Attacked in My Sleep: A Prison Nightmare

Anthony McCarary recounts the terror of being attacked in prison while asleep, and how the experience changed his life.

One of the most frightening experiences that ever happened to me while incarcerated was being attacked by another inmate while I was in bed sleeping. It happened to me two other times, by two other cell mates, while in solitary confinement, but none was as brutal as the first time.

For years, I stopped sleeping on a mattress, especially if I had a cell mate. The cold, hard, metal bunk against my back would keep me tossing and turning all night. That’s the way I wanted it. That mattress, though thin, made me vulnerable to cowardly attacks that happened while I was peacefully sleeping on a soft mattress. I would have cell mates throughout my time incarcerated who never knew why I slept on a metal bunk without a mattress, and thought I was crazy for doing so. But I never wanted to sleep comfortably again.

Facing a Bigger Opponent

In 2008, I found myself as an 18-year-old kid in the county jail. There was this bully in there, a powerhouse. Standing 6’5″ and 250 pounds, compared to my 5’10” and 154 pounds. He wanted to fight, and we fought. I did alright, but he got the best of me. Everyone who saw it gave me fist bumps and patted me on the back for having courage. They said I hung in there, and I did okay for my size. But I knew I had lost. Even the guy I’d just fought shook my hand, and told me, “You got a lot of heart, little dude.”

Drugged and Attacked in My Sleep

We lived in a dormitory setting with bunks all over the dorm. Later on, witnesses told me that while my head was turned, they saw him put crushed-up muscle relaxers and psychiatric pills (to help you sleep) inside the cup of orange juice I was drinking. Out of nowhere, I started yawning and feeling really relaxed and drowsy. I went to lie down on my bunk, the bottom bunk. I was told that the same guy who I’d fought with earlier sucker-punched me multiple times in the face while I was asleep, then dragged me out of the bed onto the ground. He finished me off with a few more, breaking my cheekbone. Witnesses told me that I slept through the entire attack as if I didn’t feel a thing.

They told me that I was on the ground asleep for about 20 minutes, and some Asians in the dorm helped me off the floor and put me back in bed. I remained asleep at least another hour. Finally, I woke up, and my head felt heavy. My mouth was fat and swollen. I walked into the bathroom and looked at my face in the mirror. I couldn’t even recognize myself. Both of my eyes were swollen. Under one of my eyes was dried-up blood, and the eye was sealed shut. The same with my other eye, but I could see just a little. I walked back to the dorm area and asked, “What happened to me?”

No One Came to Help

An older man replied, “The big boy with the corn rolls in his hair, who you fought this morning, punched you while you were in the bed asleep, then dragged you out of bed.”

“And y’all sat around and let him do it?” I replied. “Why didn’t y’all help me?”

I will never understand why he did me like that. He had already won. He already proved that he could beat me up. I think he envied my courage. That’s how bullies are. They pick and choose, and are very selective with who they mess with. He chose the frailest guy in the dorm to fight. When I stood my ground and did okay for my size and weight, it pissed him off. All his life, he’d never had to fight, because people were more than likely intimidated by his massive stature.

Covering Up the Truth

Officers did count and saw my face. They told me I needed medical attention and got me out of there. “What the hell happened to your face?” an officer asked.

Rather than snitch on him, I lied and said, “I fell off of the top bunk.”

Interested in reading more? Don’t miss A Short Story About Violence in Prison

The post Attacked in My Sleep: A Prison Nightmare first appeared on Prison Writers.