I was a prison guard at a place where they send the craziest of the crazy. The men I worked with made me proud. However, I soon learned the true purpose of the prison and its dark history. Things escalated when I was attacked and almost killed by one of the prisoners. But the worst thing was what…

The first thing you should know is that I’m not a man of violence. I don’t even like watching horror movies, but I grew up in a rough neighborhood, so I had to learn how to protect myself. <br><br>In my early twenties, I spent some time in a pretty rough prison for a crime I didn’t commit. I was in there for a year before I was finally released. <br><br>The first night I was out, I stopped at a bar to have a drink and celebrate my freedom. That’s where I met some guys who seemed cool. They offered me a beer and we struck up a conversation. They seemed genuine and I accepted their offers of friendship. <br><br>Looking back, it’s kind of weird that I was so eager to find friends, but you get used to being alone after a while. It had been a long year.<br><br>These guys seemed like the type of people you could trust with your life and so I told them about my situation. I told them about how I was in prison for a crime I didn’t commit and how much I was looking forward to starting my new life.<br><br>They were pretty quiet after that. One of them, the one who seemed to be the leader, leaned over and said, “I can help you with that.” He slipped a piece of paper across the table to me. It was a resume. Under a heading for work experience, it said “Prison Guard”. <br><br>I had no idea what they were talking about. I tried to give it back to him, but he insisted I take it to someone. His name was Captain Brown, a high ranking military officer. <br><br>I was confused and didn’t want anything to do with it. But these guys seemed genuinely interested in helping me get a job. They even offered to pay for my education. <br><br>I didn’t have any family to support me or any money. I was a broke 23 year old with a bad attitude. I decided to take them up on their offer and give it a shot. <br><br>I was surprised at how easy it was to get into the work. I had pretty good grades, so they were able to get me in right away. They put me in a training program that lasted about six months. After that I was placed in an apprenticeship under an experienced guard. <br><br>It only took a few months in the apprenticeship for me to realize I was exactly where I was meant to be. I really liked helping people and the uniform felt nice on my shoulders. I was pretty good at it too, and everyone seemed to like me. I was finally doing something I was good at. <br><br>I worked at the prison for nine years before I got an offer I couldn’t refuse. They offered me a promotion to work at a prison with better pay and a nicer home. They also offered me the chance to work with some of the craziest and most interesting inmates you can imagine. <br><br>I jumped at the chance, but I wasn’t told much about the prison before I got there. They wanted me to just show up and figure it out as I went along. The home they provided was beautiful. It was a two story house with five bedrooms and a garage. It was pretty nice, especially considering I wasn’t paying a cent in rent or fees. <br><br>I met the men I would be working with the first day I was there. They were all veterans of the prison system. Some had worked there for decades. <br><br>“My name is Captain Henderson. I’ve been working at this prison for thirty years.” He said. “I’ve seen a lot over the decades. I’m glad you’re here, because what you’re about to see and experience will be a lot to handle.” <br><br>I was curious, but Captain Henderson didn’t tell me much about the place. Instead he took me on a tour. The prison was enormous. I’m not sure you’d even call it a prison, it was more of an isolated compound of buildings that held several prisons inside of it. There were multiple sections, each section had a prison in it and the sections were like little cities. <br><br>“Your living arrangements are fine, I hope you’re happy there. You won’t be leaving much, the only thing you’ll need is here.” He said. “Don’t tell anyone about your home. Nobody knows where you live but me, just in case.”<br><br>I nodded, kind of weird considering I didn’t even know what I was guarding. <br><br>“Each section is run by a captain like myself.” He said. “Each prison in the sections is run by an instructor.” He pointed out the instructors as we passed by them. There were four instructors. <br><br>Instructor Adams was a short, overweight man with a thick southern accent. He seemed like a nice guy. <br><br>Instructor Jenny Pritchard was a fitness enthusiast. She had a tight body that looked as though it was carved out of marble. She was a black belt in several martial arts. I think she enjoyed her job more than anyone else, and it was obvious by the way she took care of herself. <br><br>Instructor Landon was a tall, skinny man who always seemed tired. I think he was in his late fifties and worked at the prison since it was built. He always seemed to be grumbling about something. <br><br>The last instructor was a young woman named Sarah. She was a genius in her field of study. I don’t remember exactly what it was she specialized in, but I do remember that she was an expert in her field and was published in several journals. She always seemed distracted. She was nice, but seemed a little off. <br><br>“So, what do you think of the team?” Said Captain Henderson. “They’re good people. You’ll get to know them well.” <br><br>“I like them. They seem nice.” I replied. <br><br>“I know they are.” Said Captain Henderson. “Now it’s time to see what we’re holding in here.” He pulled out a small piece of paper from his pocket. On it was written a series of numbers. “Enter these numbers into the lock over there. It’s the door to one of the prisons.” <br><br>My heart skipped a few beats as I entered the numbers. The door opened very slowly. When it finally opened, I almost shit my pants. It was an ordinary looking prison. You would have never guessed that the men inside had committed the kinds of crimes that they had. <br><br>“The prison looks normal, but the men inside aren’t.” Said Captain Henderson. “They’re the craziest of the crazy.” <br><br>I stood there frozen in shock. I could only wonder what kinds of crimes they had committed. <br><br>“Well, are you going to ask?” Asked Captain Henderson. “The men inside won’t do you any harm. They know you’re just a guard, but you’ll get a better idea of what you’ll be dealing with if you ask.” <br><br>“I guess I just can’t believe I’m actually asking this, but, what are the crimes of the men inside?” I asked. <br><br>“Each section holds a different type of criminal.” He replied. “Section one holds prisoners of the government. This is where they put people they don’t want the public to know about. They’re kept here for crimes like treason or assassinations.” <br><br>“Section two is for the mentally ill.” He said. “The men in section two are kept here because they would get electroshock therapy every week if they were on the outside.” <br><br>“Section three holds prisoners of a special court.” He explained. “The court only meets once every ten years, but the punishments are severe. The men in section three are kept here because they would receive the death penalty if they were on the outside.” <br><br>“Section four, that’s where you’ll be.” He said. “The men inside are kept here because they would be locked away forever if they were on the outside. Nothing else would keep them contained, so we keep them here.” <br><br>I spent the next few weeks working in section four. I got to know all of the men. There was an old man named Max who had killed his wife when she was cheating on him. He was a very nice man and I was sad to learn of what he had done. <br><br>The other men didn’t seem like much. They all had mental issues or were very old. I thought it was going to be a boring job. <br><br>One day, I was walking down the hall when I saw a man who didn’t seem to fit in. I approached him and introduced myself. His name was James, and he seemed kind of strange. When I asked him what he was in for, he leaned in and said, “I killed someone who deserved it.” I smiled, trying to be supportive. <br><br>“Who was it that you killed?” I asked. He told me about a man who had been torturing children for years. He said the man had been abusing his own kids for years and had even started attacking children he came across on the streets. <br><br>“I’m glad someone finally stopped him.” I said. “It’s about time someone did something about it.” He smiled at me. “Yeah, me too.” <br><br>I was happy to see James. He seemed like a good guy. It was about time a man like him was in a place like this. I continued on my rounds, feeling happy about the situation. <br><br>As the days went by, I found myself spending more time with James. He was a nice guy who had done something that needed doing. I was glad he was here, and I was glad I got to know him. <br><br>One day, I was walking down the hall when I heard someone screaming. I rushed to