The new inmate walked in his cell and turned to see the guards lock the door and walk away.

“So what you in for new meat?”

“I’m innocent.”

“That’s what they all say at first but they come to terms with it sooner or later. Or lose their minds.”

The new inmate knew he was innocent, but also knew he’d have to play along if he wanted to survive here without having to end someone. So his training came in and he decided to lie. So he chose something from his past to tell about.

“I hunted down and killed a rival gang in their hide out.”

The truth had been close to that but hadn’t exactly gone that way. He never had any choose in the matter, he had a special contract over his head and it wouldn’t leave him alone. The rival gang had actually been a rich man’s personal army that was assigned to protect him with their very lives . . . which they had done but failed while losing their lives. He had also killed the man’s family, and finally him in cold blood. The second inmate’s words broke through to invade his thoughts and it took a second before he knew what he had said.

“Joseph.”

“Great, I’m Henry. Now I’m going to bed it’s late.”

“Okay. Night.”

Henry mumbled something that sounded like, “Yea right, whatever”

Joseph took this time to examine his new home. It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad in his own personal opinion; his last home had been a dump, the barracks reeked and it absolutely never grew on you. But this place had a certain gleam to its smooth surfaces. He had never been caught before, but he needed a rest from his contract. He couldn’t even come to terms with what had happened for that entire month . . . It had felt more like years though. But the memory still haunted him and seemed like it would never let him go. He knew his new roommate would be asleep so he knew he could break character for a few seconds. He fell to his knees and silently let the pain that he had been holding in him flow through him and into his tears.

The next morning he awoke to the prison’s alarm going off. His first reaction was to look at the mirror next to the beds. And to his horror he saw what he feared the most . . . the demon he had made a deal with unknowingly. And in the demon’s rock like hand he held a scroll that was Joseph’s haunting contract that he had tricked into signing. It was then that the demon’s voice clawed its way into his mind.

“I still hold your contract Joseph Delane. And our business transaction is not yet finished.”

I yelled at the mirror, “What do you want from me?!?!?”

The demon’s next words roared in Joseph’s head.

“Many more will die before I am satisfied!!! When you are free you’ll find another list . . . AND YOU WILL ESCAPE!!!”

“Ho-”

Before he could even finish that word his throat swelled with blood that tastes different from his own . . . But it had the taste of innocence about it; like the people that he had killed for that hated contract.

His vision blurred and the brick walls all seemed to blur into a single slab surface all around him where the wall used to be. Then he heard a voice that sounded familiar but he couldn’t place who it belonged to. His blood red blurred eyes tried focusing on the owner of the voice. He had only asked a single question.

“Are you ok?”

The words seemed so weird; they seemed to come from a different life. And it hurt his head to hear the noise coming from the man’s voice so he killed him quickly. He had simply struck a hand into and through the man’s mouth, then ripped up going completely through the man’s skull and made a complete two halves of the man’s head that just a second ago had been I piece.

His blurred eyes looked all around him and saw the beauty in the crimson all over. And it made him hungry.

He could hear more annoying noises that sounded like that last man that he had silenced. There were so many of them and it hurt his ears, he wanted silence but didn’t know how to get away to find it.

“I’ll lead your way my son.”

A voice had suddenly come to his head and it felt soothing. Like an ocean of silence flowing through him.

“I will show you the way my son. To escape this annoying place that causes your mind so much pain.”

The thing that used to be Joseph ran at the bars, bending them slightly. He recoiled from the impact, while he ignored the bone braking pain that shot through is body. He rammed the bars again, and they groaned under the strain of trying to resist the thing that beat on them repeatedly. He rammed the bars one last time, but this time with a loud, squealing noise, the bars gave out and he was free.

He ran to his new freedom with a roar of joy. But he didn’t stop just there, he ran down the hallway and didn’t stop running. He didn’t even stop when two guards would run in front of him. He just quickly rammed past them, the guard on the left getting hit so hard it killed him instantly, while the other impacted the wall and floor so hard it broke his bones and killed him. Either war their blood now covered the halls of the prison. The thing that used to be Joseph was enjoying himself . . . a lot.

He finally burst out the doors of the prison tar oozing from bullet wounds randomly sprayed through his body. Outside guarding the electric fence was nearly half an army of guards from all units of the prison system. He didn’t think for a second.

He ran toward the lines of guards.

The guard’s reaction was immediate. They released every dog they had with the order to attack and kill. One dog was faster than the rest and it reached him first. He simply swatted its head which snapped to the side breaking its neck an sending its body after it a second after its broken head. Then the men opened fire as the rest of the dogs reach the creature man and got swatted or broken in seconds.

The entire thing that was Joseph saw was flashes and dots of red and orange shooting something grey toward him through the flying blood from the dogs, and their corpses that still flew broken in the air. The grey dots hit him with such force that it almost knocked him to the ground but he was able to keep his ground.

The guards with the shields had hoped that all that resistance would have taken out that thing running toward them but it didn’t and they knew what they had to do. All the guards with shields put the shields next to one another and ran forward with intent to ram that thing running at them faster than any man could. The men on the line didn’t say a word or show any emotion they just did their job with a dead certainty.

The thing with his final footstep dug his foot in at the last second and pelted off the ground straight at the line of shields and rammed through them. Breaking most man and shield in the line alike into pieces.

The line of shielded men were broken through and finally they showed their fear, pain, and anger. . .those that survived did anyway.

The warden yelled into all ears that were near him, “Take that thing out already!!!!! Make sure he doesn’t get past that gate!!!”

The thing that used to be Joseph’s ears hurt by the sudden voices that sprouted when he rammed through that wall thing. It was like he had junk broken a sound barrier that let loose all the annoying sound from them. He was near another barrier now that looked even more feeble than the other one he had just broken through. Then he saw the last line of figures trying to stop him, by standing in his way and pointing funny looking things at him. He smiled and ran at them, ready to taste the warm fresh blood that would fly from their bodies as he tore them apart going by.

“It’s coming!!!!!”

“Look its . . . smiling?!?”

“Stand your ground men!! Even if you die in the process!! Now, STAND YOUR GROUND TROOPS!!!!!!!”

“Sir, it’s breaking through the line and the fence without even a hint of trouble.”

“STOP HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“. . . It’s gone sir . . .”


Joseph finally had control of his body again. He could feel so much pain from what had just happened. He was where in the woods, he didn’t know where though. All of it had just felt like such a bad dream. And it had all stated with that dang wife he used to ha-.

“So about our . . . haunting contract.”