Vindico Bay - Chapter 2 (Patreon)

All characters are 18+

Trigger warning: Discussion of violence. 

A young man tore through a dark alleyway, his rushed footsteps echoing around the concrete jungle that he knew well by now.

They weren't far behind and he cursed to himself for being so stupid. He grabbed the balaclava from the waistband of his black trousers and launched it over one of the walls. Some curious child would find it in their back garden in the morning.

They'd stopped shouting after him now, the pair of them likely too tired to extend their energy any longer. They weren't as fit as they should have been, but what cop was these days?

Jared Wolf skidded, giving the chasing cops a moment of advantage, but he was young and agile, and they were out of shape and breathless. He was back on his feet in an instant.

The end of the lane came into sight and Jared knew that if he could just reach his house, it would all be worth it. If he could shake the two fat cops, it would be worth it even more.

He sped up. His lean body reaching it's limit and his lungs burning as he reached the home stretch. Just a little further. A little further.

The nineteen-year-old burst from the lane, and just as he did, a police car skidded to a stop before him and he found himself hurtling across the hood.

It happened too fast to prevent it. He landed on his back, the air rushing from his lungs, and before he could get back to his feet, bodies swarmed him.

"I hope it was worth it" a sweating, breathless oaf of a man grunted as he dropped all of his weight onto the struggling teen.

Jared winced as the steel handcuffs were clamped painfully around his wrists and he was dragged to his feet.

"Mom!" He shouted, watching his mother run from their rundown, single story house.

The woman looked tired, and she probably was. Rearing four children under the age of ten was no easy feat, especially alone.

"Step back, ma'am" one of the officers said, standing in her path, but the woman swerved around him and wrapped her arms around her son.

"My pocket, mom" Jared whispered as his mom hugged him.

He felt her hand in the pocket of his hoodie, and a moment later she was being pulled away from him. He could go happily now. He'd rest in the knowledge that even if he was thrown in a cell for the night, his little brother would get the medication that he needed.

"You're under arrest" the fattest officer snarled, still attempting to breathe through the thick moustache under his nose. "For armed robbery".

"Armed?" Jared snapped, as two others dragged him toward the cruiser. "I'm not armed!"

"Tell it to the judge" the cop smirked, pulling a small handgun from a plastic bag.

"You're a fucking liar!" Jared roared "you planted that!"

The man looked as though he'd been bullied in school and was now taking his frustrations out with the little bit of power he'd been given.

With another struggle, the young man was finally secured in the police car, though it didn't stop him from shouting.

"With any luck" the large cop breathed, locking the zip-lock bag which now contained the handgun, "this should get him off the street for a few months at least".

A younger officer, who had arrived in the car, glanced at the man.

"You didn't really plant that, did you?" He asked, looking both worried and curious.

"You're new" the man scoffed "you'll soon learn that sometimes we need to give the judges a bit of a, how should I put this... Helping hand".

"But all the kid stole was a couple of inhalers" the cop shrugged "it's not really the crime of the century".

"Speaking of" the moustached officer pondered, and drew his own handgun before beckoning another two officers to follow.

"This junkie bitch has stolen goods in her house" the man shouted, stopping beside Jared in the backseat of the cruiser, doing so, only so that the young man could hear him clearly.

"Consider her armed and dangerous, do what you need to do".

Jared's blood ran cold as he listened to the man. He lifted his legs to his chest and drove them into the door.

"STAY AWAY FROM HER!" He bellowed, but the officer smiled at him deviously.

The engine started, and a moment later, the car was driving off the street.

"You need to go back and help her!" Jared roared at the two cops in the front, "he's going to kill her!"

"Calm down, kid" the driver scoffed, and less than a second later, the sound of gunshots rang out around the street.

The teen's eyes widened and filled with tears instantly. The two men in the front looked at each other nervously, switched on the sirens and swiftly left the area. Jared glared out the back window.

For more than one reason, his life had just changed forever.

**

Three states over, a third consecutive late night meeting was taking place. The senator headed the table as she had the two nights previous.

"Senator Leddy, all fifty states have now confirmed. Congratulations"

The woman, with greying hair and deep wrinkles nodded. She knew that they would, but things had moved fast over the last month. She remembered the phone call from the then General of Staff in the United Kingdom, it had started a chain of events that had finally led to this.

"And the premises?" She asked a man who sat on the other end of the table.

Gustav Erickson was the best in the business. It was the sole reason that he'd been chosen for this, and he was yet to disappoint.

"Secured, ma'am" he nodded, his thick Russian accent vibrating around the room. "One hundred and forty seven men have been drafted from around the globe and arrived on the island at approximately seven PM our time".

"Excellent" the woman replied, scribbling something on a sheet of paper before her.

"And these men" she continued, her voice cold and calculating, "what is their background?"

Erickson opened his laptop and a moment later, projected it onto the large white wall behind him.

"This" he said, bringing up a new page, "is Gregory Kase, the new warden".

A terrifying looking man appeared in a small square. His jet black hair had been combed tightly back, his leather like face bore scars, though it was unclear if they were caused by wounds or bad skin. His dark eyes were like two slits, and his chin was pointed and almost rodent like.

"He's an interesting looking character" Senator Leddy smiled, leaning on her thumb and finger.

"He's fifty-three-years-old" Erickson explained, "he began his career in a juvenile detention centre and was quickly transferred to a maximum security facility in Idaho after a number of incidents. He spent five years as a CO, earning the nickname Mental Kase".

The woman smirked as the Russian continued.

"Eventually he became warden of the prison, and four years later he was arrested after it surfaced that Kase, along with two other officers, were torturing prisoners for fun".

"What an upstanding member of society" another man laughed, and the other attendees joined him.

"Ultimately he served only two months in prison, and was released to the custody of the United States military after a personal request. He spent time working in Guantanamo, but apparently it wasn't sadistic enough for him".

Leddy looked more and more impressed as Erickson continued.

"Kase seemingly disappeared in 2009, resurfacing in 2017 and reprising his role as a correctional officer. According to some sources, he spent a number of years in Russia, Japan, Nigeria and some questionable areas of South America".

"So he's a seasoned traveller" Leddy smirked.

"Very" Erickson nodded. "He's experienced enough to successfully manage the facility, and as per your request, Senator, he's... Um... He's..."

"Evil" Leddy shrugged "let's call it like it is".

"Yes ma'am" he replied, swallowing a lump in his throat.

"The other members of staff have histories equally as... Colourful" he told them all.

"Lucian Malkovich, a Ukrainian ex con with a proclivity for dishing out barbaric, dehumanising punishments. He served seventeen years in prison before escaping during the war".

"James L. Byrne, a retired police officer from Ireland. I say retired, but the man is only forty-one, he was forced into an early retirement for setting a young man's genitals on fire. That was the straw that broke the camels back, but plenty more came before it".

"Can these people be trusted to care for dozens of young men on a remote island, thousands of miles away from civilisation?" One of them asked with an audible tone of worry.

A rumble of laughter echoed around the room as Erickson continued.

"I won't bore you with every single profile, but this is Viktor Willem. He's the youngest of the group at just twenty-five".

A photo of a rather handsome young man appeared on screen, with short sandy coloured hair and a light tan. His eyes were piercing, even through the projector.

"Looks innocent enough" Leddy noted, with an air of suspicion in her voice.

"Looks can be deceiving, ma'am" Erickson smirked. "Willem doesn't believe in brutal, physical punishments. His interests lay solely with the breaking of the mind. Humiliation, degradation, mental torture. His experience is limited given his young age, but my guess is that this one will be our key to success".

"Your guess?" The Senator said, cocking a brow.

"Yes ma'am, as I say, his experience is limited. What we do know however, is that he was kicked out of every single school he ever attended for various disturbing acts. He's been arrested multiple times for voicing his beliefs, but he's an extremely intelligent person, and has represented himself on all counts, walking free each time".

"I'll take your word for it" she replied "so when can we expect the first inmates?"

Another man spoke now, he had remained silent up to that point. He cleared his throat and spoke directly to the senator.

"A select pool of judges have been briefed on the situation, ma'am" he said in a low, deep voice. "I expect that from tomorrow morning we should see the first sentencing, with many more to come throughout the day. Transportation has already been arranged for ten prisoners, the first part of the journey will commence on Friday morning at 4AM"

"Excellent" the senator nodded "and the cameras?"

"Already installed" Erickson explained "every square inch of the facility is now under constant surveillance, we can tune in at any time".

Senator Leddy stood up and sighed contently as she observed her team. They'd worked tirelessly over the last number of weeks, as had she.

"Thank you, gentlemen" she smiled "you should all be very proud of yourselves. We have certainly made history, and our children's children will thank us for it".

With those words, the suited lady walked from the room with a smile on her face and a wicked satisfaction in her heart.