Escape From Cell Block Six
By Michael A. Adashefski
Copyright 2013 by Michael A. Adashefski
All Rights Reserved.
ISBN: 9781311387905
This book is Dedicated to all of the captives who He, the King Of Kings, has set free!
Chapter One—A Lesson On Death Row
A cold, steady rain had been falling since 3AM on that late October morning. It was Halloween and the inmates at Rolling Hills State Prison knew that tonight the doors at the end of the long concrete corridor would be opened and that the guys who were led out of it would not be coming back. Today was what the inmates called Judgment Day. The Warden was a kind of spiritual traditionalist who believed that any prisoners who were slated to be executed at Rolling Hills should receive their punishment on the Day Of The Dead. So every year on October 31st any inmates who had an appointment with Old Sparky the electric chair were collected by the guards on Halloween night and led to their final holding cells. There they could have access to almost any creature comfort they desired, except for any female company, and spend their final day on Earth getting themselves ready to meet their Maker just after sunrise on November 1st. Most of the guys would order elaborate plates of food or indulge in heaping amounts of their favorite desserts or watching their favorite movies on a big screen TV placed just outside their cell. A few of the others would spend what little time they had trying to gain a final reprieve through their lawyer or seeking spiritual counsel with the prison minister.
As it turned out today was Mike Dickson's turn to taken out by the guards. He'd been waiting in his cell in Block 6 with about 15 other guys, all waiting their turn in separate cells. Dickson was only here for 3 weeks, a relatively short stay compared with most of the other guys on Block 6, some of whom had been here for 3 years or more. He was sent up for a brutal armed robbery/murder conviction that resulted in the deaths of a 35 year old woman and her 2 small children. But in actuality Dickson was framed for the crime and the two guys who really did it were still free. Dickson was up and pacing nervously in his cell when a prisoner named Pete Crane called over to him.
“Hey Mikey. What're you gonna order for your final eats tonight? Maybe a fat juicy steak or a sink full of lasagna?”
“I….. I haven't thought about it much yet.” answered Dickson nervously.
“Well it ain't like you got too much time left to do much thinkin', Mikey. You better come up with somethin' soon. The Warden's assistant will be down here soon to take you down to the holdin' cell.”
“Leave him alone Crane!!” yelled Barry Shultz from another cell. “Mikey didn't commit the crime they got him in here for. He's innocent!!”
“Is that right?' said Crane in mocked surprise. “Well hell, I didn't know that. If he's innocent then I must be innocent too. I think that all of us gentlemen in Block 6 is innocent. None of would be here if we was guilty now would we?” And with that the guys in the Block erupted in laughter that bounced off the walls loudly.
Once the laughter died down another prisoner called out to Dickson.
“Yo Mikey! Do you know about the train?” The guys on Block 6 all fell silent now.
“N...n...no.” answered Dickson. “Wha....what train?”
Carl Matz called out softly from his cell across from Dickson's, “If you really didn't do it, there's a way you can get out.”
“Wha....what do you mean out? Like outside? Free you mean??”
“Free like a bird, man.” answered Matz.
“Aw come on, Matz! You guys are just ribbin' me again!”
“Not this time, Mikey. You listen carefully to what I'm tellin' you. You know that train that we've been hearin' at night?”
“Ye....ye...yeah. The one at around 11:30?”
“It comes thru at exactly 12 every night. Like clockwork.” continued Matz. “There's a window in the holding cell that looks straight out at the tracks. If you believe in your guts that you didn't kill that woman and her kids, make sure that you are at that window when the train passes tonight.”
“Wha...why?” asked Dickson.
“Because that's your ticket out, Mikey. We all know about it. And we've heard from some of the guards that some of the guys they bring in there on Halloween don't meet with Sparky the next morning.” said Matz.
“Then what happens to 'em?”
“No one knows where they go to, but if they wait at the window at night, they're not in the cell in the mornin'.”
Mike Dickson pondered this silently for a moment and then looked at Matz and said “You sure you ain't kidding on this?”
Carl looked Mike straight in the eye and simply said “Nope.” and then stared directly into Dickson's eyes for a long, cold moment. “Nope.” he said again and then laid back down in his bunk.
And with that said Dickson lay back on his cot in the cell, waiting for his call from the guards. About 3 hours later the heavy metal door creaked open and two police officers stepped in.
One of them asked “Which one of you ladies is Mike Dickson?”
Dickson calmly stood up and said “Th...that would be me. Is it m...m...my time now?”
“Yup. It's your time.” replied the officer as he slid open the door to Dickson's cell. Before he was led out to the final holding cell he took one last look around at each of the other guys in their cells, but said nothing. Carl Matz was the last inmate that Mike looked at and when their eyes met Matz quietly said, “Midnight.” Dickson silently nodded and walked slowly and quietly out of Block 6 with the 2 officers. He looked mostly at the floor during the short walk, oblivious to the sounds of the calls and conversations that emanated from the offices and detention cells that they passed.
When the 2 guards opened the door to Dickson's final cell, one of them said “There's a menu on your cot. You can order whatever you'd like, even doubles if you want 'em.”
“Th...thank you officer” said Mike almost inaudibly.
“Would you like the Preacher to come and see you? He does all denominations. Nice guy too.”
Dickson thought for a moment and just as the officers were about to leave he quietly said “OK. I'd like to have a talk with him. If that's OK.”
“Not a problem.” said the officer as he closed the door to Mike's cell. “Ring that buzzer when you're ready to order your supper.”
Dickson nodded and the 2 officers left the cell. It was as still and quiet in this part of the prison as one could ever imagine. The only real sound at all was the hum of the electric clock on the wall outside of the holding cell. It was placed there some years ago at the request of one victim's wife who said that those who occupied that final cell should have the pleasure of counting down their last minutes on earth as a punishment for what they did to get them there.
For a while Dickson did nothing at all but sit quietly on the cot in the cell, just listening to the silence and the sound of his heart beating somewhere deep inside him. He knew that he was innocent. And if the story that Matz told him earlier was true, he'd have nothing to worry about. After turning this thought over in his mind for an hour or so, he picked up the menu and looked over his choices for dinner. The Last Meal Menu it read at the top of the plastic-sealed card. It had lots of great choices on it too, considering the circumstances. Dickson decided on one of his childhood favorites. He hit the buzzer and ordered a double cheeseburger smothered in grilled onions with a large side order of golden french fries and a giant vanilla milkshake.
Within a half hour a guard opened the door to Mike's cell and wheeled in a room service-style cart filled with food. He lifted the metal lid that covered the burger and a cloud of steam came wafting up towards the cell's ceiling. He then uncovered another plate that was piled high wi
th french fries and a smaller plate with packets of ketchup, mustard and sweet pickle relish sat just to the side. There was even a cup of freshly made chili that the guard said was a gift from the chef. And in a huge old fashioned looking glass was a giant sized milkshake, chilled to perfection and piled high with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
“Wow!” said Mike. “This will take me a while to get through!”
The guard said “Take all the time you need to and don't forget about your appointment at midnight.” He then winked at Mike as he left the cell.
Not more than 10 minutes later the prison preacher came to visit Mike as he was scarfing down his cheeseburger. His name was Charles Bonnano but everyone in the jail just called him Pastor Charlie. He was a friendly, slightly overweight man in his mid-sixties with graying hair and a genuine nature, well liked both in and outside the prison.
“I heard you wanted to see me. Mind if I come in?” he said.
Mike recognized him by his Bible and by the crucifix he wore around his neck. “Sure. C'mon in and help me finish these fries. They sure give you a lot for a last meal.”
“Yes they sure do. They recycle the used potatoes in your system and use them for mulch in the prison garden if you make your date with Old Sparky.”
The two men looked at each other and then both of them broke out into a short but healthy fit of laughter. This broke the ice between them and helped Mike relieve a bit of stress.
“Charlie Bonanno at your service.” said the pastor as he shook Mike's hand. Mike wiped his right hand on his pants and shook Charlie's hand. “Nice to meet you. Have a seat if you can find one. I apologize for not having the place decorated yet.”
“Not a problem.” replied Charlie. “I'm well acquainted with the décor in here. They bring me over here quite a lot as you can probably imagine.”
Charlie then paused for a moment and then said “So how are you feeling, Mike? I'm a pretty good listener if you feel like talking.”
Mike took a swig off of his milkshake and replied “I've been hearing all sorts of tales about a mysterious train that's supposed to come by at midnight. I figured that since you and the Big Boss are good friends that you'd be the one to really be the guy who would tell me the truth about all this.” Then Mike looked Charlie straight in the eyes and said “So is it real or is it bullshit, pardon my French.”
Charlie smiled and said “It ain't bullshit, Mike. It's as real as that burger you've just finished and the clock on the wall outside that's ticking your time away. Now let me ask you one. Do you know in your deepest soul that you didn't kill those people? I mean really know that you didn't do it?”
Mike again looked Charlie in the eyes and said “Yes. I'm innocent, Charlie. I may have done some stupid things in my life but killing 3 innocent people isn't one of them. I wasn't there that night. That's the honest truth.”
“Then if I were you I'd be at that window tonight. And make sure that you look right at that train when it passes. If you're as innocent as I believe you are then I'm looking forward to coming back to your empty cell at 12:05. And not just to finish off your fries.”
“But where does the train take you? I mean—where's it go?”
“I can't answer that one for you Mike, and I'm not going to try and lie to you by saying that I can. I don't know either. And for that matter neither does anyone else in this prison. Just get your butt to the window by midnight. I hope you like trains, Mike, because I think you'll be on one tonight.”
Charlie then got up and said “I really don't think you've got anything to worry about. Just don't forget, that's all.”
Mike stood up and shook Charlie's hand. “I won't Charlie. I'll be waiting.”
“Good. So do you want to join me in The Lord's Prayer before I take off? It's good medicine for what ails you.”
“I'd like that a lot Charlie.” said Mike and the two men bowed their heads and prayed together, shook hands again and then Charlie departed from Mike's cell. It was 10:15PM.