Chapter 19
Single Bullet Theory
"In the end, the island took the soul of the colonel. It left him with no alternative but the bullet. It was the same gun he used at the executions." RT
Going through the cave system the group found the inmate again, the inmate was shouting at a couple of Festers. Then he threw some sticks of dynamite at the creatures, sticks of dynamite exploded on hitting the creatures and when they did the Festers fell to the ground dead. The inmate then ran off as the exploding rats burst out of the Festers and came right towards the group, they quickly took care of rats and moved forward. As they moved forward, they spotted pool of blood on the ceiling which meant only one thing, Nooseman. Moving slowly Ruby used herself as bait to lure the Nooseman out, quickly the Nooseman sprang out from its hiding spot and tried to grab Ruby so it could strangle her. Fortunately, Ruby was faster in the group were able to dispatch the Nooseman with ease. They then move a few steps forward spotted another blood puddle on the ceiling and quickly dealt with the second Nooseman the same way they dealt with the first.
The group then move forward quickly jumped out of the way when a stick of dynamite was thrown at them and exploded, "That was too close." Weiss exclaimed. "I agree, but hopefully he'll calm down once he realizes were not after him." Replied Torque. Continuing forward the group climbed over some ridges of the cave and began to explore. As they moved forward based on two Slayer's head towards a single Fester and began to fight it. However, the Fester quickly dealt with the Slayer's and turn its attention towards the group, Yang however fired off explosive rounds from her shotgun gauntlets took down the Fester. When the Fester fell to the ground dead its stomach came open and the exploding rats sprang forth. The rats however were quickly dealt with by some shotgun fire from Torque. The group then moves forward and spotted a flooded tunnel. Weiss then groaned in disgust and said, "Please don't tell me we have to go through that water, because I don't want to get my dress wet and ruin."
"There is no other way I'm afraid." Replied Torque, Weiss moaned in defeat and went forward. As they went in the flooded tunnel, they found that the water went up to their shoulders. As they moved forward, they spotted the three young girls and as they got closer one of them began to speak to Torque. "You couldn't save Cory and Malcolm from the fire. They're with us now." Then the three girls disappeared without a trace. As the group reach the other side they began to emerge out of the water. Once the water reached only to their ankles the group heard the surviving inmate, who shouted at them and said, "Word is bond, I will fuck you up!" He then threw another of dynamite then landed in the water and exploded causing some water to burst into the air.
The inmate was gone the group spotted an opening in the ceiling of the cave and climbed up. Once they were inside, they saw that they were in some kind of storage room and found a door that led outside, Yang up to the door and tried to open it only to find it was stuck in couldn't be open she then blew the lock in handle off the door and it slowly swung open. They then left the storage room and entered a series of hallways; it was then that Ruby spoke up. "Was this some kind of military bunker, during the great war?" She asked. "It looks like it." Answered Blake. "Wherever it is, we need to be careful." Torque replied. The group then continue to move forward and spotted another door and enter it. When they went inside, they found his skeletal corpse with its head missing.
Once inside the group began to hear the voice of the rogue Colonel. "What is this shit? Inquest? Court-martial? God dammit all to hell. Those fuckers will never get me." The group then left the room and move forward as they continued; they found themselves in a large room, but then they heard the inmate again. "I ain't goin' back!" He shouted. He then ran off. Going down some stairs the group spotted some flares laying on the ground that led to a hole in the wall. He then entered the whole and as soon as they did there was a loud explosion with some rocks falling as the inmate shouted, "What the fuck?" The group continued forward and as they did so he heard the inmate complained to himself. "Fuckin' cave bullshit! Shoulda never come in here." He then spotted the group and spoke to them. "Hey the five of you! You gotta get me out of here!" Torque then heard the voice of his wife and the evil voice. Once again, he listened to his wife and ignored the evil one. Then the inmate spoke again. "Look, I'm sorry for tryin' to blow all of you up. Now get me outta of here." Torque spotted an explosive crate and began to drag it once the crate was on the cave wall; he told the inmate to stand back.
He then opened fired on the explosive crate with his revolvers. Once the ball was gone the inmate walked out, he then began to speak. "Thanks everyone. I woulda gotten outta there myself, but you just sped that shut up. Sorry about tryin' to blow ya up back there, but I thought you were a hack. I been in Abbott for too long dammit, I ain't goin' back, ya feel me? C'mon, we gotta get to the lighthouse." The group all agreed and moved forward. As they move forward Ruby asked the inmate's name and he replied by saying it was Jimmy. As they moved Jimmy began to speak, "The lighthouse has a basement it's like a bunker, we can hole up in there and wait till this whole thing passes and the hacks are outta of ammo. It's tight in those caverns - but I know all the shortcuts."
Jimmy then began to lead the group to the lighthouse and they followed, as they did, they entered another cave and saw that one entrance was blocked but on the other side they heard a conversation by a few people, one was complaining while the others were telling him to be quiet. As the group reached the lighthouse basement Jimmy began to sigh in relief and began to speak. "Sweet. This is it, we're all set now. It's like a bull in here, notin' can get in."
Suddenly, they heard the voice of Hermes, who said, "Nothing?" Jimmy then said, "You say something?" He asked. As Hermes replied with, "Yes." Jimmy began to panic and said, "What was that! I think the dope's comin' back…" Hermes then said, "Breathe deep." Suddenly green gassiness fumes appeared and Jimmy began choking and coughing as he spoke out, "That smell! What in the fuck's goin' on?" Soon Jimmy died and fell to the ground and as he did so Hermes appeared before them and began to speak to Torque.
"That always feels good. He needed to go; he wasn't interesting enough, not like you. You understand how it feels. They needed someone professional to pull the switch. A lot of eager sadists applied, but I was the only one who took the work seriously. So seriously I wanted to taste the gas myself. That's what Carnate does, it brings out the killer inside. It's the perfect place for you and me." The group got ready for a fight and began searching for ways to close the air vents as the room was beginning to fill up with poisonous gas. As they did so Hermes began speaking to them about his sick pleasures, he got from executing inmate on death row.
"There's a difference between those that feel safest in the light and those that feel safest in the dark. Which are you, Torque?" Blake opened fired on a control panel that controlled the ventilation system. When the panel was destroyed the rest of the group were able to close the air vents manually. "In the chamber there is an intense light, everything is visible. In the control room the lights are off, you can't see anyone, no one knows you. I like that feeling." Ruby opened fired at a piece of rope the held open a hatch, when the rope was disconnected the hatch fell down and closed off the floor vent. She then rushed to a pipe vent and began turning the small valve which then close off the vent. When she did so, Hermes continued to speak.
"I'm here in the basement of the lighthouse for a reason. It's the one place the beacon can't illuminate. I thrive in that darkness." Yang quickly shut off another pipe vent as Hermes continued speak to Torque. "I love the history on Carnate. Over the years, every form of human and faunus killing has found its place. I envy you, because you get to revisit them all." Weiss then quickly shut another floor hatch as Hermes continued to speak, "The gas we kill with is clear, odorless, totally imperceptible. But that wasn't good enough, I thought people should see it coming, see it creeping up around their legs, through their fingers, inching towards their nose. So, my gas is green, the color of life..." Torque quickly shut off another pipe vent as Hermes continued to speak. "They can only hold their breath for so long. I like watching them try." Blake opened fired on some rope that was honing a crate in the air, when the rope was severed the crate fell and landed on another floor vent blocking the green gas from coming in. As this happened Hermes continued to speak. "It was never enough, so I took my involvement to the next level. I put myself in the chamber, but I didn't die, not exactly."
Torque then started to drag another crate over a floor vent as he was doing this Hermes began to speak again. "Most people find a job so they can live. I lived for my job. Once you've killed a man who was begging for his life, and everyone congratulates you on a job well done, nothing can compare." Once the floor vent was covered Hermes continued, "I always wished they would have kept me busier, my talents were under-utilized. There were certainly enough people who deserved what I could provide, they just needed to be brought to me." Weiss then made a glyph and form a block of ice that blocked another floor vent once the vent was clogged Hermes began to speak some more. "I used it all. Electric chair, the rope, rifles, but gas was my favorite. There's such a purity to it."
Then Hermes appeared before them right in front of a steam pipe with quick thinking both Yang and Torque began to turn the steering wheel and as they did so Hermes began to speak again. "I didn't know these people I killed, they hadn't wronged me, but I was in command of the most important moment of their lives. That's power. And besides. The people on death row are not smart people, nor are they successful, nor are they happy. I was just putting them out of their pathetic misery. Thinning the herd." As soon as Hermes finished speaking a large blast of steam hit him and sent him flying into a furnace. Without delay the group close the furnace door and trapped Hermes inside soon, Hermes was quickly consumed by the flames. However, once he was trapped Hermes began to scream in sick orgasmic pleasure, as he screamed out and said, "Yes. That's it."
But then finally he was gone once he was the group left the room and found a ladder that led out of the basement, one at a time the group went up the ladder and into another room.