The Raven and the Hawk - Episode 7

Malcolm

"Mr. Trent. How are you this evening?"

Malcolm grunted at the little man. He couldn't stand Bobby Brady. His name was bad enough. What kind of parents named their child after the Brady Bunch, anyway? Malcolm cringed as Bobby held out a hand for him to shake. His skin was always clammy. The bony fingers wiggled at Malcolm and he cringed again. Bobby might as well be a skeleton. His tight uniform accentuated the rattly bones underneath. His face was so long and narrow that he looked like a weasel. Bobby's tiny beady eyes watched Malcolm as he waited to shake hands. Malcolm ignored him and continued down the white hallway. He imagined the white walls splattered with blood and smiled. They would be sorry they chose white walls. He would be gone by then, of course. But not Bobby. Bobby would probably be scrubbing these walls. Scrubbing and scrubbing, terrified of the death that blood could cause.

"It's her dinner time, Mr. Trent," Bobby called, scurrying after Malcolm. "You shouldn't go in there."

"Don't tell me what I shouldn't do." Malcolm passed by the armed guards lined up on both sides of the hallway. The hall twisted and turned until it ended at a cage door.

"Mr. Trent," Gary Fisher, the scientist in command of her scrambled from his chair and peered through the metal bars. "No one alerted me to your visit."

"Open the door," Malcolm demanded.

"You'll have to wait at least an hour."

"Why? She can't do anything to me. She's locked up behind three feet of steel!"

"I know, Sir, but after she eats she's always ten times more powerful, you know that. We can't chance the odds, Mr. Trent."

"Listen, Mr. Fisher. Don't tell me about her as if I don't know anything. I was the first to have her, I was in charge until they brought you in. I know everything about her--"

"Well, Sir. There must be a reason they hired me and took you off--"

Malcolm reached through the bars and grabbed Fisher around the throat. Fisher's eyes popped wide open and he chocked and squirmed like an ant between Malcolm's fingers.

Malcolm was surrounded by guns in an instant. One of the guards tore him away from the bars and tossed him down the hall. Malcolm stood up slowly, straightened out his suit, smoothed his hair and glared at the guards. He turned and walked down the hallway, head up, stride perfect as if nothing had happened. He'd be back later. Yeah, he'd be back.