PROLOGUE:

As I sit in this cold-grey cell, I think of the years that passed. So much has happened. So much has changed. I've lost people I cared about, people I loved. Society sees me as nothing but a killer. A tyrant. A menace and a butcher. I used to be all of those things...used to be. Then, she came along. I take a breath and lean back on my poor excuse for a mattress. It's riddled with mites and hard as a rock, but what do you expect? It's a prison.

In the bunk above me, between the metal supports, I'd placed a tattered picture of my old life. I stare up at it and grin at her. She's so happy. I trace my untrimmed fingernails over her lovely smile and I'm filled with sadness. How could I kill something so beautiful? I couldn't. I didn't. At that moment, when this picture was taken, I was content. For once in my life I had a real family. I gave everything I had for them, left my old life behind. I never thought going legit would bring me such happiness, but it did. Too bad you can't run away from your past. My past caught up with me. It took everything from me. It placed me in this hell hole. Ten years have passed since my life ended. Ten years is a long time. Not much to do in a place like this but to think. I've done a lot of thinking, mostly about what I would do if I ever got out of here. "If" I ever get out. It should be "when" I get out. All these years of playing it cool, doing my best to stay out of trouble, I finally caught a break. I just had to wait for the precise moment.

I hear thunder crash in the distance followed by a flash of lightening as the footsteps of prison guards echo down the cell block. I grab the picture and neatly fold it before putting it in the elastic of my sock. I stand up and nudge my cell mate, Paco, in the top bunk.

"How many times do I gotta tell ya not to wake me up, loco?" he says still half asleep.

"Sorry, I don't take orders from Border Bandits."

Paco immediately jumps out of the bunk. "Me and my father came to this country legally, Blanco."

"Your father? He's the guy on those little bottles of hot sauce, right? You know who I'm talking about, the guy with the trumpet and sombr-"
Paco slams his fist across my jaw before I can finish. I let it go and regain my composure. "Is that all you got?" I ask with a smile. "You Field Rats don't pack much of a punch do you?"

"Oh, you asked for this." Paco reaches under his pillow and pulls out his toothbrush which he'd turned into a shank. The plastic end has been sharpened to a point. He waves it around in front of him. "You got anything else to say?"

I nod. "Yeah. When I get out of here, I'd like to get your father's number. I'll need someone to mow my lawn."

Without a word Paco rams the shank into my stomach. I don't resist. This is exactly what I wanted. He stabs me two more times before two guards enter the cell to pull him off. I fall to the ground and curl into the fetal position. As one guard subdues Paco, the other kneels down to check on me. I grab the guard's shirt and pull him toward me. I head-butt him and grab his taser. After tazzing both guards, and Paco, I race out of the cell and down the hall. The other inmates cheer me on as I pass their cells. Their voices are shallow as if they're screaming at me under water. I can't hear them. My only focus is to reach the yard.

I'm bleeding a lot after being stabbed three times, but I've been through worse. Lucky for me the cuts aren't deep, not enough to be fatal. Paco kept his end of the bargain, though one jab would've been plenty. I come to a corner and press up against the wall. There's a guard making rounds outside. I can see him through a small window in the metal double doors leading to the yard, and my destination. As luck would have it the alarms sound signaling the others of my escape. The guard outside opens the door and rushes in. I duck out of sight as he runs past before I dart for the closing door. Once it closes, it'll lock. I'll be screwed. I run as fast as I can and slip through the door just in time.

It begins to rain. Lightning flashes and illuminates a small pile of rocks against the chain link fence surrounding the yard. I rush over to it. I sit on my knees and pull the rocks away to reveal a sink hole. I'd discovered it several months ago and have been filling it with rocks as it increased in size in order to hide it. It's finally big enough for me to fit through. All I have to do is a little digging to reach the other side-to reach freedom. The search lights begin to pan across the yard like circular moonbeams and I waste no more time. I dive into the hole and dig as the barking of dogs grows louder behind me. I dig and dig until I come out on the other side of the fence. I'm covered in dirt and blood. The pain of my wounds finally settle in and I grit my teeth as the pounding rain cleanses me. The search lights shine in my direction and I duck into a ditch to hide. There's a drain pipe spewing water runoff into the ditch and I crawl inside. I wait for the guards to pass by.

"I don't see him," says a guard. I see the white beams from his flashlight shine on the ground in front of me. "He's not out here. Let's check back inside."

I wait until they move along and climb out of the pipe. I stare at the vast wasteland of muddy hills and mountains before me. I feel alone. Lightning flashes again and I think I see her. She's only a few yards in front of me, her and her mother. They're holding hands waiting for me to come to them. They're both just like I remember-beautiful and happy. I take a step forward when a blast of thunder brings me back to reality. They're not there. They couldn't be. They're dead. Murdered. And, people think I did it. I clench my fists at the thought of it. I didn't do it, but God damn it I know who did. And, when I find him, they'll be hell to pay. If people thought I was ruthless before, wait until they see me now.