by Tia Wilson
He paced back and forth beating his hands on his chest, flexing his arms and working himself into a frenzy. If his captors wanted a show he was going to give them one. He would rip the head clean off his shoulders as soon as his opponent got in the rings. The veins on his arms popped as he swung his fists, punching and moving in a tight circle. Sand kicked up in sprays as he moved around quickly throwing jabs and right hooks.
He could feel himself slip into the zone as he shadow boxed. It was nearly a zen like state where all outside stimuli faded to the background and he became nothing more than two fists of solid steel ready to pummel someone to death. When he worked himself up to this state it was like he was in a place were pain didn’t really exist, a place were it became nothing but a nagging tug of his body as his fists flew in a blur of punches. You can do this he told himself, no random fighter is going to take you down. Not today, not ever, no one is going to get the drop on you.
He heard a noise coming from behind him and he stood with his fists raised in front of him. The door in the wall ahead of him hissed as it slid sideways into a recess in the wall. A locking mechanism clicked loudly when the door fully retracted.
Beneath the arch cut into the curve concrete doorway stood a small girl no older then eight and frightened looking. Lewis dropped his fists and glanced up at the invisible walkways above. What sick game where his captors playing at he thought. The little girl stepped from the doorway and the door slid shut behind her and locked. She jumped at the noise of the locking clicking home.
The girl was wearing a loose fitting dress with a patter of blue interlinking circles stitched up the side. Her blue eyes were wide and she looked close to tears. The girl held her hands crisscrossed across her body in defence. She had short cropped blonde hair matted to her head with sweat.
Lewis put his hands up and said, “It’s ok you don’t need to be frightened. I’m not going to hurt you.” He took a step towards her and the girl shrunk back from him and pressed her back against the door.
“I’m Lewis. Whats your name?” he asked looking around for any movement on the above walkways. He could see nothing but imagined a row of twisted men watching as events unfolded below them.
“Ariana,” the girl said in a soft whisper.
Lewis backed away from her to show he was a man of his word. When he was at the opposite wall he sat down in the sand to show he was no threat. “Do you know why you are here Ariana?” he asked.
She nodded her head without meeting his eyes. Her shoulders twitched as she leant against the door. The poor girl Lewis thought she is scared out of her mind and being thrown in to this pit with a stranger was freaking her out.
“Why are you doing this you sick fucks?” Lewis shouted up to the unseen people. The girl jumped at his raised voice. “I’m not going to fight a little girl. Let her out of here and face me like a man. Enough of these game.”
The girls shoulders twitched again and her skin was turning a pale ashen colour. Had they drugged her Lewis thought as he got up? The girl looked at him her blue eyes no longer sparkling, instead her eyes were darkening. She pulled back her lips in a pained grimace and fell to the ground and started twitching.
Lewis ran over to her and rolled her over. She was breathing in rapid gasps and her legs and arms twisted and jerked. Is it some sort of seizure Lewis though as he looked at her. She squeezed her eyes shut and her mouth hung open in a wide gape. The skin of her face started to darken spreading out from her cheeks and across her nose and lips. She is choking Lewis thought. He shook the girl gently by the shoulders not knowing what to do. A dank smell came from deep inside like three day old rotten meat. Lewis covered his nose as his eyes began to water from the stench.
The girl let out a growl and then the skin of her face ripped from the corner of her lips to the back of her head. Her jaws hinged back as her teeth started to fall out of her gums. Lewis let go of the girl and scrabbled backwards away from her never taking his eyes from the twitching body. The girls face folded back over her skull like an obscene glove. The front of her skull began to break and protrude as if someone was pushing at it from behind.
Lewis hit the opposite concrete wall and pressed his back against it. His shirt was drenched from a cold sweat pouring off his body.
The girls body twisted and contorted as a noise like branches breaking mixed with the wet tear of flesh being torn apart filled the air. Lewis held his hands up to his ears to block out the sound. I’ll go mad if I hear any more of that hellish sound he thought as he tried to block it out. Blood drenched the sand around the girl and then she seemed to split down the middle. Lewis’s mind tried to jump to an explanation to what he was seeing and he reeled. The body spilt open as something else moved within the mess of broken bones, flesh and steaming internal organs. I am in a nightmare Lewis tried to tell him self as the figure pulled itself onto all four and faced him.
It was bear streaked with blood and chunks of skin hung to the thick white fur of its body. The bear shook itself and a fine mist of blood arched out coating the wall behind him and misting the sand in front. The bear turned to the puddle of blood and broken body parts it had burst forth from and sniffed it.
“What the fuck is this?” Lewis shouted towards the rafters in a shaking voice. The bear turned to him and stood on its hind legs and roared. The roar seemed magnified in the concrete pit and it was a sound that chilled Lewis to the bone. He scrambled to his feet the only thing on his mind now was survival.
The bear stood as tall as Lewis on its hind legs and he could see that it wasn’t fully grown. The bear sniffed the air and looked up towards the walkways above. Lewis took this tiny opportunity and charged at the bear. With his head low he ran full force into the bears chest, it was like hitting a brick wall. The bear fell backwards and Lewis tumbled on top of it. The bear was momentarily stunned and Lewis punched it hard in the jaw. His knuckles cracked painfully as they slammed into the thick skull. He rolled off the bear and away from it and got back on his feet. His knuckles were bleeding and the pain was nothing but a distant tug.
The bear turned over and stood on four legs. It growled at him, a deep bass rumble from deep in its chest. Lewis raised his fists. Am I really going to do this he thought to himself, if he ever got out of this he would have a hell of a story to tell the other inmates.
The bear ran towards him sand flying out from its back paws. His right fist connected with the bears neck. His left fist came around to connect with the side of the bears head and it turned and snapped its jaws shut around his arm. Pain shot up his arm and this time it was more than a background tugging sensation. He pummelled the bear with his right fist as the bear ground his teeth into his arm. It’s going to break Lewis thought and he twisted away and fell to the ground his arm over his head in the bears mouth. The bear dragged him half way across the pit and let him go.
Lewis rolled away from him and held his arm to his chest. Ragged chunks of flesh hung from the forearm and blood bubbled out from several puncture wounds. He looked around wildly for anything to help, any way out of this hell hole. The wall of smooth curved concrete was of no help. I’m going to die in here Lewis thought as the bear charged him again.
The bear reared up and swung a paw at Lewis who tried to pivot and spin out of its path. The paw connected with his shoulder and flung him back and he hit the wall with a thud. He lay face down in the sand trying to breathe. His mouth was filled with gritty sand and his damaged arm continued to pour blood. If I’m going to die it’s going to be on my feet he thought to himself as he pushed himself off the ground. His back and shoulders screamed in agony as he stood on shaking legs.
The bear was across the other side of the pit watching him rise. It pawed the earth its head swaying from side to side as it looked at him. It knows it has me Lewis thought, it has no reason to rush in for the kill. The bear stood on its hind legs and roared, strings of blood soaked spittle falling to the ground in pink strings.
Lewis raised his right hand in a
fist, he was not going to go down without a fight. Nobody was going to tell his story and call him a pussy. “Come on. Finish what you started,” he shouted his roar matching the bears in ferocity. The bear fell down onto all fours. This is it Lewis thought.
Yellow hazard lights switched on high up in the ceiling and began to spin. A low wailing alarm sounded from speakers high above. The bear hesitated for a second and then charged him.Lewis threw a handful of sand into the bears face and he rolled away from it at the last second. The bears head slammed into the concrete wall with a sickening crunch and it fell over onto its side. Lewis ran over and kicked the bear as hard as possible into its exposed flank. Three swifts kicks connected with the bear as it roared in pain.
The bears back paw swept out and knocked Lewis off his feet and sprawling back into the sand. Lewis was fast as he pushed back and away from the bear, the bear was faster as it rolled onto its feet and covered the short distance between them. The full weight of the bear slammed down on him as it pinned him to the ground with it paw, its sharp claws digging into the already shredded flesh of his damaged arm. Spots danced in his vision as pain ripped up his arm and through his shoulder.
The bear looked at him for a second, he stared into those dark eyes and Lewis could see no recognition, no emotion as he felt the deathly chill all prey feels before the jaws of death tear the life out from them. The bear bit into his side and Lewis felt a heavy warm pressure against his lungs. He tried to raise his hand up to punch and it fell back powerless. I’m going to be eaten alive he thought to himself. He didn’t feel fear as the bear reared back and bit into him again, this is how it ends he thought and wasn’t surprised with how easy it felt to let it all go. Soon it will be all over he thought, his wretched life torn out of him the same way he had done to so many around him.
The wailing alarm seemed to fade into the distance as he heard a sound like the tearing of a thick phonebook. Warmth drenched his side and he raised his arm up once again. He wanted to touch the bears fur before it ended him for good. That is all I want in this last second his mind screamed to him as he bled out on the sand.
“Ariana,” a voice shouted from behind. The bear released a hold of Lewis and looked up. Lewis turned his head weakly, it felt like a bowling ball connected to his light weight shell of a body. Slattery stood in the doorway waving towards the bear.
“Come Ariana we must go now. Leave him,” Slattery said.
The bear looked down at Lewis once more and he felt no fear or anger towards this creature. It’s only doing what comes natural to it he thought as everything around him began to fade. The bear padded off down the corridor and the door was shut behind by Slattery.
The last thing Lewis heard as everything faded away and as the spreading pool of blood soaked and darkened the sand around him was the sharp bark of distant gunfire.
10
The Elder
Tom surveyed the ranch through the binoculars. Everything looked quiet and if their intel was to be believed the place ran on a minimum of staff. Tom and the eight other clan members chosen for the rescue mission were parked on a raised hill that looked down at the valley below where the ranch was situated. One road lead into the place and as soon as they broke from the tree line they would be on clear and open ground until they reached the main building. Once they got there they would split into three teams. Tom and his men would check the large concrete structure that dominated the ranch, while the other two teams would check the house and the few workshops at far end and close to the helicopter pad.
He passed the binoculars to Trent and pointed him in the direction of the heli pad. “Looks like we have guests,” Tom said. Trent nodded as he scanned across each building. A member of the clan had scouted the ranch for over a week and had found that at most there would be three guards on duty in the holding cells. These guards usually rotated out every few days. The guards were armed and apart from them one or two general workers seemed to be onsite on any give day.
Tom was going to take four men to the main structure while the other two men teams checked the rest of the property. “We are going to be exposed as soon as we hop the fence,” Trent said.
“I can’t see any watch towers. There’s little to no security, Tom said. Tom had known it was a dangerous mission and he was working with men who only a few days ago who were lumberjacks, truck drivers, or carpenters. Nobody in his clan was trained for this kind of thing and yet now they were on a rescue mission for a clan elder, ill prepared and with no other choice. Tom respected them all for risking their lives in pursuit of cohesion of the clan. “We move low and fast across the field,” Tom said.
Trent shook his head as he trained the binoculars across the wide open space they needed to cross before they reached the cover of the building. “What about going in at night?” he asked.
Tom looked at him and said, “You know thats not an option. Elder Silas has been in that cell for weeks now, he might not have another night in him. You know what savages these bears are. We need to get him out now while we have the chance and we know the guard numbers are low.”
Trent nodded and said, “Ready men. Check your weapons,” and he checked his rifle. The other men checked theirs, an assortment of handguns, shotguns and one older guy had a cross bow. Tom checked the action of his gun and then stuck it in his belt, the handle wrapped in heavy duty tape sticking out over his waistband.
Tom addressed the men, “You all know why you are here. We all know how important elder Silas is to the clan. We get in and get out before these savage beasts know what hit them. Lets go.”
The group of eight climbed down the hill towards the valley floor and at the bottom at the tree line they waited for Toms order. He looked at each of them and nodded and then gave the signal to go. The eight spread out sprinting across the open field towards the wooden railings surrounding the ranch. They all cleared the ditch and were up and over the chest high barrier within a few seconds.
They hunkered in the dirt and leaned against the railing surveying the buildings ahead. Nothing moved. A minute sprint across open land and they would be at the main building which housed the cells. How many they did not know and judging by the size of the building it could hold many hundreds of prisoners. Judging by the supply drops the scout had observed they could expect minimum prisoners and possibly only their elder.
The team ran across the open field glancing back and forth between the buildings for any activity. Nothing stirred. They reached it and lay against it all breathing deeply. Tom nodded and the two teams headed in the direction of the house and outbuildings.
Tom and his team inched along the building and at the corner Tom peeped around. A set of metal stairs ran up two flights to a door. “Wait here and I’ll check if it’s unlocked,” he said. He went up the metal stairs, every clang of metal sounding too loud to him. He was half way up the stairs when the door swung open and a guard walked out in the process of lighting a cigarette hanging from his mouth.
The guard stared ahead from the metal platform in the direction of the mountains. Tom froze to the spot as he slowly reached for his gun. If the smoking guard turned to his left slightly he would see Tom on the steps. If Tom fired his gun the mission could be over before it even begun. His hand touched the taped handle of the gun and he gripped it and slowly started to pull it out. The guard blew on his lit match and turned in Toms direction to flick it away. The guard froze and the match fell from his fingers. Tom pulled the gun out aimed it at the other mans chest. The guard reached for the sub machine gun slung on his shoulder and Tom fired. The slug hit the guard in the shoulder spinning him around, he careened into the low metal barrier and fell over, hitting the ground with a sickening crunch.
Tom cleared the remaining steps to the top and pushed the door open from the bottom. He ducked back behind the corner, nothing happened. He poked his head around and a raised metal platform lead to a guard station that was currently empty.
Tom signalled his men and they joined him at
the top of the stairs. “We split up once we get inside. If you find elder Silas get him back to the truck and shoot the flare.” His men nodded and they entered the building. The noise of gunfire exploded somewhere across the other side of the compound and they glanced back. “Lets go,” Tom said as they crossed the metal walkway.
Tom pushed the door open a crack and peered in, the room was empty. On one wall was a bank of monitors filming the cells. Two cells were occupied, number 13 and number 7. In cell thirteen was Elder Silas. He looked gaunt and malnourished as he huddled in the corner of his straw covered cell. In cell seven was a young man in his twenties with long black hair to his waist. He wore shorts and nothing else and Tom could see every inch of his body was covered in tattoos except for his face. He was pacing back and forth in his cell with an intense look on his face. Beneath the monitors was a batch of controls for electronic cell door control, heating, and lights. Tom flipped all the switches on the lighting console and opened all the cell doors.
The overhead lights in the facility flickered on and illuminated twenty pits of varying sizes in the middle of the main room. Metal walkways were elevated about the pits to give spectators a proper view at what was below. On the far side of the building were two other doors.
“You two, check out what’s behind those doors across the way,” he said pointing at a walkway outside the guard booth, ”there is an access ladder attached there.” The two men nodded and headed out the opposite door of the booth.
“Split up and cover the area above those pits. They could be keeping prisoners in them. I don't think that’s where the cameras were filming,” he said.