On their way to San Francisco, yesterday, Dad had mentioned the prison island and since then Dean was pleading for a trip to Alcatraz. Today they had taken the afternoon tour. The youngest of the group was Andy, twelve years old. He found Alcatraz sad and spooky. Even Mum was not smiling much.
Dad, Dean- Andy's elder brother and their cousin Jack were still inside the main hall. Mum did not want to listen to the gory tales any more, or look at the guns and lists; and chose to walk along the promenade near the entrance till the 'boys' finished the guided tour of the basement. Andy wandered away to look at the basement level. He was behind a group of Asian tourists pointing at things and speaking in a high pitched foreign language. On the stairs winding down he could not see them but the voices reached him. The walls were dusty stone, the same as the steps. "whaa." Andy went tumbling down, his head banged on the metal railing at the end of the staircase.
Andy took a few moments to get his mind coherent. some idiot shoved me down Andy thought as he dusted himself and walked ahead, following the sound of the foreign voices around the corner. It was a hallway with cells on both sides. The doors were solid rusted iron with slits at the bottom. The last door on the left was open with the light from inside spilling into the hallway. Only after he stepped in did he notice that the cell was empty- no tourists. what the hell Andy thought turning right around in time to see the door close on him.
A jolt of fear struck Andy's heart as the door clanged shut. Andy stood frozen for a moment too shocked to react. Then the fear bubbled up his throat. "Hey! Let me out. This is not funny." He pushed at the door once, twice and again but to no avail. Then he was was banging at the door with his fists. "Open Up"
When Andy got no response, in the first half a minute his screaming turned sharper and loudest he could manage. "Please Open up." Then the fear started to build up and burst out in a wail." Daaad. Moommm. Help Help me." Andy screamed and pleaded and banged away. In a few minutes the wails turned to sobs, his hands were still bunched into fists but the knuckles were bleeding.
How much time did he take to get over his hysteria Andy did not know, but a fresh dread crept into his soul. There was no light coming from under the door or from the slit. He was in complete darkness. Oh God. Oh God Oh God Andy's mind refused to accept anything. He fell down in a heap by the door with his head against it. Something bit his hand, the sharp pain brought him back from his tired fugue. He flung his hands around again bunching them. He cried out involuntarily when his hand struck something with fur - RAT Again his fears burst forth anew; Andy started punching at the door and screaming out a squeaky plea of "HELP ME. Please Help Me. Heelp!"
Andy was soon too tired to continue banging and stood leaning on the door listening to the faint scritch-scratch. He cried out "AAAH" and flung out his leg as he felt the rat started to climb up his pants. The squeak and thud was not a relief as Andy could just make out the sound of it scurrying. Andy removed his left shoe and held it ready facing the sound. When he felt the rat touch his foot he stuck with the shoe. There was a wet smack accompanied a loud squeak; satisfied Andy sat down on the rough stone floor, tired and drained of emotion. The darkness pressing upon his soul was increasing every moment and a phrase he had heard in a TV show jumped out in Andy's mind. "crazed with fear."
Then the scratching and thuds started in the left wall. It sounded like somebody on the other side wanted to get through. Andy felt his way to the wall and shouted "Hallo. Help me Please." His hand touched a loose stone. Andy pried it out with both hands, a sudden illogical hope raising his spirit. Some grey light filtered through as the heavy stone finally came out but Andy could not see through it. He started to brush aside loose rubble when he his hand was caught by a rough claw. Andy jerked it away but finger tips of his right hand got caught between the claw and the stone wall. A loud inhuman screech filled the cell. His mind numbed with growing horror Andy doubled his effort to pry his hand free with jerking motions- alternatively to the right and to the left. He fell back as his hand came loose. Andy could feel the stone he had removed wedged under him.
He scrambled up as another screech filled the cell; picking up the stone he held it against his chest while he stood up square in front of the gap in the wall. Then he held the stone in both his hands and tried to aim it exactly- pushing the stone back into it's place. The stone would not go in more than half way, in fact the creature on the other side was pushing. Andy pushed with all he had, and more with fear fueling his frantic effort. But with a big push the stone was pushed from the other side with massive force throwing both Andy and the stone to the ground. The stone landed on Andy's little finger breaking it. The pain of his finger breaking was too much for him and with the screech reverberating in his brain Andy blacked out.
"Andy! Andy! come on kid." Andy felt a mild slap. "Dean go tell your mother we found him and tell Mr. Hogan we may need to make up a stretcher."
"Dad" Andy tried to say as he opened his eyes. Ignoring the pain in his hand- his broken finger; Andy hugged his father and started to cry.
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