An inmate collapses

As Lena walked past the row of cells, she caught something in her peripheral vision. Turning back, she saw Jake, one of the inmates, fall to his knees, clutching his chest.

"C-can't breathe..." he gasped as Lena walked up to his cell. He collapsed onto his back, his face starting to turn blue. Damn. These men were monsters, but still under government care. If one of the inmates died, there could be lawsuits, not just against the prison, but Lena herself could be held criminally responsible.

"Man down," Lena called into her radio. "I'm going to check on him." Jake was a big man, over six feet tall, with various tattoos running down both his muscular arms. Lena hastily unlocked the cell and pulled out her baton. It didn't appear as if he was faking, but if he was she would beat him black and blue!

Lena kicked the large prisoner in the stomach, but he was as unresponsive as a sack of potatoes. Double Damn. Putting away her baton, Lena knelt down and placed her finger beneath his nostrils. She couldn't feel his breath. Just to be safe, she would handcuff him before administering CPR.

As she fumbled for her handcuffs, Jake's eyes suddenly opened. His foot lashed out like a striking cobra, kicking her in the stomach and knocking the wind out of her.

"Thank goodness," Jake said, rising to his feet. "I don't think I could have held my breath for another second." As Lena lay on the hard cement floor gasping for breath, he reached down, removing her baton and keys from her belt. "Okay, you have two choices," Jake sneered, jingling her keys in front of her face. "Either I open all the cells and you have a massive jailbreak on your hands, or you give me a really good reason to stay."