Rex woke up slowly, his head, no, his whole body aching like it had been run over with a steamroller. He sat up gingerly and allowed his brain to slide with a crash back into place and carefully opened his eyes.
He was on a cot. In a cell. A jail cell. A holding tank or something, probably a FEMA camp, the little voice in his head said.
"Wake up morning glory" said a voice to his left. It belonged to a uniformed guard standing outside the bars. "Well, good to have you up. Time to read you your rights and get you processed".
The guard starting reading the standard Miranda warning while everything sank into Rex's mind. He needed to get out of here. He needed to call Darla. Get her down here. Identify him, pay bail. Get him home. Home, wonderful beautiful home.
"I need to make a phone call. I get one of those don't I?" shouted Rex.
"Sure, you get one. Get up" replied the guard as he opened the cell door.
Rex looked down and noticed that his clothes were missing and he was now wearing an orange jump suit and some sort of cardboard slippers.
"You made a mess of your old stuff. After we searched you and collected all those guns, we cleaned you up at the hospital and put you in that outfit. How do you like it?" the guard smirked.
As the guard led Rex down the hallway, there were other jail cells, all full of leering and taunting voices. Rex stared at the floor and tried to block out the horrible and disgusting things the other inmates were saying to him,
The phone was in the next hallway and the guard lifted the receiver and handed it to him. "One call, three minutes max, no redo's for wrong numbers. Got it?"
Rex nodded and slowly punched his home phone number. On the fourth ring, Darla answered.
"Darla? It's me Rex. I need you to listen to me. I need you to get downtown and arrange bail for me. I am being held downtown. I don't know why. All those other people were rioting and looting. I was only trying to help. Now I know you have questions, but you listen to me. Get down here. Bring your purse 'cause it's going to cost a few bucks to get me out. You hear me?"
There was a pause and then Darla slowly spoke.
"Rex. I am leaving right now for my mothers. I have taken half of the money from the bank account and am only taking my things with me. I will leave the keys to the front door on the kitchen counter. I am taking my car, the one you allowed me to drive. but will leave it for you to come get when I am done with it. Don't call me. I don't want to speak to you again. I hope things work out for you. Good bye".
The line went dead.
"All done cowboy?" said the guard, "Let's get you back to your cell, then"
"Wait. What happened. The riots. The announcement on TV. The looting. Gas lines. What happened?" pleaded Rex.
"Huh?" grunted the guard. "Oh downtown. They cancelled the ball game and some people started some trouble at the arena. Yeah, there was some looting and crime, but it's all under control now. Don't worry about that. You have plenty of other things to worry about. Lesse, attempted murder, discharging a weapon in public, disobeying an officer, resisting arrest, attempted armed robbery. Yep, you got a full dance card tonight cowboy".
The guard opened the cell door and guided Rex inside.
Turning away, the guard muttered under his breath, "What a world. Surrounded by idiots".
The End
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