“What is it?” she gasped while nervously looking from Monster to the prison. “Are there more inside?”
Monster snorted as his tail violently cracked against the tree leaving a deep groove with violence she’d never seen before. Alex appeared concerned while staring at Monster.
“I know you understand me, Monster, and I know you choose not to listen sometimes,” she announced firmly, “but if we go in there, you have to stay with me. There are men in there who might think you’re one of the bad ones and try to kill you.” She drew a deep breath and held it a moment. “Look at me if you understand.”
Monster looked at Alex.
Her eyes widened with realization. “I knew it. I knew you understood every word I’ve ever said,” she proclaimed then turned serious. “We need to find Holt and Damon. I’m counting on you to track them.”
He gurgled his response, which she somehow understood. Alex climbed down the tree while Monster leaped onto the nearby fence. She hurried after him as he crawled along the fence then scurried through the open gate and landed softly on the ground. Alex entered behind him with her pole securely in hand.
Chapter Thirty-six
Alex and Monster finally reached the building and approached the open, steel door leading into the security area just before the general population areas. The prison was little more than bland, painted concrete walls, floors, and ceilings with metal bars strategically placed throughout. Dismal and uninspiring were the perfect words to describe the prison interior. Monster sniffed the air then scurried along the wall and onto the ceiling. Alex hurried after him. He stopped near an open cell door leading to one of many corridors.
The place was a maze of corridors with open cell doors everywhere. She slowly approached the opening. Monster passed through the open doorway from the ceiling. Alex cautiously followed him and entered the corridor. She stared at the massive amount of blood down the wall and on the floor. The blood streaked down the corridor and ended near a doorway as if a body was dragged. Monster scurried along the ceiling and again stopped to smell the air. He thumped his tail against the ceiling. Alex quickly moved against the wall.
Both approached the doorway with caution. She silently entered the massive kitchen. The kitchen was in desperate need of modern updates. Many of the appliances appeared rusted and not capable of functioning properly. A few areas were neat and tidy, possibly the ones mostly used, while other areas were loaded with dirty, rusted cookware, bugs, and rats. Monster remained on the ceiling and guided her through the mammoth maze of a kitchen. He suddenly stopped and stood frozen.
Alex approached while clutching her pole. There was blood on the closed steel door before her. She reached for the handle, pulled open the door, and jumped back into an attack stance. Three men jumped with alarm and stared at Alex from where they hid inside the pantry. Their looks of horror slowly turned to shock upon seeing a woman. Alex remained in attack position.
“Who are you, and where in the world did you come from?” Bundy asked.
Bundy was in excellent, physical condition. He obviously worked out regularly the same as Damon. He kept his light brown hair buzzed close to his scalp with a definite military appearance. He was ordinary looking, although not unattractive. His muscle mass was probably enough to gain plenty of female attention in the outside world. Alex didn’t answer his question and remained in attack position. She didn’t know these men, and she wasn’t in the mood for small talk.
“Where’s Damon?” she demanded.
Bundy stared at her with surprise. “You know Damon?” he gasped.
“Where is he?” she again demanded without answering his question.
The two remaining men, Tyler and Miller, stood within the pantry doorway, unable to take their eyes off the first woman they’d seen in years. Tyler and Miller were both in their late thirties to early forties and took better care of themselves than the last two men Alex had met from the prison. Although unshaven in days, Tyler had obviously bathed recently and his clothes were fairly clean. He seemed to take some pride in his overall health, keeping mostly fit. Miller was slightly overweight, but he was clean-shaven and wore clean clothes and obviously bathed regularly as well.
“We haven’t seen him,” Miller insisted. “We’ve been hiding in the pantry all night.”
Bundy stepped out of the pantry and joined Alex in the kitchen. Alex reestablished her attack stance, threatening him with a look. Bundy stopped and put his hands in the air.
“You’ve got the wrong idea,” he informed her. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
She’d heard that line before. She didn’t fall for it last time, and she wasn’t about to fall for it now.
Miller saw Monster on the ceiling. “Oh, shit!” he cried out. “There it is!”
Miller shut the pantry door, locking Bundy in the kitchen with Alex. Bundy saw Monster, cried out, and spun toward the pantry door. He attempted to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Hurry! Inside,” Bundy cried out. “It’s on the ceiling!”
“For the hard-core criminal type, you’re not very brave,” she snarled. “That’s just Monster. He’s with me. He’s one of the good guys.”
Bundy uncertainly turned and eyed Monster on the ceiling. Monster bared his teeth and appeared to sneer at Bundy. Bundy again screamed and attempted to open the door. Monster hissed as if laughing.
Alex eyed Monster and frowned her disapproval. “That wasn’t very nice.”
Bundy released the door that obviously wasn’t opening, stared at the unaggressive creature on the ceiling, and then faced Alex.
“Why are you looking for Damon?”
“We don’t leave our men behind,” she replied. “You may want to remain hidden. Those creatures can be nasty.”
Alex lowered her pole then turned to leave. Monster scurried across the ceiling toward the kitchen door.
“We don’t leave our men behind?” Bundy repeated with surprise. “He told you?”
Alex turned and looked back at the man. “How he ended up here? Yes, he told me.”
“I’m Bundy,” he proclaimed.
She stared at him a moment with surprise then relaxed slightly. “Oh, you’re the friend he came back for,” she announced simply. “You should probably come with us then. He’ll be happy to see you.”
Bundy looked at the closed pantry door, made a face, and waved his hand. “Ah, screw them.” He looked back at her and motioned her onward. “Let’s go.”
Alex and Bundy followed Monster from the kitchen and along the corridor. Bundy watched the large creature scurry along the ceiling while maintaining his distrust.
“And he’s friendly?”
“Friendly-ish,” Alex replied. “I raised him from a pup.”
“Does he know where he’s going?”
“He’s tracking Holt and Damon,” she informed him. “He’ll alert us to danger.”
They approached a streak of blood, alarming Bundy. “A creature killed one of the guys there,” he informed her. “Do you suppose they ate him?”
“Monster isn’t much of a meat eater,” she remarked. “Mostly spiders and clams. He prefers mangos.” She looked around while sinking into thought. “Seems strange that his relatives would be meat eaters.”
“So, uh, how do you know Damon?” Bundy asked while eying her. “He never mentioned a woman out there. Just some old guy and his son.”
“Apparently, I’m the son.”
“That son-of-a-bitch,” he cried out. “He lied to me. He wanted you for himself.”
“You talk a lot.”
“Hey, I haven’t seen or spoken to a woman in over eight years, and my best friend has been keeping you a secret from me,” Bundy groused with little care. He was obviously irritated with his friend. “So, are you two, like, seeing each other?”
She rolled her eyes at the constant questions. It had been years since she’d been around someone so talkative. “I should have left you in the kitchen.”
“Ah
, that’s not a denial,” he announced enthusiastically while grinning.
Monster stopped and thumped his tail on the doorframe. Alex held her hand up to silence Bundy. Bundy became alert and concerned. Alex moved into a fighting position and quietly moved closer to Monster near the doorway. Alex cautiously entered the laundry room with her pole leveled. Monster scurried along the ceiling but remained close. Bundy looked around. The laundry room was massive and contained many large washers, dryers, laundry bins, and racks of clean laundry to obscure their view. They heard a commotion within the room. Alex and Bundy headed through the room and stopped. Several men attempted to elude one of the creatures while pinned near the large dryer. One man was dead in a pool of blood, but the creature was holding the rest captive. The creature spun toward Alex and Bundy.
“Oh, shit,” Bundy gasped.
One of the men ran while the creature was distracted. The creature leaped on the man, tackled him face first to the floor, and grabbed his neck in its teeth. The creature snapped the man’s neck, nearly ripping his head from his body. The five remaining men ran from the scene. The creature released the dead man and spun toward the running men. Alex took her attack stance with her pole. Bundy appeared horrified, but for some reason, he didn’t run. The men stopped when they saw Monster on the ceiling.
The creature leaped for Alex. Monster ran across the ceiling and dropped down in front of Alex to protect her. He swung his massive tail for the creature, nailed it in the chest, and tossed it backward with force. The creature struck the dryer and was momentarily dazed. It then leaped to its feet and hissed at Monster. Monster stood on his hind legs and growled loudly. The creature appeared intimidated and ran up the dryer and across the ceiling. Without hesitation, Monster leaped to the ceiling and chased after it.
“We’d better get out of here,” Bundy suggested.
The men motioned them to the door. Alex followed the commotion from within the laundry room.
Bundy grabbed her hand. “We need to get out of here in case he doesn’t win.”
Chapter Thirty-seven
Bundy and Alex followed the five remaining men into the nearby cellblock, which was apparently where the group of over thirty inmates had spent the last few years. The overnight attack seemed to have thinned their pack drastically. It was difficult to say how many had survived. One of the men shut the cell door and locked it with an old key. Everyone finally relaxed, feeling safe for the first time. Alex looked around the dismal cellblock. It was as dark, drab, and depressing as the rest of the prison. At least there were outside windows, obviously covered with bars, which allowed sunlight to enter the cellblock. Alex finally got a better look at the five men she and Bundy had met within the laundry room.
Dan and Marv were fairly large men in their late thirties. Although their clothes were slightly dirty and wrinkled, they kept better care with their hygiene. They remained unshaved for a few days but had bathed recently. They typically kept their hair buzzed close to their heads, but it appeared as if they were in need of another buzz. They were neither good-looking nor homely.
“We’ll be safe in here,” Kyle informed them. “They can’t get into the cellblock.”
Kyle was a strange looking man and came across as high-strung. Although he seemed to take care of himself, and his clothes were relatively clean, he had a slightly creepy look about him. Alex didn’t like the look in his eyes or the way he looked at her as if she were an appetizer.
“What the hell were you guys doing in the laundry room in the first place?” Bundy demanded.
“We hadn’t heard anything in a while,” Garrett responded while recovering from his ordeal. “We thought we could make it to the kitchen. Starving to death wasn’t really an option either.”
Garrett was a big, tall man in his early thirties. He stood over six-foot-four with enough weight behind him to do some damage. He was a powerhouse of a man. He had moderately short, dark hair, which he kept neat. Possibly considered a good-looking man, he didn’t seem to be a very intelligent man. The men had a difficult time keeping their eyes off Alex. She remained near the main cell door and watched for Monster. When he appeared outside the door, the remaining men jumped with alarm.
“It’s okay,” Alex informed them. “He’s with me.”
“Believe it or not, that’s her pet,” Bundy replied dryly.
“There’s no way I’m letting that thing in here with us,” Phil insisted.
Phil was the last of the five men from the laundry room. He was average height and build with short, neat hair and a clean-shaved face. He obviously took great care in keeping himself clean and dressed properly. Although ruffled by what had happened over the last two days, Phil seemed to have a better grip on his emotions.
Alex cast a look at Bundy and clutched her pole. “We have to go,” she announced sternly. “We need to find Holt and Damon.”
Bundy nodded then looked at Kyle. “Unlock the door,” he ordered. “We have to find Damon.”
“No way man,” Kyle protested with fear in his eyes. “That thing is out there.”
“That’s her pet, Kyle,” Bundy snapped with irritation. “It’s not going to hurt us. Give me the key.”
Kyle eyed Alex with more than a passing interest and barely looked at Bundy. “Where did you find a woman, Bundy?”
He extended his hand, clearly annoyed. “Just give me the key, Kyle. We’ll worry about the Q and A later.”
Phil finally joined their conversation while grinning his lustful intentions. “We’re all stuck here. We may as well make the best of it,” he announced then gave Alex a lengthy once-over. “What’s your name, honey?”
“Give Bundy the key or I’ll wipe that grin right off your face,” she snarled.
Garrett laughed while looking at the other men. “She’s a feisty one. I like them feisty.” He moved closer to Alex and grinned. “Why don’t you come to my cell and you can show me just how feisty you are?”
“Really, Garrett?” Bundy snapped while glaring his irritation. “You haven’t seen a woman in eight years, and you’re going to be a total pervert?”
“Goes way beyond pervert, Bundy,” Kyle informed him, revealing his full, creepy potential.
Phil grabbed Bundy from behind while chuckling.
Bundy attempted to break free. “Let me go, or I’ll kill all of you!”
The remaining four men grinned at Alex and circled her. Alex eyed them with little emotion. She casually twirled her pole above her head and moved into attack position. She watched the four men out of the corner of her eyes without turning her head. Monster snarled from the cell door. His tail cracked like a bullwhip, causing the man near the door to jump. The others easily ignored the angry creature.
“Oh, look at her,” Kyle teased. “She’s sexy when she’s acting all tough.”
Bundy fought against the man holding him immobile. “I’m warning you! Stay away from her!”
“He’s warning us,” Kyle remarked and laughed. He glared at Bundy. “Sorry, buddy, but I’d assume kill you and keep the girl. She’s what we’ve been missing on this rock.”
Alex remained still while watching the four men surrounding her. Two of the four attempted to grab her from behind. Alex spun with the pole, cracked each man, and spun back in time to strike the remaining two. The men cried out with each strike from the pole but didn’t appear dissuaded. Bundy broke Phil’s hold and fought him with the same Navy SEAL training Damon had displayed on the beach. Phil didn’t stand a chance. Bundy snapped Phil’s neck and dropped him to the floor. As he turned to Alex, she beat all four men, keeping them at bay. One was already writhing around the floor while clutching his head. Bundy stopped to watch her with surprise and amazement. As Marv flew Bundy’s way, Bundy grabbed him and snapped his neck without hesitation.
While Alex pummeled two of the three men, Bundy fought Garrett and wasted little time ramming his head into one of the cell doors. He fell to the floor, apparently dead. Alex continued her assault on Kyle an
d Dan. Dan had enough and attempted to flee. Bundy struck him in the throat. Dan was thrown backward from the impact and spit up a large amount of blood as he hit the floor. He twitched and no longer moved. Alex finally took down Kyle with her pole and several karate kicks. He lay on the floor gasping and holding his hands in the air.
“No more. I give,” he cried out. “You win.”
Alex backed away and maintained her emotionless expression, allowing Kyle to stand. Bundy kicked Kyle in the groin. As he doubled over, Bundy snapped his neck. Alex stared at him with the same shocked expression she’d given Damon.
“Was that necessary?”
Bundy glared at her and pointed a demanding finger. “Do you have any concept of what they intended to do to you?”
“Yes, and I handled it.”
“But I handled it better,” he snapped then appeared curious and shook his head. “Why didn’t you take them down with a groin shot?”
“I’m not supposed to fight dirty.”
“Not supposed to fight dirty? Do you want to live?” he demanded. “Is Damon going soft on me?”
“I didn’t learn from Damon.”
“Obviously,” Bundy muttered. “Does he know you can fight like that?”
“Yes, I pinned him five for five.”
Bundy suddenly chuckled. “Oh, yeah. He definitely wants you for himself.” He removed the key from Kyle’s pocket. “Let’s go find the prick. I don’t want some creature killing him before I have the chance.”
Chapter Thirty-eight
Damon and Holt entered the library which contained high bookcases filling the large room. It wasn’t the most modern library nor the most glamorous, but it contained thousands of books both fiction and non-fiction. Holt stared at the shelves and shelves of books and marveled as they crossed the room.
“I think I just died and went to heaven,” Holt practically gasped.
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