Chapter 3 - 'Enter Damian'

  Two days had passed since Matt and Tom had left, and Jason had divided his time between swimming, eating, sleeping and working out in a small gym he'd discovered.

    Needless to say, Jason felt like he was slowly going out of his mind.

    At this time, he was sprawled on the steps of the pool, his lower half submerged in the soothing waters, his arms stretched out on either side of him. As he relaxed, he thought about the past few days and the place he found himself in. Every morning, after sleeping naked with his clothes in a pile on the floor, Jason awoke to find them clean and neatly folded by his bed. And as soon as he left his room, when he came back, the bed was clean and made. He hadn't managed to find any towels either, and they
disappeared from his room as well. But when he used the pool or the gym, as soon as he was about to go, he'd notice a towel hanging on one of the silver hooks where he was sure there hadn't been one a moment before.

    "Man, this could be paradise..." he said aloud. "If there was actually anything to do." He laughed. "They certainly don't lead the most exciting lives, whoever they are." He sighed, "talking to yourself again Jason. That's the first sign of insanity." He giggled and slipped down into the water up to his chest and dozed in the swirling steam. His reverie was broken by the faint sound of shattering glass. He looked around him. Faint voices drifted across the air.

    "Oh, just great. Now you're hearing voices, Jason. You really are going crazy."

    There were several thuds from the walls and the voices began to get louder. The lights suddenly shut off and Jason sat upright. "Now I'm sure that's not in my mind."

    Just then Jason caught a particularly loud voice. It didn't sound happy, "Search every room. Find him."

    There was a louder thud from the one of the doors behind him and a heavy grinding sound as the door dragged open, instead of the normal soft slide. Red light spilled out, revealing the tip of a black machine gun barrel peering out from the door, edging forward.

    That was all Jason needed to see. Before whoever it was could turn and look into the room, Jason dived down into the pool. As he swam down he thought to himself, 'Fuck that was stupid! Where am I supposed to go now?' Just then he noticed a faint glimmer of light from the side of the darkened pool
near the bottom. He swam towards it and discovered a small tunnel cut into the marble, leading upwards. He pulled himself quickly inside.

    His lungs started to get tight from lack of oxygen, and he hauled himself up the tunnel. His head breached the water and he found himself in a small, gently lit chamber. The walls were rough-hewn marble, and he realized he was inside one of the larger boulders by the pool.

    Again he heard the voice, strangely un-muffled by the rock, "Find him. If he resists then kill him." There was the soft thud of several booted feet on the marble by the pool. "I want to be out of here before anyone returns."

    Jason pulled himself from the tunnel and crouched on the ground, listening as the intruders scoured the place for him.  The ground behind him sighed as a panel slid over the tunnel, sealing him inside.  "There's no sign of him anywhere, sir." Someone called out.

    Jason couldn't figure out how they had managed to miss his clothes by the pool. He noticed a small slit in the rock above his head and he strained his neck to look out. Several people moved about the place, opening doors and shining red flashlights inside rooms. They all carried machine guns and were dressed in black, including flack jackets. All except for one.

    He stood by the pool, quietly observing some expanding ripples on the pool, still drifting from when Jason had dived in. He exuded a commanding presence, and everyone around him seemed to differ to him. The man stood stock still in a black trench coat. The man was standing right in front of where
Jason had left his clothes. Jason looked at the ground. His
clothes were gone.

    The man raised his head and tilted it to the side so Jason could see his eyes. They were like pits. Black, cold and empty. He sniffed the air like a dog and his eyes flashed blazing red and then returned to hollow dark black.

    "He's here. I can smell him."

    Jason sat back down on the ground nervously, and put his hand out to steady himself. He gasped softly. His clothes were neatly piled beside him on the ground.

    "Shh!" he heard.

    All noise in the room ceased. Jason panicked. He must have heard Jason's gasp. Jason crouched again and peered out of the slit. The man had his head cocked to the side. He sneered and flashed a row of tiny sharp teeth.

    He took a few steps forward and raped his knuckle on the nearest boulder. A hard sharp knock rang out. He took another step and reached out and did the same to the next boulder.  Another sharp rap. The man walked between the larger boulders and knocked on each one in turn, each time coming closer and closer to Jason's boulder.

    "Fuck!" Jason whispered.

    The man whipped his head around and looked straight at Jason through the small slit. He walked steadily towards Jason's hiding place, casually tapping stones as he went.  Only Jason's boulder remained, and he moved with careful deliberation towards it, fist outstretched.

    "Matt!" Jason called out with his thoughts. "If you can hear me, you better fucking hurry up!" He concentrated on Matt's name and repeated it in his head.

    An explosion rocked the room and blinding white light poured into the room. Jason fell back from the slit, covering his face with his arms.

    Jason stood again and peered out of the slit. Chunks of blasted white marble littered the floor and light streamed in through a gaping hole in the wall. It was so bright Jason could not bring himself to look directly at it. The intruders lay sprawled on the floor in various uncomfortable looking positions. There was no sign of the man who had been about to discover Jason.

    There was movement behind the light, and Jason made out a figure approaching. Some one stepped through the hole in the wall and stood amongst the rubble. 'Fuck. What now?' He
thought.

* * *

    "Jason?" a voice called out. "Jason?"

    "Matt?" Jason called back.

    "Jason, we're leaving."

    "Um... I'm sorta stuck in here."

    "Just walk out."

    "Matt, that's the problem. The tunnel sealed itself and there are no doors." Jason shouted out impatiently.

    Matt chuckled.

    "It's not funny Matt! Get me out of here."

    Matt sighed, "Place your hand on the rock and walk forwards."

    Jason did as he was told and placed his hand on the rock. It slid right through. Jason was about to walk through when he felt a sudden chill on his skin.

    Matt waited for a few seconds and was about to go help Jason out when he called back out from the     boulder.

    "Umm... Matt?"

    "What?" he sighed.

    "I'm not wearing anything."

    "Wrap the towel around yourself. You can get dressed later; we really need to hurry now. This place will be swarming in a few minutes."

    Jason grabbed his clothes from the floor, "What tow--?" Jason stopped mid sentence as he noticed a towel folded neatly beside him.

    "How the hell does he do that?!" Jason exclaimed to himself.

    A few seconds later Jason emerged from the boulder and rushed over to Matt, a towel wrapped around his waist and his clothes tucked in a bundle under his arm.

    "Boy am I glad to see you!" Jason smiled.

    "I came as soon as I heard the alarms." Matt turned to walk out the gaping hole in the wall.

    "Thanks. What happened to the guy with the eyes?"

    Matt stopped and turned to face Jason. "What guy?"   His eyes darted around the room and he sniffed the air. "Damian" he whispered. Then turning to Jason, "Run down the hall and go out the door at the end. Get in the back of the car."

    Jason hesitated then caught the look in Matt's eyes and dashed off down the corridor. He pushed open the door and ran out, gasping in the sudden cold air. The snow bit into his bare feet as he ran to a waiting, silver SUV with tinted windows, and hauled himself into the back seat.  He rubbed his numb feet and breathed in the warm perfumed air of the car. "What is with this guy and lilies?" he asked out
loud.

    Just then, Matt came running out of the building and leapt into the driver's seat. He slammed his foot on the gas and sped off.

    They were speeding down a long hill track, bordered on both sides by tall pine trees. Jason just noticed a small stone marker that read '35a', when the van shifted forward suddenly in the snow, as the trees rocked and an explosion rumbled down the hill. Jason looked out of the back window to
see flames leaping up into the sky from where the building had been.

    "Well that's a bitch." Jason commented.

    "What?" Matt asked glancing at him in the rear-view mirror.

    "They just blew up your house. Aren't you pissed?" Jason asked in surprise.

    "I did that." Matt looked at him in the mirror again and grinned,  And it wasn't my house either."

    They had driven a while in silence, when Matt called over his shoulder to Jason. "You know, you can get dressed now."

    Jason looked down at himself and realized he was still just wearing the towel, he blushed and started pulling on his boxers. As he was pulling on his T-shirt, he glanced at the mirror noticed Matt watching him. Matt quickly returned his focus to the road.

    Thoughts raced through Jason's head as he pulled on his sweatshirt. Had Matt been checking him out in the mirror? For some reason, his heart pulsed with excitement.

    When he was done, he sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the trees flashing by, until...

    "Jason?"

    "Yeah?"

    "Come here."

    Jason leaned forward so his head was between the front seats.

    "What?" he asked.

    Matt reached out and stuck his hand in front of Jason's face as it began to glow with light. Jason slumped back into his seat, fast asleep.

* * *

    "Jason."

    Someone was shaking him.

    "Jason wake up."

    Jason opened his eyes. Matt was standing by the car door, gently shaking him. When he saw he was awake, he turned and began walking away. Jason leapt out of the car and looked
groggily about him. They were stopped outside of a small roadside motel. It didn't look like much. Jason ran and caught up with Matt as he headed towards the office. "I wish you'd stop doing that hand thing." He glared at Matt.

    "Sorry." Matt said as he pushed open the door. 

    He walked over to the desk and rang a small silver bell. A blond, freckled 19 year-old guy dashed out from a back room.

    "Hi, Jimmy" Matt greeted him.

    "Matt!" He shouted excitedly, seeing who it was. "I haven't seen you in like fifty years! What are you doing here?"

    He stopped short when he noticed me and quickly composed himself. He looked at Matt and Jason heard his voice, "Sorry, I didn't reali--"

    "No Projections" Matt interrupted.

    Jimmy looked at Matt curiously, then shrugged. "Well, what can I do for you?" he asked casually.

    "I need a clean-up crew at site 35a, it was compromised, and we need a room."

    Jimmy smiled and glanced at me, "How far you taking this one?"

    "All the way." Matt smiled back at him.

    'Uh oh!' Jason thought. 'That sounded like he's gonna-- Surely he's not going to rape--'

    "So which one requested him then?" Jimmy asked as he reached for the key to room number seven off the key rack.

    'Is this some sort of sex workshop?'

    "Actually, all of them did," Matt said.

    'Oh fuck! It's one of those group things!' Jason realized with a shock.

    Jimmy almost dropped the key and stared at Jason. "So you're the one everyone's talking about!"

    Matt suddenly cleared his throat and took the key from Jimmy's hand. "We should be going." He grabbed Jason, who had been edging away, towards the door.

    As soon as Matt touched his arm, Jason felt all resistance in him melt, and he could do nothing to stop Matt from guiding him out the door and then down to room number seven.

* * *

    Matt unlocked the door and pushed Jason through. The room was just like any you might expect to find at a motel, dingy, dark, one bed, one bathroom, one lamp and one closet.  Matt closed the door behind them and pulled Jason towards the closet. He threw back the door and white light cascaded
outwards, illuminating the room with sudden starkness. Matt walked Jason up to the closet and then paused.

    "Hey, Jason?"

     Jason turned to face Matt and encountered his glowing hand in
front of his face.

    "Aw, fuck! Not agai--"

    But it was already too late. Matt caught Jason in his arms as he slumped over, fast asleep. Matt hefted his weight in his arms and stepped forwards into the closet. The doors swung silently shut behind him.