Chapter 5: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
The footage played again.
And again.
And again.
Nobody in the security room spoke.
The screen showed the same thing every time.
A man in a guard uniform walking through the restricted hallway.
Stopping.
Looking directly at the camera.
Removing his hat.
Officer Grant.
Then the timestamp.
Tomorrow.
It made no sense.
A dead man appearing on a security camera was impossible.
But the thing I had learned about Blackridge was simple:
Impossible things happened when powerful people wanted them to.
The warden stared at the monitor.
“Turn it off.””
Carter didn’t move.
“Sir?””
“I said turn it off.””
The screen went black.
But Grant’s face stayed in my mind.
Three years.
Three years of believing I had watched him disappear.
Three years of carrying the guilt of Lena’s death.
Three years of telling myself I had no choice.
And now he was back.
Or someone wanted me to think he was.
Tiana stepped toward the desk.
“Who has access to the security system?””
Carter looked uncomfortable.
“Several people.””
“Names.””
“The warden. Security supervisors. Maintenance.””
“Anyone else?””
A pause.
Carter looked at the floor.
“Technicians.””
Tiana noticed.
“Why did you hesitate?””
“I didn’t.””
“You did.””
Carter looked at her.
“You’re not the only one who knows how to read people.””
That almost made me smile.
Almost.
The warden walked toward him.
“Carter.””
The officer straightened.
“Sir.””
“Tell us.””
Carter looked between us.
Then sighed.
“There is one more person.””
“Who?””
Carter lowered his voice.
“Someone who used to work here.””
The room became colder.
I already knew.
“Grant.””
Nobody answered.
Because nobody needed to.
Tiana looked at me.
“You said he left.””
“He did.””
“You’re sure?””
I stared at the dark monitor.
“No.””
That was the first time I admitted it.
Not to them.
To myself.
I wasn’t sure.
The warden rubbed his forehead.
“This conversation does not leave this room.””
Tiana raised an eyebrow.
“Why?””
“Because if someone is inside this facility pretending to be Grant, we don’t know who we can trust.””
I looked at him.
“You included?””
The warden didn’t answer.
That told me enough.
Later that night, Blackridge went into emergency lockdown.
Every inmate was returned to their cells.
Every hallway was searched.
Every camera was checked.
But nothing was found.
No Grant.
No evidence.
No explanation.
Which was exactly what scared me.
A normal person left clues.
A careless person made mistakes.
But whoever was behind this?
They were always one step ahead.
I sat on my bunk staring at the ceiling.
The note was still hidden inside my mattress.
I took it out again.
*YOU REMEMBERED WRONG.*
I hated those words.
Because they were working.
A knock came from the cell door.
I looked up.
Tiana stood outside.
“You really don’t sleep?””
I folded the paper.
“You really don’t leave people alone?””
“No.””
I almost smiled.
“Honest answer.””
She looked at the paper in my hand.
“Another message?””
I didn’t respond.
She understood anyway.
“Show me.””
I hesitated.
Then I handed it through the bars.
She read it.
Her face changed slightly.
Only slightly.
But I noticed.
“What?””
She looked up.
“This handwriting.””
“What about it?””
“I’ve seen it before.””
My eyes narrowed.
“Where?””
Tiana folded the paper carefully.
“Before I came here.””
I stepped closer.
“You’re telling me someone connected to my past contacted you?””
“No.””
“Then explain.””
She looked around the empty hallway.
“I found the same handwriting on a report.””
“What report?””
“An old investigation file.””
“About what?””
Tiana looked at me.
“Me.””
That surprised me.
“You?””
She nodded.
“Five years ago, before I became a world champion, I worked as a defensive consultant.””
“For who?””
“Private organizations.””
“That sounds vague.””
“It is.””
She paused.
“One of those organizations investigated prison security failures.””
“And Blackridge?””
“Yes.””
I stared at her.
“You knew about this place before you arrived.””
“I knew rumors.””
“About Grant?””
“About someone using prisons to hide illegal activity.””
The pieces started connecting.
Slowly.
Painfully.
“Why didn’t you tell the warden?””
“Because I didn’t know if he was involved.””
I looked away.
“That’s why you acted like an inmate.””
“Yes.””
“You wanted to see what people did when they thought nobody important was watching.””
Tiana nodded.
“And you showed me something.””
“What?””
She looked at me.
“That the most feared person in Block C was also the person everyone secretly depended on.””
I said nothing.
Because I didn’t know how to answer.
Nobody had ever described me that way.
The next morning, Denise was released from medical.
She found me during breakfast.
She sat across from me.
Normally, nobody sat at my table without permission.
But things were different now.
“You okay?”” I asked.
Denise laughed.
“That’s funny coming from you.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
“You always ask if everyone else is okay.””
She looked down.
“Even when you’re the one bleeding.””
I didn’t answer.
Denise glanced around.
Then lowered her voice.
“I need to tell you something.””
“What?””
“When Grant appeared…”
She stopped.
I waited.
“He said your name.””
My stomach tightened.
“What?””
“He wasn’t talking to me.””
“What did he say?””
Denise looked afraid.
“He said, ‘Tell Marla she should have looked closer.’”
The cafeteria noise faded.
Tiana, sitting nearby, noticed my expression.
“What happened?””
I looked at Denise.
“Anything else?””
She shook her head.
“No.””
But I knew there was something.
People didn’t send messages like that unless they wanted someone to remember.
I stood.
“I need to find something.””
Tiana followed immediately.
“Where?””
“The old storage building.””
She frowned.
“Why?””
“Because that’s where Lena’s belongings were kept.””
The warden caught us before we reached the door.
“Where are you going?””
I looked at him.
“Storage.””
“No.””
The answer came too quickly.
That was interesting.
“Why?””
“Because that area is restricted.””
“So?””
“Marla.””
His voice changed.
Warning.
I stepped closer.
“Three years ago, you told me to trust the system.””
The warden went silent.
“I did what you asked.””
His face tightened.
“And Lena died.””
Nobody spoke.
Tiana watched him carefully.
The warden finally said:
“Some doors stay closed for a reason.””
I looked at him.
“Usually because someone is afraid of what’s behind them.””
His eyes moved to Tiana.
Then back to me.
“Don’t do this.””
“Why?””
“Because if you open that door…”
He stopped.
“What?””
The warden looked away.
“Because you might find out you weren’t the victim.””
The words hit me.
Not because they hurt.
Because they sounded familiar.
Too familiar.
Like someone else had whispered them before.
Tiana waited until the warden left.
Then she said:
“He knows something.””
I nodded.
“Yes.””
“Do you trust him?””
I looked down the hallway.
At the cameras.
At the locked doors.
At the place where secrets disappeared.
“No.””
We reached the storage building an hour later.
The lock was old.
The door was covered in dust.
Nobody had been there in years.
Or at least, that was what they wanted us to believe.
I forced the door open.
Inside were boxes.
Files.
Personal belongings.
Everything the prison had taken from inmates.
Tiana turned on her flashlight.
“Where would Lena’s things be?””
I walked deeper inside.
“I don’t know.””
Then I saw it.
A box with her name.
LENA PARKER.
My hands shook as I opened it.
Inside were letters.
Photos.
A small notebook.
I picked it up.
The first page had one sentence written in Lena’s handwriting.
*If Marla finds this, it means they failed to erase the truth.*
I stopped.
Tiana moved closer.
“What does it say?””
I turned the page.
The next words made my blood run cold.
*Marla did not betray me. She saved me.*
I looked at Tiana.
Then back at the notebook.
Because beneath that sentence was a name.
A name I never expected to see.
A name that changed everything.
*The person who ordered my death was not Officer Grant.*
My fingers tightened.
May you like
And underneath…
was the name of the person who had been controlling Blackridge all along.
