Little Dead Monsters (14 page)

Chapter Thirty-Three.

Dog parked the van a couple of blocks away from Ryker’s estate, well hidden behind an alleyway. Allegra was still crying and begging him to stay with her, and though his heart softened a little, Dog left her anyway.

She wouldn’t understand. Ryker was out in the open and vulnerable and at that moment, there was nothing more important than killing him.

Dog concealed himself in the shadows, the combat knife firmly in hand. The heavy rainfall soaked him to the core but he ignored it as he crossed the back fields of Ryker’s estate, keeping himself low to the ground to avoid detection. The large white house came into view, illuminated by the bright lights of the first floor, and inside was the man he needed to kill.

After examining the surroundings of the house and feeling confident no guards were present, Dog set foot onto the property. He passed by the patch of scorched grass where he had watched the pedophile burn, grimacing at the memory of burning flesh and the horrifying screams. Soon it would be Ryker who screamed.

He stepped onto the back porch and peered into the kitchen through the rear window. Not a soul in sight. Gripping the handle of the backdoor, he turned it slowly and pushed open the heavy wooden door, careful not to make a sound. Dog crept inside and closed the door behind him. He moved through the kitchen with light footsteps, knife in hand, and ready to strike at anything that moved.

As he rounded the corner, Dog looked into the next room and sitting at the head of the dining room table was Ryker. He was getting drunk off whiskey, one hand holding the bottle while the other clutched onto a glass, which he brought to his lips. The man was intoxicated and unarmed.

Dog stepped into the room and pointed the knife at Ryker, who was unfazed by Dog’s sudden appearance.

“I’m going to cut you open and watch you bleed,” Dog said. Ryker grinned at the threat.

“You always did have balls,” Ryker said as he slammed the glass down onto the table and rose from his seat.

“Stay right there,” Dog ordered.

“You know how much it hurts to be betrayed? Especially after everything I’ve given you?” Ryker slurred. “You were my champion. I had all my chips riding on you.”

“Don’t try to sympathize with me,” Dog said. “There’s nothing you can say that’ll save you.”

Ryker sighed. “You were both my biggest achievement and disappointment as well,” he said. “I discovered first hand that in life, the weak will always be shit upon. I built this Arena as a place where the strongest stood at the top of the mountain and the weak would be eliminated because in my eyes, weakness is a sin. The ultimate sin.”

“Stop talking.”

Ryker ignored him and took a step forward towards Dog. “You know what disappoints me the most? You were my champion; my avatar of strength and power. The symbol of everything the Arena stood for. In the end, you were the weakest of them all.” Ryker began laughing. “Well come on then, do it already. You’re not the only one who’s not afraid of dying.”

Dog focused in on Ryker’s fleshy throat and lunged forward with the knife, picturing the red blood spilling out of his neck like a geyser. Before the point of the knife could find its mark, a strong hand gripped his wrist from behind and flung him halfway across the room, sending him crashing against a china cabinet. Dog was winded as he tried to stand up, brushing off the broken glass and dishes atop of him. His eyes met Tiberius’s, who towered over him.

“Get out of my way,” Dog said as he rose to his feet.

“No.”

“Then die with him,” Dog said as he charged into Tiberius. The momentum sent them both crashing through the thin walls of the dining room and they collapsed into a heap, amongst the wall’s debris, into the living room floor. Dog was the first back onto his feet and was ready to deliver a punch to the back of Tiberius’s head but he froze when he saw Dallas stroll through the front entrance, dragging someone behind him.

“Allegra?” His heart sank and he fell to his knees as he watched two more guards walk through the door, clutching the prisoner, a burlap sack covering her head while her wrists were bound in chains. She tried to speak but her mouth was muffled and Dog only heard desperate sounding murmurs.

“Let’s do this outside,” Ryker said. “This idiot caused enough damage to my place already.”

The two guards handcuffed Dog at gunpoint. As they dragged him out into the yard, all Dog thought about was what they were going to do to her. The rain outside had died down but it was still tricking like tear drops from the sky.

“Stop,” Dog cried out. “She had nothing to do with this. I kidnapped her. Allegra is innocent.”

Dallas ignored him and pushed her down onto her knees in the very same place where they had burned the child molester.

From behind, Dog felt painful blows to the back of his legs, dropping him to his knees immediately. A gun jammed into the back of his head as Ryker knelt down before him.

“Allegra is no longer pure, is she?” he began. “It’s a shame seeing as how I’ve kept her innocent for so long. Do you know how much she was worth? Do you know how much you have cost me?”

“I didn’t touch her,” Dog pleaded. “Don’t punish her.”

“I don’t believe you,” Ryker said. “She’s worthless to me now. Absolutely worthless.”

Dog helplessly watched as Dallas pressed a handgun against the back of the burlap sack where her head was.

“I didn’t touch her!” Dog screamed. “Don’t kill her, please.”

Ryker stood up, walked over to Dallas and took the gun away from the guard’s hands. He pressed it against her head and stared at Dog with eyes that were possessed with fire.

“I still don’t believe you,” Ryker said, and he pulled the trigger.

A red mist sprayed from the brown sack and she fell to the ground, dead. A trail of blood oozed from out of the wound, blending with the water from the rain, and flowed like a crimson stream into the grass.

The only thing he cared for in the world was dead, and it was more than he could stand.

“You bastard!” he screamed. “I didn’t touch her! I didn’t touch her.” His mind dissolved into a liquefied hysteria and he repeated the same words over and over again, as if his protests could bring Allegra back to life.

“I never touched her…”

Ryker walked over to the dead body and smiled as he watched Dog gravel. “Now I believe you,” he said as he grabbed the burlap sack and removed it. Dog tried to turn away but one of the guards grabbed his head and forced him to look at the face of the person Ryker had murdered. It was Maria looking back at Dog, stunned while blood gushed from the red hole in her head. Dog closed his eyes and exhaled. No words described the relief he felt at that moment. Though he felt sorry for Maria, he thanked the universe that it wasn’t Allegra lying dead in front of him.

“I told you I’ll discover you fears one day,” Ryker said, just before barking instructions to the guards. “Bring him back to the Arena, and no more fucking screw ups. Be thankful I’m not docking anyone’s pay for this incident.”

Ryker headed back to the white house. Tiberius followed closely behind, but not before walking over to the body of Maria and closing her eyes with his brutish hands and whispering something into her ear.

They bound Dog by the legs as well as his wrists and dragged him to a white van by gunpoint. Dallas pulled open the sliding door.

Sitting inside was Allegra, bound and crying.

“I hope you two enjoyed your little adventure,” Dallas said as he forced Dog into the van. “Oh and by the way Allegra, you can thank your stupid hero over here for getting Maria killed.”

The ride back was silent, with the exception of the sobs coming from Allegra. Dog couldn’t handle it anymore and he finally spoke.

“I’m sorry,” Dog said. It was the only words he could think of saying.

“Maria’s dead because of you,” Allegra began, “and now you’ve doomed us back to the Arena. We’re both going to die in there. Was it worth it? Was going back and killing Ryker worth it?”

Dog had no reply for her.

The next thing she said was worse than any wound he ever felt. “I can’t stand to look at you anymore.”

BOOK FIVE: FINALE

Interlude:

From the Journal of Edmund Glaber:

December 12, 2007

As I sit behind the cage, listening to the roars of the crowd from the pit, I realized how terrifying it is to be a prisoner in the Arena, waiting for death. They allowed me my journal for some reason, perhaps granting me one last piece of comfort before they force me to fight.

Ryker had discovered my plan to escape. I’m still perplexed as to how that was possible. Not a living soul knew about my plans and the only evidence of my intent was written in this journal, which I kept on me at all times. However, I shouldn’t be so surprised. It is Ryker after all and he has ways of discovering your dirtiest secrets.

Two nights ago, I had decided to leave a few hours before dawn and I was convinced everyone was asleep at the time. Everything had gone according to plan as I drove through the city’s long deserted roads. It was only when I reached the secret transport route that I realized the trouble I was in.

Ryker sat there on the hood of the van, waiting for me. He looked tired and his entire body was slumped over, like a man defeated. I stepped out of my vehicle and greeted him with a smile, pretending everything was normal.

“What are you doing out here so late?” I asked him.

“Don’t,” Ryker said. “There’s no point lying to me anymore. I know you’re leaving the Arena.”

I was silent.

“Just tell me why?” Ryker said. “Tell me, and you’re free to go.”

“You’ll let me leave, just like that?” I asked him.

“Yes. But if you make the decision to leave, then that’s it. You are no longer welcome in my city. You’ll be a trespasser here and if I catch you anywhere near Bimini, I’ll throw you into the pit, just like all the other slaves.”

I didn’t think twice about it. “I’m leaving Ryker.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t take it here anymore,” I replied. “What you built here is a monstrosity and if I watch another kid get bludgeoned to death, I will puke.”

“I made you a king in this place,” Ryker said.

“You made me an accessory to the murder of children.” Saying those words aloud sparked something inside of me and I felt pure rage. “Children! For Christ’s sake, they’re just kids. Have you lost your mind and your humanity?”

“I built this Arena for us.”

“No!” I shouted. “Don’t associate me with any of this. The biggest regret I ever had in life was meeting you.”

Ryker looked at me like a wounded animal. “So I guess your mind is made up then.”

I nodded. “I need to leave Bimini. Everyday I’m here, it suffocates me.”

“Go then,” he said.

I had no other words for Ryker, not even a goodbye. I walked back to my van but just before I got in, Ryker said something to me that felt like a knife in the gut.

“I reprogrammed your GPS,” he said. “Like I promised, you’re free to go, but you won’t know where all the mines are.”

“You son of a bitch,” I cursed him.

“You were like a brother to me, you know that?” And those were the last words he said to me before another van pulled up beside us.

The guards dragged me into the dungeons.

They took all my possessions, save this journal, which I now write my last entry. I overheard one of the guards saying that I will be facing some kid named Tiberius.

I won’t put up a fight. I deserve whatever fate I suffer in the pit. Instead I’ll look Ryker in the eye and tell him that one day, he’ll join me in hell, as I’m sure that’s where we’re both going.

I hear Tiberius’s name announced over the speakers and the sounds of approaching footsteps tells me that my time is up.

I can only hope my journal is read by someone who can understand that I am truly sorry for this hell I’ve helped create. My death tonight will allow someone else to live for another day.

I’ve outstayed my welcome in this world long ago and I’ve given up all my rights to live when I had held the gun for the first time and fired it at an innocent civilian.

May someone out there forgive me, because I know that I’ll never be able to forgive myself.

Chapter Thirty-Four.

An empty glass went hurling into the wall, shattering into pieces. Allegra wondered if Ryker was going to break anything else during his rage-fuelled tantrum. 

“Clean it up,” Ryker said, gesturing to Allegra. He turned his attention back to Tiberius and shook his head. “Dog deserves to die. He killed four of my guards, broke the jaw of another, tried to escape, and kidnapped Allegra in the process. He needs to be punished.”

“He’s still your champion,” Tiberius said. “Killing him will piss off a lot of your audience.”

“What kind of message does that send to the rest of the slaves here? That it’s fine to start killing my hired help? That you can just walk up and spit in my face without expecting any punishment?”

Tiberius said nothing.

Ryker scrunched his face. “No. I need to send a message. I am the master here. My laws are absolute. I rule this Arena.”

Allegra tried not to scoff. The only thing Ryker ruled was flies and shit.

“What are you going to do?” Tiberius asked.

“You ever hear the tale of Spartacus?” Ryker said.

Tiberius shook his head. “I was never one for history.”

“I’ll get to the gist of it then. Spartacus was a fighter like yourself, a slave to the Roman masters. He went into stadium-filled arenas and fought to the death, all for the glory of Rome,” Ryker explained. “You know, your name has Roman origins to it as well.”

“My name is just a name,” Tiberius said. “And what you’re describing are Gladiators.”

“You’re not all that uneducated it seems,” Ryker mused. “The tale truly begins when Spartacus decides to revolt. He takes down his masters with his army of slaves and starts pillaging the nobles of Rome. Crassius, a Roman general and politician, manages to put an end to the slave rebellion, killing Spartacus and crucifying all the traitorous slaves.”

“And the moral of this story?”

“There are two. First, stop the rebellion before it can happen. The second, punishment must be severe,” Ryker said.

“Tell me you’re not thinking of crucifying Dog,” Tiberius objected.

“No, but I can crucify others,” Ryker said.

“Who?”

“Three slaves who are no longer useful,” Ryker said. “Maybe two lame fighters and an old female slave. The message must be made loud and clear.”

Allegra couldn’t contain herself. The thought of any more dying was more than she could handle. “No!” she screamed. Ryker’s anger was immediate and brutal. He threw another empty glass at her, which narrowly missed her head, and it smashed against the wall like the first one.

“What did you say?” Ryker screeched.

Allegra tried to regain her composure.  “Please, don’t do this. You’ll just be throwing away money. It’s not worth it.”

“The girl has a point,” Tiberius said. “Don’t let your anger cloud your decisions. Everyone here helps make the Arena run smoothly. Your slaves are important cogs in the wheel.”

Ryker thought about it for a moment, and then turned to Allegra, his face no longer one of anger. He smiled at her.

“You really think I need broken fighters and a useless whore in the Arena?” Ryker asked.

Allegra nodded zealously. “Yes.” she pleaded. “Everyone’s very important to this place.” Allegra was on the verge of tears. She tried to remain calm but the desperation in her voice must have betrayed her.

“Don’t cry sweet thing,” Ryker said as he walked over to her and gently brushed her face. “I’ve heard what you said.”

Was Ryker showing mercy? Allegra scarcely believed it.

And then Ryker spoke to her with a song in his voice. “I can buy two new boys and a fresh slave girl. The others are just a waste of space anyways. Crucifixion it is.”  

Allegra dropped to her knees and screamed and cried. The memories of all the people she failed to save flooded her like dark waters and she breathed it in. She was drowning.

Tiberius stood up from his seat and touched Ryker firmly on the shoulder.

“Don’t do this,” Tiberius said. “It’s not necessary.”

Ryker brushed his hand away and stared at the man, who was twice his size, with contempt.

“Don’t ever question me again. I like you Tiberius. You helped me capture Dog, but remember that I am your master and you are still my slave,” he hissed. “Doubt me one more time and you’ll never see her again.”

Tiberius took a step back and stared at the ground like a scolded child. Finally, he nodded.

“Now to prevent history from repeating itself, I need to stop this quasi-rebellion. I need Dog destroyed,” Ryker said. “Are you the man to do it?”

Tiberius made no reply.

“Are you deaf? I asked you,
can
you defeat Dog in the Arena?”

“I don’t know,” Tiberius replied.

Ryker bared his teeth. “You disappoint me today Tiberius. When Dog goes into the Arena, I need to know he will not come out alive.” He then turned his attention to Allegra.

“Stop your crying and clean the floor,” he ordered. “Your sniveling disgusts me.”

Allegra stared at the broken glasses. Their fragments lay scattered across the ground, broken, like her.

They tossed Dog back into his private quarters and he waited for Maria’s ghost to come, like all the others. Her death was his fault, he knew that much was true, and she deserved an apology from him. It was something she could hold onto while she roamed these hallways as a tortured specter.

Instead, it was Ryker who came along with a dozen guards, guns drawn and pointed.

“Hello champ,” Ryker said. He pointed to the picture of the moon on the wall. “I like what you’ve done with the place.”

Dog wanted to pound his fists into Ryker’s crooked face but he held himself back.

“What are you going to do with us?” Dog asked.

“You have quite the list of offences,” Ryker began. “Do you know how much shit you caused during your little escape?”

Dog said nothing.

“The proper thing is to have you tortured. I’ve grown fond of this thing called flaying as of late. Basically they peel the skin right off your body. Nasty sounding, isn’t it?”

“Then do it already. But leave Allegra alone,” Dog said.

Ryker laughed. “You know, I’ve asked her a few times what happened out there, but she refused to say a word. At the very mention of your name, she gets angry, so I can only assume what you said about kidnapping her was true,” Ryker said. “Luckily you weren’t the complete animal I believed you to be and her cherry is still fresh. I’m not going to punish her Dog. I may be cruel but I’m fair. So instead, I’m going to punish you. For starters, you’ve been in these nice cushy quarters long enough. It’s time we relocate you somewhere more suitable for a Dog like yourself.”

“Do whatever you want,” Dog said as he rose from the bed.

“I’m a merciful man,” Ryker said. “But you’ve pissed me off far too much. You will die in two weeks, that I can promise you. And for the last few days of your life, I will make sure you are miserable. All the luxuries I have given you—gone. Your daily workouts—gone. The luxurious food you’ve been eating—gone. The only thing you have left is the stench from your own filth.”

“Just do whatever it is you’re going to do. I don’t care anymore.”

They threw Dog into a seven-foot by seven-foot room and sealed it behind them, isolating him in complete darkness.

That night he dreamt of something terrible. He was in his tiny concrete prison and there was a broken window, which shed a bit of light into the cramped room. Dog looked through the cracked glass and saw a figure in the distance, blanketed by a thick fog. It was a woman wearing a bone-white mask.

She stood by a tree that was charred black and released a sweet rotting stench; the smell of death. As the fog began to clear, Dog could see the mask more clearly now. Traced in blood was the image of a skull.

Dog called out to her but found that his mouth was gone, replaced by a flap of blank skin. He tried punching through the glass of the window but every single time, the glass rebuilt itself as quickly as he shattered it. His fists and forearms were torn into crimson ribbons.

Dog bled in silence and watched as the masked woman faded away into the midst until she vanished.

Then he woke.

He was still in the confinements of his pitch-black cell and the scent of death was still fresh in his nostrils. All he could think about was Allegra’s last words to him.

I can’t stand to look at you anymore.

Dog lived in that darkness for what seemed like an eternity, her torturous words running through his head over and over again.