You'll sign everything necessary for your safety in this horrible place...

"Two years... Two fucking years I'll have to live in this shithole?! I simply can't survive in this horrible place without someone's help..." - you think panicked.

Your mind also flashes to that guy named Hugo Lopez, who promised to help you if you found him.

Alas, you're **** to abandon your illusory hopes and think realistically...

This young guy and his friends are unlikely to guarantee your survival in this cruel prison.

And your cooperation with the prison administration will significantly increase your chances of getting out of here alive.

But this cooperation must remain secret...

You remember how movies usually depict the fate of prison informers whose work becomes known to other prisoners...

"Sir... I hope that my cooperation with the prison administration will be completely secret..." - you say in a quiet, plaintive voice.

"Sure, mr. Atkins... It couldn't be any other way..." the officer's confident voice sounds as if what's happening now is routine for him.

So, your slightly trembling fingers pick up the pen and you sign wherever the officer tells you to...

"Sealed records"...

"Special secrecy measures"...

"Cooperation agreement"...

"Confidential informant"...

"Obligation to regularly provide information"...

The abundance of complex juridical significant phrases and terms in the text encourages you not to read it all thoroughly, as you understand little of it anyway.

You simply did what this officer told you...

You simply fear for your life and want to survive...

"Well... Excellent, mr. Atkins! You made the only right decision!" - officer smiles at you, but for some reason, that smile makes you a little uneasy.

"And... What happens to me now?" - you ask him.

"You will meet regularly with me... or other prison administration staff... You will answer our questions as honestly and thoroughly as possible... Don't worry – these meetings will be arranged by us on a strictly confidential basis..." - he replies.

You listen and unsuccessfully try to control the trembling in your body.

"One more thing, mr. Atkins... Look at these documents... Try to keep in mind these persons..." - officer flips through the documents in his folder and shows them to you.

This...

These are photographs of several inmates and brief descriptions of them.

Deshawn "Maddog" Jefferson – 22-year-old black male, a member of the "Beasts" gang, convicted of aiding in **** trafficking. The **** charges were not proven during the trial due to the sudden disappearance of a key witness.

Benjamin "Hammer" Harris – 24-year-old black male, a member of the "Rippers" gang, convicted of carjacking and robbery. The **** trafficking and racketeering charges were dismissed during the trial due to insufficient evidence.

That's all you had time to read before the officer closed the file right in your face...

"Remember these faces, mr. Atkins... The bastards from the 'Beasts' gang are still few in our prison – but, for obvious reasons, you should stay away from them... As for the scum from the 'Rippers' gang, I can say that they have a long-standing feud with the 'Beasts'... Based on this, one can assume they might look more favorably on your lies..." - he says.

"My lies?" - you ask, confused.

"Sure... One option to ensure your survival is to ask for "protection" from the enemies of the 'Beasts'. And, obviously, they'll question you in detail about a lot of things... And you'll have to lie: say you were set up by the bastards from the 'Beasts', that you were just a **** courier and didn't tell the police anything at all. You were only given a short sentence because you were arrested with a small amount of **** - after all, you managed to flush most of them down the toilet..." - officer's phrases echo in your head, and you once again experience the fear of having to try to lie as convincingly as possible.

"These two warring black gangs... Perhaps I have other options? Besides the 'Rippers'..." - you dare ask.

"Other options are possible, mr. Atkins... There are also other criminal organizations in our prison. For example, the Aryan Brotherhood... Brutal killers... The most dangerous bastards in this place... Or another option: the latinos-scums from "La Eme"... They like to **** those who harm them for a long time..." - hearing this, you barely hold back the tears.

"I hope you understand everything, Mr. Atkins?" - officer's hand pats your shoulder.

"Yes... Yes, of course..." - you mumble, shuddering.

"Excellent! Then you should think about your next steps... You will remain in this punishment cell for a couple more days... Then you will be transferred to another cell and you will meet other prisoners... I hope you remember to memorize various interesting facts for your subsequent conversation with me! The consequences of forgetfulness can be very... very unpleasant... Ha! Ha!" - after this phrase, the officer leaves your cell.

The metal door slowly closes with a sickening creak...

You lie down on your uncomfortable, hard bed and begin to sob...

After a while, you fall asleep...