Demon Rock (9 page)

"I'm right and you know it. You can't keep playing this game and expect to win. Hell, maybe I'll tell the entire prison myself about your little H.G Wells trick."

"No you won't, as dead men can't talk."

Shadow appeared again in front of me, but this time I was ready. He lounged once more with his right leg which I easily avoided, sidestepping the blow. I grabbed Shadow by the back of the neck and using his own momentum, sent him into the bay window. Glass shattered as his body passed through the glass. He disappeared from sight for a moment before reappearing a few feet further. There was nothing below him now and his body began to fall. He let out a scream as he did but it was soon drowned out by the wind and crashing waves below. His body landed on a rock just shy of the water's edge with a sickening thud. I looked down upon his lifeless body as a wave crept up onto the rock. The next moment his body was gone, swept out to see to be pounded against the cliff face. 

I quickly moved towards Warlock but it was too late. He was gone. I felt for his pulse, placing my fingers on his neck but there was nothing. I closed his eyes, saddened by the death of Warlock. I owed Warlock for me being able to get out of my cell. I looked at him one last time before getting up to leave. I walked briskly down the corridor, back down the stairs and out passed the cell blocks. I was passing through the main entrance, just to the left of the control room. I had made it. In one minute I would be passed these walls and on my way to the boat. I was as good as free. Just then a noise - like no other - shot through me. A noise that induced fear and panic from my very core. The alarm! It had been sounded; somebody had found Warlock's body. It was over. I would never make it as far as the boat. Unless...

I moved to the control room door. The guard inside came out to inspect what all the commotion was about. As he opened the door he gave me a nod. 

"Shadow, sir, what is going on?"

I rammed my elbow up into his chin rendering him unconscious. I moved the body back inside the control room and looked at the panels. The individual cell controls were categorised according to the cell block they were in. I began to flick each one as fast as I could. It took about a minute but all the cell doors had been released. A riot would be the perfect cover. It was the only way I would make it to the boat. I shifted back into my natural form as to not get beaten to death but the inmates. 

Inmates flooded from their cells with cheers as the cell doors opened. Most were sleeping but the metal clang woke them up. Any guard that happened to me doing his night rounds were instantly devoured or brutally beaten. I heard one shot go off but it was quickly followed by the screams of the guard. Several of the inmates went straight for the security room. They kicked the door down. One of the inmates reached for a box and dumped it out onto the floor. Scattered on the floor were the keys to the inhibitor cuffs. As inmates began to remove their cuffs, the man who had lifted down the box shed his own inhibitor cuff. The man gave a loud howl and began to transform. His skin seemed to fall off him like a snake shedding his skin. Thick brown hair began to emerge from his entire body. His muscular build became more muscular as he dropped to all fours. His eyes turned red and his nose and mouth became elongated like a snout. The werewolf sprinted past the other inmates and leapt straight at a guard clamping his jaws around his neck. Blood spewed out from the guards arteries as the werewolf continued to feed. 

Another inmate removed his cuff and began to turn into a werewolf as well. A Bard had also just removed his inhibitor and seized control over the recently turned wolf. The wolf did not know what was happening; he no longer had control of his own body. The Bard signalled for the wolf to attack a guard that had just entered the room and the wolf obeyed. The Bard then moved outside the room and commanded the wolf to scale the wall before leaping off and taking out another guard. The Bard smiled. He had controlled many animals in his life, but never a werewolf.

A guard appeared on top of the balcony, and began to aim his gun down on the ensuing chaos. Another inmate exited from the control room now inhibitor free and with one look at the guard, set him alight. The guard burned and screamed as the flames ate through his clothes and flesh. The guard fell forward, catching his stomach on the balcony railing causing him to flip over. He fell the thirty or so feet to the ground, lying motionless except for the odd twitch, the flames still consuming his dead corpse.

I emerged from the control room in the midst of the confusion and chaos. I looked back towards the corridor leading to the chamber and seen a guard being dragged by two of the vamps. The guard screamed and pleaded. The vamps ignoring his plea reached the bottom of the hall, opened the red door and threw the guard in. I recognised the guard as the one who had thrown the vamp in just two days ago. The scream that followed sent a chill to my bone as I pictured the soul eater draining the life from the guard.  

I made my way through the main doors, other inmates had gotten there before me and the tunnel wall had been ripped open. Some of the inmates were leaping the wall in one jump due to their uninhibited abilities. Atop the walkways inmates battled guards. One inmate smashed the pylons, the Banshee screamed as she crossed the otherwise uncross-able threshold. Even through all the noise I heard something very distinct. It sounded like thunder at first but it did not take me long to recognise what the sound was. It was a helicopter. I looked up squinting against the rain. There it was I could see it. Based on its trajectory I figured it was about to land on the roof. I made my way around the side of the prison through the newly formed hole in the tunnel and found an emergency ladder. The ladder extended up the entire height of the prison to the roof. I grasped one rung at a time and began to make my way up
.      

I reached the top of the ladder not daring to look back down towards the ground as I struggled to hold on against the force of the wind at this altitude. I pulled myself up onto the roof just as the helicopter was about to land on a marked heli-pad. I now had a panoramic view of the island as beneath me flames erupted, guards and inmates screaming alike. It truly was a sight to behold. The wind and rain continued to engulf the entire island. The helicopter touched down and from a door on the roof emerged the Warden and Dr Hammond. Dr Hammond was carrying a metal briefcase marked hazardous. She had the serum and she was taking it with her to continue their research. I ran towards them shouting but they could not hear me over the wind. I caught up with them as they were about to board the helicopter. I grabbed the Warden and threw him backwards. He fell to the ground and I was on top of him before he knew what had hit him. I grabbed him by his lapels and started to choke him.

“
You killed my wife.”

“
No” He managed to say as I continued to choke the life out of him.

“
It was Shadow.” He said.

“
One thing I have learnt is that Shadow is a soldier, a soldier following orders. You sanctioned her death, even if you did not wield the knife.”

I continued to grip his neck, feeling his life being squeezed from him. Alt that moment I felt a sharp pricking feeling in the back of my neck. I released the Warden as I moved my hand to inspect the cause of the feeling. Dr Hammond was standing over me with a syringe in her hand. All of a sudden I lost my balance and fell to the ground clutching my neck.

“
What the hell did you do that for?” The Warden shouted.

Dr Hammond looked at him with stone cold eyes.

“
I am making the best of a bad situation.” She said.

“
The army’s response time is thirty minutes from when the alarm is sounded. You wanted your human trials? What better way to test the elite solider than putting him against an army. If he dies, there will always be other shifters out there to find and we have his blood to continue the research.” Dr Hammond smiled and the Warden smiled back as they got into the helicopter and closed the door behind them. The helicopter began to take off, its propellers spinning faster and faster now. It lifted of the ground and moved carefully insuring it had cleared the edge before flying off with any speed. As the helicopter neared the edge I heard a loud crashing sound behind me. A beast about ten feet in height had burst through the door the Warden had emerged from, sending the frame and pieces of concrete flying. The beast looked angry. It had a huge muscular body with veins popping out. I knew what it was. It was a Berserker. Mr Hyde without Dr Jekyll. Pure rage and animalism. No controlling it. The Berserker charged towards me at frightening speed for a creature of its size, groaning and roaring as it did. I dove out of the way landing near the edge of the roof. The Berserker kept going however leaping as it reached the edge. It grabbed onto the helicopter as it leapt still roaring and began to punch the metal body. The Berserker's weight evidently took its toll on the helicopters weight capacity as it began to spin wildly out of control. The helicopter continued to spin, the Berserker still holding on clawing to get to the Warden. The helicopter eventually came to a stop, crashing into the lighthouse with a huge explosion, sending the tower collapsing into the water. I smiled as I looked on before turning back to the ladder, through the riot once more and towards the boat.   

I made my way to the dock through the riot. Bodies lay mutilated or wounded across the prison. You couldn’t walk four steps without having to step over or avoid a lifeless corpse. Fires raged from the prison, the ones outside flailing wildly in the wind. There was a serious risk of a forest fire if the guard’s wall didn’t hold up. Some of the inmates had turned on each other; battles ensued all over the prison with inmates deciding who had the strongest power. Boys with toys I thought as I ducked to avoid a guard’s body that had been thrown through the air by a ghoul across the yard. Many of the inmates were staring pointing over at the rising smoke from where the Warden’s helicopter had crashed through the lighthouse. I crawled back through the hole that had been made in the tunnel and ran out the main doors, closing them behind me.

It was dark at this time of night but the night sky had lit up caused by the uncontrolled chaos of the riot. I headed for the tree line and disappeared out of sight of the prison. I could only hope that the other inmates had chosen to wreak havoc rather than chance that the boat might be there. I continued sprinting as fast as I could towards the water, I could see the dock now and yes the boat was still there. I had done it, I had escaped.

I arrived at the dock slowing my speed as I approached the boat. I was about to board the boat when I had this feeling. The feeling was of someone watching me, of not being alone. I risked a look behind me towards the trees.

Nothing…

All I could see was darkness. Perhaps I had imagined it. I smiled in spite of myself and turned to the boat once more. The same feeling crept over me however and I again turned and stared out into the darkness, in the midst of the darkness, another dark form seemed to be moving separately. It moved forward out of the darkness and straight towards me. The Master. He had followed me or picked up my scent when the riot broke out. He continued to stride towards me, his face hideously scarred from his earlier attack in the showers. I swallowed hard.

“
We don’t have to do this.” I said, almost pleading. The Master continued to walk towards me.

“
I’m sorry about your gang member, he was a necessary sacrifice. He was a means to an end but I did not know they would kill him.” The Master did not stop coming.

“
You are free because of me. Please brother; let us leave here together on this boat before reinforcements are sent to the island.”

The Master was upon me now and he swiped me aside, slamming my body into the cabin. He grabbed me by the throat and picked me up off the ground. As I struggled to get a breath into my lungs he spoke. It was the first time I had heard him speak.

“
No, brother… I will leave. But you, you will stay on this God damned island seeing as you like it so much! As you said reinforcements will be here soon and they will double the security. You thought it was bad here before? You haven’t seen anything yet.”

The Master cracked my head against the cabin wall as he released his hold on my neck. I fell to the floor coughing. The Master boarded the boat, lifted the anchor single handed and moved to the wheel. The boat began to move and as it did he looked at me with the darkest smile I had ever seen.

I hoisted my body off the ground as the boat began to gain distance from the shore. Maybe it was the Master’s keen sense of smell or some other heightened sense but he appeared to know where he was heading. Instead of moving straight away from the dock, he seemed to be going around the back of the island before peeling of. He maintained a distance of about ten metres from the edge of the cliff face.

Beside the cabin, the islands facade seemed to have a steep incline, the dock being one of the only near sea level pieces of land, at least of what I had seen so far. I took off running as the land increased its gradient. I continued to run, all the time gaining height, the boat getting smaller in my vision below me. The boat itself was quite slow, battling the waves. I seemed to be running faster than I had ever run before, the serum taking its effect. I managed to get ahead of the boat although I was now about twenty metres above sea level. The land began to level out as I reached the top of the hilled cliff. As I did I leapt out from the cliff as far as I could, making sure to avoid the rocks directly beneath. Whilst I was in the air I threw my weight forward, ducking my head and outstretching my arms into a diving position. I gathered speed fast as I fell towards the ocean. I hit the water with such impact that I felt one of my ear drums burst. Adrenaline got me through the pain and I surfaced. The boat was coming up on me and I was directly in its path. The wind and rain had masked the sound of my dive. The waves were ferocious but I managed to suspend myself above the water with what appeared to be increased upper body and leg strength. As the boat crept ever nearer a wave caught my body and moved me out of the way to avoid the front of the boat. The boat began to pass me as I looked for something on its side to grab. The wave bounced of the cliff forcing the water back. I rode the currents as the wave crashed into the side of the boat. As luck would have it there was a life ring stuck to the side of the stern. I grabbed hold of the red buoyant device, the boat dragging my body along the surface of the water. I managed to reach up to the edge of the boat and get a solid footing on the ring. I peered over the edge of the boat onto the deck. I could see the Master at the wheel, navigating the boat. I pulled my body up over the railing and onto the boats deck, lowering myself quietly as not to be heard or seen by the Master. The Master seemed to be concentrating hard avoiding rocks and riding the waves. If I had to guess, this was not his first time on a boat. Perhaps in a life before he was turned, maybe even since he had been. I spied the anchor at the back of the deck. The anchor was made of metal in a T shape with sharp points on either side. The anchor was attached to a long chain. This was my chance. I would not stand a chance of defeating the Master if he seen me coming, but with the element of surprise on my side I might just have a chance. I picked the anchor up of the deck, it was heavy but I could manage it okay with my new found strength. I crept towards the Master who was still navigating the boat staring ahead. I was mindful of each step, praying that a squeaky piece of wood would not give me away, would not spell the end. I managed to creep until I was about a metre away from the Master. With all my strength I swung the anchor as hard as I could; the Master did not have time to turn around as the sharp end went through the back of his neck and through his throat. Blood oozed from the Master but he was not defeated. I knew if he managed to pull out the anchor there was a chance he would be able to heal himself. I could not take the risk… I grabbed hold of the chain and ran towards the back of the boat dragging the Master with me. The Master managed to stay on his feet, taking backwards steps as I moved as not to fall. Before the Master could turn around I slung the chain over the back end of the boat aiming it towards the propeller of the boat. The chain caught the propeller and began to shorten, tightening the chain’s hold on the Masters throat. The Master flew backwards, this time unable to stop himself. The force of the propeller brought then Master’s back into the railing. The chain pulled on his neck, the Master bent over backwards with the railing digging into his spine. He gave me a look of such hatred but yet coupled with surprise as I swept his legs away with one swoop of my kick. The Master’s legs lifted off the ground as the propeller caused the chain to tighten once more sending him overboard head first into the spinning blade. The foamy water turned instantly red as the Master’s head was shredded like paper. The chain’s hold released as the Masters head separated from his body. His lifeless body continued to float in the water for a number of seconds before sinking. I had done it. I was free.