OMYGAWD ITS THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION!

Hoorah, it's time for a prison escape! Most likely very unrealistic. Bite me. :D


Prison

Jess slid out of his bunk bed in the dead of night, praying to whatever God might be watching over him that the springs didn’t squeal. They didn’t.
Exhaling heavily, Jess knelt down beside his mattress and stuck his hand deep into a thin slit in the side of the bed. He rummaged around for a moment and then, finding what he was looking for, retracted his arm.
In his hand sat a rusty, brass key. Jess stared at the key, wishing he could simply forget the obscenities he had had to go through in order to get hold of it. The man who had gotten it for him had described it as a skeleton key. It was supposed to open every door in the prison compound, and tonight it would be his ticket to freedom.
Jess crept up to the iron bars that caged him inside his cell. Heart in his mouth, Jess reached through the bars and stuck the skeleton key into the lock turned it. A muffled click echoed out into the cellblock, and Jess cringed.
After it became apparent that no one was coming to drag him down to the isolation ward for attempted escape, Jess removed the key from the lock and began to think about what he had to do next. He had planned it all out in the weeks prior to this day, of course, but now that it was truly in action he found he had trouble remembering just what to do.
Jess knew perfectly well that in order to get outside of his cell, he needed to make a lot of noise. The cell doors hadn’t been oiled in God knew how many years, and they were sure to make a racket. Jess also knew he had to account for the convicted with sleeping problems. There were sure to be a few late night insomniacs up and about, and Jess had no doubt that they would call him out if they caught wind of his attempted escape. It was a dog eat dog world out there.
With the floor plan of his cellblock imprinted in his mind, Jess leaned against the heavy cell door and pushed it open, biting his lip as it rumbled along the track.
“Who the fuck is that?” someone called from across the cellblock. Jess remained silent, quietly sliding through the narrow gap in the bars. He didn’t bother closing the door behind him, knowing that it wouldn’t matter either way. If he escaped, he would no longer have to worry about such troubles. If he was caught, well, he figured he’d be spending long enough in the isolation ward to forget all about the door he’d left half-open.
Sprinting down the raised catwalk, Jess was glad he’d thought to remove his shoes prior to the escape attempt. The catwalk was made of thin steel that would definitely give away his presence to the others.
Jess reached the stairs and descended slowly, knowing that he had plenty of time until dawn reached the compound. When he reached the bottom, Jess made headway for the lone door across the room that was the only thing separating him from the crisp night air, and with it, freedom.
Then, the unthinkable happened. The steel-plated door not ten feet away began to open. Jess stopped stock-still, frozen to the spot like a deer in the headlights. He knew the guards sometimes did surprise rounds at night, to try and catch people in less than desirable situations. Midnight was a popular time for prisoners with crack habits to smoke up unnoticed.
Finally, a light clicked on in Jess’ brain and he backed up in a hurry, tucking his person tightly beneath the metal staircase he had only just descended. It wasn’t much of a hiding spot, but it was the best he could come up with on such short notice. On the plus side, none of the convicted could see him from their cells, so he wouldn’t be caught that way.
Jess held his breath as the lights flickered to life, listening for the telltale sound of boots on concrete. He figured he was due for one hell of a headache if the guards decided to head up to the top row of cells, but if that was the price to pay for freedom, so be it.
“Surprise!” a man yelled from the open door, “Cell check!” Jess’ heart sunk; he recognized the man’s voice. It was the guard captain, Sebastian Whiting. He was notoriously known for making very thorough searches.
The trio of guards that had entered the cell block approached the staircase, and Jess came close to moaning in anticipation. It would have been the end of his escape attempt, and he was glad he’d caught it in time.
The guards ascended the stairs, and as their boots clanged against the thin sheet metal, it sent heavy ringing vibrations down into Jess’ head. Jess winced in pain, but kept his mouth clamped shut. As the trio reached the second floor, Jess let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Then, he froze; the guards would surely notice his empty cell. Not only that, he had left the door wide open, a dead giveaway for anyone who happened to wander down that way.
Jess decided that if he was going to make a move, it had better be then. Once the guards found his cell empty, it was over for him. If he went now, he had a chance of getting outside before they caught him. Staying out of sight was no longer an option, it was simply a matter of luck from here on out.
Cursing his luck, Jess rolled out from beneath the staircase and checked the ground floor, just in case a fourth guard had decided to trail behind the pack and stand blocking the door. In this regard, Jess’ luck held. The ground floor was clear, and his exit was wide open.
Jess sprinted for the door, praying that he could remain hidden for just a few more seconds. It didn’t happen; halfway across the cell block a burly convict to the right of the door stuck his hand through the bars of his cell and cried wolf.
“God damn it,” Jess muttered, pushing himself to new limits previously unknown to his body. He reached the cell door just as the first of the gunshots rang out. Most of them flew wide, but a single bullet bounced off of the concrete just to the left of his leg, spraying little chips of cement up against his skin. For the remainder of his life, Jess would always have nightmares about that single bullet.
Then, Jess was outside and slamming the door shut behind him. Armed with the knowledge that the closest alarm was embedded into the wall just outside the cell block, Jess hoped he had bought himself a couple more seconds.
Without hesitating, Jess sprinted towards the barbed-wire fence that surrounded the prison. He knew then that he had chosen the right time to make his escape. Already, thick stone walls were sprouting up among prisons all across the country. It wouldn’t be long before this place got one of its own.
Ripping off his shirt as he ran, Jess prepared to toss it up onto the fence. Just then, the alarm went off all across the prison, and Jess knew he was out of time. He reached the fence and threw up his shirt, cheering silently as it stuck fast on top of the barbed wires.
Jess was halfway up the fence when the first spotlight trained itself on his body. Fighting the urge to turn around and look at his pursuers, Jess pushed himself up onto the fence and slid over the barbed wires, padded by his prison shirt. He hit the ground running, headed for the shallow river that ran straight past the compound. It would help wash away his scent, and the current would pull him away from the prison faster than on foot.
By the time the first of the rifles unloaded, Jess was out of range, on his way towards a new life as a free man.