Late evening, I started to feel a bit off, and I didn't finish my tea. I had an uneasy feeling. Something was going to go wrong, I knew it, I just knew it.
I was sat on the sofa in H block with Boomer and Sky one side, and Franky the other. Franky had one arm around my shoulders and the other one resting on my leg. We had been making eyes at each other all day, it had been a while since we'd had a good 'private chat'.
"Will you pair just fuck already?" Boomer laughed, she knew about mine and Franky's arrangement, but then again, who didn't.
It was for this reason that a lot of people at Wentworth didn't like me, Franky was the hottest woman in the flipping facility, and I was the one that could jump into bed with her at a moments notice. A lot of jealousy directed at me, you could say. But I don't care what anyone else thinks, and neither does she.
Franky elbowed me gently in the ribs to try and get an answer out of me.
"Not tonight." I whispered. I felt a pang of guilt, because I knew Franky had been after it all day, but I trusted her not to hop into bed with another woman. She would survive for one more night, and we both knew it.
"Are you okay?" She asked. It wasn't very often I turned down sex with Franky Doyle, and I certainly don't want to make a habit of it.
"Absolutely fine" I smiled back. She knew I was lying, but wisely didn't pursue it anymore then.
Boomer and Sky glanced at each other with raised eyebrows.
"Look, if she doesn't want to do it tonight, we don't do it tonight. End of story." Franky said sternly, cutting their looks off.
That's one of the reasons I really like Franky, she's so defensive of me, even when we fell out that one time, she wouldn't let anyone bad mouth her girl.
We were all sat chatting for a while longer, but finally lock up came. I went into my cell, and Franky followed, wrapping her hands around my waist from behind. She gently kissed the creak of my neck, up to bottom of my left ear. I knew what she wanted, but I also knew she could please herself just as well.
We swayed gently for a couple of seconds before either of us spoke.
"Do you want me to stay with you tonight?" She offered, I really wanted her to, but it was unfair for me to expect her to be there everytime I had a moment of doubt. I mean, I'm in prison for fucks sake, get a grip!
"No, I am good." I said, I regretted it almost immediately, but before I could change my mind off she went, leaving me with a kiss.
I lay awake for ages on my bed, and eventually decided to go to Franky. They left our cells unlocked overnight, well unlockable from the inside, in case of emergency. I opened my door, and walked across the hall. Directly in front then left. 5 steps forward, 3 steps left. I made this trip almost every night, sometimes more than once. I knocked on the door lightly, I didn't want anyone else to notice I wasn't in my own cell again. To my surprise, Franky unlocked the door before I had even finished knocking.
"You took your sweet time." She smiled, pulling me into her cell. I sat down on the corner of the bed and waited for Franky to join me.
"What's wrong?" Franky asked me, placing her hand gently on the inside of my thigh. I didn't reply, but I place my hand on hers and intertwined my fingers with hers.
"Come on." Franky said, gently pulling me down on the bed so we where laying down facing each other. She was going to get it out of me sooner or later, so I may as well just tell her.
"Something's not right" I whispered, realising how crazy I sounded.
"What do you mean?" She asked, studying my facial expressions.
"Something's not right" I repeated. My breathing began to quicken, but Franky has a habit of containing my panic attacks before they happen.
"Slow down, breathe." She said calmly to me, placing a hand gently on the side of my face and stroking my cheek.
"What do you mean." Franky repeated slowly, once my breathing had slowed.
"I don't know. I just know something's going to happen. Something bad. Instinct, you know?" I said, I didn't even know what I meant, I just knew I had a gut feeling, and my gut feelings tend to be right.
I rolled over and let Franky get close, she wrapped her arms around me and rested her chin on top of my head.
"I love..." Franky began to whisper.
That's the last thing I remember before blacking out.
I don't know how long it was before I woke up. I had no clue what was going on at first.
I started to panic.
I couldn't see Franky anywhere.
I looked around.
"Franky?" I whispered. No response.
"Franky?" I said again, louder that time. I was really panicking. Still no response.
"Franky?!" I repeated, a lot louder. This time she responded.
"Hey, I'm okay." She responded. I sat up and let out a sob, we were both okay.
Franky came out of know where and knelt down and wrapped her arms around me. She pushed my head into her shoulder and let me sob for a second. That's when we noticed the smoke. The smell. The heat.
There was a orange essence around the door frame, and it was extremely hot. There was roaring, slowly creeping closer. I crawled to the door and froze. I could feel the heat of the flames before I saw the fire. There was a raging inferno at the end of the H block. We couldn't hear anyone. Silence. Except the crackle and roar of the fire. Everyone else is probably out, or at least I hoped they were.
"Fuck." Franky muttered appearing behind me. She was trying to stay strong for me, but we didn't have any time to hug and kiss now. It was run or burn alive.
"We need to get out." I said, trying to form a plan of action in my head. That's when it dawned on me, that fire was our only way out.
"That's our only way out." I added.
Franky looked at me, pleading for me to be wrong. But she knew I was right.
We each grabbed a bed sheet and wrapped ourselves in them, at least they would offer us a little protection. I took her hand and we held on tight. If we were going to die, we were going to die together.
We took one last breath and ran for in. The heat was over whelming and I saw the flames licking up my bed sheet. We ran like hell. It felt like an age, but finally daylight was in sight, but my lungs were on the verge of giving up. I couldn't go on.
I felt Franky stop, and then I lost her. For that spilt second I completely freaked out. Then I saw Bea on the floor, and she had hold of Franky's ankle.
There was a ceiling beam laying across Bea, she was well and truly stuck.
"Please" Bea begged.
"Help me" She pleaded again.
I knew there was no way she would make it out on her own, and I knew Franky was a cruel bitch, but we both knew no one deserved to die like this, even if it was Bea Smith.
We looked at each other and each grabbed an end of the beam. Somehow we managed to move it. We pulled Bea up, and thats when I went down. I couldn't move, I thought my lungs had exploded. I felt 2 arms scoop me off the floor and carry me. I was laid like a baby across her arms, my head tucked into her neck, protected by a fierce mane of red fizzy hair. I put my arms around her neck and clung to her, I knew she was my lifeline right now.
The three of us just about made it out before there was another explosion, knocking us to the ground. But neither of us particularly wanted to move. We lay there on the ground, looking up at the night sky, slightly orange at the bottom. Somehow my hand found Franky's.
I don't remember what happened after that.
We are now sat on the grass outside, watching Wentworth Correctional Facility. I never thought I would see the day that Franky, Boomer, Sky, Doreen, Bea, Maxine, Kim & I sat together without dispute, but here we are.
I don't have much strength, Franky's sat with her arms around me from behind, and I'm in her lap. She's got me in a protective hold, and I am slowly beginning to relax. I can't talk yet, I can't really even hold myself up. I can feel her gently run her fingers up and down the outside of my arms and thighs, I think she's trying to relax herself, and well as comforting me. We're all sat on the embankment over looking the prison.
Mr Jackson is in front of me trying to get me to drink something, but I can't. Franky hit his hand away and took the bottle of water, she had some of it herself, and then gently shuffled me around I so I'm now sat sideways on her lap, my head rests in the creak of her neck. She holds the bottle in front of my mouth, and after a second I clamp my teeth around it. She tips it slightly and I manage a couple of mouthfuls before I start spluttering. Franky rubs my back until I stop, then she repeats the process again but I only manage a single mouthful before I start spluttering again.
I turn to Franky and lean my forehead against hers, I don't have the strength to hold myself up. I see the tear streaks down her face, I can't tell if its from the smoke or because of me, but either way my heart shatters. I use what's left of my strength to curl into her and hold myself up to look her in the eye. I place both my hands on the sides of her face and kiss her nose.
"Sssh." I whisper, stroking my fingers under her eyes to wipe away the tears.
"I've got you." I add.
"No, you haven't." Franky replies. I don't know how to respond to this. I can't .
"I've got you, and I'm never letting you go. Don't ever scare me like that again." She finishes. This I can't respond to either, so after another spluttering attack, I relax into her and let myself be the one in need for the first time today.
Were now sat watching the rest of Wentworth burn down, the fire crews are here now, but their not going to do much good, they came to late, we've lost everything. But we didn't have much, were prisoners at the end of the day.
I am alive, the entire of H block is alive, and the staff. Somehow, were all alive.
Maybe something will change around here now, but then again, maybe not...