were up inside the trailer I'd have no doubt bolted.

"Look you get back on the road, but slow it down, way down!"

I had just about decided I was going to get out at the next truck stop. When he pulled into the Flying J I told him I'd gone as far as I was going. I wanted to see my little girl even if it meant life in the joint. I called my cousin telling her where I was. I told her I needed to see Cassie. She drove all through the night to Lubbock, Texas. The next day at a local shopping mall I laid eyes on the beautiful little girl who made my life complete.

"I have waited so long for this moment."

"Cassie, this is your father."

She was shy clinging to my cousins arm. She hadn't been around men but, I didn't realize that. I figured my cousin had