Chapter 3: The Hell of San Isidro Penal Colony

Setting: San Isidro Penal Colony

The island prison looms like a cursed shadow over the horizon—a bleak fortress surrounded by jagged rocks and treacherous waters. 

This is no mere prison; it is a place where men are broken. The walls are high and unyielding, the guards cruel and merciless. 

Every corner of the penal colony exudes despair, and the screams of tortured prisoners echo through the stone corridors.

Miguel Alcantara is thrust into this nightmare, his once gentle spirit tested by unimaginable cruelty.

The prisoners wake before dawn to the sound of whips cracking against stone walls. 

The guards storm into their quarters, shouting and beating anyone who lags behind. 

Miguel and the others are herded into the courtyard, where the warden, 

a sadistic man named Coronel Vargas, watches with a twisted smile.

Coronel Vargas: (to the prisoners)

You are no longer men. You are beasts, and beasts must be tamed. Disobey, and you will suffer.

The work is grueling. Prisoners are forced to haul massive stones up steep cliffs in the blistering heat, 

their backs raw from the lash. Others dig trenches for no apparent reason, only to be ordered to fill them in again. 

Food is scarce—a meager portion of watery soup and a piece of stale bread once a day.

Miguel’s hands bleed as he lifts another heavy stone, his muscles screaming in protest. 

He sees an older prisoner collapse nearby, his body too weak to continue.

Guard: (shouting)

Get up, old man!

When the prisoner doesn’t move, the guard brings down his whip with brutal force.

Miguel: (stepping forward)

Stop! He can’t take any more!

The guard turns to Miguel, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

Guard:

Oh, we have a hero, do we?

Before Miguel can react, the guard strikes him across the back with the whip. 

The pain is searing, but Miguel refuses to cry out.

Guard: (mocking)

Let’s see how long your spirit lasts.

The worst punishment in the colony is the isolation pit—a deep, 

narrow hole dug into the ground where prisoners are thrown for even the smallest infractions. 

Once, Miguel is caught sharing his portion of bread with a younger prisoner. 

The guards seize him and drag him to the pit.

Guard: (smirking)

Enjoy your stay, hero.

Miguel is thrown into the darkness. The air is thick and suffocating, the walls damp with rot. 

Rats scurry around his feet, their sharp teeth gnawing at anything they can find. 

Days pass in silence, the only sound the occasional drip of water from above.

Miguel: (whispering to himself)

This is not the end. Isabela... I will return to you.

The isolation tests his resolve, but Miguel clings to his memories of Isabela, 

her laughter, and the promise of revenge against Rafael.

The guards use fear to keep the prisoners in line. Once a month, they hold public executions in the main courtyard, 

forcing all prisoners to watch. Rebels, real or imagined, are hanged or shot before the crowd.

One day, Miguel is forced to watch as a man he befriended, a fellow fisherman named Esteban, is dragged to the gallows.

Coronel Vargas: (addressing the prisoners)

Let this be a lesson to all of you. Defiance will not be tolerated.

Miguel locks eyes with Esteban as the noose is tightened around his neck.

Esteban: (hoarsely, to Miguel)

Don’t let them win, Miguel. Live. Fight.

The trapdoor opens, and Esteban’s body falls. Miguel’s chest burns with rage, but he knows better than to act. Not yet.

The guards employ brutal tactics to strip the prisoners of their humanity. 

Prisoners are forced to fight each other for scraps of food, the guards betting on the outcome. 

Those who refuse are beaten until they are near death.

One day, Miguel is thrown into the ring, pitted against a towering man named Mateo. 

Mateo’s eyes are hollow, his spirit long broken.

Guard: (shouting)

Fight, or you’ll both starve!

Miguel tries to reason with Mateo.

Miguel: (pleading)

We don’t have to do this.

But Mateo, driven by desperation, charges at Miguel. The fight is brutal, each blow landing with sickening force. 

Miguel finally subdues Mateo, but instead of delivering the finishing blow, he helps the man to his feet.

Guard: (furious)

So, the hero doesn’t like to fight? Fine. No food for a week!

The guards laugh as Miguel and Mateo are dragged away, but Miguel earns the respect of the other prisoners.

Despite the cruelty, Miguel begins to organize the prisoners. 

He speaks to them in hushed tones, reminding them of their humanity and planting the seeds of resistance.

Miguel: (to the prisoners)

They think they’ve broken us, but they’re wrong. We are stronger than they know. Together, we can fight back.

Andres, the wiry young prisoner, becomes his closest ally.

Andres: (grinning)

You’ve got fire in you, Miguel. I’ll follow you.

The prisoners begin to form a secret network, passing messages and gathering supplies for an eventual escape.

One night, Miguel witnesses a particularly brutal act of cruelty. 

A guard beats a young prisoner to death for dropping a bucket of water. 

The sight pushes Miguel to his breaking point.

Miguel: (to himself, seething with anger)

No more.

That night, he carves a message into the wall of his cell with a sharp stone: “We will rise.”

As the days pass, Miguel’s resolve hardens. He begins to see the guards not as unbeatable tyrants but as men who can be outwitted. 

He studies their routines, memorizes the layout of the prison, and gathers information from sympathetic guards and prisoners.

Miguel: (to Andres)

When the time comes, we’ll be ready.

Miguel staring out at the sea through the bars of his cell, his face set with grim determination.

Miguel: (whispering)

They tried to break me. But I will rise from this hell, and they will pay for what they’ve done.