Chapter 2

            I wasn’t aware of how long I had slept – Time was impossible to tell in this place, but sometime after I had woken was the first instance that I had began to feel it. Only vaguely at first, but yes, quite definitely it was a feeling, and getting stronger by the minute. Panic tried to grip my body but I seized hold of myself. Stilling my thoughts I tuned into my senses, this was no time to lose control. The earth itself seemed to tremble beneath my feet and then a deafening rumble shattered my ear drums. Was this some new superpower of mine as well? If I could grow multiple limbs, could I not make the earth shake? Soon it looked as if as if the walls were going to collapse. Heaving with all their might, the concrete blocks used to make this place tried to break free from their oppressive wall and crush me. Low muffled explosions blinded my senses, growing louder by the second until it seemed as if they were right on top of me. I willed this great monstrosity of a superpower to discontinue itself but it paid no mind.

            Dust from the poorly made ceiling cascaded down upon me, coating me in white plaster. I could hear the prisoners alongside of me yelling to each other, trying to figure out what was going on. I was terrified to my core, for with the building heaving the way that it was, if a brick was so inclined to fall, I would not be able to get out of my seat for the life of me (quite literally). And so I sat, dried blood crusted onto my chin, whistling an old war song, the name of which I couldn’t recall, waiting for my inevitable doom.

 To my disappointment, the end never came. Every time when I thought the cell on the brink of collapse the blasts would roll harmlessly away. Three times these explosions came and went, each volley growing considerably weaker until at last they finally ceased. It was in this disturbing silence that I was left to my solitude, though the peace was quickly broken.  

            As hearing returned to me I picked up a series of noises. In the distance I could hear yells and screams amidst a series of loud gun shots. As time drew on the shooting grew louder and I figured the intruders must be approaching my quaint quarters. All of a sudden the fighting dropped off for a few moments it was completely silent. It was if the whole placed seemed to be holding it’s breath, and with a sudden groan, exhaled.

I could hear boot steps echoing down the hallway, growing closer by the step. As I listened my mood grew somber and all hope of departure from my imprisonment fled me, replaced my a sense of hopelessness.

            Tromp, tromp, tromp. I could hear each crescent boot fall, slamming down hard in an unorganized jumble. The sweat rolled down my face. The clink of a cell door being opened somewhere down the hallway roared in my ears, and I could only sit in terrified silence, eyes wide shut. I could hear the jubilance of the prisoners, the fools thinking that they were being liberated. A bottomless feeling in the gut of my stomach told me that they were only to wrong, and it seemed that only I knew it, though they quickly learned the lesson at hand.

The cheering of my fellow inmates was ceased by the first gunshot. After the second and third door were opened and the process repeated there was no doubt left. Crying sobs could be heard, these people in here had worked hard lives, and this is how they were rewarded. Worn, broken souls who had their last dreams of tasting the fresh air of freedom crushed cried out in despair, or sat silently, knowing that crying would bring them no mercy. Had they known their fates in this place they would have welcomed the short executions with open arms. And so I listened.

Tromp, tromp, tromp. I had no way of knowing whether these men were the intruders or government soldiers, but either way I didn’t think that it made the slightest difference. Tension grew thick in my neck, until I knew that it was my turn next. 

            As the door opened I finally accepted my fate. If I was to die, then here it would be. This thought relaxed me a great deal, and swinging my head around swiftly I cracked the joints in my neck, easing the stress with loud cracks. I raised my meaty skull slowly, peering quizzically at the people standing before me. They stood in blue uniforms, I could see at least a dozen of them through the wide door. Wearing no armor they each carried a large energy rifle. One of the men pulled an electromagnet from his pocket and held it up to my door. With the same click that I had already heard countless times earlier, my door sprang open easily. The blue garbed man slipped the key easily back into his pocket. They seemed well trained and kept a sharp lookout as two of them approached me. As they walked they began to talk to one another.

            “Is this him?”

            “Papers say this is where he’s supposed to be.”

            “Well, if the papers say so.”

            They turned their attention upon me and the taller of the two men, who was wearing a very comical hat, began to talk to me. He pulled out a piece of paper full of printed gibberish, put it in my hand, and proceeded to untie me. My ankles and wrists had never felt such relief before in my life. When he was finished untying me, he handed me a pen from his pocket. “Ehem” he cleared his voice. “Hello and good day sir, if you would please sign here.” He said, pointing to a spot on the page.

“What is it?” I asked. I did not have much in the way of literary skills, me not being able to read and all. “Oh just the standard document, pretty much states that you have given us permission to rescue you.” I thought his offer over in my head. Maybe by asking me to sign these documents these intelligent men and women were hailing me as their new emperor. It seemed the only logical explanation for the whole situation. The needle corpse man must have told of my heroic deeds, and spread the word of my inhumane capture. The people upon hearing this must have been so crestfallen that they had risen up against their cruel taskmasters that were this government. I laughed mirthlessly. I must be a god to these people. And so I signed where he was pointing. “And here.” He pointed to a line down at the bottom of the page. As I finished scribing my name upon the dotted line he spoke.

“You are hereby the sole property of Zynocroft Industries. All ties of family, religion and government are now ceased. If you will please come with us.” What? This was not part of the deal. Not part of the deal at all. So I exercised my newly won freedom by doing what any sane man would.

Bellowing from the top of my lungs I punched him in his abdomen. He recoiled in breathless alarm, doubling over in pain. His companion stood a short distance away, a look of shock on his face. Even as hard as I had hit him he recovered quickly, and instead of retaliating as I thought that he would have he merely straightened and looked at me. These fellow’s were made of tough stuff.

“Sir, we can either take you out of here by force; which means tying you up again and dragging you through hostile territory, or you can come by your own will. Now, which will it be?” His eyes grew tighter by the word, and the politeness seemed some what forced.

I smiled at him, baring the full of my nicotine stained teeth. “Yeah, I’ll go.” He turned and stalked out of the cell, his partner still staring dumbly at me. After a minute he followed.

Slowly I rose out of my seat, rubbing my wrists. “Hey, so where we goin’ anyhow?” The man who had freed me stopped in mid stride and turned towards me, and this time it was his turn to smile. “Why, Nashville of course.” His opaque grin sickened me. I had a bad feeling about this Nashville. And so I stretched my legs and walked out of the cell.

As I exited my cage the men kept to their tasks, not a one of them looking me. “This is him, above all else keep him alive. Now let’s move.” At this last order the men all sprang into motion, all rushing about giving the illusion that they knew exactly what they were doing.

I was whisked down the long corridor. The men ran along each side quickly and stealthily. Since they did not wear the cumbersome armor of government troopers they were much more flexible and able to walk quietly. Two man stood in front of me, rifles raised to their necks, ready for the slightest movement to open fire.

To each side of me I noticed dead men. These times were tough and apparently the current facility was under equipped for the task of managing the rising amount of prisoners. To each cell at least 15 men sat or slouched, lying in their own blood. The men who had “liberated” me took no notice of the carnage but I could not help but looking. 

At the first turn our party stopped. Cautiously one of the men walked slowly up to the corner and peaked his head around. He waved to the other men, who resumed moving. Apparently, no danger be waited us. And so we continued, down the long, endless hallway, the same way that we had gone earlier. At each turn the process was repeated, and it seemed as if we walked at a crawl.

As we approached a corner we went over the same routine that we had already witnessed half a dozen times. Slowly the man at the head of column sauntered to corner and peaked around it. With a quick tug it seemed as if he tried to jerk his head away from the hall. Despite his last ditch efforts he was to late. I exhaled deeply, already anticipating, recognizing the signs of death. A tingling sense of exhilaration thrusted through my feeble arteries. My eyes dilated as froth poured from my mouth. Colors jammed their way into my brain as I was smashed into the depths of my peripheral vision.  

In a sauntering absorption of light his head ceased to exist. With a purple tint, the light refracted in on itself and his head reappeared, his eyes wide with horror, the skin being torn from his face with a sickening rip. His mouth contorted and he erupted in a display of fleshy tissue. Anyone standing close to him was showered in a mingled variety foul smelling chunks of intelligence and bits of skull. Shouts rang out as the men grasped the situation.

Guns were checked and lowered. Out of the chaos a swift order emerged. Within five seconds they were ready for a battle; within 10 the battle had started. A number of the men pressed themselves against the wall and with a quick signal bounded around the corner. Eager for revenge, the rest of the men rushed in to ensure a portion of the killing. Soon the hallway was turned into an overwhelming light show. With slow whines I stood and watched as plasma slugs sailed the corridor in front of me, embedding themselves into the wall with hollow rings.  In the brief turmoil I noticed I had been left alone. 

Twiddling my toes I swayed back and forth. Noticing the gun from the fallen soldier in front of me I innocently pondered.