Lord of the Flies ~ Aftermath

Within the Cell

Steel bars, cold, concrete walls, a hard cot. Home. Maurice laid on his uncomfortable excuse for a bed, tapping his head rhythmically, matching the beat of the dripping water. Drip, plop. Drip, plop. Drip, plop. Beating steadily like heartbeats

Echoing footsteps interrupted Maurice's repetitions, the footsteps of three people. Curious, Maurice stood, and walked up to the icy cold steel bars. Two guards marched down the hallway, a man in a crisply cut suit walked between them. The three men walked up to Maurice's cell, the guards unlocked the door, and the suited man walked in, the door shutting behind him with a bang.

"Leave us!" boomed the man.

The guards turned without a word and marched back down the corridor, leaving the two men in the cell.

"Who are you?" asked Maurice.

"You don't remember me?" asked the suited man sarcastically.

"Should I?"

"Why of course. It's me, Jack!"

Maurice stumbled back, struggling desperately to distance himself from the savage before him, "What do you want?" snarled Maurice.

"Why can't an old friend pay a visit?" smiled Jack.

"You are no friend of mine!"

"Oh you poor, poor soul, what has happened to you since we last met?" asked Jack with an exaggerated sadness.

"I woke up, as should you." responded Maurice bluntly.

Instead of responding, Jack turned away, "How did you get here anyway? Have you been a bad boy?"

"I think," said Maurice slowly, "that you already know the answer to that."

"You're a very smart young man." remarked Jack, "Yes, I do know. You turned yourself in after we were taken from the island."

"Terrible things happened there, it's shameful that I was the only one who turned myself in." growled Maurice.

"Oh, innocent, naive Maurice." sighed Jack. "We didn't do anything wrong, it was Ralph and his pitiful gang. If he'd let us have our fun, nothing bad would've ever happened."

"We killed Simon!" shouted Maurice, suddenly furious.

"That was a manifestation of the beast, not Simon." chuckled Jack, as if this explanation were supposed to be obvious.

"Really?" asked Maurice sarcastically, "If that's so, then where is he now?"

Jack quickly changed the subject, "Enough small talk, let's get to business. I came here to ask you to join me. You are right that all of us participated in the killing of the beast, who these ignorant humans automatically assumed to be human. You turned yourself in, and Roger and I were sentenced to twenty-two years in an asylum. Most others were either disowned, or never found their families. Except for Ralph and Samneric. Don't you see? While you and I suffered, they prospered, and they deserve to be punished. If you join me we will hunt them down and watch them suffer for leaving us to rot."

"I won't join you." defied Maurice.

"If you do, I will bail you out of here, and you will walk away a free man."

"There is no such thing as freedom Jack Merridew, and I will never work for you, not again."

Jack sighed, "I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this." Suddenly he lashed out, kicking Maurice to the ground. Jack stood over him. "Oh, that's strange," he chuckled, reaching into his pocket, "looks like security forgot something." A whip appeared in his hand, and he covered Maurices mouth, shoving his head into the concrete floor. Maurice kicked out, struggling to defend himself as he writhed on the ground. Jack sat on Maurice, wrapping the whip around Maurice's neck. He pulled on the ends of the whip, digging the tiny blades into Maurices neck, and collar of blood began to appear there. (This sentence doesn't make sense.) Maurice's eyes bulged, his lungs screaming for air. His chest heaved, and he gagged, struggling to breath. Jack laughed, relishing the feeling of dominance. Maurice's head bobbed, and he started spasming, the last lights of life beginning to blink out. But Jack didn't stop. Maurice's blood was beginning to flow faster, and a pool of it was starting to form around Maurice's constricted neck.

Finally the last light winked out. Jack sat for a moment, staring down at the lifeless corpse beneath him. His breathing slowed, as the adrenaline began to subside, "What a waste of my energy." said Jack, standing up. "Oh well, he would have made a fine addition to my ranks though. But there'll be others."