Chione’s day went something like this: at 6:30 in the morning, the other women in her cell were already up and about in pitch black. Bright lights came on in a snap, causing Chione to screw her eyes further closed and retreat behind her flimsy cover. She was used to getting up by the morning sun, but this hellish blast of light was something which she couldn’t adjust to. She was the last to get up and have a chance to use the sink, but apart from spraying her face with cold water there was no point. The girls she occupied this room with weren’t ‘rich,’ and even if they had amenities she doubted they’d share.
At 7:00, a voice boomed throughout the cellblock over the speakers, fuzzy with interference. Then the doors all unlocked and opened, and every single prisoner across the entire length of every floor stepped out. The doors closed so as to allow people space to move, but immediately everyone turned around, hands on heads and facing the wall. Guards travelled from one end of the walkways to the other, doing a headcount of every one. From what Chione overheard, this happened at other prisons too.
“Make sure everyone’s still there, y’know,” a girl had said to another, reminiscing about a place in the Borodin star system, “if the number is wrong, someone probably escaped.”
“But who could escape here?” the other girl had asked.
Chione had thought about it. If you could get out of the prison complex through the mining shafts and sneak past security, you could flee via shuttle –– if you were lucky enough to know how to fly. All Chione knew was horse riding and that was useless here. In any case, she decided it was impossible to escape.
If the headcount was wrong, then someone had died in the mines.
At 7:30, assuming a speedy count, then the work shifts fully began. For those who had been assigned their shifts at the beginning of the week, they went out towards the mining sections. There were few other jobs. Zoe Dee told Chione that the guards will very rarely require some specific tasks ––certain heavy lifting, cleanup crews, or even deputised guards when there was a shortage of regular staff. But other things like keeping the grounds or working the kitchens with Nadia were basically paid out of pocket by other prisoners, and for a very measly pay. So for the unemployed, — Chione included— they were sent back into their cells and put in lockdown. With nothing better to do, Chione lay on her bed.
9:00 was a second work shift, but it also signalled a free period for everyone else. Most people treated it as breakfast time. Although the refectory wasn’t open yet, people stockpiled snacks or leftovers from the previous day, and many took down to the field to eat on the turf. Two hours later there was a second count, so people had to go back to their cell, just to stand outside it. This provoked the most complaint, since lunch was immediately after, meaning a traffic of people usually formed on the tight walkways and balconies as people made their way to the cafeteria. Lunch was one set meal, crafted by Nadia, and changed every day–– a mixed bag, but it was often unappetising slop.
The rest of the afternoon was more of the same: work/freetime at 13:00, then lockdown for everyone at 17:30, which was when all work officially ended. For dinner at 19:00, the shutters of the other stalls at the refectory opened, allowing prisoners a much wider array of food options prepared by fellow prisoners, which tended to be a better dining experience. Most headed off to the showers after that, with lockdown again at 20:30, another count at 21:00, then final lights out at 22:00.
Chione’s next day went something like this. Lights were on at 6:30 in the morning. At 7:00, a voice boomed over fuzzy speakers and she joined the other prisoners in leaving the cell just to press her face into a wall. This one took longer than usual. For some reason the guards got to the end of their row, checked their own numbers, bickered with each other and then started it all over again. By the end of it, her knees were giving way. At 7:30, everyone else went to work, Chione lay on her bed.
It was always hot, so whenever she had the chance she drank water, more than she usually did back at home; perhaps too much. There were only a couple girls with her in the room on the far bunk, and while their presence stuck in her peripheral vision, she at least knew they’d stay there as she did her business. She went over to the toilet.
Barely 30 seconds in, there was another loud blare on the speaker. Chione jumped, and she barely had time to pull her briefs up when the doors slid open again. Her heart was jumping and she scowled, since for some damned reason the guards were doing another inspection. They barged into the cell, taking a quick search of the beds and knapsacks and found nothing. They left almost as quickly as they had arrived.
Privacy was never guaranteed in Asphodel, and dignity was something downright denied. Certainly she got the message that first day when Chief Sheinberg ripped off her clothes and forced her to wander around naked until her ordeal with the Vio. But that didn’t mean Chione was going to accept it. Other prisoners may be content to pack themselves into the showers, bare and exposed to one another ––and from what she’d seen maybe some of the freaks liked it. But from the moment the doors unlocked again, she grabbed her small stick of soap and rushed to the communal bathroom.
To her chagrin, the random inspection had delayed her leaving the block, so there were a couple other girls in there already. It took twenty minutes for the showers to empty. Even then she gave it a few minutes just waiting to see that the coast was clear. She could strip, shower, dry and reclothe herself in a tight seven minutes by now. She’d had to learn the hard way to shave off every second.
Chione’s day went like this. 6:30 lights, 7:00 the fuzzy voice boomed and the count was quick today. 7:30, the miners went off, and Chione returned to lay on her bed. As she stared at the underside of the upper bunk, thoughts came in and out of her head with no real order. Most of them were annoyances. Annoyed with the cells, annoyed with the guards, annoyed with the prisoners. While she hadn’t seen her since that grim scene in the Vio chamber, she often thought about that hag Sheinberg. But even that Zoe Dee irritated her, the way she always talked her down. The things that really pissed her off was having to change, shower and go to the bathroom in open spaces, having to always look over her shoulder to make sure she was alone or at least as close to it as possible.
Being annoyed was good. It was better to think on these things than the alternative. She didn’t want to remember how those limp bodies looked.
She let out a great sigh. Beside her bed was her sack, with the only possessions she had in the galaxy; the clothes and soap Dee had assigned to her. And the soap was basically gone. One more annoyance to add to the list. Nonetheless, she’d had a lot of time to think about her Commissary account, and the pitiful amount of money placed in as a starting budget. It’d been enough to get her food, but this meant each day drained the number little by little. Soon enough she cut down from two meals to one, and her stomach was intermittently growling throughout the day. She’d lost a couple of pounds too.
Chione had to get out of here soon or she would die. She needed to get some more money to purchase writing materials and send a letter. The thought of long showers and a locked door was enough to make her heart burst with excitement. But how to get the money?
The opportunity approached her that very afternoon during lunch. Her one meal of the day was whatever Nadia cooked, and since it was the greasier, meaner option, it was always cheaper than the dinner stalls. Today it was some strange mash, high in salt, enough to make her splutter over every bite. As usual she sat on the furthest edge of one of the tables, so that even if someone sat near her, she would only have to guard one side. She was trying to force another bite of the salty stew when a tiny figure jumped into the corner of her eye.
“Hey ma’am! Can we sit here?”
Chione never liked looking at the other women. Perhaps it was fear. Some of these people looked like they’d snap her neck for looking at them funny. More likely it was disgust. Why acknowledge them. Why justify this situation with her glance? But this time she couldn’t stop herself, since the voice was so high, squeaky and even peppy that she was certain it was from a child.
She glanced over. It was a child! Or at least it looked like one. With a diminutive height and figure, sky bright hair tied up in pigtails and hiding behind what looked like a misshapen black teddy bear, the girl was watching her with big shimmering orbs. Three other women were with her. Two were short though not nearly as much as the first girl, and the last was tall, with short hair and a strong, genuinely handsome face –– one of the ‘bois’ that were common to Asphodel.
“Heya there,” the boi said, “your name is Chione right? Transferred in two weeks ago or so?”
Chione was hesitant to respond. Minding her business had worked so far. She had maybe exchanged one or two words with other prisoners on an individual basis, but when people were together in a group like this she assumed they were a gang. But this group would make a pretty flaccid posse.
“Yeah,” Chione found herself saying, although she kept herself guarded, facing her food. “Uh… fine, yeah, you can sit. I was just finishing.”
“No no, don’t leave on our account!” one of the smaller girls said. She had tan skin which contrasted sharply against her big pink braid. She beamed at Chione saying, “we thought you looked like you could do with some company! So my name’s Leonore, and you’ve just met my Patch of course.”
The tall boi Patch joined Leonore in sitting down, and Chione’s eyes darted down as the former placed her arm around the latter’s waist. The first girl with the stuffed toy jumped in as well, settling herself within Leonore’s lap.
“And I’m Tomei!” she said, before hiding her face behind the animal again.
“Isn’t she just the cutest!!” Leonore said, giggling as she cupped Tomei’s shoulder. “It’s so hard to get her to talk to strangers, but look at her making an effort!”
“Right….” Chione said, looking down.
And is she actually a kid? Is what she wanted to ask, but she couldn’t decide which answer would be more disturbing.
Patch leaned in, studying Chione with surprisingly deep dark eyes. A lot of the other so-called bois had seemed like a parody, but this woman really did have something beautiful about her, and in that briefest of moments Chione’s breath hitched.
“Jacks told me you had a real mouth for the Chief during your enrolment,” she said, “that takes some real guts.”
“I guess so,” Chione said. “Or maybe I was just stupid. If I had known that Vio would ….”
Not wanting to relive that awful day, she trailed and looked off to the side. The fourth and final girl was still standing in her line of sight, folding her arms. She was thin, narrow in her hips but with a good tone to her arms. Her hair was a moss green and somewhat coarse, its various tangles haphazardly pulled up into a spiky bun.
“Um… did you want to sit?” Chione asked.
“N-no,” the girl said, voice scratchy. “Happy here. Zaklin, by the way. Or just Zak.”
“Auntie Zak is so cool!” Tomei suddenly piped up, popping out from behind her bear, “she’s always looking out for us!”
That seemed to boost Zak’s confidence, as she gave a grin.
“Well yeah,” she said, “anyone messes with my crew, I fuck them up.”
Chione looked back at the trio. It seemed to make sense: a father, a mother, a child, and extra family to help out but not sitting in the thick of things. The acts of kissing and cuddling she’d spied girls engaging in were downright sickening, but this pushed things in a whole new direction –– one that Chione felt unsure towards.
“You uh… you guys seem nice,” Chione said, since she didn’t have much else to say.
“Aw, you’re sweet too!” Leonore said, smiling fully. “And if you’re ever feeling hungry, just swing by our block in the south-side. I’m always making big meals for anyone passing by! But,” almost as suddenly, her smile faded, and she bowed her head with a menace, “just… don’t bring your own food or anything. Okay?”
Chione blinked, and was surprised to find herself ever so slightly leaning back.
“Um… okay?”
“Okay!” Leonore snapped back to her cheery demeanour. “Then that’s settled, we’ll have a small warm welcome for miss Chione!”
“That sounds pretty good actually. I could use the food….”
“Low account then?” Patch asked.
“Yeah….”
Patch chuckled and waved away her hand, “hey, don’t sweat it, man. Zak and I have piles. We can top you off if you’re running low.”
Eyes widening, Chione just ran what Patch said back over in her head. A top-up? Was this prisoner really talking charity? No, not charity. An act of grace ––the first glimmer of hope since coming to this death camp. Her heart was thumping as she scrambled to think what the catch could be.
Meanwhile Zak nodded at Patch, saying “for sure, we could do that.” She turned to Chione, “you got an inventory of things you need from Commissary?”
Though blood was coursing through her body, down to her trembling limbs, Chione kept a cool exterior as she shrugged.
“I haven’t checked Commissary since coming. Don’t really know where to begin.”
“Always go hygiene first, then build from there,” Zak explained. “Trust me, you wanna keep clean and odour-free in this place. Especially if you ever decide to go mining.”
“Gimme your hand,” Patch said, reaching out with her own.
Slowly at first, Chione extended her arm, and their two hands hovered about a centimetre from one another. Static sparked between their fingers, making Chione recoil.
“Ah,” she let out, although the sting quickly subsided. “So, that was it?”
“Yep, should get you a couple weeks supplies.”
“Huh,” Chione looked at her hand, curling her fingers into her palm and out again. “I guess that’s one way to go cashless.”