When The Angels Came- Chapter IV: That Immortal Darkness Part 1

Not the best written chapter, but I think its still good. Please give constructive criticism, etc.

IV- That Immortal Darkness 

Part 1[The Raid]

 

Five Months Later

T

 

 he prison cell stank of the damp and of other things that he wished not to dwell on. There was a small, wooden plank that served as a bed, and no windows. The only light came from a grate in the iron door that also carried the sounds of guards’ laughter. Lahmin sat alone in a corner, shaking uncontrollably, his eyes filled with tears. There was a pain at the back of his head, like a knife being stabbed into it and twisted. In it he heard voices, whispering things.

Someone along the corridor was screaming, crying out for help. Did anyone come?

He heard the guards’ laughter die down, then a few loud crashes as something or other fell to floor. There was some hushed whispering, one voice irritable and impatient, the other unsure. Voices he knew.

The door to his cell slowly opened and, standing in the doorway, was Famina Marimana.

 

*    *    *

 

It turned out they weren’t the only ones. Many husbands, wives, parents and children had had their loved ones taken from them and locked away for no known reason. No trial. No sentence.

There were twenty families that were willing to break into the prison, the rest too scared or too poor to try anything. A web contacts sprang up, with money exchanging hands for weapons and armour and other equipment that could be used in the planned raid.

The prison itself lay to the east of the main population centre, a sprawling complex of grey and sand-coloured stone, with curled barbed-wire like some kind of spiked icing on this grotesque, towering cake.

Jemania managed to persuade Makammad to join them on the raid, albeit grudgingly, and the three, prepared themselves for the coming fighting. Jemania, watching over Famina with eyes so complicated, a gaze of anger, hate, jealousy, but also affection and even fear. She and Makammad turned out to not e bad shots with a rifle, which was more than could be said for Famina, whose aim with any weapon veered wildly from the ‘not bad’ to the ‘run for cover!'

And so the day of the raid came, the three of them forced to work together now even though there time as friends had surely passed. The night was hot, too hot in all honesty. Inside their meagre body armour they were sweating, and their palms stuck to the gun handles (they had even allowed for Famina to carry a weapon, providing she only fired when absolutely necessary.)  All in all there were about eighty of them, outnumbering the guards at the prison by about fifteen men. Hopefully that was an advantage they could use.

With fingers crossed, they gathered in the rocks that lay at the back of the prison, counting heads, preparing for the attack. They would try to infiltrate first; a new load of guards had been set to turn up today. The real ones were lying dead in a bush five miles away, up in the mountains.  The first casualties of the day.

Once they had infiltrated, the remaining guards would be drugged and the prisoners would be set free. If everything went according to plan, which everyone knew it wouldn’t. The idea was too rushed, and not all of the guards would be able to be drugged. How wrong it went was the question everyone avoided.

 

*    *    *

“Famina?” He said, shrinking back from her, scared and half-starved.

“Lahmin, you need to come with me. Now!” She said, urgently. Her eyes darted around, and she turned her head to check something behind her worriedly.

“W-why?” He asked, confused.

“We’re breaking you out, Lahmin.” She said, anger and love and nerves filling her voice. She reached out her hand for her husband to take, and he reached forward with his. Inside, she wondered whether there could be a happy ending after all.

 

Lahmin took her hand and moved up, almost surprised to see that his legs still worked. He moved forward and they embraced, Famina forgetting everything he’d done to her, Lahmin full of relief to see his wife again. They stood for a few seconds, quite, forgetting everything. Then she drew back and looked into his eyes.

And that immortal darkness was still there, larger than before, like a spider’s web behind his eyes. He looked sick as well, thin and sweaty. His face sagged. But it was the darkness that was the worst thing.

“Put your fakking hands in the air, you two.” A voice, from behind them, and the cocking of a riddle. She turned, slowly, and realising she herself was holding a gun, dropped it to the floor and put her hands skyward. The owner of the voice was small, little more than a boy, wearing a prison officer’s uniform that was way too big for him. The hands trembled as they held the gun.

“I’ll shoot. You-you drugged the others. Too bad I was in the toilet, wasn’t it?” He tried to look brave.

“Why would you shoot us?” Asked Famina calmly. He looked confused for a second, then back to his brave face.

“Shut up. I will shoot. I will”. The corridor fell silent, noises from far off as others were freed and their heavy breathing the only sounds. He glanced behind slightly; looking for what he knew would be there: an alarm on the wall. She could see in his eyes that he was deciding what the best moment was to press it.

“No you won’t.” said Lahmin. The boy started, lifting the gun up higher, his finger curling around the trigger.

“I said shut up”, I shouted, “can’t you hear me? I will shoot you dead. I will!”

And then his head exploded-

And his body fell back-

His arms flailing-

And he hit the alarm.

 

The place exploded with noise, the ringing of the alarms, the shouting and screaming of patients and raiders alike. Confusion rained.

Jemania appeared from behind the corner, holding the rifle in her hand, anger on her face.

“You shot him!” screamed Famina, desperation in her voice, “What have you done?”

The girl was shaking. The gun in her hand dropped to the floor and she stepped away. Makammad appeared from the other end of the corridor and ran towards them.

“What happened? My radio’s saying the blast doors are shutting and that we’re trapped here.”

“Ask fakking Jemania.”

The girl shot a look that could kill toward Famina.

“I shot a guard and he fell back onto the alarm. That’s all. Don’t listen to her.” Jemania turned away and picked up her radio, tuning back to the correct frequency. “I still blame you,” whispered Famina. Jemania was acting calm, but inside she could see the girl was in pieces. She would never forget the face of the boy she’d killed. It was probably flashing before her eyes at this very moment.

She realised she was still holding Lahmin’s hand.

 

Apparently the whole place was in lockdown. A larger contingent of the army had been messaged when the alarm had been set off, and they were on their way at this very moment. All that was left for those trapped inside the gaol was to prepare for when the attack happened.

Famina avoided Jemania, mainly just sitting with her husband quietly. They whispered quietly, things they’d wanted to say to each other before the chaos of battle came for them. All across the building, wives and husbands were doing the same. Last words and apologies. Famina herself suddenly found that she was lost for words. She couldn’t tell him that she never loved him.

“I want you to know how much you mean to me.” He said, tears in his eyes. His dark, dark eyes. All she did was bow her head. He reached out and grasped her hand, moving forward and kissing her. She couldn’t stop him. She didn’t look into his eyes, though, and she stared at the floor. That was when they heard the scream.

It came from further down the corridor, piercing, a woman crying out. Immediately everyone was running for the source of the sound. Soon after there were shouts, and an unearthly screech which was cut off by three loud gunshots. When Famina reached the scene, she saw a woman backed against the wall, crying, looking at a body that lay on the floor. Over the body stood a tall, muscular man holding an assault rifle that smoked slightly.  He looked at her, confused. But it was the corpse that lay sprawled on the ground that drew her eyes, arms spread eagles, three bullet holes in its chest. It was unmistakable, the warped, once-human features, the cracked skin around the eyes, the formidable fangs dripping with poison.

It was a ‘Husk’.

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

This isn't my favorite. Can you suggest how you think it could be better?

Reviews

[Caramel]

You didn't really explain how everyone got in to the prison, I didn't know anybody else from the raid was inside the prison, I thought they were all outside waiting for some signal.

But apart from that great write, once again, and want to see the rest xx