Compatible Monsters - 9

Finally standing outside the cell doors, 

Her dress in tatters, smeared with blood and dirt,

Hair an unkempt halo 'round her frame,

Trembling, so desperate to be free.

"What now," she growls, surprised at her voice,

"The guards will be here any minute now."

A grotesque, crooked grin crosses his face.

"I'm counting on it, love," comes his reply,

"There's one way out of here -- that little door --

But going through it is a death sentence.

Rather than be gunned down by the guards, 

Let's wait for them to come to us, my dear."

He calmly strolls across the concrete floor

To the wall where sits the red alarm,

Grips the handle with spindly fingers,

Glances at her, and says, "Here we go,"

Pulls it down, and screeching fills the air. 

"What the fuck--" she cries, "We've got to run!

They'll be here any minute, for God's sake!

"Not yet," he replies. "Just about time."

She hears the running footsteps of the guards,

Ice cold panic grips her like a vise --

"They're going to find Chuck's body in my cell,

And I will never see the sun again."

"Wait," he urges. "All part of the plan."

His voice eerily calm, almost bored. 

"Just another moment, little one. 

The guards will bottleneck in the doorway,

We'll take them out one body at a time."

She nods in understanding, but then asks,

"We have no weapons, no defense,

Vastly outnumbered, and they have guns.

How are we supposed to make it out, 

Without getting shot, or even worse?

I don't think you've thought this through at all;

Or maybe you've a death wish, is that it?"

"Hardly," he replies, "If that were true,

Why would I not end it in my cell?

I've been here for years, my friend. Decades.

I could have ended it at any time,

Why choose death with freedom within reach?

No, no. I've been meticulously

Planning this for months, in fact --

Yet why not take the chance long before now?

I needed an accomplice, and found you,

So we do have weapons, don't you see?

After watching what you did to Chuck,

I knew you were perfect for my plan.

Now then, darling -- here they come at last.

Get ready, for they will not hesitate

To shoot you where you stand. You must be quick;

The game is simple: Kill, or be shot down."

Approaching her again, he meets her gaze, 

Pauses for a moment, with a frown,

Whispers, "Sorry love, but this will hurt,"

And slashes at her face with sharp fingers.

Recoiling in pain and raw fury,

The world washed in a grayish, alien green;

She screeches as the blood streams down her face,

And launches, claws out, at the narrow door.

"I needed you bloodthirsty, little friend --

Now let's see how our morbid tale will end."

----

 - © Jackson Cambridge, 2015