Here's the official chapter one. Again, lots of language, and from now on, I'm not going to describe Robin's insanity mode in detail. I'll just say he did, but not so blandly.
Anyway, enjoy.
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"How many times have I done this? And I still hate it."
Robin was being escorted to his cellblock by two guards. After the incident at the docks, he had been under constant surveillance; the C.O.'s didn't want to suffer the same fate as Dave.
Ernesto, a Mexican immigrant that had picked up on all the negative parts of the English language, responded to his friend, who happened to be cousin to Johnson.
"At least when you escort an inmate to death row, you know he's scheduled to get what he deserves."
"Ernesto, you can be a real jackass, you know that?"
"You hear what this one did?"
"Ernesto, I don't wanna…"
"Beat his girlfriend to a bloody pulp. Killed her with his fists."
"I said I don't…"
"Then he bashed two of them who were in love in the head with a baseball bat, slit the throat of a sorceress, then destroyed the other one with a detonator. Don't ask me to cry for him."
Ernesto's friend, who was called George, whistled in awe at his charges.
"Inmate. Is this true?"
"Oh, he won't say. Claims he blacked the whole thing out. A likely story. Fucking inmates, they should all die."
Robin clenched his teeth, but did not attack, after looking at the picture in the box that had all the belongings they would allow in. Toothbrush and toothpaste, some books, and most important to Robin, a picture he had took of his team one day. Cyborg was giving the peace sign, Raven was looking blankly at the camera, and Beast Boy was grinning from ear to ear while Terra had her head on his shoulder, waving at the camera. Starfire was on one side, a little half smile on her face as she stared at Robin, her emerald eyes sparkling with joy. The sun was setting right behind the Tower, and it cast a halo over the tower, and making his friends stick out, like Robin had wanted.
His reminiscence was cut short when Ernesto shoved him into his cell. There was a fold up bed that was supported by chains on the wall opposite the cell door, which was the vertical iron bar design. A table and chair stuck out of one of the walls perpendicular to the bed halfway between it and the bars. Robin set his things on this, and took out the picture to look at it. Ernesto was wrong. He couldn't remember what had happened that fateful day. Had it been him? Or was it something else? He hoped that it was the latter of the two.
He overheard a conversation between the prisoners in his cellblock, which numbered six individual cells separated on either side by a foot thick concrete wall. The doors opened outwards to a small hallway that had another installment of bars blocking a small access hall that led to the interior of the prison. The cellblock itself couldn't have been more than seven feet wide, not including the cells themselves. Off to the left of the access hall right after you went past the gate was the control room for their cellblock. It had a guard in it that controlled whether or not the gate to the access hall opened or closed, thus controlling who entered or left. It was dimly lighted, which Robin figured to be cheap wiring. Back at the Tower it was as bright as day with all the lights on.
He began to pay attention to see if he could spot Jeremy's voice, and maybe make some more allies. Before they had gone their separate ways, Jeremy had told him that the more people that liked you the more power you had over the C.O.s. With guys to back you up, the guards knew not to argue with big groups of inmates. Robin had already gained respect for killing Dave, although he was not proud of this. He heard them begin to discuss him, and he paid attention to them, seeing if he could join in their talk.
A bald white male across the cellblock was the fist one Robin heard. He was lifting weights as he talked about Robin. "Willy's bed isn't even cold yet, and already they brought in a new guy."
Robin couldn't see who spoke next, because whoever they were they were two cells to the left. Robin had been placed on the first right cell just as you walked in from the main hallway.
"I heard he whacked his little hooker and friends. Sick mutha fucka."
"Shut up, you jerry curled fool. Don't you know who that is?" Said a black man that was in the middle left cell, whose name was Benjamin, but was called Big B. by the others. "That's Robin, the Boy Wonder himself. Word is that he killed Dave's gang out by the docks."
"So what?" Came the high-pitched voice from the far right cell. "I can understand cappin' his friends, but he killed his girl too. Mutha fucka deserves to be strapped down and dosed." He said, referring to lethal injection.
"Shut the fuck up, Wayde. You don't know shit about the guy. From what I've heard, he's all right." Retorted Benjamin.
The bald man spoke up next. "That cocksucker's not gonna be all right for long if he's in the row for the rest of his short time."
Ben shouted at the man. "Shut yo cracka ass, Goose. He deserves your respect, you show him respect!"
Goose shouted right back. "I'll decide who I respect, shit boy! And the next time you tell me what to do I'll…"
The guard had had enough of their squabbling, and activated the intercom that allowed him to talk to the prisoners in the cellblock.
"Keep it down in there, any of you wanna go back on the low?"
They all were silent.
"I didn't think so."
Robin looked towards Ben. "What's the low?"
"The low is the nickname for solitary. That's were all the real bad ones end up. It's horrible. They shut you up in this concrete tomb and leave you there for a day or two. Lotta good men have gone crazy from the low. Saying they heard voices and other crazy shit. I'd not argue if you're threatened with solitary, man. It's said to be haunted down there."
Robin nodded his understanding, hoping that he had gained a point with the man. He heard a voice that reminded him of the mad scientist that made the hair monster on Looney Tunes coming from the cell next to him.
"So what's your story, huh? Your lawyer fuck you? I heard about your trial, they have no witnesses and all circumstantial evidence. I've heard that you blocked it all out, is that true?"
"Leave him alone, Floyd." Ben told him, and Robin was relieved. "Don't listen to him, Robin. Floyd's a degenerate parasite. They shoulda slapped the cuffs on him comin' outta his momma."
"At least I know, Jesus is with me, man. No matter what I've done, the reverend said Jesus has forgiven me." Floyd replied, and this made Goose blow up at him.
"Would you shut the fuck up, you baby-raping, saunimizing, sack of shit?!"
"I was just asking the guy a question, Goose." Floyd said, but their conversation was interrupted when an earthquake shook the ground. Robin saw his picture about to go flying out of his cell, and jumped up and grabbed it. The quake sent him into the bars, which he turned so that his shoulder would take the force of the blow. It hurt, but it was a love-tap compared to being hit in the head. Robin rubbed his shoulder, and grabbed the bars for support.
The others were shouting at the guard, begging to be let out.
"Come on, we're still people in here! Let us out!"
"Open the doors or we'll die!"
"Come on, push the damn button!"
All of a sudden, the quake stopped. The lights that had went out from the shaking flickered back on. They all looked around, braced for another quake.
"What was that?" asked Wayde. He pushed against the bars, reaching his arms out towards the exit.
"Come on! C.O.! C.O.! What the Hell's going on…"
Robin heard a noise come from Wayde's cell. It sounded like he was choking. But there had been another sound before it. Like the sound of a knife being drawn quickly over a stone.
"Wayde. Wayde!" Ben called, but there was no answer. The lights were broken in his cell, or at least had shut down. Ben sounded nervous as he spoke to Goose.
"Goose, you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. And I didn't touch him, you hear me? I didn't…"
The sound came again. Instead of going off instantly like Wayde's had, they flickered, and Robin got a glimpse of what had made that noise in Wayde's cell. It wasn't a knife over a rock.
It was a knife over their throats.
The creature that soon finished off Goose looked to Robin like a ballet dancer, judging by the way it moved. It had no neck. Instead, a strange contraption that rose up from its shoulders had the head bolted in place, so that it could only pivot up and down. Instead of hands and feet they had swords sharp enough that they could easily walk on ceilings, and were thin enough to fit through air vents, which was how they got in. Their bodies were as gray as their weapons, and Robin was horrified as the one in Goose's cell shoved one blade into the man's head, coming out through the other side to pin him against the wall. Ben, who couldn't see what was happening to Goose, instead watch as Floyd was decapitated by one of the creatures without even uttering a sound. The lights went out all at once, and Robin and Ben were plunged into darkness. Their eyes soon adjusted to the dimness, and Ben talked to Robin, sounding desperate as he searched for a way out.
"Come on, we gotta get out of this shithole before those things get us too. Shit…"
One of them landed behind him, and he shook the bars, trying to get them to loosen up.
"It's in here, man. It's in here! Help me, help me…"
He heard what sounded like cicadas but much deeper, and the man's body seemed to fly back, as though something was tugging at him.
"Helllllllp!!!"
Robin heard much more activity in his cell. He heard what sounded like squelching, and he shuddered. They were eating him. He prayed that he had been dead when they began their unholy feast.
He heard the things scratching at the vent in his cell. Frantically he looked for a way out. His answer came with a snarling beast that ran past his cell. Robin jumped back, and watched with amazement as his cell door fell to the ground in two pieces, having been sliced clean through by some unknown force.
He saw a sword break through the vent, and decided to figure out the mystery after he had escaped. Walking to the other cells, he checked in each one, hoping to see survivors.
There were none.
He saw Floyd's headless body pinned up on the wall over his bed. Robin saw how his arms were stuck out, how his feet were together. Someone or something had stuck his decapitated corpse on the wall like Jesus Christ.
Robin looked away from the macabre scene, and saw that Wayde's cell was open. Walking over to it, he saw a shiv implanted in his chest. He had committed suicide. Robin didn't blame him. Asking for forgiveness, he gripped the weapon and pulled it out in a swift jerking motion. Wayde made a choking noise and tried to sit up, blood dripping from his mouth as he reached towards Robin. The Boy Wonder stepped away from the man, a look of terror on his face.
Within a second, Wayde's body fell back down on the bed. Robin shivered. He had been close enough to touch him…
Robin shook his head. He had no time for thoughts like that. Holding the shiv so that the blade pointed behind him when his arms hung loosely by his sides. He ran over to the gate that would lead him out of the slaughterhouse that his cellblock had become.
A guard ran up to the gate. He was white, and had the air of someone who was used to being obeyed. He shined a clip-on flashlight in Robin's eyes, and he moved his arm up to shield them.
"Back in your cell, inmate. Everything's under control."
His statement was contradicted by the creature that shoved his sharpened leg through his head. The unlucky guard had blood spew from his mouth, and Robin looked away from the grisly scene. He finally looked up, and jumped to the side. Some manner of beast hit the gate and sent it flying backwards to hit the wall behind him, which was about thirty feet away. Robin looked up, trying to catch a glimpse of the thing, but it was gone. Robin shrugged it off as sheer dumb luck and ran into the control room. A sinister voice echoed throughout the room, but Robin couldn't understand what they were saying. When he looked up, he saw dozens of green cat eyes staring at him, each glowing with their own ethereal light, giving them an eerie appearance. The voice became clearer, and Robin looked around for the source.
"We've been waiting for you."
Robin couldn't find anything that could make the voice. I must be going mad. He thought to himself. He then realized he was mad. But there were other things to worry about know. Like how to escape from the monstrosities that were breaking into the cell. Robin saw through the window that he had forgotten the one thing he wanted out of his cell.
The picture.
He charged into the room and snatched it up. Flying to the door on the other side, he went through and slammed it shut. He heard the creatures scraping against the door, and backed away. If they could pierce the concrete ceiling, they could surely go through the metal door with ease. He looked at his picture. He saw the Titans looking at him, their faces happy as they seemed to pierce into his very soul. He felt a tear come to his eye at the knowledge that he would never see them again. Someone called to him down the hall, and he looked up from his reverie.
"Come on, I know a way out!"
Robin got a look of happiness, and gently put the picture in his back pocket, and velcroed it shut, so as to not loose the only thing he held dear in this place of death. He saw a man turn down a hallway, and upon reaching the turnoff, he watched as a cave-in blocked his way out. He clenched his fist. He needed to get out of here. He wanted more than anything to visit his friend' graves. He missed them so much…
Robin heard someone come up behind him. Turning around, shiv at the ready, he saw an exhausted guard. He was bald, black, and even a fool could tell that he was scared out of his mind.
"Thank God I made it into the light." He said, holding on to the bars that separated the two. "I think I'm safe in the light. You have to get me out of here, you have to…"
Before he could finish his plea, two swords impaled him through the chest at different angles. He tried to scream, but only a bubble of blood came out of his mouth as he was bashed repeatedly against the bars. After smashing the corpse a couple of times, the creature dropped the body and clung back to the ceiling. A door to the control room that commanded the gate that the guard had come from was locked, but it collapsed down, giving Robin access to the room. He found a radio that was receiving a transmission. An American accent blared out from the speaker, and Robin could tell from the way the cables were cut that he couldn't respond to the calls for help.
"Hello? Can anybody hear me? I'm trying to get out, but it's bloody Hell up here. There's somethin' up here with me, but every time I shine the light at it, everything scampers out of the way. Maybe it's the… shit!"
Robin heard gunfire from the radio, and three shots later the voice came back.
"I think I got it. Shit, it's like some sorta spider with swords. Goddamn inmates are behind this I know it. Is anybody listening to me? Well maybe I better stay up hear where I'm…"
He heard the sword slit the man's throat, heard the choking sounds as he tried to draw breath to his cut trachea. Robin couldn't believe what was happening. What was going on? What were these creatures? And how was he going to get out alive?
How would he live with himself if he really did kill the Titans?
He shook his head, but felt the small weight of the picture in his pocket. He looked at it again, and could almost feel them looking at him.
Point of fact, one of them was.
Robin turned around and was staring face-to-face with Terra. A strange golden light emanated from her like she was a light bulb, while all other light around him went out. She began speaking to him in an angry tone, her hands on her hips as she raved at her one-time leader.
"What were you thinking, Robin? Why would you those things to us? Why?"
She disappeared, and Robin grabbed at the space she had just occupied.
"Terra, I'm sorry, okay? I'm really am sorry." He said, his voice shaking with pent up sobs. "I don't know what happened, but…"
He saw a flashback. He was walking down the hallway of Titan's Tower. He heard Terra say. "Is that you, Beast Boy?" he saw her lying on the ground, her head beaten so that pieces of her skull poked through her skin. Blood matted her hair in clumps that spread out over the soaked carpet, like a death halo around her. Her eye was turned up, not showing only the white, but as though she was rolling her eyes at him. Except that one eye had been bashed into her head. The other looked as though she was crying blood as Robin stood stock still by the sight he was seeing.
He snapped back to reality with a jolt, horrified by what he had seen. But what was it that he had seen? The aftermath of the killer? The aftermath of him? He wished to God that it was the former.
Looking around the room, he found a piece of paper that turned out to be a map of the first floor of the aptly named Death House. Ransacking the room for another, he found another map for the Death House second story. Now that he could finds out where he was, he folded them up and slipped them into his pocket.
He walked over to some monitors, and turned them on. He had remembered his initial need to survive the horrors of Abbott. Switching on the monitor, he saw what looked like the visitors center. He watched as the same creature that had freed him from the cellblock dash across the monitor. He looked to the other one, trying to get his mind off of what Terra had said to him. On the second screen, he saw what appeared to be the showers. Everything looked clear in there, so he decided to search for anything to help him survive there.
He pushed the button that would open the gate that the lone security guard had met his fate upon. As it swung open, it stopped when it hit the remains of the man. Robin watched as something stabbed the C.O.'s shoulder and dragged him to the ceiling. He saw the feet dangling as whatever it was carried the carcass across the ceiling, into another air vent to feed. The gate, now free from obstruction, continued to open, and Robin walked through, shiv at the ready as he walked through the gate. He stopped. There was another hallway that led into darkness, with a light at the end. He had to search there before he could continue on.
Walking down the hall, he reached the patch of darkness, and he heard something scurry about. He gripped his weapon tighter as he increased his pace. He heard the sound of the bass cicadas behind him, and he broke out into a run, trying desperately to reach the light before whatever it was got him. He heard the clanking of its sharpened feet on the ground, and Robin ran even faster, adrenaline making him achieve speeds that he never knew were possible. He rolled into the light just as he heard something whoosh by were his neck had been before he curled up into a ball. As he stood up, he whirled around, ready to fight whatever it was that had pursued him. But there was nothing. Only silence filled the hall, and Robin became afraid. He saw doors on either side of him. One led to the maintenance room, and another door was unmarked. He went through the unmarked one, making sure to close the door behind him so that whatever it was could come in after him. He was in almost total darkness, the only light coming from a window that was around the corner. Walking over to it, he saw the full moon shining brightly at him, but that wasn't all he saw.
He saw Cyborg's face in the moon, his real eye showing the same anger that Terra had only a minute ago.
Robin saw the golden glow coming from behind him, and turned to see the mechanical hero standing behind him. He was surrounded by six of the sword creatures so that they made a hexagon pattern, their swords over their chests like they were about to be buried. Cyborg spoke with intensity to Robin, his words cutting into the Boy Wonder's spirit like a knife.
"What did we do, Robin? We would all be happy, and you always had to mess it up!"
"Noooo!!!"
Robin jumped at one of the closest creatures, his weapon upraised to stab the things that had his friend surrounded. He struck thin air as they and Cyborg disappear. Robin growled with rage as he gripped the shiv tightly. He stopped all noise when he heard the sounds of a struggle coming from one of the doors behind him. He turned and went up to the door to his right, and he heard someone scream before it was cut of by the sound of the low-pitched cicadas. He knew what that meant. He gripped the shiv tighter, Ready to slash out at anything that tried to jump at him. He pushed open the door quickly, pulling back his hand to strike. Nothing jumped out at him. But he saw movement on the floor. Stepping inside, he turned on the lights.
And nearly threw up.
He saw the most gruesome sight that he had ever laid eyes on. There was blood in trails everywhere, not in puddles but long dry rivers as though something had been drug through them. There was blood leading into an air vent, with some fresh drops dripping onto the floor below. The movement he had seen was one poor soul who happened to have been sliced in half. He was leaving masses of the red liquid behind him, and Robin took pity on the man. Walking over to him, he rammed the shiv into his heart, ending his pain forever. He heard Starfire's voice speak to him kindly.
"You did the right thing, Robin."
Robin looked up, but saw no one. He pulled out his weapon from the man, and ransacked the room for anything valuable. All he found was batteries and four clips of revolver bullets. Robin had seen them before. All one had to do was pop out the chamber, stick the clip in, push a button, pull out the holder, close the chamber, and viola. Your revolver had six more shots. Naturally you had to remove the expended shells, but since this happened when you popped out the chamber automatically, it went without saying. Figuring he might need them later, he gathered them up and put them in his pocket. Next to this, he found a belt with a holster on it. It was the old western type that had the hole in the bottom so that it wouldn't snag on the inside when you needed to pull it out quickly. It also had many pieces of leather strips that made little rings around the front to store extra ammunition. Finding several bullets already in this, he figured that the gunpowder in them would be good to start a fire with. Putting this on, when he stuck the shiv into the holster, it made an excellent makeshift sheath. Now that he had both hands free. He headed back to where he saw Terra. Armed with his new tools, he gripped the weapon but left it in the make-believe scabbard. He didn't hear any rustling sounds as he passed through the darkness again. He wound up back at the gate next to the control room that had shown him his blonde-headed friend. He then remembered the showers, and headed back with a sigh. Returning back to where he saw Cyborg, he went left instead of right this time. Upon reaching the place, he entered to find no one. He decided to search all the lockers for supplies. In one were more batteries. In another was a body of a C.O. Robin jumped back from the sight as the corpse fell on him. He pushed it off with a sob of horror, and backed into one of the benches. He found there two bottles of what would become his main healing source.
Recently, there had been several trial medicines to heal wounds faster. One in particular had been astoundingly effective, healing small lacerations and helping out larger one's almost instantly with no documented side effects. It was said to be able to bring back the dead, and being the clever doctors that they were, had called it Xombium. Robin thought it rather ironic considering his situation. Looking at the marks from his fight at the docks, he opened a bottle and took one of the pills without liquid and, lo and behold, he watched as they healed up slightly, enough that they didn't pain him whenever he moved anymore. He smiled at this new discovery, having found a quick way to heal himself. That would be necessary for surviving through this nightmare. He put them in the opposite back pocket as the picture, which had one all its own. Robin knew that he would need a pack if he was going to carry enough provisions to last him for any length of time. But for now, this would last him.
Walking out of the showers, he was startled by a phone ringing. It was an old rotary dial phone that was painted pitch black, but the polish made it glisten like it was armor. He recovered from his shock, and walked over to it. He was about to pick it up when he hesitated. Did he really want to hear what was on the other end? He decided he did and picked it up.
He wished he hadn't.
Starfire's voice came out of the speaker, and Robin could almost smell the urgency in her voice.
"Robin, you have to get out of there. That place is worse than a prison, it's so much worse. It will consume you if you don't get out now. Hurry Robin! Run; run as fast as you can! Go!"
He slammed the phone back on its base, panting hard as he tried to make sense of Starfire's words. She had said that this place was worse than a prison. What did she mean? Maybe referring to the creatures that were ravaging the complex?
He put all this in the back of his mind. He'd figure it out, after he was better equipped to survive. Again heading back to where he had seen Terra, Robin for the final time took the path that the unfortunate guard had come from. After walking for a short distance, he came to another T-junction in the path. On his left was a door labeled "Electrical". This door was locked, so Robin took the right door, and ended up in another hallway, with a hallway in the far right corner, stairs in the far left corner, and bathrooms between him and the hall. Walking toward the hall, he saw a guard drag himself across the floor. One of the creatures that had taken the lives of his cellmates walked slowly beside him, opposite of Robin. The Boy Wonder could only watch as the creature stepped on the man's head, its blade piercing through to the ground. Stepping back, it stabbed him again in the head with one of its arms. Pulling it out, it held it horizontally, with the sharp end pointed at robin, the creature staring at him over the width of the blade. It suddenly charged him, and Robin pulled out his shiv, ready for combat. The creature swiped at his head, but Robin ducked and ran it through the heart with his weapon. The creature flopped onto the ground, waving its limbs back and forth in its death throes, although it had already been deceased. When it finally was still, Robin approached it slowly. Reaching over, he grabbed the shiv and jerked it out. There was blood on the weapon, which told Robin that these things were at least partially alive, which meant that he could kill them. The monster didn't attempt to get back up, so Robin turned his attention to the dead C.O. He saw a paper in his hands. Sheathing his weapon, he picked it up. It had writing on the front and back, and Robin read one side that had an urgent note scribbled on it.
To whoever reads this…
It's armageddon! Have to get out of Abbott and off this island. Cash and I going to S-block and then Radio Bldg. Gotta send S.O.S. before things get worse. Gonna need a lot of guys to fight our way there, so come on if you can…
-JT
Robin was glad for the information. Now he had something to work towards. The other side was written in small fine print, and Robin squinted his eyes, wondering who would take their time to write this. He read the note, grateful for the insight it gave him.
Slayer
I first witnessed these creatures jumping out of the ground itself. Their heads are detached from their torso, held aloft by hideous contraptions. Their limbs have been replaced by blades of the sharpest steel. To my eyes, they seem to be a manifestation of decapitation, yet it seems improbable anyone had their head cut off in Abbott. I suppose on Carnate, anything is possible. I have dubbed these monstrosities Slayers.
Robin noticed several drawings of the creatures, and wondered who would have the time, or even then, the motivation to document the things. Whatever the case, he slipped it into the pocket with the Xombium bottles, and was about to go down the stairs when he heard a fight going on in the bathroom to his right.
"Die, die you fucker, die!"
Robin heard the anguished squeal of the newly named Slayer, and the door was kicked open by a C.O. He had an even cut all the way around, and was toting a revolver with him. Recovering from his shock, he pointed the gun at Robin.
"What are you doing out here, inmate? One move and I'll blow your fucking head off!"
Robin grabbed his shiv, but did not bring it out. He heard Starfire's voice speak to him, followed by a sinister one that sounded more malicious than anything Robin had ever heard.
"Give him a chance, Robin."
"Make… him… suffer…"Robin threw off the malicious voice, and held in the urge to strike. After a few seconds, the guards lowered his weapon.
"Ah, to Hell with protocol. This place has already gone to shit. We can last longer if we stick together, but you will follow my orders, understand?"
"Completely." Robin said. He knew better than to argue with someone that had offered peace after pointing a gun at him.
"Alright. From what I've seen, these things are allergic to light. There's a flashlight in the rec room down the hall. Go and get, but no funny stuff, or I will gun you down, comprende?"
"Yessir."
"Good. Now go and get it. I'll stay here and make sure none of those bastards follow you. Hurry up. The quicker we get out of here the better."
Robin went down the hallway, and saw three bodies spread out on the floor. The blood that they were lying in was fresh. Robin unsheathed his weapon and continued on down the hall to the door at the very end. He opened the door to find a dark room. Searching blindly for the light switch. Finding it, he flipped it on and surveyed the massacre in the room.
There were two tables. One had a guard that had been slit open from the chest to the belly. Two others were sitting in a corner, one with a sword through his neck, another with his head removed. Robin's foot touched something, and looking down, he saw the missing part staring at him, the eyes wide with fear, the mouth permanently frozen open in a death scream. Robin looked away and lunged at the flashlight sitting on the table. Snatching it up, it was the same kind the other guard had been using before he was lobotomized by the creatures roaming Abbott. The light bulb and reflector curved at a 90-degree angle, with a clip just below the angle to slip it on something. The batteries were inserted at the bottom, and the cap was screwed on, the switch on the bottom to turn it on. Robin ran out of the door and slammed it shut as though the head might follow him. Leaning against it, he panted heavily, beads of sweat popping up on his forehead. He put the shiv back in the makeshift casing, and slipping the flashlight onto his shirt so that the light would shine in front of him when he turned it on, Robin headed back to the guard, who saw the flashlight on Robin's chest.
"Good, you got a light. We gotta head downstairs, but stay out of my way. If I have to shoot more of those fuckers, I will not hold my fire on your account, you read me?"
"Loud and clear, Hitler." Robin mumbled under his breath, and followed the guard down the steps to the lower floor. The guard headed for a control room directly to the left of the stairs. Unlocking it, he went in and pushed the button to open the two gates that blocked their way. Going through them both, Robin followed him to a large room with a surveillance room, two large pillars in the center for support, and a door to the far left that had "ELECTRIC CHAIR" written on the wall next to it. There was another gate to the left of this on the side they had entered from, but just then some Slayers made their presence known by jumping through the window above them to the right. Robin unsheathed his weapon and pounced at the closest one, driving the shiv into its belly. The creature fell back in its agony, and Robin saw another slice through a door ahead of him. He threw the shiv like a throwing knife, and it thudded into the Slayer's chest, which fell back flailing its limbs like the first had.
Robin didn't notice that the other one had gotten back up and was about to behead him until the guard shot it in the side. It screeched with pain and rage, but the officer kept filling it with lead until it collapsed in its death throes.
Robin looked at him, who was pointing the smoking barrel at the body, ready to fire again should it move. When it didn't, he put the weapon down.
"You fight well, inmate. Where'd you learn to throw like that?"
"Long story."
"Ah, well. Go get your weapon and let's get out of this Hellhole. I'll tell you one thing; we better stay away from the fucking basement. If its bad up here, down there is gonna be like the mouth of Hell."
Robin was retrieving his weapon when he again heard Starfire's voice.
"I knew you had it in you. We all did."
Robin looked up, hoping for a glimpse of the girl, but saw nothing on the inside of the room that the Slayer had occupied. The lights were on, and Robin saw some Xombium bottles and the thing he needed most.
There was an old, small army pack that fit him perfectly, along with a pair of socks and boots that seemed crafted just for him. Putting these on, he looked at the pack. It had one big pocket on the top, with a smaller one on the outside. It had a green and brown splotch camouflage pattern, and instead of zippers they folded over and buttoned shut. Two small pockets stuck out from the sides, and in one he put his batteries, in the other as many bottles of the medicine that he could, for a total count of five bottles of Xombium and six flashlight batteries. Now all he needed was food and water, but he would ransack the cafeteria for those. Now that he had his supply pack, he turned towards the exit.
And stopped dead in his tracks.
The door that the Slayer had broken down was on the right side of the room as you entered, and the left side had a table directly in-between the far wall and the center of the room. Laid on this table was Raven lying on her back, blood dripping from her neck onto the floor since her head hung over the side, blood matting her hair into large clumps the dripped more of the red fluid onto the ground. But this wasn't what had caught his attention.
There was a gaseous entity that was standing behind the table so that Raven was in-between Robin and the figure. He looked thin, but Robin saw that he had a six-pack, considering the figure wasn't wearing a shirt. It was bald, and had a devilish glow where its eyes should have been. It spoke to Robin, the voice raspy, not like Dave's had been, but as though he had a sore throat.
"I always looked at the bodies when I was done."
The figure and Raven disappeared in a flash of light, and Robin stood watching the spot where they had been. The guard snapped him out of his stupor.
"Inmate, what's wrong?"
Robin shook his head.
"Nothing… it was nothing."
"Alright. Now let's get out of…"
Both of them turned to the door that led to the electric chair, terrified of the voice that was emanating from it.
"Oh, God, make it stop, make it stop!!!"
The guard shook with fear. "What the Hell was that? Ah, I gotta check it out, stay here."
The guard ran over and opened the door. Robin followed him, and saw as electricity coursed through his body as someone sat in the electric chair.
"Please, make it stop!"
Suddenly, the man and the electricity disappeared, leaving the dead guards body lying on the ground. Robin cautiously walked in, and picked up the revolver. All the shells had been used. Opening the chamber, they were ejected simultaneously, and he used one of his clips to reload the firearm. Flicking his hand, the chamber snapped shut, and now Robin was in possession of a very important asset to his cause. Now that he had a gun, He didn't feel as vulnerable, but he was by no means ready to survive on his own. Still being cautious, he stuck the gun in his belt in such a way so that the grip hung on the outside edge, with the barrel facing at the ground behind him. He walked into the open gate that was to his right as he exited the chamber. He heard another phone ring, and he answered it without hesitation, hoping to hear Starfire's voice again.
He was disappointed to hear another inmate talking.
"Hey, ma. Yeah, they said I can talk as long as I want. Listen, I wanted to tell you that I love ya, ma. Now don't cry, ma, this is what needs to happen. And the reverend told me, I won't feel a thing…"
Robin hung up the phone, pitying the man he had just heard. He looked over and saw to his right another cell, and on the wall to his right, another door. Blocking it was a coke machine, and Robin passed up the cell, seeing that there was nothing in it of value. He gripped the vending machine on either side, and his muscles bulged as he pulled it away from the door. After pulling it for a distance, he went through the door and ended up in a hall that led to the foyer. Arriving there, he saw several metal detectors to his left. There was a control room in the far right corner, and the ceiling was made almost completely of glass. He walked over to the control room door, and found it to be locked. Without warning, two blades pierced the door and tore it off its hinges. The Slayer threw the door to the side, and snarled at Robin with a bestial quality. Robin pulled out the revolver, but the creature was much too fast, jumping onto the ceiling and scurrying about. Robin fired two shots at it, and missed both times. He stopped firing and aimed his gun at it, waiting for it to hold still. He saw a mouse run across the floor, and he saw that the Slayer looked over at the movement. Seeing his chance, he sent the remaining four shots into the creature, which lost its grip on the ceiling and fell onto the floor, and didn't flap its limbs. Robin put a single bullet in the chamber after ejecting the others, and shot it directly into the creature's head. It exploded, sending blood everywhere as it jerked spasmodically. Robin decided it was dead, and he reloaded his gun using another clip. Replacing it back into his belt, he saw that a statue had been placed in the small hallway. He pushed the button, and the gate to the foyer closed, as the one that led to his destination tried to. It hit the statue and bounced back shut. Robin then saw a solution to his problem. Pushing the button again, the one to the foyer opened, and he entered the access way. Moving the statue so that it would block the door, he went back and activated the gates again. The one to the foyer tried to close, but the statue blocked its path. It continued to try and close while the other opened. Now that he could go through, he squeezed his way past the statue and continued into the dark hallway. Turning on his flashlight, it shone at the floor, and he walked towards a gate that had been torn to pieces. He stared as the creature that had freed him from his cell ran towards him, he pulled out his revolver, but it seemed puny to him against the thing that now charged at him. To his surprise, it turned to the right and ran down a hallway that he hadn't seen. He walked to where it had turned, and saw that it was gone. He had his pistol at the ready as he walked cautiously further down the hall, coming to another hallway to his left. Looking down this from the corner. He saw a door at the end of the short hall. Walking up to it, he opened the door to find a console in front of him that had a big yellow button in the center. There was a window in front of him, and it showed the gas chamber, which had a C.O. strapped in it. He heard the sinister voice again.
"He needs to die. Finish him."
"Don't, Robin! Let him live!"
"Starfire?"
He turned around, and saw no one. He thought of two possible solutions. One was that the spirits of the Titans had come back, though whether it was to punish him, guide him, or to see him remained to be discovered.
The other was that he was going insane.
Robin looked to the man, who was struggling to escape. He heard the voice again.
"He must die…"Robin ran from the room before he gave in to the evil side of his mind. He was headed for the hallway where he had seen the creature, but a Slayer dropped down in front of him. Robin blasted it before it had a chance to attack and rounded the corner, hearing another one approach from behind him. He fired blindly over his shoulder, and figured from the screech that he had hit it. He looked down the hall that the creature had taken and saw it running down the hall, its breathing sounding like growls as it ran away from the Boy Wonder. Reloading his revolver with another clip, he gave chase to the beast, and came upon two more Slayers. He fired at them, killing them before they had a chance to react. Now that he had only one clip left, he decided to save it in case of an emergency. Taking it out of his pocket, he placed it in the large pocket of his pack. He heard a noise behind him, and whirled to see the Slayer that he had fired at behind him was still alive. Blood ran from a hole in its shoulder, and it charged at him, the sound of cicadas reverberating as it locked onto its prey. Robin aimed his revolver at it, using the last shot to fire into its head. This didn't slow it down, and Robin jumped back, but not before it slashed his chest. The pain from it made him cry out, and he brought out his shiv just as the thing was about to slice him in two. Blocking the blade with his makeshift knife, he shoved it back and chopped off one of its arms at the elbow. The thing tried wildly to hack at him with its remaining arm, seeming to not need its head to find the frightened boy. Robin ducked under the blow and shoved the shiv into its heart, and the Slayer stiffened up, then went limp. Robin let its mass slide off of the weapon, and replaced it back in its sheath. Replacing his gun in its place, he looked at the carcass, and went into the door to his left as he faced where he came in.
This took him into the gas room, with the chamber itself in the center. He looked at the window and saw the gaseous specter stare at him, arms crossed. It shook its head as though Robin had made a stupid mistake, and pushed the button that activated the gas.
The man in the chamber sniffed the air.
"Oh, God, gotta… fuckin' little…"
He managed to break the bonds that were weakened with age. He put his face to the glass that allowed him to see outward, looking at Robin as the chamber filled up with the toxic fumes.
"Hey you… hurry up… Shut off the gas…"
"How? I'll try to open the door!"
Robin grabbed the handle and pulled with all his might.
The door didn't budge.
Robin continued to pull on it until he saw the misty apparition form to his side.
"So the Boy Wonder wants to save people even after they condemned him? How noble."
Robin let go of the door and faced the phantom.
"Open the door."
"As you wish, but first tell me… Did you kill your friends? Are you the murderer we think you are?"
"I am not!"
"Very well, then. Enjoy yourself while it lasts. I'm sure your little whore is very proud of you right now."
"Bastard!!!"Robin lunged at the ghost, wanting to throttle him with his bare hands. But he simply passed through the phantom, and it chuckled at his efforts.
"Don't like to hear about your victims, do you? I'd learn to control yourself before something… gets loose."
With that, the ghoul disappeared into the floor, and the door to the chamber opened. Gas poured out, and Robin saw the lifeless body of the guard slump down to the floor. The vapors began to fill the air, and Robin held a hand over his head as he tried to find a way out. He saw a Slayer come through the door to the witness area that was separated from the gas room by a sheet of reinforced glass. But this wasn't like the other Slayers. It was tall, and was a dark green where the others were gray. Instead of a single blade it had two on each hand, and it ran these together, making sparks fly everywhere as it stared at its next meal. It dashed at the glass and fell back when it didn't break through. It repeated the process until the glass began to give way, cracks shooting out like snakes under the pressure. Finally, with a mighty lunge, it broke through, and Robin dashed by it through the hole it had made. It looked around for him, and soon keeled over dead from the haze of poison.
Robin was on his hands and knees, sucking in fresh air like cold spring water on a hot day. He looked around and found more revolver clips. Picking them up, he put them in his pack. Now he had eight of the clips, plus he found a box with forty-eight individual shots. Sticking these into the slots of his belt, he went out the doorway that the double bladed Slayer had come in from. The floor was again tiled like the foyer, reminding Robin of an unholy chessboard, and all his pieces had been removed. To his right was a wall with a smashed pipe, and to his left was an open gate that led to some stairs, and a door to the left of it while you were facing the stairway. He found that the door was locked, and so he went towards the stairs. A Slayer clambered on the ceiling towards him and dropped down in front of him. Robin shoved the shiv into it with the speed and grace of a figure skater. Pulling it out, he kicked it over the edge to fall to the story below. He heard its tormented cries slowly cease as it landed on the floor. He heard the voice that had emanated from the electric chair.
"They won't leave you alone 'til you do it."
Robin looked around and wasn't surprised to see no one. He continued on down the stairs that turned around halfway down. Arriving at the bottom, he saw shelves to his right and a passageway to his left that curved around behind the wall that the shelves leaned on. Turning on his flashlight, he saw something that would help him out greatly when he was surrounded by darkness.
Flares.
He stuck three in the smaller pocket, needing to keep the flammable objects away from the ammunition. He also found on the shelves a map of the basement and sub basement. Considering this a good find, he continued onto the hallway and turned the corner to the right. A door was there, and he went through it, hoping that perhaps he could find answers in the depths of Abbott State Penitentiary.
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Go to the website mentioned in the previous chapter and go to Creatures under Game. The top screen is a double bladed Slayer, and the bottom one is a single bladed Slayer.
'Til the next chapter, which is titled "Descending".