Masked and Anonymous Chain Gang Part 01

Author: rollins316
Title: Masked and Anonymous Chain Gang Part 01
Date: 27 March 2012

It was five in the morning when the loud booming sound of the wake up alarm awoke the twelve inmates of the “Chain Gang” prison ward. The sound rang through the small brick building that housed the members of the prison's prestigious work detail.


The loud noise woke up the twelve inmates, who knew full well that they could not linger in their warm beds and had to be up and about as quickly as possible. The daily schedule of the chain gang was a tight one, with no time to slack off as they got ready for their day's work. Within a matter of minutes, all twelve men were up and making their beds as they began the daily ritual that defined their lives. They had a ten hour work day ahead of them. The work was hard but the pay-off made the spartan life they found themselves living, worth the pain. For every full year that they completed as as member of the chain gang, two years would be removed from their prison sentence. The chance to get early release was one that made the strict and harsh lifestyle of a member of a chain gang worth it.


To even become a part of the chain gang was an honor and a challenge, one that made acceptance into the program even more of an honor and the reward, all the more sweeter. The chain gang was a small one, with only twelve members at one time. To become a member, one had to be personally vetted by the warden and various key staff members of the prison. The key trait being looked for, from applicants, was the fact that people who were brought onto the chain gang would be people who were most likely to be able to be reintegrated back into society as law abiding citizens.


The warden, a stern figure, believed rather strongly in the notion of penance and atonement through hard and back breaking labor. If he was to cut a deal to give these criminals time off their sentences, he wanted to make sure only those who showed remorse for their crimes and who would return to society and not commit additional crimes, would be part of his program. These types of prisoners he believed, would make the best workers for the chain gang as far as willing to put in the work to pay penance for their crimes and be worthy of the reward of early release, changed men who would never break the law again so long as they lived.


After making their beds, the prisoners sat on the cold concrete floor while wearing the only non-uniform article of clothing they were allowed to possess: a pair of white boxer shorts, which covered a small plastic chastity pod that encased their privates. The warden, ever eager to harness the inmates energy for their work, felt that their sexual impulses should be tightly controlled and refocused to the tasks they would be engaged in. The devices had holes so that the prisoners could still piss and achieve partial erections, but any meaningful sexual experience was impossible.

The cells themselves were practically medieval in their design and lack of luxury items. The small beds that were bolted onto the floor, the bed clothes (a blanket and single pillow), a steel toilet and sink, a mirror that was bolted above said sink, and a small locker which contained both hygiene items and the prisoner's work uniform. The walls themselves were made of thick concrete and the doors sound proofed (communication with the outside being done by way of intercom), making communication with ones neighbor in the cell next door impossible. The cells also lacked window, further creating an atmosphere designed to ensure prisoners could only focus on their job as part of the chain gang.

Outside, masked guards wearing black uniforms that covered every single inch of flesh, walked along the cell doors with a cart containing the prisoner's breakfast. Anonymity was a major theme of how the warden ran his prison and the chain gang unit. All guards were required to be hooded and wear gloves at all times and uniforms were all designed to conceal anything that might give an inmate a clue as to the identity of the men in charge of keeping them under lock and key.

Most of the guards had security numbers on their shirts that allowed officers to identify each other. But the four men working the chain gang detail would not have this on their uniform. The chain gang detail was a rotation assignment, meaning that guards only worked two-three weeks with the group before being cycled back into general population as a regular guard in the main prison. It was a move designed to ensure that the guards and the inmates never became too chummy. The guards in charge of the chain gang would spend a good amount of time with their charges and as such, it was imperative that no inappropriate rapports developed between the two sides. The rotating system, combined with the guards being hooded, ensured that the prisoners would never know who was watching over them at any given time. Each of the four guards would be referred to by one four generic names: Alpha, Beta, Zeta, Omega during their time working the chain gang.

The issue of breakfast was the same every morning. From the cell door, a slot would be unlocked and a tray containing the morning meal would be slid underneath to the prisoner. The meal was another perk of being part of the chain gang: quality level eggs, bacon, juice and milk, a breakfast energy candy bar, and prepackaged apple slices. The only downside was that meal would be the only meal the prisoner would have until the end of his shift that evening, usually around seven or eight in the evening.

As they ate their meals, each inmate knew that they had to eat fast and do so before 5:45 AM. After eating, the empty tray is placed outside of the slot on their door and picked up by a hooded guard and placed onto the cart and the slot secured once again. Any last minute usage of the rest room came next, as there would be no bathroom break until that evening. Luckily, it was common for the prisoners to be able to control their bowel movements to a considerable extent to ensure no accidents while working outside. Once any pooping or pissing was taken care of, it was time to put on their uniform.

First came the ball gag, another idea from the warden to ensure that prisoners knew their place. Only one of the prisoners on the chain gang (who's job it was to serve as group spokesperson and serve as a go-between for the group and the guards) was except from wearing the gag. The “spokesman” job would last a full month and was constantly rotating so that everyone would have a chance to serve in this role. However, rules indicated that the “spokesman” would only speak when spoken to and more so, would only speak out of turn in the event of a dire emergency. The gag would remain in place until that evening, before dinner time.

Next would come the uniform: a spandex bodysuit that had would render the prison a faceless blank. The suits were done to ensure that the members of the chain gang, when working in public, would be able to do so without having their identities exposed to the public. Each suit was colored orange and was thin enough to ensure that each inmate could easily see out of the suit's attached hood. The only way one could tell the suit's owner apart was the white number that was sewn onto the suit's chest. Each number corresponded to the number that was now the prisoner's name until his term was up and he was released from prison, having completed his time on the chain gang. It would also add to the anonymity of the members of the gang, fostering upon them a group mindset where the individual was non-existent. Indeed, none of the members even had a clue as to what the others looked like, save for the sound of their respective voices.

The members of the chain gang accepted all of this without protest. Again, having been picked out of the prison population for the chance of successful rehabilitation, the members of the chain gang were well aware of the fact that any bad behavior from one would potentially rob all twelve of their chance for early release. So far, seven inmates had successfully “graduated” from the program and given early release, so the promised prize of completing the bargain made with the warden was one that was possible.

No prisoner had caused any problems so far and team discipline was high. In particular, the mysterious #7 (a disgraced former military police officer who was serving a 40 year sentence for murder) had taken upon himself to appoint himself the unofficial group leader. The members of the group conceded to his silent authoritarianism, for lack of anyone else in the group being willing to take the daunting position of "the heavy".

The guards recognized this, which made their job rather simple since it meant that the inmates were willing to police themselves and stay on their best behavior. Most of the guards who worked the detail, were fair but strict with their handling of the inmates; indeed, many of them saw the assignment as one of the easiest at the prison. The prisoners were well behaved and the work consisted mainly of babysitting them as they did work the prison contracted with the county and other local businesses.

The final item of the uniform was a cheap pair of army boots which were to protect the inmates feet while they worked. The boots were often filthy and the inmates were not allowed to clean them until the weekend, which were the only days off that the prisoners received. A new pair of boots would be provided to the prisoners every six months, since most of the boots would wear out due to the strenuous nature of the work the inmates engaged in.

By this point, it was now 5:45 AM and time for the inmates to be released from their cells. They waited as each cell opened up, allowing them to leave it as they watched the guards wheel out a second cart with a series of boxes containing the restraints that would bind the twelve inmates into a chain gang. Each prisoner stood at attention, hands to their sides as they silently nodded their heads when roll call was taken by one of the guards. A full day's work of work was ahead of them as they marched single file towards the bus loading platform.