Episode 10

Episode 10

JOURNEY

Written by Andy Mascola

The three unique individuals had finally been freed from a mysterious facility.

John, the assumed leader of the trio, would be hard pressed to explain how he had first arrived at the same compound he now found himself outside of just days later. He would have had an even more difficult time relaying the story of how he, by some strange and magical genetic awakening within him, sprouted a three-foot-long, completely self-manipulative tail from just above the crack of his ass.

Jennifer, a beautiful young blonde woman, had had a similar genetic mutation awaken during her time inside the facility. A stunning pair of white feathered wings now hung from her back. These appendages, however, proved to be more than just an aesthetically pleasing visual novelty. Jennifer’s wings had the added feature of being able to regenerate if exposed to destructive elements.

The third, and perhaps the most mysterious, of the three was a Cyclops named Cyrus. Standing at over seven-feet-tall Cyrus’ interactions with John had all been acts of violent intimidation. He appeared initially as a prisoner within the facility, but soon came to be viewed, at least by John, as a muscular goon used purely for the protection of the facility’s caretakers. This put an instant bad taste in John’s mouth. Could Cyrus be trusted to assist his average-sized comrades if the occasion arose?

John was aware that Jennifer knew more than he did about the goings on within the compound. 

However, at this point in their relationship, what was more important to him was that he could count on Jennifer as a friend and an equal in his disdain for the way they’d been treated by the facility’s caretakers up to this point. John wasn’t a fool. Just because she had wings didn’t mean she was an angel. After all, Satan had wings too.

The three trudged through snow that came up to just above their ankles. John was in front, followed by Jennifer, with Cyrus behind. They all wore black jumpsuits which had been supplied by the facility.

John walked between some trees and over a small hill. He stopped and turned. He could no longer see the facility. The wind was fierce. He reached in his pocket and took out the map he was handed before the door to the compound was shut and locked behind them.

“The big guy’s barefoot,” Jennifer said as she came over the hill.

“What’s that?” John said, turning to look at her.

“Cyrus.”

“Who gives a shit? That mother fucker can freeze for all I care,” John said.

“Hey, Cyrus,” Jennifer shouted over the whipping wind to the giant who was now making his way up

the hill behind them.

The Cyclops stopped and looked up.

“Aren’t your feet freezing?” Jennifer asked.

Cyrus looked down at his huge fleshy pavement pounders and then looked up at Jennifer and shrugged without saying a word. The giant took a deep breath, exhaled, and continued walking toward where John and Jennifer now stood. John examined the map.

“How much farther?” the winged woman asked.

“I’m guessing we’re here,” John started, pointing to a spot not far from the rectangle which was the compound they’d left behind. “This line shows us going at least another seven miles until we get to this smaller square here at the opposite side of the paper.”

“What happens when we reach that square?” Jennifer asked.

John shook his head. “I hope we can at least get some goddamned supplies. I don’t know what time it is, but I’m guessing it’s going to start getting dark in the next four hours or so. If this weather gets any more brutal we’re going to die from exposure.

“This jumpsuit’s keeping my body pretty warm. As long as I keep my hands in my pockets it’s not too bad,” Jennifer said. “How are you doing?”

“My body’s pretty okay,” John said. “My tail, on the other hand…” John and Jennifer both looked down at John’s tail peeking from between his legs. It was shaking like the end of a rattlesnake.

Cyrus walked up behind John and Jennifer. He looked over their shoulders at the map and snorted. John turned and looked up at the hulking brute. The Cyclops was breathing hard through his mouth and he had snot dripping from his nose. The giant’s horrible breath smacked John in the face.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” John muttered turning back to the map.

The three walked for another five miles in silence. John walked ahead and would stop to check the map every once in a while to make sure they were still going the right way. He listened for the sound of passing cars. Nothing. No people. No animals.

After passing through a particularly thick cluster of very tall leafless trees John stopped and squinted. 

He could see a small wooden shack approximately two miles ahead. Outside of the shack was what looked to be a human form in a red jumpsuit seated, or maybe squatting.

“What’s up?” Jennifer asked as she walked up to where John was now standing.

He pointed.

“What now?”

“I’m guessing he or she hasn’t seen us yet,” John said.

Cyrus caught up to the two and Jennifer was pointing so he knew where to focus the giant eye in the middle of his face.

“I’ll walk ahead. You two hang back for five minutes before following me,” John said.

John walked toward the shack. As he got closer the woods thinned out. After about a half hour of walking he was close enough to observe the person in the red jumpsuit seated outside the shack. It was most definitely a man. He was a much older man than John, with a beard and moustache made up of mostly thick gray hair. The man was sitting on a folding chair with a rifle across his lap. As John approached, the older man stood, holding the rifle across his body.

John held his arms up to show he wasn’t armed. “Hello,” he said as he now walked slowly toward the old timer.

“Stop right there, son,” the old man said in what sounded like a British accent.

John stopped approximately thirty feet from the old man with the rifle. The old man’s right hand slid from the butt of the gun to the trigger area. He tucked the backend of the rifle under his armpit, but kept the barrel pointed down.

“I’m from the facility. I was given a map to get here.” John dropped one of his hands and started to fish in his pocket for the map.

“Hands up, lad!” the old man shouted as he raised and cocked the rifle. It was now pointed at John’s chest.

John took his hand out of his pocket, minus the map, and raised it back in the air. He suddenly had another idea. John’s shivering tail slowly made its way around his waist and into his front pocket. John felt the tip of his tail grip the folded paper and pull it out.

“What the bloody hell is that then?” the Englishman demanded. His eyes were now wide and his mouth hung open as he watched John’s tail retrieve the map.

“That’s kind of a long story,” John said sighing. Just then Cyrus and Jennifer emerged from the woods behind John.

The Englishman saw the Cyclops and the winged woman and immediately raised the rifle to his eye. John could see he was shaking with fear. Cyrus summoned a deep and angry rumbling roar from inside his huge lungs.

“Look out!” Jennifer yelled. She ran and grabbed John, her wings wrapping around both her and him as she fell pulling both of them to the ground.

As they fell, a shot rang out from the old man’s rifle, followed almost simultaneously by a shot fired from a much closer source.

Jennifer’s wings unwrapped themselves from John. Her arms let go. The two slowly stood. John looked to see the old man lying face down in the snow, a deep red pool of blood soaking into the whiteness around his motionless body. There was still smoke coming out of the barrel of the British man’s rifle that now also lay on the ground.

Jennifer and John turned to see Cyrus holding a pistol at his side with smoke curling out of the end.

“Where the fuck did you get that?” John asked the giant in shocked amazement.

Cyrus smiled. “Why do you think they had me in manacles?”