Tales of Amity Park's Graveyard
Horror at Amity's penitentiary.
The sun had gone down the horizon allowing for the moon and her stars to take over the sky of Amity Park's Forest, only the soft melodies of country music broke the near deafening silence as a few curious deer watched with contempt at the roadside diner where the music emanated from. The delicious fragrance of cooked hamburgers and French fries filled the establishment's interior while the only patrons waited for their dinner.
Dash Baxter groans ever so loudly while stretching his muscular arms, his eyes darting all around the diner and taking notice of how empty the place was. Just himself and his three cohorts, Kwan, Jacob, and Dale who all looked bored and rather sleepy, the large teen turns his attention to the kitchen where he sees the cook partially hidden away in a plume of smoke fixing their meals, it had been a most boring road trip, to say the least.
The jock decided to go on a short road trip to Dimmesdale horror amusement park using the new car he recently got for his sixteen birthday, despite only getting his driving license a week felt competent enough to make the road trip without any adult supervision, Dash had invited his best friends after being turned down by Jazz Fenton whom he initially invited but his new Bentley hardly impressed the redhead, little did he know was that there was no way in hell she would spend three hours trapped inside a car with the near braindead jock.
"Man, that place sucks. I was expecting a lot more after all the advertisements."- Dash Baxter said breaking the silence. "Things would have been a lot better if Jazz came along, I would have had her sucking my dick back and forth."- the jock added making his friends laugh.
"Yeah, I was expecting a lot more than some cheap costumes and second-rate sound effects."- Kwan said, his eyes glued to his cell phone.
"There's gotta be some creepy place we can explore. This is Amity Park, the capital of freaky shit for crying out loud."- Dash continued while looking over a map on his phone.
"You boys looking for a scary place?"- All four teens turn towards the waiter. "Ever heard of the old abandoned Amity Park's penitentiary?"- the waiter said as he places the food on the table.
It was then that all four jocks turn to their server showing great interest, though none of them questioned why he was dressed as the grim Reaper though he had an apron over the black robes. Dash looked straight into Reaper's faceless hood as he put the sodas and burgers on the table, the jock was now more interested in hearing about this penitentiary than eating the poorly made meals that rested on the table.
"No, I never heard about it. Come on, dude tell me more."- the quarterback demanded.
"The penitentiary is as old as Amity Park itself, though it closed down back in the 1920s, it was governed by Warden Walker who ruled with an iron fist, a real sucker for rules, he was. The man was nicknamed the Executioner by the inmates as he would almost at random had someone killed for whatever misconduct on a daily basis. He was apparently allowed to execute at his discretion." The reaper said with a sinister tone.
"Wait! What do you mean by apparently? Isn't there a whole process before an execution?"- Dash asked before taking a large bite from his hamburger.
"Walker claimed to have a special permit that makes him judge, jury, and executioner at the same time, but no one could prove that he did have it nor bothered to verify at the time, and after the 1920s prison riots all documents that could prove otherwise were destroyed."- the reaper said taking all of the jocks attention. "Walker was one sick puppy, there was at least one execution per week, his executions ranged from the ever so popular long fall, hosting, firing squads, electric chair, and rumors say that he even put an entire block of inmates inside the gas chamber at the same time."- the reaper said.
All the jocks considered their server's words to be exaggerations as such actions would have sparked public outrage, and the masses would have gathered at the prison gates demanding for Walker to be removed from his charge. Even so, Dash and his cronies found themselves slowly driving down the interstate in search of the exit leading to the abandoned prison, they were fascinated by the gruesome history.
It didn't take long for Dash to find the dirt road leading into the woods, there were no particular signs or indications of the prison but the quarterback knew he had to be on the right track as he was following the waiter's instructions to the tee. There was clear evidence the dirt road hadn't been in use in many years due to the grass growing all around, nearly covering it and making the teens question if they wander too deep into the forest or were misguided by the waiter.
"That's the place dude!"- a dark-skinned teenager with a buzzcut named Dale said from the backseat as he pointed out to a massive wall.
Never before had any of them been so impressed by a mere wall, it was tall and vast with a barbed wire going all over the top, and trees had grown over the broken parts giving credit to its almost hundred-year-old antiquity. A watchtower could be seen in the dark sky providing an ominous ambiance that filled the teens with excitement, Dash was the first to pass through the wrecked blast doors after collecting a couple of flashlights from the trunk of his car while taking notice of the nearly two-meter-wide walls.
"Holy mother of fuck… is this for real?"- Jacob said, a short and chubby fellow with freckles.
As the jocks made their way into the courtyard, the first thing they saw beyond the broken fence was a single and most imposing building in a U-form, four stories high that left the teens flabbergasted, an imposing watchtower in the center caught their attention as did the long bridges that connected the tower with the outer walls. Dash Baxter was beyond fascinated by the sight before his eyes, he wonders why no one had ever mentioned the place before.
It was beyond enthralling, not even Danny Fenton who comes from a family of ghost-obsessed freaks ever talked about the penitentiary, in hindsight, Dash never did ask Danny anything paranormal-related, surely, his parents would have already investigated the place and yet there were no signs of anyone being at the prison in years. Dash approached the tower and noticed that it had been burned as it was covered in old hardened ash, a large number of debris prevented the jocks from entering.
Excitement built up as they entered the building, the main entrance was composed of thick rusty iron bars that had fallen followed by a guardhouse to the right, Dash watched with wonder as he illuminated the broken door with his flashlight. His smile grew wider upon seeing a large black stain on the corner where surely one of the guards had met his end, the cell block was hollowed but large and long with row after row of small cells along with metallic stairs and catwalks.
"Man, these cells can't be more than two meters wide."- Kwan said with fear in his voice as he stared at an old dusty cell, there were two bunk beds and a toilet in between, and the wall was littered with all sorts of ancient writing. "I would go crazy in there." The teen added while rubbing his muscular arm.
Their footsteps echoed as the four jocks continued walking down the cell block, looking into each small cell where they could see dusty blankets, clogged toilets, and notebooks. Almost as if they were going through a museum exhibition, the sudden noise of a metallic object falling down the stairs made them stop dead in their tracks, eyes turned all over the place as they tried their very best to find the source.
"Relax, probably just a rat."- Dash said with his confident bravado looking at a rolling can.
Kwan couldn't help but shiver in fear as he could swear to see the outlines of people on the upper floors, waving at him as if they were the new inmates, and yet, upon shining his light over the shadows, he saw how they vanished. His superstitious mind brought back several old myths about the souls of evil men not being able to rest due to their malicious lives, even if they repented, they were not allowed to rest in the afterlife.
"Hey, why don't we check out the rest of the place?"- Kwan said trying to hide his cracking voice. "It's getting late and I wanna check out the rest of the building."- he confirmed while looking at the shadows on the upper corridors.
"I'm with Kwan, let's see if we can find the warden's office or better yet the execution ground."- Dale interjected, though Kwan wonder if he too was seeing the same shadows and refused to comment about them.
(XXXX)
An ominous aura filled the athletes' hearts as they walked through a broken steel door, the first thing they notice were two corridors, a short one heading forward leading to the prison's main building where the more dangerous convicts were kept while a second long corridor went sideways, iron bars prevented the inmates from wandering down these halls, Dash employed all his strength to shove the door open as he wanted to see what was inside.
The flashlights revealed bloodstained walls along with what seemed to be bullet holes, the quarterback then notices several bullet cases littering the ground confirming his initial thoughts and making him wonder what happened. Their footsteps echoed as they continued their exploration, strange slashes could be seen at random walls augmenting their dread and wonder.
A sudden gasp escaped from Kwan's lips as he stood in front of the infirmary, his face white as a sheet which prompted his fellow teammates to rush to his side. Dash shined his light into the pitch-black office, his horror was beyond words as he saw more than a dozen skeletons dressed in the strip uniforms piled up in the corner. Further examination proved the inmates had been executed utilizing a firing squad.
"You think the guards started to round up the prisoners and just kill them?"- Dash asked wondering why the local authorities didn't collect the bodies already.
"Whatever happened here, it was a bloodbath." The Asian jock replied as he aimed his flashlight at the staircase.
There was yet another pile of human bones gathered at the staircase, their positions didn't allow the jocks to determine if they were running up or down the stairs, and their lights showed bullet holes on both sides of the staircase, almost as if the prisoners had ambushed and callously executed. Only Dash remained mentally strong as the rest of his friends were already shaking in their spots, his only regret was not bringing a proper camera or a more powerful cellphone seeing that his battery was already halfway gone after making a short video.
Soon the boys came across what seemed to be a cafeteria nearly identical to the one at Casper high school though four times bigger, their flashlights revealed a more gruesome sight as they venture further in. Skeletons were piled up on the ground by the dozens as if they were rushing towards the exits in mass, a few solitary corpses could be seen by the corner or under the tables, most still holding on to some manner of the improvised weapon such as the infamous shiv which made Dash and cronies assumed the men were forcing their way out.
"Check that out."- Dash said as he walked into the kitchen where he saw more bodies leaving the teens speechless.
It was between the giant stove and pantry where the jocks saw their first slayed prison guard, his uniform reminded them of the old 1970s police officer with a white helmet that didn't seem to line with the period the riot took place, his thick ballistic jacket had been penetrated by three long sharpened pipes that went through his body. Kwan was the first to see more bodies rammed inside the stoves, some weren't guards as expected but inmates as well.
"What the hell happened here? It's like a full-blown battle royal, everyone against everyone."- Dale commented bothered by the sight before him.
"How come we never heard about any of this? Not at school, or in the streets, not even a fucking movie. Nothing."- Jacob interjected. "And why hasn't the cops or anyone come here to pick up the bodies?"- the short chubby teen added as he took several pictures.
"I'm no wuss but let's get the hell out of here. This place is freaking me out, man."- Kwan expressed expecting to be made fun of.
"Kwan's right, this is like some crime scene, the last thing I want is to have the fuzz sniffing up my ass."- Dash added as he made his way towards the door.
All four gasped in utter shock as they walked into a short corridor, seemingly having taken the wrong exit, at the end stood an iron-barred door followed by the main cell block, it was massive, far bigger than what they could imagine. Dash leans against the metal railing and looks down at the black void underneath, his flashlight couldn't penetrate through the darkness but managed to illuminate two more catwalks below.
Dale's light could show three more catwalks above but they were sure there had to be more floors. The sudden sound of a metallic door slamming shut startled all four jocks who jumped on their spots, their eyes filled with horror as they saw their only way out close. Kwan and Dale quickly tried to pry the door open but couldn't move it an inch despite their massive build, the rusty hinges didn't budge at all. Then, Kwan took several steps pulling his fellow back while looking with the utmost terror.
The rest of the jocks shine their lights over at the door, their breathing was long and steady but filled with fear. A tall and most intimidating man dressed in a white suit with a black fedora stared at them with the vilest red eyes that anyone had ever seen. Dash felt like a toddler upon looking up at the man, there was no way he could win in a fair or unfair fight against such a beast of a man.
It was the first time in the quarterback's sixteen years of life that he felt so intimidated, he was used to being the top dog around school but now he was standing in front of a wolf, and unlike the jock, the stranger didn't rely on threats, yelling, taunting or any other matter of childish intimidation to make his presence feared, all he needed was to look straight at the boys to make them want to go running with their tails between their legs.
"Trespassing… that go against the rules." The stranger spoke with an echo in his voice as if he talking from far away.
"Holy shit… that Walker"- Dale exclaimed as he recalled the warden's description.
"Back away guys."- Dash commanded while trying his very best to stare the man down but failing miserably.
Almost as if rehearsed, the jocks held hands while turning off their lights and vanishing into the dark with calculated steps hopeful that the stranger wouldn't follow them. Glowing red eyes could be seen from within the cells sending terrible shivers up the teens' spines as they skittered to the lower level, Jacob was the first to break the darkness by shining his light over the cells.
There was nothing there, not a man nor a ghoul trapped in the cell, just an empty compartment, it was then that they could hear the soft and ever-so-painful moaning coming from all around, Dash turned his head downwards and saw with unspeakable horror as hundreds of glowing red dots appeared amidst the dark slowly moving around making the brave quarterback nearly shit his pants.
"What the fuck is that?"- Kwan asked while pointing down.
Their lights could barely illuminate a gigantic mass of tentacles that wriggled around making them feel most disgusted as they wondered if there were giant worms at the ground level or a single monster, none of the brave jocks wanted to venture further down and find out but their answer came in the form of a giant feeler that rose from the floor below wrapping around a steel beam, easily bending it.
Dash was the first to burst into a sprint followed closely by his cohorts once they saw their brave leader fleeing, Kwan looked down into the black void and saw several giant red orbs glowing in the dark, it didn't take long for him to realize those were eyes. The catwalk was much longer than they anticipated; Dash was sure it was longer than a football field as he was running out of breath something that normally didn't happen on the field.
"Through here!"- the quarterback commanded as he guided his teammates inside a cell.
The boys quickly saw a large hole in the back wall, they knew there was no way for an inmate to have broken the wall during the riot, not even with the use of handheld tools due to its thickness, triple the size of a regular wall, they were more than sure the monster had a feast within the cell block. Kwan looked with dread at the bloodstained bed wondering if its occupant had been killed in his sleep or taken by the monster.
(XXXX)
The first thing the jocks saw upon crossing through the broken wall was a long and dark corridor, windows were a luxury as these were extremely scarce. Flashlights move all around revealing bullet holes and dry blood on the wall, skeletal bodies could be found tucked away against the walls, each one lying on their stomach as if they had been gunned down while running away.
"This is so fucking cool. A real riot shield." Dash said as he lifted the rectangular metallic shield off the ground, admiring it as he does.
"Forget the shield, check this bad boy out!"- Dale interjected as he took a rusty old rifle cast away against the wall, somewhat surprised that no one took it during the fighting.
None of the teens knew much about rifles but could tell it was a bolt action despite its old age and rusty to the point it couldn't move either the bolt or the trigger, part of the stock was rotting and yet fascinated the jocks. Just a few steps ahead found the shield's owner along with his friends, their skeletons lay in various positions, though their uniforms had been ripped and the helmets bashed in.
"None of them have guns, nightsticks, or shields, except for that one."- Jacob declared looking at the shield Dash was clutching onto.
"The prisoners probably took them; makes you wonder just how much they wanted to get out."- Dash replied as he shinned his flashlight ahead. "It takes some serious balls to charge head-on toward a bunch of guns."- Jock added trying to sound-wise as he looked at the dozens of bodies scattered across the hallway.
The cold of terror ran up their spines in unison forcing the jocks to turn around as a primordial fear engulfed their very soul, there was no sound to alert them and yet knew they had to look behind. Far into the corridor saw none other than Walker standing… menacingly, their sweat ran cold. From behind the imposing warden came out another fiercer creature with dark blueish fur and glowing red eye.
"Is that a fucking werewolf?"- Kwan said as his knees were starting to shake.
With a powerful howl send the jocks into a mad sprint, the werewolf licked its snout before giving chase. Dash knew that despite being fast was no match for the canine monster who would easily catch up to them. The jock gave a sideways glance at his friends before turning off his lights making him blend into the dark and rushed into the nearest open door, his teammates saw their leader's disappearance act but didn't dare stop as the monster was closing in.
"Holy shit! They got Dash!"- Kwan yelled out.
"Don't stop!"- Dale retorted as they turned around a corner, he briefly turns back just in time to see the werewolf crash against the wall. "Stupid mutt!"- he added before going down a flight of stairs.
"We lost Dale!"- Kwan declared, his heart about to burst out of his chest.
"Forget them! It's every motherfucker for themselves."- Jacob said as he sped up.
(XXXX)
Dash covers his mouth with one hand trying his utmost to stop his heavy panting, both legs were shivering out of fear but didn't regret using his friends as bait as he was at the moment safe from the monster, though the werewolf was long gone its master, Warden Walker was still lurking around in the dark. The jock didn't dare make a sound but needed to move, even if he waited for daybreak, the entire hallway would be pitch-black.
It was then that a tiny lightbulb turned inside his often-empty head, his smartphone came with a night vision feature that he had yet to try. A smile grew across his face upon looking at the green-tinted screen, thankful the advertisement wasn't a hoax or an exaggeration, and though Dash was dumb as a brick, he was no fool either, the jock was well aware of the possibility of the ghost no being detected by the camera.
"This damn place is like a fucking maze."- Dash mentally screamed. One corridor led to another which led to an office or an empty room.
Dash opened his eyes in utter shock as he walked into one of the bridges going around the prison, it was still night and the moon was shining in the sky. The teen turns off his smartphone trying to save on some battery as he was sure to need it once he went back inside. His eyes laid over the vast and thick forest wondering how many inmates tried to flee into that dark forest and made it into town.
Only thanks to the moonlight, the quarterback saw more skeletons resting on the floor or hanging over the railing, most still dressed in their prison uniforms though ever so often saw one with a police uniform. It still surprises him greatly that no one had come to reclaim the prison or the bodies, not their relatives or the local authorities, it was over at the back patio and under the moonlight that Dash saw a multitude of skeletal corpses.
Each one was mowed down by an old machine gun mounted on the railing; it was a slaughterhouse. The jock walked across the bridge shining his flashlight over the tall wall, taking notice of the bullet holes and the bodies just below allowing him to assume the inmates were so desperate to escape they somehow managed to scale the wall only to be shot down. The sheer height would kill anyone.
"No way I can climb that down, not without breaking my legs."- the jock whispered to himself as he estimated the fall, nearly the same height as a three-story building. "Got to be another way out"- he added recalling the place was designed to keep people inside.
Just as he reached the tower at the intersection saw a strange monster in the form of a four-legged octopus slithering out, Dash felt his entire body tense up yet managed to collect enough strength to move to a small barricade most likely formed during the riot. The jock couldn't help but wonder if such creatures were the reason for the riots, a byproduct of the uprising, or perhaps the poor victims of human experiments. It didn't matter as he would be famous once his discoveries were made public.
A hook rope attached to the railing most likely used by the inmates to attack the guards on the bridge caught his attention as he waited for the creature to walk away, it was upon seeing the monster heading in his direction that Dash was forced to use the rope to slide down, unfortunately, not even his muscular arms could hold his body weight. The teen landed over a pile of bones creating a plum of dust, it took all of his willpower not to scream.
"What the fuck happened here?"- Dash exclaimed as he forced his way out of the pile of death.
The ruckus made by the jock drew the attention of the monster who slithered his way around the metallic columns no different from a snake, two glowing red eyes scanned the ground in search of its next meal. Dash ran as quickly and quietly as he was hopeful the creature wouldn't find him if he was quiet enough. The boy rushed to the nearest door only to find himself inside another corridor.
It was dark and silent but Dash now knew there were worst monsters than Warden Walker and with his overfed lap dog lurking in the dark, he once more resorted to his night vision app to guide himself around the dark. He soon came across what could only be described as a lounge area due to the round tables, an antique coffee maker by the corner, and a few couches, such commodities weren't meant for the inmates but for the guards.
Dash begins to shake as he looks at the remains of a large fight, dozens of skeletons lay scattered across the room, on tables, and over the couches, most were on the floor and a few others rested on the window frame, their cause of death was unknown due to their current state. Tears gathered in his eyes as he continued his search for freedom, it was then that he noticed several slashes on the wall, now sure caused by the werewolf.
The moonlight illuminated another large patio surrounded by tall walls and filled with gallows, Dash was left speechless as he looked at the empty nooses that number in the dozens and though these were empty, it didn't mean they weren't used, the teen looked down and realized the last users could be found as nothing more than piles of bones. His shock became greater upon looking at a hole-covered wall accompanied by more skeletons.
"By the gods! They hung people here… I guess the lucky ones face a firing squad…"- Dash said as he examines the half wall up close.
"Prepare!"- Dash suddenly heard from behind him.
"Wait! I'm not a prisoner!"- the jock begged as he looked at over a dozen prions guards aiming their rifles at him.
"Present!"- the officer commanded making Dash open his eyes wide, fear so powerful overtook his body, freezing him in place. "Fire!"- the officer yelled.
The sounds of gunshots resounded throughout the yard as Dash Baxter screamed and cried while curling into a fetal position on the ground, but there was no pain to be felt. The boy patted his body in search of any manner of wounds as his terrified face looked up only to discover there was no one around. There was no way it had been a hallucination of that he was more than sure.
"What did Fenturd say the other day… Spirits that died in violence tend to relive their last moments over and over until they can find peace…"- Dash uttered as he recalled Danny saying to his geeky friends just before leaving for an alleged haunted house.
Just as he stood saw with dread the notable silhouette of a woman dangling from her neck on one of the many gallows, more shadows appeared hanging from their necks as the jock tread further into the patio hopeful to get out. The sudden banging and wailing coming from a metallic box hanging on a high pole made the muscular sports player turn pale as he imagines what horrible manner of execution some inmates faced.
"Do you like what you see?"- a deep and menacing voice said from behind Dash. "This is my personal favorite, it's called the Long-drop hanging, a humane way of execution."- Walker added, though Dash didn't wait for the ghost to finish whatever speech he had in mind as he ran to the nearest building.
(XXXX)
"Motherfucker… he knew where I was…"- Dash said feeling his heart about to burst after his mad sprint back into the facility.
At this point, Dash wasn't surprised to see more signs of violence, walls littered with bullet holes and years-old blood, and a mixture of skeletons belonging to both inmates and guards spread across the hallway and lounges. The boy sighs loudly as he picked up an old Thompson submachine gun off the ground, he knew it was pointless to carry it as the device was surely exploded in his hands, and even if it fired it was fairly obvious that such a weapon was useless against a ghost, a werewolf or a demon.
"What the hell is this place?"- Dash muttered as he made his way into a large room filled with metallic containers. "My god! It's a gas chamber!"- the jock declared as he peeks into the round window on the door.
More than one body could be seen within the chamber, just as he heard previously, Warden Walker was a sick puppy as he stuffed as many inmates as he could within the chamber and gassed them altogether. There were more than two dozen chambers all line up making the jock wonder just how many people were killed, it was then that he recalled the prison was operating during the Great War and perhaps the POWs were executed there.
"Who's there?! Let me out!"- Dash recognized the voice coming from one of the chambers.
"Jacob! What the hell happened?"- the jock asked as he looked around the door searching for a way to open it.
"That bastard Walker dragged me in here."- Jacob replied as he pressed his chubby face against the small window.
"Trespassing… running away from a police officer… resisting arrest."- Walker said as the lights inside an office on the second floor turned on. "This is punishable by death."- the ghost warden declared as he floated towards a panel.
"Come on, man. That administrative punishment, that's a fucking fine!"- Dash yelled out. "We'll pay the fine!"- the jock implored.
But the cold-hearted warden didn't listen to Dash, whatever preoccupied the ghost made the large tubes over the chambers vibrate sending terrible shivers up Jacob's spine as he had a good idea of what was to come. The smaller jock slammed his ham hands against the steel door while demanding Dash to open up before the chamber was filled with venom, it was then that Dash came to realize there was no handle, nothing to open the door.
The teen looked around desperately for a level or panel, a button that could open the chamber and free his friend, but nothing could be found. Jacob screamed as he saw a green mist pouring from a hole in the ceiling, desperation increase as Dash took hold of a long piece of metal to break the glass and give them a few more vital seconds. The glass was thick and much harder than expected but broke after the third strike.
"You just added destruction of federal property, boy."- Walker said with a slight grin.
"Over there! There's a bunch of levers!"- Jacob commanded.
"There's gotta be at least over two dozen levers!"- Dash replied as he tried moving the lever he thought belonged to Jacob's chamber.
Years of rust made moving the lever extremely difficult even with his muscular build, and much to his dismay a chamber located near the entrance opened up as he finally moved the lever. Dash groaned in frustration as he tried another and another lever but each one other open a door at random, his attention turned towards Jacob's chamber wondering if there was some number, code, or sign that could help him identify the right lever.
But everything was so worn out that made it impossible to determine any kind of marking. It was then that Dash saw with horror how green mist was emanating from the broken window, Jacob was nowhere to be seen. A hollow formed in the pit of his stomach as he slowly approached the chamber calling out for his friend who didn't reply, a soft chuckle forced the jock to turn around.
"Not the brightest bulb, are you now."- Walker sneered.
The ghost pointed over to a singular lever just outside the panel and then to a plaque that read "All" which made Dash feel like a complete idiot, his dread became even worst as Walker casually moved the lever down making all the doors open at the same time. Green mist poured out creating a small cloud on the ground, Dash sprinted away not wanting to see Jacob's dead body.
There was no way Dash could take a monster like Walker head-on and come out unscathed, not without some sort of magic weapon as he was sure that guns and blades were meaningless against a ghost, even so, couldn't help but feel like a coward for not even trying to fight back, had it been any geek or nerd at school, he would have beaten them black and green in a heartbeat.
(XXXX)
Dash ran without so much as a direction, just wanting to put as much distance as he could between himself and Walker, only after running out of breath noticed he entered a shower room, it was vast and old. Signs of violence could be seen on the walls and the floor though he wondered if it happened during or before the riot. His eyes turned over to a catwalk just above, there was no such thing as privacy in this place.
"Don't drop the soap, sweetheart." A ghostly voice said from behind scaring Dash who jump on his spot.
The large teen turned all around trying to find the source of the voice, yet couldn't see anything. Just as he moved his feet heard a deafening series of screams and pleading coming from all over the place, the sounds of fighting echoed, soon accompanied by loud gunshots. The silhouette of men manifested before Dash who watched with utter terror as a fight broke out in front of him.
Within seconds the shadows became inmates who desperately confront prison guards that had the upper hand from the start thanks to their ballistic vests, helmets, shields, and batons while the prisoners had no more than random shivs and their will to escape. It was then that Dash notices the strangest thing of all, women and even children were dressed in prison uniforms.
"I guess these guys were inclusive"- Dash said as he saw a group of female inmates gutting a guard like vicious dogs while another woman had her head bashed in, brain matter spilling over the floor.
Dash opens his eyes wide upon seeing a group of guards armed with bolt action rifles appear on the catwalk, out of instinct began running away moments before hearing the word "fire" being yelled as men and women started to fall while the mighty song of gunfire echoed throughout the corridor. The large teen rushed down the hallway in a straight line, tears making his vision blurry but managed to see a young boy standing dumbfounded, his head was suddenly cracked open by a bullet.
It was absolute carnage as blood splattered the walls and inmates lay unmoving over the floor, but the prisoners weren't without a fighting chance as they had improvised Molotov cocktails which they use to set guards on fire, a few brave men and women charged the line with varying success, nevertheless managed to obtain weapons from their suicidal charge, Dash had no idea whom to root for, the criminals or the guards.
The jock stops dead on his track upon seeing a group of guards preparing a machine gun at the end of the corridor, he didn't know if the prison was reliving its last moments and wouldn't be able to hurt him or if the dead had come back to life for a deadly reenactment. Dash didn't want to stay around to find out and instead rushed over to a nearby staircase, unfortunately, the scenery wasn't any better as a female inmate was on her knees at the stair rest, her guts pouring out as she held a shocked expression.
His attention was drawn toward a barred window, the first he has seen so far. Beyond were the gallows and none other than Warden Walker, the jock gasped in utter horror as he also saw his teammate Dale with a noose around his neck, shivering. Dale looked at his quarterback with a pleading expression while Walker held a pleased expression knowing there was nothing that he could do to stop the execution.
"Kiss your black ass goodbye"- The warden said as he pulled a lever.
"NO!"-Dash yelled out as he saw Dale vanish under the wooden floor leaving nothing more than a tense rope behind.
His powerful legs which could run a football field without any trouble suddenly felt like jelly unable to sustain his body weight, guilt overtook him while he wondered if his cowardly action led to these results. Had he been braver and guided his teammates as he did on the field, maybe they would have gotten a better chance to survive. The jock turned around and saw the chaos had ended.
Everything was in complete and utter silence once again, there was no screaming or fighting taking place anymore, just a pair of glowing red eyes that broke through the darkness. Dash felt his heart stop as the soft growling of a beast accompanied the eyes filling the empty corridor, left without any other options, bolted up the stairs, and ran as fast as he could down the corridor knowing all too well the beast would easily catch him.
Air started to run out as Dash lower his pace, yet noticed the monster wasn't chasing him anymore. Dash clenched his fist as he realized they were playing with him, taunting and mocking him, for a moment could swear the werewolf was giggling which only infuriated the large quarterback. There were no words that could describe the humiliation he felt for being treated in such an insulting manner.
"I'll come back with guys with guns and a bunch of priests"- the boy threatens as he made his way down the stairs.
"Mi atendos… se vi eliros"- the werewolf half growled; half spoke.
Dash stop dead in his tracks as he was more than impressed to hear such a beast being able to speak, though in a strange and alien language, but the jock didn't stand around as the monster could change his mind and decide to eat him after all. After a short walk down a dark corridor filled with bones and claw-marked walls, Dash was finally back out on the patio. Tall buildings surrounded the square and an equally tall fence divided the area which caught Dash off guard as so far hadn't seen any division of any kind.
"For fuck's sake… this place is like a maze. I go to one place and come out a completely different one… I guess it kinda makes sense since people are supposed to stay inside."- Dash muttered as he walked further down.
Dash quickly got on his belly upon seeing several octopus monsters slithering around the exercise area, their long and slimy tentacles caressed the large weights which they lifted with unbelievable ease before tossing them among each other as if they were playing, Dash already knew there was no way he could ever win a fight against any one of these abominations, thankfully the creatures climb up the wall and went through a window,
"The fuck are they? Demons? Human experiments?"- Dash questioned as he got off the ground and carry on.
It was upon reaching a stone archway that Dash felt great relief, he pushed the steel gate open and saw what seemed to be a road and a large manor, yet his excitement died almost instantly as he saw the tall concrete wall that compose the prison's outer wall. He was still inside, improvised roadblocks made with furniture, and flipped-over cars along with a series of random objects could be seen on both sides of the road.
Dash was certain he could climb them over despite being quite tall, at least the same height as a one-story building. A long and painful sigh escaped from the large teen's lips as he saw dozens of feelers coming from the cracks within the barricade, monsters had made it into their nest, and even if Dash could climb over, there was a high possibility a monster could wrap their tentacles around him and pull him away.
"Maybe I can wait this out in there?"- Dash whispered as he rushed into the manor, hopeful the monsters wouldn't be able to stand under the sunlight.
(XXXX)
The manor's interior was the complete opposite of the prison, even in its decrepit state still held an aura of elegance with its wooden floor that once upon a time had been pristine, elegant furniture, and wide stair in the center though Dash could see several sandbags midway as a force of barricade, an old machine gun in the middle making him wonder if this house was the last stand for the guards.
His attention was drawn to what seemed to be a dining room located to the left of the entry, a vast room though its walls riddled with bullet holes. Several skeletal bodies lay scattered across the floor, a few torn to pieces. The one that interested Dash the most was resting on the long table; it was a guard that had been impaled by several long pipes adding more weight to his last-stand theory.
"Help…"- A hoarse voice cried out from the opposite side, it was faint and soft.
"Kwan?"- Dash muttered as he was sure it had to be his best friend.
An immense sense of guilt born from the fact that he cowardly abandoned his friends pressured the jock to quickly walked across the foyer and down a short hallway, past the library, and into a modest size viewing room at the end of the hallway. Dash stopped at the door as he shines his flashlight all across the room, there were dozens of chairs neatly arranged to look directly at a glass wall.
Just beyond the wall was Kwan sitting on a thick wooden chair half naked, his wrists bound to the armrest with iron grids, a loud gasp escaped from Dash's lips as he saw two electrodes fastened to the jock at heart level and to his leg, more notable was the metallic cap on Kwan's head connected via a long cable to an energy panel. This was the infamous electric chair, a symbol of modern capital punishment.
"No…no… you get away from him!"- Dash demanded as Warden Walker made his way into the execution room.
The ghost's mocking grin sends the quarterback into a furious frenzy as he tears off a chair from the floor and slammed it against the glass wall until it broke with little result to show, not even a scratch was left behind. Walker shrugs taunting the jock who repeated his futile actions two more times with the same results leaving him panting, it was upon seeing the undead warden floating towards a lever that Dash began begging him to spare his friend.
A black glove hand rested on the rusty lever as Dash once more began slamming a chair on the glass wall, desperate to break it and save his friend, yet nothing could break the wall, even though Dash wasn't the brightest student at Casper High was more than sure that bulletproof glass hadn't been invented during the time the prison was functioning. His eyes set over Walker who patiently waits for the jock's temper tantrum to end.
"I suppose the governor isn't calling."- Walker said while looking at the clock on the wall.
Dash fell on his knees as electricity ran through Kwan's body making him squirm and twirl on the chair, not a single scream came out from the Asian jock who quickly began foaming at the mouth as small burn marks began to appear all over his chest. Soon smoke started to emanate from his body, there was nothing Dash could do other than watch as his friend was being fried on the chair.
Walker pulled the lever back to its original position leaving Kwan's body completely immobile and filled with dreadful burn marks as smoke continued to pour from his body and foam came from his mouth. The warden used his nightstick to lift the jock's chin and confirm his demise, his attention now focusing on the last survivor. Dash slowly stood up as Walker floated toward him, passing through the thick and so far, unbreakable glass wall as if it were thin air, his hands behind his back while looking at Dash with authority.
"Come on motherfucker! I can take you! I ain't afraid of nobody!" Dash threatened as he lifted his large fist that once intimidated smaller boys. "You're dead, you hear me?! Dead!"- The jock added.
A long and defeated sigh came out from Dash's broken lips as he stared into the moonless sky with his left eye as the right one was swollen and black, it would be daybreak in a few more minutes. The cool morning breeze was oddly painful as it brushes against his bruise skin, it took all of his strength to remain on his feet, the teen looks with a tired expression at the line of police officers who stood unmoving, rifles at their chests. Dash didn't last more than ten seconds against Walker.
"Prepare! Present! Fire!"- Walker commanded as the sounds of gunfire echoed throughout the penitentiary.
Dash fell to the ground, hardly feeling any pain as his life faded away, a smile grew across his face as the sun rose from the horizon vanishing Walker and his henchmen within a second leaving no trace of them behind.
(XXXX)
"Hey, Tucker. Want my sandwich"- Danny asked before taking a sip of his soda.
"Aren't you hungry?"- Sam interjected as she stabbed a good portion of her salad with a fork.
"I'm stuffed, since Dash dropped out of school, there's no one stealing my lunch anymore…"- Danny replied with a sneer as he handed over his leftovers. "Wonder what happened to him?"- he added.
"Actually, I overheard Lancer talking the other day with Mister Falluca. Seems like Dash and Kwan went missing."- Sam said before stuffing her mouth with salad.
"For all, we know those two ran off together… think they were… you know…"- Tucker grinned as Sam rolled her eyes at the remark while Danny giggled.
"Maybe that's why they were picking on us all the time."- Danny added.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Listen, guys, I heard from a good source about this abandoned prison just out of town, maybe we could go and check it out."- Sam said with a smile.
The end.
