Every day is a struggle.

Each day brings a new way for the grim reaper to sneak up on
me. He is waiting for the time to take me, a time for my body, mind and spirit to give up
on the fight for survival. This place, this horrid place is slowly destroying me piece by
piece.
Just like a flickering lightbulb, my hopes of returning home safely diminishes each day.
What saddens me most is that I am one of the healthiest ones here, compared to the
others who volunteered for this prison experiment along with me. Everyone seems like
the same now; all spirits shattered, clearly visible in the depressed and hopeless faces. I
feel the tears choking my throat as I remember the last few happy days before my
involvement in this horrific experiment. Another weight adds to my shoulders as I think
of my family and friends, what terrible thoughts must be going through their minds? I
was knocked unconscious, left with no memory of the day leading up to the incident of
my capture. But I must rid myself of these thoughts. I am all I have left, and even
now, I am slowly losing myself in the depression of prisoner life. A life of a prisoner is no
a life at all.
My mind grows weary, my world dark, and as I am left to die slowly, the entire affair
plays in front of me, making me relive it yet again.

It all started with me answering a local newspaper advert calling for volunteers in a
study of the psychological effects of prison life for 1-2 weeks. Good pay. Contact Tom
@ Town Hall. As I went there to inquire more about the experiment, pay and what it
entails for the volunteers to do, I learned that it would be an experiment to learn the
psychological effects of becoming a prisoner or prison guard and that for the entire trial
would take place in a simulated prison to be watched for the entire duration and then
carefully note the effects of this institution on the behaviour of all those within its walls.
Once I had a good understanding of the whole thing, I was asked once again if I would
volunteer myself for the experiment and after establishing that I was in no way forced, I
was put through a series of diagnostic interviews and personality tests to eliminate
candidates with psychological problems, medical disabilities, or a history of crime or drug
abuse.
Ultimately, I was among the ones shortlisted for the experimentation but there would be
one final interview for the ones selected. As I walked through the hallowed corridors of
the Town hall to Room C where the interviews were to be held, I saw along with me
about 24 more students. I looked around and saw each of their faces, the happy,
carefree and somewhat nervous faces whom I would be spending the coming 14 days.
The interviews started and one by one the room got less crowded and more tensed. It
was my turn and I walked in not knowing what to feel, the nervousness and excitement
had mixed up unsuccessfully making me queasy. I was asked to sit on one end of a long,
rectangular table, at the other end sat not one but three vest-clad, brown-tied and highnosed men. They started the interview with asking me if I had falsified any of the details
I had provided to which I answered in the adverse. The interview started to feel more
like an interrogation not just because of the sheer quantity of the question but also the
type of questions that they were asking. After a while they handed me a contract for the
trial which they wanted me to go through and sign before officially becoming a part of
the experimentation. Once I had signed and was ready to leave, they asked me one last
question Who would you rather be, prisoner or guard, if you had the choice that is?
and I replied Prisoner sounds like a lot less work, also nobody likes guards.
The experiment was scheduled to start on the 14th of the month, but on the evening of
13th while I was washing my fathers car along with my little brother, a squad car came
to arrest me. My brother was visually disturbed at seeing the cops doing a body check

and applying the handcuffs on me, I asked him to calm down and tell our mother whom
I had already told about my involvement in the experiment, that I would be gone for two
weeks. I was taken to the police station and formally booked for violating the Penal
Codes, warned of my rights, finger printed, and a complete identification was made. I
was then taken to a holding cell where I was left blindfolded to ponder on what more
was left. I was still blindfolded and in a state of mild shock over their surprise arrest by
the city police when I was taken to "City Sub-Jail" I was greeted by the warden, a 40year old man with a handlebar moustache in a clean and crisp grey suit, who conveyed
the seriousness of the offense and my new status as prisoners. I was then systematically
checked, stripped naked and deloused with a spray, it was from this point that I started
to get a strong sense of things having gone wrong but what followed was even worse
treatment. I was then issued a uniform. The main part of this uniform was that it was a
dress, which was to be worn at all times with no pants. On the smock, in front and in
back, was a number, a prison ID number, mine was 8612. On my right ankle, I was made
to wear a heavy chain, bolted on and worn at all times. Rubber sandals served as the
footwear, and I was forced to cover my hair with a stocking cap made from a woman's
nylon stocking.
I was told of the Dos and Donts in the prison 1) Prisoners will be known by their number and only by their numbers.
2) At all times refer to the guards as Mr. Correctional Officer.
3) Prisoners must remain silent during rest periods, after lights-out and during
meals.
4) Prisoners must eat at meal times and only at meal times.
5) Prisoners must participate in all prison activities.
6) Prisoners must report for counts without fail each time, every time.
7) Failure to obey any of the above rules will result in punishment.

After this I was sent to Cell number 2, inside the cell was 2 beds with off-white pillows
and green blankets, spread in a fashion similar to the ones you see in hospitals, which
squeaked when sat on but were somewhat comfortable enough.
As more came to fill the cells, I lay there in my empty cell thinking about what would
happen next and contemplating whether this was an experiment or if I really was in jail,
I heard my cell door open and I was joined by prisoner 819. He was kind of the guy
you seen in your school football team, well-built, tall and muscular. He silently went to
the bed on my right and sat down. He was visibly disturbed by all that had happened to
you in the short span of time that it had, once it washed over him and he had noticed
me, we started conversing, that is how I met Giancarlo. He got to know more about me
and me, him. I found out that he was indeed a part of his communitys football team and
was an avid MMA fan which explained the buffed body.
The next few hours went by without any incident as the guards filled up the remaining
beds. We had a roll call sometime after when the guards that searched us were replaced,
funnily enough all the guards had a uniform with numbers too but they also had wooden
batons along with sunglasses which made it hard to read their emotion. At this roll call
we were made to shout out our prison numbers, loud and clear. Each time someone said
their number in a muffled manner, the whole thing began once again. After every two
times, the order was reversed, if we were going from right to left then we would be
made to go from left to right. Once everyone got their number right, loudly, clearly and
more importantly without looking at their chest; it began again with us having to recite
the number of the one next to us. It must have been at least an hour or two of us

shouting numbers at the ceiling that we were allowed to go back to our cells. As the
repetitiveness of the shouting of our numbers grew, the joyfulness of the voice fell.
I fell asleep talking to Gi, my nickname for Giancarlo, and was rudely shaken awake in
what I suppose was the middle of the night for yet another roll-call by a new batch. Gi
was right; these guards were taking it way too seriously. This time the counts were much
more tiring because each time we either looked at our chest or got the number wrong or
werent loud enough, we had to do push-up and jumping-jacks. And it was in a simple
manner, it was according to the number we got wrong, if say 8612 was the number I got
wrong then I would have to do it in the following order 8 push-ups, 6 jumping jacks, 1
push-up and 2 jumping jacks. It got more and more tiring as the roll-call grew longer in
time. It was extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing due to the lack of pants. After
yet another gruelling roll-call we were let back into the cells. Even though I was
completely exhausted, I couldnt sleep due to the chain locked on my right ankle, all in
all I was downright convinced that this volunteering was a bad idea on my part.
We had multiple more roll-calls each day. It had become a routine, a habit, it just got
more excruciating each time. The enclosure cut off sunlight completely making it hard to
judge the passing of time, so I can only say were a couple of days later, we were made
to do push-up with our fellow prisoners sitting on us or with the guards stepping on our
back while we did them. And that wasnt even the hard part; it was the assertion of the
guards will on any prisoner of their pleasing. Every aspect of our behaviour fell under
the total and arbitrary control of the guards. Even going to the toilet became a privilege
which a guard could grant or deny at his whim. Indeed, after the lights out "lock-up," we
were often forced to urinate or defecate in a bucket that was left in the cell. On some
occasions the guards would not allow us to empty these buckets, and soon the prison
began to smell of urine and feces - further adding to the degrading quality of the
environment. The joy vanished from the faces

And today after a particularly awful prisoner count we were made to do menial task of
cleaning the toilet bowl with our bare hands! Once we had done that, we were made to
dry-hump each other just because I had refused to use say a certain profane word to a
fellow inmate. It was the last straw! I have reached the breaking point, a point where my
once strong pride had taken its last demoralising hit. This was the point that will push
me to act with insanity, and take the risk of a better life, or be greeted by the eternal
peace of death! My mind was now made up, my decision final. Tonight I escape. Tonight
I either gain life, or feel the cold of death grip me. Tonight after lights-out was my only
chance.
Gi and I have had always talked about the breaking out of here but had never planned
anything concrete as we had hoped the two weeks would be over soon and it didnt seem
to be happening anytime soon. Thinking about breaking out was like someone had lit a
fire inside my head, its warmth spread to my entire body, and I never felt more active
than I had in days. I woke up Gi and told him that we were going to break out, now! He
surely received a shock but a pleasant one because he started smiling ear to ear as the
idea washed over him. It was so strange seeing him smile; it made me realize how long
it had been since I saw another human happy.
After lights-out, we upturned my bed very carefully so as not to make a noise and
unscrewed a small metal plate from underneath. Gi said he could pick the lock on our
cell doors with its sharp edges. It took us several minutes to unscrew all four edges, but
it was very satisfactory to see the screws come out, the plan was succeeding, and I was
beginning to hope for the sun to shine on my cheeks, to listen to the birds chirps, to
smell the fresh air and above all to see my family once again. Gi got to work almost the

second the plate came out, he said he had done this a couple of times before with the
gymnasium doors to work-out late at night. He got it out within a minute and he had
gained my respects right then and there. We looked on either side to check on the
guards. Seeing no one around we got out and ran for dear life because we both knew
that if we ever got caught we would be skinned alive. We made our way through the
narrow corridor, which got bigger and as did out hope of being free.
We got past a door and found ourselves in a room filled with chair pointed to the centre,
it was a classroom; we were at the University! I asked Gi to follow me as I ran down to
the teachers table, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me through the exit door. I
cursed myself for not knowing that we were underneath our university, but it didnt
matter because the door to freedom was in front of us. We burst past the door not caring
to keep the noise down, we were free once again but that didnt stop us from running.
We ran at least a few more kilometres further taking random turns to slip away anyone
who might chase after us.
Once we could no longer run, we stopped and sat down. I tried to breathe in the air of
freedom but my breath caught, and instead of the cool, fresh air, my lungs were filled
with a burning heat. The blood trickled down from my chest to my gut. I looked up
towards the sky, the clouds were beginning to reveal the moon to the night, and stars
dotted the caliginous sky. I smiled at the freedom that we had gained. The moons light
was fading; I fell, lying on my back, staring at the beauty of the night sky. A deep and
dark sleep encompassed me. Peace washed over me as I lay, still smiling at the stars
and moon of the sanguine sky. Freedom was indeed sweet and full of hope!