Submerged Chapter 12

"Commander! Commander!"
"Slow down soldier…what is the problem?"
"It's the Warden sir!"
"Sidgiv? What about him?"
"He's not in his quarters…he's nowhere in the prison!"
"Why is this cause for alarm?"
"He…Commander, if I had known…"
"What is it? Tell me!"
"He's infected, Commander! The WARDEN HAS THE VIRUS!"
"He WHAT?! Are you certain?!"
"I saw the remnants of the fungus growing in his chambers! His room looks like it was attacked by a wild wolf shark!"
"Then there is no question…he has become a threat to us all."
"But, Commander…where do we start looking?"
"The virus will have corrupted his brain and his better judgment. His fury has overtaken him…"
"You think he has a target in mind?"
"…yes…I do…Search the palace for him, but be careful…we can't risk infecting the whole royal guard. And whatever you do…be vigilant, he is twice as dangerous as he was before!"
"Aye sir."

"See, that wasn't so bad was it?" Claire giggled. I was sitting in a chair back in my room. I was exhausted and my legs were weak. We had danced for what felt like hours and Claire had been an amazing teacher. She was incredible at it…as if she had been dancing all of her life. After a while though, the dancing had taken its toll on me and I needed to stop, so Claire gladly led me back to my room. She was still standing in front of me, still very much human looking. I had almost forgotten what she really was while we were dancing.
"You were right…it was kind of fun." Claire beamed.
"You know, you're a pretty good dancer." I grinned.
"You really think so?" Claire stepped around the chair I was sitting on and went to my closet. She began rummaging around until she found a bottle of some odd fluid.

"Joseph…do you mind if I ask you a question?" I shrugged in reply. "When you were a prisoner under the Warden…was it terrible?" My smile faded as the memory of my scars came back to greet me. I frowned and looked away.
"Have you seen my back?" I asked her. She shook her head.
"I wanted to be respectful…I didn't look." I stood up and took off the uniform like shirt I was wearing. I felt the cold water slap my body and make me shiver. I leaned forward so that she could get a good look at my back. I heard her gasp a little.
"Take a long look, Claire…that was my punishment for being human." Claire stepped toward me, and I suddenly felt a jolt of pain and warmth. She was running her hand along my back…her very human hands! She was stroking the scars that had I had received.
"Do they hurt?" She asked. I could almost hear the tears in her voice. I nodded
"Occasionally." I answered.
"I think I can help you a little." I turned and saw her taking the bottle of liquid. I gasped in surprise as she poured the liquid down my back. The cold liquid hissed as it touched my scars and I could smell an odd fragrance emanating from it. The liquid made my scars sting fiercely.
"Ow!" I cried.
"This is a special ointment used on wounds…it helps to close them faster and relieve pain."
"Thanks…but it hurts." I answered. She smiled and began to rub the lotion over my shoulders and back.

"I am sorry."
"What for?" I asked. "You weren't the one to whip these scars into me."
"No…but I might as well have."
"What do you mean?" I asked her.
"It was for being human that you were brought here…and it was for being human that you were beaten." I then recalled the nights that I was whipped…the questions asked of me…the things the Warden had said.
"Claire," I asked, "why was I brought here?" Claire paused and stopped rubbing in the lotion. "What am I doing here, Claire? I have a right to know?" I heard Claire step away from me and around. I saw her walk by me, holding an empty bottle.
"I…I have to go…and get more ointment."
"Wait, please." I called. She stopped and turned.
"Yes, master?"
"What have I told you about calling me that?" I snapped. "You're avoiding the subject, Claire…you know why I was whipped…you know what I'm doing here."
"I…I can't talk about it." She whimpered.
"You can't…or you don't want to?" She suddenly bit her lip and rushed from the room, as fast as her heeled feet could carry her. I slumped down in my chair in a huff, furious.
"It seems like I'm always the one not getting answers around here." I groaned. I stood up and walked over to my bed…without putting on my shirt again. With each step, the stinging in my back only got more intense…the ointment was doing its work…but it was a painful process. I would have to thank Claire when she got back.
*knock, knock*
"Claire?" I called, "You can come in…I'm sorry for sounding so angry…I'm just confused right now and…" I stopped talking immediately.

"Hello…*gasp*…human…" I was disgusted by the sight of him! Standing before me with red and scabbed skin was a monster! Its face was distorted and swollen…as if it had been cut and scarred several times! Its hands and feet, though webbed, were like talons with long vicious claws. It's teeth were long and jagged…it looked like one of those strange fish that live far below the darkest areas of the ocean. It's eyes were large and beady…and they were staring right at me. It was built like a mix between a fish and a gorilla with big and muscled arms and legs. It was larger than any of the aliens I had seen before….and it was more terrifying.
"What the hell are you?!" I cried.
"Don't tell me…*gasp*…that you don't…*gasp*…recognize me." I looked carefully at its ugly face…and I noticed that its jaw was slightly crooked…like it had been broken recently. I suddenly flashed back to when I was leaving the prison…I had broken a jaw before leaving that hellhole.
"WARDEN?!" I cried. "What on earth happened to you?!"
"A better question…*gasp*…human…*gasp*…is what is going to happen…*gasp*…to YOU!" He jumped at me with a tremendous force that nearly threw me against the wall. His claws were outstretched, and I only nearly avoided them. "YOU RUINED ME HUMAN!" It bellowed. "BECAUSE OF YOU…*gasp*…I WAS HUMILIATED IN FRONT OF ALL OF OSIAN!"
"That wasn't my fault! You did that to yourself!" I cried. Those probably weren't the right words to use when confronting a giant monstrosity that wanted nothing more than to rip me in half.
"I'LL END YOU!" I searched the room, looking for anything that I could use to defend myself…there was nothing! I was in a girly looking room by earth standards, and I had no weapons. I was alone against a beast!

It lunged forward with a blood thirsty roar, fangs flashing. I dodged it and ran towards the door. I had to get away from this monster. I ran, but the water resistance slowed me down…I wasn't as fast as I needed to be.
"AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!" I screamed. I felt it's sharp nails dig into my scared back and rip it open. It was the most horrible feeling I had ever felt…well…maybe not as bad as the constant whippings I had received…but it was close. Funny, the Warden seemed to enjoy destroying my back. I feel to the floor and screamed in pain.
"Now…*gasp*…I will enjoy devouring you…*gasp*…You should be honored…*gasp*…that I would be willing to eat…*gasp*…garbage like you." I struggled and fought, trying to free myself from his bony grasp.

"Joseph!" I looked up at the doorway, only to see Claire standing in it, with her beautiful human form looking very worried. The monster on my looked up and saw her…it's beady eyes nearly jumped out of its head.
"Another…*gasp*…HUMAN!?" She jumped off of me and started stalking toward the doorway…right for Claire! I struggled to my feet, feeling the blood on my back drip down and fall on my hands and arms.
"Get away from her!" I screamed. He was ignoring me…only coming closer and closer to the now terrified Claire. I staggered after the beast…I had to give Claire time to get away, even if I died at the hands of this creature. Summoning the last of my strength, I ran between the Warden and Claire. I raised my bloody fist and swung it hard at the warden.
"I said GET BACK!" I bellowed. My fist connected…and the monster screamed in agony. It leaped away from me, clutching the spot that I had struck it. There was something like smoke coming up from where I had hit it! The spot was red and festered like a blister! What had I done?! The monster looked at me in horror and shock…not quite sure what to make of me. I decided it was best to follow up on that. I ran after him and took another swing at its face. The same thing happened. A loud hissing noise and a horrible burn appeared on the beasts face.
"Hit him again!" Claire cried. I didn't need a reminder. I hit him over and over and over again! I punched until my knuckles were bleeding…and even then I didn't stop! The monster seemed to be harmed by my very touch…but why? I struck with everything I had in me! Each blow crippled the beast. I kicked it hard in the mouth, sending it falling backwards into the bed post. I jumped on its chest and hit it again…I was filled with anger, fear, and pain. For every lashing and every single misfortune this monster had brought on me…I struck him. Again. Again. Again. AGAIN!

"Enough!" I stopped hitting and turned around to see the Commander standing in the room, with 8 soldiers next to him. "You've done enough…Sidgiv is dead." I looked at the figure beneath me…he wasn't breathing…he was covered in burns and blisters from my punches.
"I…I'm sorry…I didn't mean to."
"Of course you did." The commander corrected me. "He was infected…he was beyond saving. He would have killed us all, given the chance." I stepped back from the body and allowed the soldiers to remove it from the room. They carried it out carefully. "I suppose you are expecting a congratulations for executing this beast?" I looked at the commander in wonder and anger.
"No…I don't."
"Good…now if you'll excuse me…I have to destroy the infected body."
"Infected?" I asked. "What do you mean?" The commander didn't answer, he simply left the room in a rage. I felt rather outraged too. I spun and saw Claire staring at me from outside the room.
"What is going on?" I demanded. "I have to know…what happened here? What is going on!?" I cried. I felt my knees go weak and I felt like falling to the ground. Suddenly, Claire came running into the room and caught me before I fell. She held me up and eased me into a chair…she quickly began tending to my wounded back.
"I'm sorry, Joseph…I'm so sorry!" I didn't answer…I just groaned in response. "I'll tell you everything." I looked up at her, I could see tears in her eyes. "I'll take you to the queen…and she'll tell you everything you want to know."