The Beast Inside

The Great Escape

Tony

"Tony!" Ari's terrified voice rang through the small echoing home.

I ran out, wrapped in a towel, the cloth slipping down slightly over my hips as I tried to grasp it one handedly while trying to look for danger. "What, what is it?" My wet hair flings water droplets around the room as I search frantically. A high pitched whistle followed by a loud crash strikes fear into my heart, eyes wide I run to the doorway, wet footprints left in my wake.

My jaw drops, I nearly lost my towel, would have were it not for my mindless reflexes. Charred trees waved in the wind, jets circled overhead, the shadows of people fluttered about in the sporadic flashing, commands and screams were punctuated by heavy gun fire.

Casttillo ran in breathless, "Come on! We have to leave!"

I sprinted back to the room, rummaging through the drawers to pull out a shirt and shorts, leaving with clothing hanging out of the dresser in disarray as I padded bare foot back to the common room.

She beckoned us, "Weapons, then we leave, understood?"

"What about Jules?" I screech, my heart thudding in my ears.

She looked at me sideways. "Julianna!"

"I know where she, and the others, are, now come on!"

I had never seen Ms. Castillo so afraid, the firelight danced in her dark black eyes, her knuckles turning white as they desperately grasped the small daggers at her hips. She jogged out, Ari and I following cautiously, ducking as plans flew in low over the decimated camp. I glance back to see our temporary home in flames, the domed roof caved in. I sniffed and a tear rolled down my cheek, another home lost, another life gone.

Ari pulled me away angrily, "Come on!"

We bolted over to the armory, hugging the shadows, hunching forward to stay below the line of sight of patrolling men adorned with heavy machine guns and gas masks. When we reached the door Castillo punched in the code, her fingers shaking so badly it took three agonizing tries to rip open the shielded metal door. I ducked inside the cool room, the smell of metal filling my nostrils.

Castillo used a small lighter hidden in her palm to guide us through the racks of weapons. She threw us guns and knives, armloads of heavy ammo. "Move."

At her command we dashed back outside, a nearby explosion causing an eruption of screams, I shielded my eyes and kept running with my head down. I stared at my feet in the dark, my breathing ragged, not with exertion but with fear.

She signaled us into a roughly hewn door in the cliff face on the far side of The Reformatory. We scurried through the musty caves like dirty bilge rats, our heads scrapping the jagged roof. Dirt pushed itself beneath my nails and between my bare toes, small bugs hit my face and I spit them out carelessly, sputtering and rubbing at my eyes and mouth. We finally emerged in a large cavern, in the middle of which sat small pod like planes, other groups rushed up the ramps into their respective planes.

A shock of red hair caught my hair. Jules. I ran over to her, burying my nose into her hair, her small arms constricting around my waist.

"Tony-" Tears began to roll down her freckled face.

"Hey, hey it's ok, it's alright. We've dealt with worse before, we can handle this."

"I wouldn't say that if I were you." Brian droned, nearing us, his shaggy haired trailing behind him.

He was dressed in black army fatigues, a gun slung casually across his shoulder, a belt thick with knives hanging from his waist. I suddenly saw who he was all along, one of them.

"You in the army? Part of this little project here?" I gesture.

He nodded grimly. "There's no time to waste, I'll explain everything later, for right now just get in the pod."

An explosion overhead and the quivering of the earth above us convinced us to board the odd egg shaped plane. I clanked up the metal ramp and seated myself in one of the seats that resided in the confined space. I saw Brian pull Ari back out of the corner of my eye but when I shot her a look she gave me the ok. I could here them whispering, him sounding apologetic and her snapping angrily back at him. I smiled inwardly at the sound of her voice berating him.

She entered with a huff and sat beside me, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. I glanced at her and smiled, a small laugh bubbling from my lips.

We sat four to four, our knees touching those on the opposite side, our shoulders bumping those beside us. "Well this is comfy." I remark, only receiving withering glares.

Castillo pulled out a paper thin computer and began tapping away, her fingers flying effortlessly over the controls. Simulated lights and switches blinked, I felt the machine hum beneath me, a rumble beginning in the belly of the beast. "Strap in."

Voluntarily we all pulled the shoulder straps down and harnessed ourselves. "Don't fight the gravity if you know whats best for you." Brian grimaced.

A plastic piece slid back from the roof of the odd machine, revealing a window facing the top of the earthen cavern. The dirt began to split in half, a fissure running through the roof, separating it as it was pulled back like a sheet. We began to rush towards the roof unexpectedly, the force pushing me down in my seat, pulling my cheeks down and pushing my head back against the head rest.

We all groaned and gripped our seats until magically the pressure stopped, our bodies nearly floating with the relief. I looked upwards, pinpricks of pure white light piercing the black shroud of the night. I gasped, my heart stopping at its beauty, my mind incapable of comprehending it's vast majesty.

We floated for a minute or two more, the light of the stars shining in our awed eyes until Castillo tapped a command and we began to float gracefully forward. The sky spun, I was dizzy with euphoria, this was heaven.

After an hour or so we reached our destination, we abruptly hit the ground and we gritted our teeth bracing for the impact. The door slid open, I unclipped my harness and rose unsteadily to my feet. Dim light penetrated the small pod.

I stood at the doorway, a gun in one hand, a curved dagger in the other, and gazed out over my domain, stricken by the grief of what I saw.

So close to 500!! I'm so excited! Thank you so very much for reading. Your support has made my day every day for weeks now (: I honestly hope you like it, and if ya do... comment and vote? Maybe?

PS Do ya like the new cover??

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