Episode 4

Episode 4

JOURNEY

Written by Andy Mascola

“No!” Jennifer cried out weakly.

Mrs. Margot laughed. John looked down at Jennifer in his arms, confused.

“What did I do?” he asked her.

“Our third question,” Jennifer said.

John then realized he’d used their third question when he’d asked Mrs. Margot what she’d done to Jennifer.

“Behold!” Mrs. Margot yelled before taking another drag of her cigarette.

Jennifer writhed on the floor, gritting her teeth and grunting. John tried to cradle her in his arms, but she rolled away from him roughly and curled up into a ball near the wall. John stood and ran over to where she was, but at that moment two lumps rose up on her shoulder blades as if an animal under her flesh were trying to break free. John recoiled in horror. Jennifer screamed in agony as her back gave birth to two feathered and very bloody wings whose tips extended down the length of her back ending at her waist.

“Suzuki,” Mrs. Magot called as she again pressed the green button beneath the table in front of her.

The Asian butler walked silently into the room. If he took any notice of the horror happening at the other end of the table he didn’t show it. He stood next to the old woman, awaiting his next command.

“Take the winged girl into the rehabilitation room. I’ll have Charles bring clothes for the one with the tail.” Mrs. Margot stood. Suzuki instinctively held out his hand as if expecting a tip. Mrs. Margot stubbed her cigarette out in the butler’s palm. The man showed no sign of pain as he closed his fingers around the extinguished Newport. Suzuki’s hand became red. Fire licked between his fingers as he was able to somehow conjure enough heat to incinerate the refuse without any sign of aid other than his own will.

John cowered in fear as he watched. He was cold. His tail had wrapped itself around his leg. He looked back over at Jennifer. She lay silent and still. Her newly birthed wings were retracted and were now lying motionless on her back. Blood was everywhere.

Suzuki crossed the room and picked up Jennifer around her back and under her wings and knees. He lifted her easily and walked her lifeless body out the door. Mrs. Margot followed behind never once looking down at John.

Charles, the old man, walked into the room carrying a black jumpsuit. “This should fit you, son,” Charles said as he held the suit out to John.

John was freezing and frightened. He was in no position to reject any kindness or clothing offered. 

He reached out and took the jumpsuit from Charles and examined it.

“Looks like they made a special modification for your new appendage,” the old man said laughing and pointing at the back of the suit.

John turned the suit around and saw a hole in the ass of the suit where his tail would go. He stood and pulled the suit on over his naked body as quickly as he could. His tail instinctively found the hole and slithered through it. John pushed his arms through the sleeves and zippered up the front.

“How’s it fit?” Charles asked.

“Fine,” John said without making eye contact.

“Follow me.”

John followed Charles out of the room through the exit where the other three had departed. The two men were again in the dark hall from which John originally entered, but this time the old man stopped halfway and pulled down on one of the framed freak photos causing the wall behind it to open into another hall. Charles pushed the wall open and John followed the old man into what appeared to be a hospital-like tiled hall with glass windows looking into rooms on either side. The new hall was much warmer and John could detect a faint antiseptic-like smell.

The first couple of rooms appeared to be empty. In the next room to John’s right he saw three men who looked exactly like Suzuki wearing white jumpsuits and hurriedly attending to Jennifer and her new wings. John stopped and banged on the glass. The men inside either couldn’t hear John banging, or ignored him as they took turns alternately mopping up the excess blood and carefully folding and unfolding Jennifer’s wings.

“Hey!” John yelled.

Charles stopped and turned, sighing. “She’s going to be okay, son,” he said. “Are you hungry?”

John dropped his arms and turned to Charles. He did feel hungry. “Yeah,” he said.

“Come on. I’ll take you to the cafeteria.”

John followed Charles through swinging double doors at the end of the hall into a large cafeteria. 

Inside there were lots of people dressed in the same black jumpsuit as himself. He marveled as a man who looked to be John’s age walked by casually, but on three legs instead of two. John turned quickly to see a bald woman whose skin was entirely transparent, so much so that John could see the blood vessels, jaw and teeth behind her closed mouth and clear lips.

Charles walked up to John and whispered, “I know it’s a lot to take in, kid, but try not to stare.”

John looked down at his bare feet and remembered the clothes he’d come in with and his backpack. 

“My stuff!” John said to Charles.

“You won’t be needing those things anymore, son,” Charles said as he handed John a gray lunch tray and got in line behind a man with long blonde hair and two eight inch horns protruding from his skull.

John looked around the cafeteria. All the workers preparing meals and serving the freaks in black jumpsuits looked exactly like Suzuki, with the same pointed ears. They were all wearing white jumpsuits.

“I sure hope the food’s normal, because nothing else in this place is,” John said out loud as he slid his tray up onto a counter and peered through the glass at the food being prepared by one of the Asian clones.