The small blue disk in Jerry’s pocket was burning a hole. He touched its rubbery surface and felt his stomach churn. What would happen when Sun realised he had stolen it from her bedside table. And why had he even stolen it in the first place?
Because I don’t want to be a prisoner like the things they have in the cells. I want to leave, to get a million miles away from this place. People are dying.
I’ll happily give myself up to the police back home than stay in this place until they decide to ‘dispose’ of me.
But there’s no way they will let me go home.
Jerry passed through the heated atmosphere of the conference room, the space filled with the sound of computer exhausts humming out hot air.
Jerry stepped towards the door that led to the living quarters, but took pause.
If I’m going to get the hell out of here. I should do it now, while everyone is distracted with what just happened. I could make it to the lift and take it to the top. Sun’s fob should let me access the controls.
Jerry changed direction and headed out into the cellblock. The first cell now contained both the batling and Lucas, separated by a mesh of steel.
The batling was stooped over on the floor, its wings wrapped around itself. It was obviously healing after being fired upon. The Irishman stared down at the creature silently, but glanced upwards when he noticed Jerry.
“You off then, are you, lad?”
Jerry stopped outside the cell and looked in. “What?”
Lucas smiled, although it lacked his usual cheeriness. “You’re leaving, I take it?”
“I…”
“It’s okay, lad. Get going while you can. Things aren’t going to get any better around here.”
Jerry frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean the death of that poor security guard will only be the first of many. This place is a madhouse and the inmates want blood.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Not I,” said Lucas. “This ugly little blighter on the floor. He’s just getting started.”
“How do you know that?”
“Let’s just say I know his type. All ‘humanity will fall’ this and ‘mankind will burn in hell’ that type of nonsense. Nothing original, but serious all the same.”
Jerry looked down at the wounded creature and wondered how it could possibly be a threat to mankind. It was no bigger than a koala bear.
“Who the hell are you?” Jerry asked Lucas.
“Just an interested third-party. I have a vested interested in the outcome of this damnable pit, hence my presence in this festering hole.”
Jerry shook his head, rolled his eyes. “Dude, why you got to be all ‘riddle me this?’ Stop talking bollocks.”
Lucas grinned. “You’ve become quite the man, since I saw you last Jerry-lad. I see your heart. It swells with a courage once absent.”
“You don’t know me.”
“I know you well, from a time forgotten by all but the most perceptive, but it’s of no importance in this place and time, lad. What’s important is that the angry little monster currently sleeping on the ground between us will soon be well again, and when he is it would be better to be rid of this place. My advice to you would be to hurry up and get in that lift. Go home and face your punishment. Life may still hold promise for you.”
“How do you know about me? How do you know the things that I have done?”
Lucas ran his fingertips across the mesh of the fence. He blinked slowly. “When faced with a man, I have little difficulty in reading the verses of his soul. Your past, your present—they are etched into your mind and body. And when read together, they hold glimmers of your future. Which is why I am telling you one more time to flee this place. I fear you will not live if you do not, lad. No one would blame you for running.”
Jerry frowned. He had planned on leaving anyway; that was why he was in the cellblock after all: heading for the elevator. Lucas’s warning only added to the argument for trying to escape.
“Don’t worry, I’m going. You take care, weird Irish guy.” Jerry turned and walked away. He fingered the rubber fob in his pocket, making sure it was still there. Then he headed down the corridor.
Just running away as usual. But what bleeding choice do I have?
Further on down there was a bloodstain. It covered the floor in a congealed pool. Jerry stepped around it squeamishly. There were also several patches of chipped concrete where bullets had doubtlessly struck.
The elevator was just up ahead, past the cell with the horrible-looking vampire. It snarled and hissed at him as he past, beat at the glass with its twisted hands.
Gonna be really glad to get away from that nasty sod. He looks like wants to rip me to pieces.
Wake up, dude, that’s exactly why the thing is locked up in a hole in the ground. It’s not because it cheated the house at Vegas. It’s a freaking monster.
Something caught Jerry’s attention.
Wolfie sat up against the glass of his cell, wagging his tail and panting. When he saw Jerry pass by, he began to wiggle excitedly.
“Hey, Wolfie. How you doing?”
Wolfie yipped.
“I still can’t believe they have you locked up down here with a monster like that thing next door. You’re not a monster like him, you’re just an animal.”
Jerry thought about Lucas’s words and wondered if Wolfie would be alright once things turned bad. Was something bad really going to happen, or was the Irish guy just messing with him?
Can I really walk away and leave everyone here to die?
Run away, dude. You’re not walking, you’re running.
Wolfie jumped up on his hind legs and pawed at the glass with his front ones. His long pink tongue slurped across the glass.
Jerry smiled. “I wish I could take you out of here with me, buddy. I bet you’d love it in the woods up there on the surface.
Jerry’s smile faded and a sigh escaped his lips. He placed his hand against the glass and Wolfie licked at it from the other side.
I’ll probably be dead before I get within a mile away from this place.
Is there even any point trying to escape?
Wolfie never managed it and he’s been here for years. Poor guy. Wonder when’s the last time he even got out of that cell, or even had anyone to play with.
Jerry reached into his pocket and pulled out the blue rubber fob. He moved over to the LED screen for Wolfie’s cell and placed the fob against it.
I must be crazy.
The screen flashed green and beeped. Menus came up on screen and Jerry started to jab at them, trying to navigate towards what he was looking for. Then he found the command he wanted.
CELL ENTRY.
He prodded the screen.
OPEN CELL. YES? NO?
He paused, finger hovering.
Then he pressed YES.
There was a shrill ringing, emanating from above the cell. The glass barrier began to slide. Once it opened up to a gap of about four feet it stopped sliding. The ringing halted.
Jerry stared into the cell.
Wolfie stared right back, his ears pricked up like the tips of spears.
• • •
Kane’s computer blinked. His eyes narrowed. He glanced up at Rimmer and Gorman and then leapt out of his seat.
“What is it?” Rimmer asked, his hand instinctively moving over his holstered .44.
Kane shoved past the two of them, heading for the door. “Someone’s opened up cell number 5. I did not authorise that.”
“Who?” asked Rimmer.
“Sun Dennison.”
“But she’s in the infirmary. She couldn’t be up on her feet yet.”
Race looked back at them as he flung open his office door. “Exactly.”
• • •
Jerry stepped forwards into the gap between the glass barrier and the wall. Wolfie padded backwards, looking both curious and nervous—almost cowering. Up close, Jerry realised he had underestimat
ed the size of the beast. Wolfie was closer to the size of a pony than a dog. It was clear by the animal’s body language that he was unused to someone being inside his cell. His fur had spiked up and his shoulders narrowed.
It’s his territory.
Jerry considered backing out of the cell and closing it again, if only because of the smell. The stench inside the cell was primal, beastly. It made his eyes water. Jerry looked down at a bundle of blankets that formed Wolfie’s bed and saw insects and lice. He also saw something else.
“Is that…”
Jerry reached down towards the blankets.
Wolfie let out a low, rising snarl.
Jerry slowed his movement, held out a hand. “It’s okay, boy. I’m not going to hurt you. Easy does it.”
Wolfie’s snarling lowered but did not stop completely.
Jerry grabbed the rubber ball amongst the rumbled sheets and straightened up with it in his hands.
Wolfie hopped backwards, lowered on his haunches, his rear in the air. If not for the wagging tail, Jerry might have thought the animal was about to pounce.
Wolfie yipped excitedly.
“You like that, don’t you, boy? You like to play with your ball.”
Wolfie wagged his tail faster.
Jerry threw the ball. It sailed down towards the back of the cell and hit the rear wall, bouncing back the way it had come.
Wolfie raced after the ball and leapt in the air as it almost sailed over his head. He spun around with the newly-captured prize in his mouth and flopped down on his belly, loosing the ball so that it rolled back to Jerry’s feet.
Jerry bent down and picked up the ball, held it in the air.
“You wanna go again?”
Wolfie reared up ecstatically and waited for the ball to be thrown again.
“You’re just a dog, aren’t you? Is the reason you’re down on subbasemnt 10 just because you took a chunk out of that asshole, Kane? I bet you were up on subbasement 1 before he came along.”
Wolfie wagged his tail, barked at Jerry.
Jerry threw the ball. This time he threw it harder and added spin, trying to add a bit of variety for Wolfie to enjoy. The ball bounced off the rear wall and this time it flew far over Wolfie’s head and back towards the front of the cell.
Jerry giggled at the sight of the huge beast sliding on its paws before spinning around excitedly and giving chase in the opposite direction. Wolfie threw himself across the cell like a bat out of hell, almost taking Jerry off his feet.
“Hey, Wolfie, stop. Slow down.”
The ball continued racing through the air and flew out of the gap between the barrier and the wall. Wolfie immediately followed, wagging his tail dementedly. Seeing that he had just inadvertently let the animal loose, Jerry sprinted out after him, urgently calling his name.
“Wolfie! Wolfie, back in your cell, before they-”
There was the sound of gunfire.
Wolfie flew sideways across the concrete floor. Jerry put his hands up and saw that Rimmer and Kane were standing in the corridor. Kane had a mean looking revolver pointed out in front of him.
Jerry looked left and saw Wolfie’s large form panting on the ground and bleeding. His pained whimpers filled the cramped corridor.
“Wolfie!” Jerry attempted to rush to the animal’s side but Kane shouted him to a halt.
“You stay right where you are, you son of a bitch. One move and I’ll put you down too.”
Jerry turned to face the General. There were tears in his eyes.
Kane glared at him but kept his gun trained on Wolfie. He marched forwards, approaching the fallen animal he had just shot. “I’ve been waiting for an excuse to put this mongrel down.”
“No,” Jerry shouted. Ignoring Kane’s threats, he ran over and stood in front of the General, trying to stop him. “It was my fault,” Jerry cried. “We were just playing ball and I threw it too hard. Please, just leave him alone. He might still be okay.”
Kane grinned. He nodded as if he understood.
Then Kane struck Jerry in the side of his head with the butt of his gun.
Jerry’s legs folded and he collapsed onto his side, moaning and crying. His blurry gaze met Wolfie’s as the two of them lay on the cold ground, suffering and alone; far away from their homes.
Wolfie whimpered. His eyes focused intently on Jerry as his pink tongue lolled out between his jaws. Jerry reached out, managed to place a hand on Wolfie’s snout. There was a brief wag of the animal’s tail and Jerry felt a lick against his wrist.
Then Kane stood over the animal and fired another shot.
Jerry fought back tears as he watched Wolfie die.
Chapter Twenty-One
Andy stood up at Sun’s bedside. “Was that a gunshot?”
Sun said nothing. She was sleeping.
There was another distant gunshot.
Andy sighed. “I really hate this place.”
He took off, heading out of the infirmary and into the conference room. Dr Gorman was standing around, looking irritated with her arms folded.
“What’s going on?” Andy asked her.
Gorman tutted and shook her head. “That young buffoon you brought along with you has just jeopardised the entire safety of the facility.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the fool opened up one the cells.” Her eyes narrowed. “With your wife’s access fob, no less.”
Andy didn’t understand. He needed to see for himself. He raced out of the conference room and into the cell block. What he saw didn’t alleviate his confusion, it added to it.
Something lay on the floor dead, bleeding and covered in thick matted fur. Jerry was on his knees with his hands cuffed behind his back, Rimmer standing behind him with a pissed-off look on his face.
Kane was standing over the dead animal with a smoking revolver in his hand. The look on his face was almost trance like.
“What the hell is going on?”
Rimmer glanced up at Andy. “Stay there, Mr Dennison. You’re wayward companion has just screwed-up big time.”
Andy shook his head.
What the hell is going on?
Rimmer elaborated. “Kid opened up cell 5 and let the dog out.”
“The bastards killed him,” Jerry yelled. “They had no reason to. He was just chasing his ball. The…the bastards.”
“Shut your goddamn mouth.” Rimmer struck Jerry in the back of the head with the butt of his pistol. Jerry lurched forward and flopped onto his face with his hands behind his back.
Andy stepped forward. “Hey, you don’t hit someone in handcuffs.”
Rimmer pointed his gun at Andy.
Andy sneered. “What, you going to shoot me as well? For what?”
“For bringing this shit to my doorstep.”
“Put the gun down, Sergeant,” said Kane, walking over to join them. “Mr Dennison, I suggest you step very carefully. The boy you so vehemently vouched for has just released a subbasement 10 captive from its cell. If the situation had escalated further, we would all be encased in concrete right now.”
“He was only on subbasement 10 because you hated him, you Nazi fuck.” Jerry’s words were muffled by the concrete against his face.
Kane didn’t look away from Andy, but his words were addressed to Jerry. “Mr Preston, your recent actions qualify as a terrorist attack by a foreign national. Your actions could have seriously compromised this facility and its agenda. Therefore, Sergeant Rimmer is going to incarcerate you under the terms of The Patriot Act of 2001. You will remain in custody for whatever time I deem fit.”
Jerry spat out the side of his mouth. The saliva was mixed with blood. “Do what you gotta do, bitch.”
“You can’t be serious,” Andy said. “He’s not a terrorist. He’s just a kid.”
“A kid who just let a goddamn werewolf out of its cell,” said Rimmer, he grabbed the cuffs behind Jerry’s back and yanked the boy to his feet aggressively.
Jerry cried out in pain as
he shoulders were yanked about in their sockets, but he wore a defiant mask on his face and even seemed to smirk. “It’s okay, Mr Dennison. These dickheads didn’t get enough muff when they were younger so they have to take it out on innocent people. You should feel sorry for them really; especially this brain-dead prick.” He nodded at Rimmer.
Rimmer punched Jerry in the stomach, making spit fly out of his mouth as he doubled over. “We can make this as easy or as hard as you like, mate.”
“Don’t hit him again,” said Andy.
“Or else what?”
“Or else you’ll see.”
Rimmer just smirked and dragged Jerry away, down the corridor in the direction of the elevator.
“Take him to my office,” Kane said. “I’ll deal with him later.”
“Roger that.”
Kane turned his attention back to Andy. “Now, Mr Dennison, the only question remaining is whether or not you had anything to do with this.” He produced one of the blue rubber fobs from his breast pocket. “This is, after all, your wife’s access fob, yes?”
Andy shrugged. “I didn’t even know that Jerry had taken it. My wife nearly died. I was by her side.”
Kane rolled his upper lip over his lower lip; nodded very slowly. “Perhaps you were. I hope for your sake I do not find out otherwise.”
“What are you going to do with Jerry?”
“Nothing that is any longer your concern. I made it very clear to you that I would not tolerate nonsense and that the boy was your responsibility. You have let yourself down, Mr Dennison. You gave me your word you would keep Mr Preston in line.”
Andy sighed. What could he say? Whatever madness may have overtaken Jerry, he had indeed released a dangerous animal from its cage.
“Just let the boy go. Send him home to face the music. There’s no need to come down so hard on him.”
Kane glanced at the dead animal on the ground. “I beg to differ. Now, if I were you, I would return to your wife. We will discuss this again at a later occasion. I’ll summon you.”
Andy crossed his arms. “Fine, but I’ll tell you right now that I am taking my wife and leaving. I can’t work with you people.”
Kane grinned like an alligator. “Return to your wife, Mr Dennison. I’ll decide later if you can leave or not.”
Holes in the Ground Page 33
