Chapter 87 Chapter 87 Taken To The Mess Hall
Gabriel’s POV
“Bang!” A gunshot sounded immediately.
My heart dropped instantly. The loudness of the shot was too loud. I didn’t know a gun was usually this loud when it didn’t have a silencer fixed on it.
I shivered like my soul left my body. I was on the ground, and I raised my hands.
I knew either one of the jailers or the inmate had shot against the inmate. My heart continued to pound. Was that how prisoners were killed like a fly here?
I raised my shivering head a bit up and opened my eyes. I saw that the same way I fell to the ground and raised my hands, every other inmate had done the same.
Everyone, including Luke and Gomelo, had surrendered. No one was tough enough at the hearing of the sudden gunshot.
“To the mess hall, everyone!” The system blared immediately, and as such, none of us waited before we stood up to our feet.
My heart was still beating, but I sure wasn’t the only one.
When we all rose to our feet, we all tried to look around to see who got shot. But there was no dead body on the ground.
The jailer had only shot into the sky, and each of the inmates had composed themselves orderly.
“Watch your back, pumpkin!” Gomelo threatened me again as he saw that none of the inmates were shot.
This was, of course, a warning from the prison officers that none of the inmates had the right to challenge each other to a fight.
This way, everyone fell into the queue.
I made sure Gomelo and Luke were far into the front of the long queue.
While on the other hand, I was the last in the queue.
I wasn’t about to put myself in a position whereby I would be easily picked and have crazy stuff done to me again.
Instantly, I remembered what Dr. Rosemary said to me. If I wanted to be able to survive this prison, it was time I began to take matters into my own hands.
I racked my head for what I could do while in the mess hall so that either Luke or Gomelo wouldn’t be able to mess with me.
But no matter how deep I racked my head, there was no thought coming forth to me.
I stepped into the mess hall after everyone else had done. And like they always did, they had all already sat with their crew on the same table and chair, leaving only one chair at the edge of the mess hall.
With my head bowed, I walked to the empty table and chair after I collected my portion of food from the serving jailers.
The day before, it was sour, watery beans that were served to us. Today, it was no different. With this, I quickly picked up the orientation that it was the same sour beans that would be served to us the entire time a prisoner would be in this prison.
And for me, who was given a life sentence?
I looked down into my plate. I was not totally bothered about the food. Even when it tasted too bad, I was so unlucky that I didn’t have the chance to eat well the day before.
So, I can’t let that happen again.
As I picked up the plastic spoon that came with the plate, my stomach made the hungry cry.
Hearing this, I didn’t wait any moment before I packed the beans onto my spoon and swallowed it.
Looking up at the other inmates, I saw that it was the same manner everyone was eating.
In this prison, the inmates must eat as quickly as possible because no one knew the havoc that may occur and may cost them their food.
Seeing that the spoon was slow, I placed it to one side and used my hand instead. The bad taste did not matter; making the stomach hard mattered.
The instant I was done eating, I saw that most inmates were done. I was faster than many of them.
Slap!
Gomelo arrived at my table again with his men. His leg had mashed beans on his lip, which signified that he had eaten his food in a hurry just so he could harass me.
Slap!
“And I said, he is mine until I say otherwise!” Luke slapped the table right in front of Gomelo.
Just then, I watched as some crew with the highest numbers gathered behind Luke. They cracked their hands, cracked their necks—a vivid sign that they were ready to fight if Luke called the shot.
In the same manner, a few crew members with lower numbers gathered behind Gomelo. Each of them took their hands to their jumpsuits and brought out a broken spoon.
My heart raced at this moment. Yet again, I was confused.
I briskly rose to my feet and hit my back on the wall.
Luke and Gomelo didn’t care about what I did. This was a battle bigger than anything I did. It was a battle to determine who would be the most respected in this prison.
Just then, as I was against the wall and my heart was pounding heavily, I watched as the jailers closed the mess hall and all left.
I opened my eyes widely. Back at the prison yard, they had shot a gun in the sky and stopped the looming fight. But now, they left the mess hall and purposely allowed this to happen?
I grabbed the spoon on my table immediately. If Gomelo’s men pulled out a broken plastic spoon from their jumpsuit, it only meant one thing.
I pressed my eyes on the spoon closely and saw its sharp edges, and I knew I was right.
They had sharpened the spoon and kept it as protection for themselves against any bully.
Instantly, I sank the spoon into my jumpsuit. If Gomelo’s men could do this, I would too—and I would protect myself henceforth.