Chapter 12 - THE PRISON ASSAULT
Night fell over the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan, bringing a heavy silence broken only by the distant hum of city traffic. The corridors were dimly lit, casting long eerie shadows along the steel bars of the cell blocks.
Julian lay on his narrow cot, staring up at the cracked concrete ceiling, his mind consumed by regret and terrifying isolation. Every sound in the hallway made him jump, his nerves completely shattered by days of imprisonment.
Suddenly, the electronic lock on his cell door chimed, sliding open six inches with a mechanical click. Julian sat up quickly, his heart hammering against his ribs as he looked toward the opening.
A large inmate wearing a gray correctional uniform slipped inside the cell, closing the door softly behind him. He held a sharpened metal shank concealed inside a folded towel in his right hand.
"Julian Vance?" the man asked in a low, terrifying voice that sent a chill straight down Julian's spine.
Julian backed up against the cold wall, raising his hands in sheer terror. "Who... who sent you? I have money! I can pay you double whatever they offered!"
"Your offshore accounts were frozen two hours ago, rich boy," the inmate sneered, stepping closer with a lethal speed. "You don't have a single dollar left to buy your life."
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Julian lunged forward in a desperate attempt to reach the emergency call button near the door. The inmate struck out, the metal blade grazing Julian's shoulder as a deafening alarm suddenly began blaring throughout the cell block.
Correctional officers rushed down the hallway, their heavy boots pounding against the concrete floor as they threw open the cell door, tackling the attacker to the ground before he could finish his deadly task.
