could get a look at the retribution about to take place.
Bei looked at
the woman, and said, smiling, "So be it." Then he stepped forward,
and picked up the electric tube that lay at his feet.
The skinhead's
eyes doubled in size, when he realised he was about to get a taste of his own
medicine. He sprang off the deck, throwing all his weight at Bei.
To the watching
Charlie, it all seemed to take place in slow motion.
Bei saw the skinhead
charge and twisted to take the impact. As he turned, something slick and shiny,
the length and width of a child's ruler, shot out of the back of his right
hand. The blue man swung it at the guard, and sliced a cut through his face
from ear to ear.
The skinhead
dropped dead. A gash ran under his eyes, dissecting his face in a ghastly,
second smile. Charlie took one look at the guard and turned away.
Charlie reminded
himself, that the guard had it coming. But still he wondered if anyone really
deserved to die such a grisly death.
Bei clearly
thought so. When Charlie turned, the blue man stood over the guard, smiling, as
the blood pooled at his feet. The object protruding from his hand, Charlie now
saw, was a razor sharp, square-tipped blade. Charlie wondered if it hurt Bei to
use it.
The blue man,
however, was in excellent spirits. He called over to the Lucozade woman. In his
left hand he still held the electric stick. He activated it and waved its
flashing end towards her, and said, "I'm sorry, you'll have to make do
with just the one electrocuted guard."
Beneath him the
second guard stirred. The poor bastard, thought Charlie, coming into
consciousness just at the wrong time.
The guard,
groggy and confused, propped himself up onto his elbows. He looked around him.
When he saw the open cell door, his mutilated partner and Bei standing over him
swinging the electric tube, his face became so white Charlie would have sworn
it glowed.
Bei looked the
skinhead dead in the eyes, and said, smiling "Welcome to the party."
And then he rammed the tube's sparkling end into the skinhead's crotch.
It took less
than a minute for the skinhead to die, but to Charlie and no doubt the skinhead,
it seemed considerably longer.
Charlie forced
himself to watch. He could not afford to look weak. He needed to appear worth
Bei's attempts to help him escape. But when the skinhead's testicles set
alight, he decided enough was enough and turned away. Unfortunately, he had no
way of turning his ears away from the man's screams or his nostrils away from
the stench of burnt sex organs.
When the screaming
ended, Charlie turned to see what was left of the poor sadistic skinhead. He
wished he had not. If the devil ever needed a picture to go with his barbeque
invitations, he could not have chosen a better image.
Bei stood over
the melted corpse, his amber eyes lost in thought. Then he coughed, scratched
his backside and looked up at the inmates silently watching him. A look of
impatience flashed across his face. "What are you waiting for?"
For a second,
the inmates stood looking around at each other. And then, as one kaleidoscopic
swarm, they poured out of the cell, parting for their two saviours like a river
rushing past two boulders, before reforming and flowing down the corridor.
Charlie watched
them go. The blue man had made a deal to help him escape and against all odds
he looked like keeping up his end of the bargain. For now, Charlie's fate lay
firmly in the alien's hands.
When the last of
the inmates had fled, Bei stepped, his limp gone, into the cell. He held his
bladed fist up to Charlie. Then he unclenched it, flattening it out. The blade
slid into the back of his hand, hidden once more under the blue flesh. The hand
looked as good as new. No scars gave any clue to the blade tucked inside.
Bei nodded towards
the pink-skinned fringe. "Charlie meet Awani. Awani meet Charlie. He's
coming with us."
She frowned, and
said, "We don't need a passenger, especially a weakling that turns his
face from
Bei looked at
the woman, and said, smiling, "So be it." Then he stepped forward,
and picked up the electric tube that lay at his feet.
The skinhead's
eyes doubled in size, when he realised he was about to get a taste of his own
medicine. He sprang off the deck, throwing all his weight at Bei.
To the watching
Charlie, it all seemed to take place in slow motion.
Bei saw the skinhead
charge and twisted to take the impact. As he turned, something slick and shiny,
the length and width of a child's ruler, shot out of the back of his right
hand. The blue man swung it at the guard, and sliced a cut through his face
from ear to ear.
The skinhead
dropped dead. A gash ran under his eyes, dissecting his face in a ghastly,
second smile. Charlie took one look at the guard and turned away.
Charlie reminded
himself, that the guard had it coming. But still he wondered if anyone really
deserved to die such a grisly death.
Bei clearly
thought so. When Charlie turned, the blue man stood over the guard, smiling, as
the blood pooled at his feet. The object protruding from his hand, Charlie now
saw, was a razor sharp, square-tipped blade. Charlie wondered if it hurt Bei to
use it.
The blue man,
however, was in excellent spirits. He called over to the Lucozade woman. In his
left hand he still held the electric stick. He activated it and waved its
flashing end towards her, and said, "I'm sorry, you'll have to make do
with just the one electrocuted guard."
Beneath him the
second guard stirred. The poor bastard, thought Charlie, coming into
consciousness just at the wrong time.
The guard,
groggy and confused, propped himself up onto his elbows. He looked around him.
When he saw the open cell door, his mutilated partner and Bei standing over him
swinging the electric tube, his face became so white Charlie would have sworn
it glowed.
Bei looked the
skinhead dead in the eyes, and said, smiling "Welcome to the party."
And then he rammed the tube's sparkling end into the skinhead's crotch.
It took less
than a minute for the skinhead to die, but to Charlie and no doubt the skinhead,
it seemed considerably longer.
Charlie forced
himself to watch. He could not afford to look weak. He needed to appear worth
Bei's attempts to help him escape. But when the skinhead's testicles set
alight, he decided enough was enough and turned away. Unfortunately, he had no
way of turning his ears away from the man's screams or his nostrils away from
the stench of burnt sex organs.
When the screaming
ended, Charlie turned to see what was left of the poor sadistic skinhead. He
wished he had not. If the devil ever needed a picture to go with his barbeque
invitations, he could not have chosen a better image.
Bei stood over
the melted corpse, his amber eyes lost in thought. Then he coughed, scratched
his backside and looked up at the inmates silently watching him. A look of
impatience flashed across his face. "What are you waiting for?"
For a second,
the inmates stood looking around at each other. And then, as one kaleidoscopic
swarm, they poured out of the cell, parting for their two saviours like a river
rushing past two boulders, before reforming and flowing down the corridor.
Charlie watched
them go. The blue man had made a deal to help him escape and against all odds
he looked like keeping up his end of the bargain. For now, Charlie's fate lay
firmly in the alien's hands.
When the last of
the inmates had fled, Bei stepped, his limp gone, into the cell. He held his
bladed fist up to Charlie. Then he unclenched it, flattening it out. The blade
slid into the back of his hand, hidden once more under the blue flesh. The hand
looked as good as new. No scars gave any clue to the blade tucked inside.
Bei nodded towards
the pink-skinned fringe. "Charlie meet Awani. Awani meet Charlie. He's
coming with us."
She frowned, and
said, "We don't need a passenger, especially a weakling that turns his
face from